SELLING off or shutting down Malaysia Airlines is the wrong move, said Najib Razak.

“Absolutely not. That’s the wrong move. MAS must continue as our national airline,” the former prime minister told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

“You cannot replace our national pride with something else.”

If the government chooses either option, he said, the people will “definitely” not be supportive.

“Almost every country has a national airline. It would be the wrong move, and definitely, the people will not support the move,” he said when asked whether there is a need for MAS, given that Malaysia has other airlines, too.

Najib said the government should stick to the turnaround plan for MAS that was implemented when he was in office and held the Khazanah Nasional Bhd chairman’s post.

The plan involves a “humane” voluntary separation scheme for employees and cutting down on unprofitable routes, he said.

MAS was taken private by Khazanah in 2014 as part of the turnaround plan, with injected initial investments of RM6 billion.

Najib said he still believes the plan can work.

“We were confident that, when we were in office, we could do a major turnaround.

“But, it needed a bit more time. There is no reason for MAS to be sold off or closed down.”

The Pekan MP’s remarks follow Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s statement earlier today that Putrajaya is open to studying options on the future of the loss-making national carrier.

He said the government must urgently consider the various available options, including shutting down MAS.

It was reported that aviation analysts raised concerns that the airline’s failure to meet its three-year target on profitability has made its operations unsustainable. – March 12, 2019.