Former Balik Pulau MP Nungsari Ahmad Radhi has been appointed the executive chairperson of the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom), succeeding Gen (Rtd) Abdullah Ahmad who resigned recently.

Nungsari has been a member of Mavcom.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook made the announcement today and said the allowance of the Mavcom executive chairperson would be RM15,000 per month, similar to the allowance of the chairperson of the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM).

Loke said at a press conference that it was the policy of the new Pakatan Harapan government to streamline the allowances of chairpersons of statutory bodies and to announce the quantum in line with its transparency.

The quantum of the allowance of the Mavcom executive chairperson became an issue after Loke revealed that Abdullah had been getting RM85,000 per month.

Loke reportedly said on July 6 that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had instructed that the allowance of the Mavcom executive chairperson be reviewed.

On the appointment of Nungsari, Loke said he was confident that the holder of a PhD in economics from Purdue University, United States, would be able to discharge his duties well considering that he had been a member of Mavcom.

Nungsari was the MP for Balik Pulau from 1995 to 1999.

“Mavcom has many issues to handle, including (the need to) immediately resolve the issue of controlling of domestic and rural airfares, that was raised in Parliament two days ago,” said Loke.

Nungsari, meanwhile, expressed his gratitude to the government on his appointment and pledged to ensure that Mavcom plays a better role in the civil aviation industry.

-Bernama