Danny Nanny departure not relief for MAS

Rocky's last posting here on MAS was actually a hint that Danny Nanny is leaving.

There is no way management will get cooperation from staff and union when a member of the management himself has no respect for the rules and procedure of the company.

However, before YB Wee Choo Keong released the voyage report here, there was attempt to cover it up. Why so?

The inquiry was done by Manager rank members. Who among the Managers dare say the Deputy CEO is wrong? And many of those participating in disciplinary inquiries are keling kaki ampu (no offense intended to good honest Malaysian Indians).

These days, Managers and even Senior VP ranks in MAS don't bother to initiate anything for the Company. Let alone pursue truth and be fair to their fellow colleague.

With Danny's departure, will it be helpful to MAS? Nope, it is still no relief.

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Rashdan quits MAS

May 29, 2012
The Malaysian Insiders

KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 — MAS executive director and deputy chief executive Mohammed Rashdan Mohd Yusof has resigned from his posts, nine months after being appointed to the loss-making flag carrier when a share swap was announced with rival AirAsia.

The SunDaily reported it learnt Rashdan (picture) submitted his resignation letter to MAS chairman Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof yesterday afternoon. A MAS source confirmed the report.

“It was inevitable that he resigned,” the MAS source told The Malaysian Insider.

The Malaysian Insider learnt that Rashdan and his family have been under pressure since reports surfaced that they flouted the airline’s prohibition on bringing their toddler to the first-class cabin. The senior executive from Khazanah had denied the claim and an internal investigation had vindicated him.

“He has been under a lot of pressure because of that incident. To his credit, he stuck on to work out the sukuk financing for MAS,” a source said, referring to 10-year RM2.5 billion sukuk programme to shore up its capital base under a three-pronged funding pillar.

The funding plan is part of the ailing national carrier’s strategy to return to profitability after posting a narrower first-quarter net loss.

MAS had also said it had secured a bridging loan of RM1 billion from a local commercial bank on March 30 to ensure its working capital cash balances remained adequate until the expected drawdown of the first tranche of the sharia law-compliant sukuk.

During his short stint in MAS, Rashdan was in charge of short-haul operations, commercial, finance, corporate finance and strategic procurement units. This includes the purchase of aircraft.

But the short-haul operations section was aborted when MAS decided to shelve plans for a short-haul premium airline.

Rashdan’s latest stint in MAS was his second involvement in restructuring the national airline in the past decade.

In 2002, Rashdan’s BinaFikir Sdn Bhd was instrumental in the restructuring of MAS under the Widespread Asset Unbundling (WAU) scheme. The other BinaFikir co-founder was Khazanah’s managing director Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar.

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So happen, Wee just received the written answer here to his questions in Parliament. They refused to divulge the fee to Bina Tak Fikir Sdn Bhd work in the WAU restructuring.

One source within MAS gave lead that it was 2.5% of the fund raised for the WAU which is about RM5 billion. It means the fee could be as high as RM125 million and it could have gone to someone with big pocket.

Despite some complimentary words for Danny Nanny from The Malaysian Insiders, it is not really an interesting and creative corporate finance work. Thus, he should not remain as a member of the Board of Directors too.

Sleepy Adviser, Clueless Board

In general, the members of the Board does not exude confidence. It is still infested with Adviser Tun Abdullah Badawi's cronies and non-aviationist.

What is the necessity of having Tun Abdullah around and gettting paid RM30,000 a month, as our source revealed? PAS Harakah speculated his salary as RM50,000, which means he is now a political issue and will blow open into a political liability for BN.

What good for MAS to retain him? Can he be of much help to MAS? Seriously what area of competency does he have to help MAS? Landing rights assistance? Technical or financial assistance?

Can he help Ahmad Jauhari (AJ) to renegotiate the lop-sided MAS catering deal in which he has personal interest via his brother? There is still a lot of crap in the MAS catering service which is now under Tamadam.

If the article Flying Buffet highlighted the double counting of mineral waters, such kind of practises seemed to continue. Orders are still being short changed and no one seemed brave enough to refuse delivery.

Another point that Tun Abdullah may have a hand in could be in the outsourcing of IT.

IT is a strategic tool and this oursourcing program is the most foolish thing done by MAS management under Khazanah. One Pak Lah related source claimed that one of the beneficiary of IT outsourcing is Tan Sri Azman Yahya, a member of the board of Director.

