Airbus's courage, Malaysia's lack of integrity

"An act of courage", the NST column by Prof Salleh Buang briefly explained the settlement in the UK Airbus judgement. He revealed it originated from an internal investigation by the company new CEO, Tom Enders.

Suspecting wrongdoings behind certain irregularities, Tom lodged a report to the authorities. It led to a crackdown to sack more than 100 staff, bite the bullet and eventually, negotiated a settlement to pa US$4 billion fines to three countries.

Tom's action brought a closure and limit the liability to the company to allow it to continue as an on going concern.

However, it was certainly not the original intention. There was genuine integrity for corporate governance, accountability and transparency on the part of the CEO.

Sri Lanka acted swiftly to charge former CEO of SriLankan Airlines and his wife on February 6th, less than a week after news broke.

Surprisingly, there is no development in Malaysia despite MACC issued immediate statement. The slow pace raise suslicion of a cover-up.

It is making a mockery of Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohammed's International Anti-Corruption Award 2020 at the launch of his initiative, the Perdana International Anti-Corruption Champion Fund (PIACCF).

It will likely be another typical Malaysian launching that have no continuity and merely an exercise to flatter the PM. When there is fund available, surely there will be insidious hidden hands at work to manouver.

In his speech, Tun Dr Mahathir did the revolting act to pay tribute to Tan Sri Gani Patail. Tan Sri Dr Zeti Aziz and Dato Shukri Abdul.

In the meanwhile, Abu Kassim or his minion is manouvering through an orchestrated expose to clean his tracks for fabricating charges on SRC-1MDB to the wrong person.

Cover-up? 

Considering 5 days earlier, Mahathir attempted to defend AirAsia with the excuse offset, the award is clearly an open display of hypocrasy. Airbus channeled money into privately owned Caterham. It's no offset.

This is supposed to be a big test for Latheefa Koya, but for 10 days, she went completely silence till her latest update.

She claimed to still awaiting documents from UK's Serious Fraud Office in what appears to be an excuse for a purpose. How then did Sri Lanka managed to file charges 5 days earlier?

Agong should sack and change the Chief Commissioner with a Ceylonese. Too many Malayalee with questionable integrity in important positions - Kerala-born Latheefa, Tan Sri Tommy Thomas (practises a Christian sect originally from Kerala), Tan Sri Tony Fernandez (mother-side), and Mahathir (father side). 

While MACC is exploring into possible corruption, SC is looking into wrongful loss to the public-listed AirAsia. And, Mavcom is looking into the fitness of the unnamed executives to lead an airline.

Frankly, all these agencies' head will not likely put their neck on the line after the cue from PM and swift transfers of top civil servants by PH Ministers.

Be that as it may, it would be foolish of government to attempt any cover-up. It put the integrity of authorities, leader and country into question.

The aviation and international communities will shun the country. Who would want to be seen associated and do business with Malaysia and Malaysians?

Open book

The Airbus-AirAsia-Caterham affair is already an open book and details disclosed to the public.

The latest Edge Weekly dedicated a detailed six page feature. It sold out early Saturday morning with only few discrete ones available at obsure newstands. There is the suspicion AirAsia bought out all issues sold publicly.

Good thing Tong Kooi Ong's copy went viral. There was a series of email proofs (Focus Malaysia here wrote of it too):

Though Tony and Dato Seri Kamaruddin Meranun denied involvement, they are the private owners of Caterham.

They claimed it did not make money but it need be investigated. Beyond criminal possibility of money laundering, there were governance issue:

It could put the future of AirAsia at stake:

The email evidences and the timing of the purchases and payments of Airbus planes bought were uncanny.

MACC cannot ignore since the process and decision to purchase the planes are made at AirAsia's Kuala Lumpur headquarter:

Edge Weekly provided the deals and email trails in a timeline:

Tony and Kamaruddin still need to be investigated to ascertain the criminality of their actions, but they cannot claim to be clean and honest.

According to Edge Weekly, they have left a trail of questionable dealing with Rolls Royce too:

Investors and market player are now worried.

But, did they ever questioned the integrity and professionalism of the founders, shareholders and company in their dealing?

As for the consumers, they are quiet and shocked. However, they defended AirAsia to the hilt when he came in the scene and became a phenomenon under Pak Lah administration. Why should they bother about integrity?

