Finance Ministry secretary-general Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah said it was a good thing that the government is taking steps to save Malaysia Airlines (MAS) as it is the pride of the nation.

“Khazanah Nasional Bhd is injecting RM6 billion to make it good and come back,” he said on the sidelines of MAS’s extraordinary general meeting (EGM) in Kelana Jaya today.

“It is a Malaysian pride to have Malaysians control MAS,” he said when asked to comment about the EGM.

Mohd Irwan also said that shareholders were aware that the 27-sen per share offer was fair value based on independent evaluator.

“So, rather than going into PN17, it is better for them to take this 27-sen (offer), and we do the restructuring. Later, it can come back for relisting,” he said.

Mohd Irwan was speaking to reporters during the meeting’s lunch break before leaving for another function.

As at 1.30 pm, a MAS executive said: “Currently they are counting the ballots.”

The EGM would determine whether the minority shareholders accept or reject MAS’s 27-sen per share offer.

If they were to accept the offer, MAS will be delisted from Bursa Malaysia as part of its restructuring exercise aimed at returning the national carrier to profitability in three years.

- Bernama

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