Letter
by Z. Ibrahim
It is said sometimes that there are only two categories of people in this world. Employers and employees, entrepreneurs and wage seekers, risk takers and non-risk takers.
Employees in general are content with salaries and allowances commensurate with their experience, qualifications and working hours.
Entrepreneurs however, take huge risks by actually starting a new entity or business which generally requires workers and capital outlay. Entrepreneurs are greatly respected in open markets such as the United States. Malaysia had a similar tradition which included the late Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong.
The long drawn out silent battle to acquire Subang as an air terminal between Air Asia and MAS was plain to everyone. Which carrier should the government support? Neither. Only the market must be allowed to determine who prevails or survives.
If Subang is to be changed again to an air terminal, every airline including both Air Asia and MAS must be given a go at it. To sneakily allow MAS’s Firefly to operate from Subang on the basis that its turbo-prop planes are environmentally friendly to residents around the airport is to encourage a lop-sided policy of quiet favoritism, possibly because the government has a share in MAS.
This would be sending the wrong signal to venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, investors and FDIs.This inequality may translate into businesses and capital running out of the country.
The Government must realise that this is no more the old days of the controlled media but the age of information where the public easily acquire information through the net and are quite well informed. The government must play the strict referee and where possible, keep out of business.
KLIA, may or may not have been a mistake. Time will tell. Its greatest disadvantage is its distance from KL which can be overcome by placing a cost-effective LRT as in Heathrow. The government must endeavour to ensure that this is achieved.
As much as every player in the airline industry wants Subang because of its proximity to the large Klang Valley market, access to it, if provided, must be done fairly.
If we are to compete for investments and other FDIs, the government must inevitably indulge in cricket and do away with unlevel playing fields.
To do otherwise would be to perilously indicate to investors, both local and foreign, that their investments and money may not be safe in an arena of shifting goalposts.