LETTER | The cabinet's decision to disband the Malaysia Aviation Commission (Mavcom) and make the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) responsible for the vastly different roles of the two bodies is a very regressive move.

The excuses given, including "to optimise resources and increase management efficiency, as well as paving the way for increased competitiveness" are without merit. They are mere rhetoric.

CAAM has not even been able to manage its own home, resulting in the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgrading Malaysia's air safety rating to Category 2.

Mavcom is an ombudsman for handling passenger complaints and has nothing to do with aircraft safety matters. It is concerned with the business ethics of the airlines.

CAAM is responsible for all technical matters related to aircraft maintenance and handling, and keeping them in tip-top condition to ensure airworthiness.

The roles of the two bodies are worlds apart.

How will combining the two make for "optimising resources, increasing management efficiency and competitiveness"?

This decision coming on the heels of the FAA's downgrading smells of a rat. It was exploited to do away with Mavcom as this body has been performing well and taking airlines to task for exploiting consumers. 

For example, airlines have been fined by Mavcom for false or misleading advertising and have been made to give refunds for imposing hidden charges. The independence of Mavcom (which answers to Parliament) and its firm action against defaulting airlines has been irking vested interests for some time.

But how to kill Mavcom without a "good looking" or "good sounding" excuse? This was given by the FAA's decision.

It does not cost the government a sen to have Mavcom as it is a self-sustaining entity through the RM1 levy each passenger pays which is an insignificant amount for the protection of their rights.

The cabinet's knee-jerk decision is therefore wrong and ought to be set aside. It must not deny consumers the protection that only an independent body like Mavcom can provide.

What is needed is an audit of the CAAM, if need be by the FAA, to track down the reasons for its below par performance, such as the lowering of its standards. Since the FAA made the downgrading decision, it should be the best party to carry out such an audit.

So, malu apa? (What's to be ashamed of?) Call in the FAA to give a helping hand and leave Mavcom alone. 

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.