Tony could publicly claim they are exploitable in an interview, extract below:

“I know Malaysians well. They’ll risk their lives for a bargain – ‘800 ringgit? I’m not going! 80 ringgit? Who cares?’”

Not all Malaysians. There are still those with conscience and incorruptible

On record

Fervant detractor and former MP for Wangsa Maju, Wee Choo Keong was sued for defamation in 2015 but case thrown out in 2018.

He has came out blazing from February 1st with 6 postings including one before to label Anthony Loke as Minister of AirAsia.

Continuing on Tony's past arrogance before the crash that killed hundreds, Wee revealed that Tony boasted, "I got MAS under my armpit!".

Wee went on record in Parliament to question the share swap that would enable AirAsia to have stake in MAS. He accused AirAsia of cannibalising MAS's Rural Air Service planes and behind disallowing Firefly from competing fairly against Air Asia.

It is an open secret in the local aviation industry that AirAsia were getting preferential treatments under Pak Lah.

While MAS was being pared down, good routes directed by Khazanah to discontinue for AirAsia to takeover and MAS catering operation outsourced to Pak Lah brother's, LSG catering. He has since cashed out.

The mastermind, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Khazanah's Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, his partner in Binafikir, Datok Rashdan "Danny" Yusof, Dato Nazir Tun Abdul Razak, Khairy Jamaluddin and others were literally cavorting with Tony and Air Asia in taking MAS apart.

Before Edge Weekly feature, Wee put on record to link the Airbus judgement to Tony and Kamaruddin in his posting, "Now Everyone Can Bribe Directors of AirAsia and AirAsia X", and highlighted the email evidence mentioned in the verdict in his posting, "AirAsia Executive 1’s email To Airbus: “I WANT MY 16M NOW”!"

The shareholders are concerned with the share price of AirAsia and company's future, but they do not seemed concerned that bribery defraud shareholders.

In "Now Everyone Can Defraud Shareholders Of AAX", Wee touched on the Rolls Royce deal and other offenses committed by Tony and Kamruddin including no class act of insider trading by owners in "Now Everyone Can Know The Real Tony & Kamaruddin".

The spin doctors for AirAsia have been active since the announced "MACC & Security Commission Are Investigating Into The Bribery Scandal of Two Directors of AirAsia."

Government not serious 

There is likelihood that no action will be taken by a PH government not seriously looking to implement the programs expressed in their manifesto to eradicate corruption.

The former Chief Commissiner of MACC, Abu Kassim was tasked as Director General of National Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption Centre (NGIAC) but doubt any significant effort beyond just award show.

For years. Abu Kassim expressed concern on political funding, but his only action is to institute more regulations than proposed a mechanism to solve access to funding and make cost of campaign minimally low.

Abu Kassim set up a 'central secretariat' in the Prime Minister Office that was a failed centre before in UiTM after the MACC-AGC-BNM-PDRM super task force to fix Najib.

He is assuming the oversight powers over and above Chief Secretary by pseudo command to all as a secretariat to Committee Against Corruption chaired by PM.

However, the secretariat is staffed by contract workers and secondees from MACC and PTDs with high postions and salaries, but no real or structured works or processes.

It is heard Abu Kassim is subverting the governance of the Board of Directors of Institute Integrity of Malaysia, which is chaired by Chief Secretary, on matters of strategies, finance and resources.

He is dictating the Nomination and Remuneration Committee of the BOD to reconsider the nominee of CEO after the Committee rejection due to 'unfit character and improper/ unqualified' basis.

Subsequently, he is directing the said nominee to appoint immediately cronies for obscure consultancy jobs worth RM25,000 per person by using the institute reserves.

In addition, under pretext of anti-corruption agenda that is MACC's sole purview, he is subjecting the institute restructured platform for commercial gains and personal appointees.

In the process, he has dismissed key core personnel by proxy directives using manipulative tactics, empowering special aides to be alter ego in deciding placements through pseudo PMO clout.

The current acting CEO has just been re-appointed by PM after 6 months probation plus 6 months extension last year at the courtesy of Abu Kassim's nomination, patronage and intervention.

No experience, rejected candidate by former BODs yet personally favoured and protected. Having a godfather, she is always name dropping Abu Kassim.

With all these happening, can one expect anything to happen with Abu Kassim at the helm and hardly heard making any comments on the AirAsia debacle?

This was the Abu Kassim that manouvered, orchestrated, and fed the noises behind the scene doing fix-up in the SRC-1MDB.

Now everyone can be silence of the lamb.