Azman Yahya had a significant role in the corporate scene during Pak Lah's tenure. He is close to Tan Sri Wan Azmi Wan Hamzah and typical of clannish Kelantanis, it could be beyond friendship.

Then there is a board member, Dato Rozana Rozhan, close to Tan Sri Ananda Krishnan, claimed in our previous posting to be close with Air Asia. Maybe true and maybe not.

Still .... no aviationist among the Members of the Board of Directors, except this possibility.

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The Star,
Tuesday May 29, 2012

Dr Don likely to join MAS board

By B.K. SIDHU
bksidhu@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Dr Mohamadon Abdullah, a former senior executive of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) with over three decades of expertise in the aviation sector, is making a comeback to the national airline as a board member.

Sources said his return to the airline was likely to take place after MAS AGM, which is slated for June 21. Another former MAS senior executive may also join the board but this could not be confirmed at press time.

Mohamadon, or Dr Don as he is known to his friends, joined MAS as a management trainee in 1972 and was senior general manager, corporate service, when he retired in 2004.

“Aviation, being a unique industry with its own challenges, the entry of someone from within at board level would certainly add value. He is someone who is known to be passionate about the industry and that helps," said a source.

MAS saw a board revamp in August last year when the share swap between the carrier and AirAsia major shareholders was forged. However, last month, the share swap was unwound and with that, the AirAsia representatives on MAS board left.

During the forthcoming AGM, several MAS board members are also seeking re-election and they include Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof (also MAS chairman), and directors Tan Sri Krishnan Tan, Tan Sri Wan Azmi bin Wan Hamzah, Datuk Rohana Rozhan, David Lau Nai Pek and Ahmad Jauhari bin Yahya (also MAS group CEO).

MAS' other board members include Datuk Mohamed Azman Yahya, Eshah Meor Suleiman and Mohamed Rashdan Yusof (also MAS deputy CEO).

That aside, the airline is said to be tweaking its business plan to chart its future growth direction and is expected to announce details of the plan before the AGM.

What changes would be made to the carrier's December 8 announced business plan is not known but certainly it will include the adding of A380 aircraft to its network system by July.

MAS reported RM2.5bil net loss for 2011 and RM171mil for first quarter 2012.

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Drunken Don

The former Corporate Service man from senior management team is respected by certain quarters within MAS. However, he has several issues.

The Malay staff are not comfortable with his rather liberal lifestyle. It is not so much him having a Chinese wife but his indifference or rather unnecessarily hard attitude towards his fellow Malay. However, that could be subjective.

In MAS, Dr Don is most reknown for his drinking habit. One of his close drinking buddy was the former MAS Chairman and the person who wasted millions of company money on Bortelli paintings, Tan Sri Dr Munir Majid.

That drinking relation may have linked him with Tun Abdullah's people like the villainous Dato Kalimullah, whose a close friend of Munir Majid in his days at NSTP and was former Chairman of Airasia-X?

Munir Majid was the man who when he joined MAS as Chairman said that there is room for MAS and Airasia to exist. It was during his tenure that MAS was reduced from a major player to a minnow and Airasia getting their way all the time.

Conspiracy against Tajuddin

Did Dr Don went along with Munir Majid to be part of the Tun Abdullah's conspiracy against Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli?

The conspiracy some called Operation Homecoming was initiated by Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop to robbed him unfairly of his PLCs, Naluri and Celcom using Danaharta led by Azman Yahya and negotiated the block sales by Dato Nazir Tun Abdul Razak.

Nor Mohamad and Azman Yahya went to the extent of willing to bankrupted him.

Subsequently around in 2005-6, MAS's legal representative from Alan Gladhill, the devious Rosli Dahalan engineered to pin him with allegations of losses and conflict of interest. He had former CCID, the crooked cop Dato Ramli Yusof, former Bernama Chairman, insidious self serving Dato Annuar Zaini, Munir Majid, Idris Jala and few others to collaborate.

It was Dr Don that made a declaration dated January 4, 2002 against Tajuddin which include the allegation of conflict of interest on the Hahn Airport deal. That led to police investigation but nothing could be pinned against Tajuddin.

There is belief that it was partly triggered by a handful of vengeful or lazy senior management members that was under pressure or denied "certain opportunity" by Tajuddin. They include a group that could be dubbed as "Kelantanis mafia" in MAS, in which files on their gang members' wrongdoing can suddenly disappear.

When Ramli Yusof returned to Bukit Aman, Rosli orchestrated the conspiracy against Tajuddin. He had MAS Kargo's Dato Ong made declaration on May 5th 2005 and Managing Director MAS Kargo and son of former MAS Member of the Board, Dato Sulaiman Sujak, Shaari Sulaiman made reports on May 20, 2009 against Tajuddin for claimed conflicts in the Hahn cargo airport deal.

Ramli Yusof (a Kelantanis from Pasir Mas) made investigation and wrote a half baked letter dated March 2007 to Tun Abdullah to accuse Tajuddin as responsible for a loss of RM8 billion during his tenure at MAS but only provided details on alleged conflict of interest involving the Hahn Airport.

Only a stupid PM can believe such a stupid unsubstantiable allegation. Read part 2 of 7-part series "What the Untold MAS story did not tell?" here and the concluding part here.

In the Hahn Airport allegation, MAS lost at the Court of Arbitration in Geneva and had to pay Tajuddin. Recently, Shaari was recently removed and investigated by current management. MAS Kargo is planned to be disposed.

By having Dr Don, it means MAS is condoning and rewarding a person involved in a vindictive conspiracy that cost the company millions. That is the heartless nature of Dr Don.

Others may disagree, but that is our opinion of his probable appointment.

Having Dr Don will perpetuate the animosity with Tajuddin, which is about to reach a settlement. Tajuddin is only asking for forgiveness on the penalty interest and interest over penalty interest.

Unlike many other tycoons, Tajuddin paid billions for the principle and interest to Danaharta without asking for haircut. Among Danaharta's corporate debtors, he paid the most back. Yet Nor Mohamad Yakcop could victimise him.

Tajuddin could have pursued his lawsuit against Government and stand to win a potential RM23 billion. What is that compared to forgiving a debtor which he already paid his debt without asking a haircut?

Sometimes some Melayu can be more heartless in their revenge or victimising of their fellow Melayu than of other races. Rafizi and the anti-PTPTN demonstrators are stupid kids who knows nuts!

Returning back to Dr Don, perhaps in the land of the blind, the one eye jack can provide some insight. We may have no choice but to give that leeway.

Still destroyal mode

Danny was part of the failed WAU team and does not deserve to stay on the Board. During his nine months tenure, he was serving the interest of Tony F and Airasia.

To put MAS on serious footing, it takes more than just Danny's departure from management.

Unlike Wee Choo Keong who is taking no prisoners, others are sympathetic to AJ and giving him a chance. Can MAS afford experimenting now?

Another problem with AJ, as observed by sources amongst the press, is that he is too overwhelmed with Tony F.

AJ expressed his admiration of Airasia's engineering. How could he, when Airasia has no engineering department but only managing the mantainance outsourcing?

He seemed adamant to keep the Airasia planted people; Rozaman, Azhari and Nor Zalida. It is ridiculous for these management team of Airasia to leave Airasia for a sick Airline. Furthermore, like Danny, they were sent to serve Airasia's interest.

During Idris Jala tenure as CEO, MAS made the mistake of securing the work of the incompetent expatriates like Martin Barrow. Now they are making the same mistake by hiring the unrelated experiance of expatriate Shane Nollan and Plane Consult.

Come June 21st, MAS will be holding it's AGM. Most of the members of the Board are up for reelection. Some may quit and heard some Mat Salleh names was suggested by Tony F to join the Board.

Why are some Malaysian still stuck with colonised minds?

The Mat Sallehs hired are usually hopeless, rather than useful. If they are good, they are expensive. Only the oft chance that they have local spouse can they be useful.

In addition, there are also lots of idiots and incompetents getting promoted in MAS.

Over dinner last week, one old timer and quite well connected chap in the Airline industry told us plainly that the big plan is to destroy MAS. That is the reason Khazanah kept appointing newbies, incompetents and crooks in key positions since the appointments of Munir Majid.

It means Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar can't make claim to MAS staff that he has no malice against MAS.

And it is just not convincing to allow Tony F's proxies everywhere in MAS - Engineering, Network, Marketing, Finance, Human Resource, and Management/Board of Directors, if it is not to allow them pick up the succulent pieces.

There is the likelihood that the Prime Minister may not know of this, just like he was not told the truth on the earlier CCF. Who has been keeping PM in the dark?

That person should be shot!