Dr M: Govt okay with selling MAS, but wants its identity retained

KUALA LUMPUR: The government is prepared to sell its national carrier Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAS) but would like to retain its national identity, says Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"We would like to sell MAS but we would like to retain its identity as the Malaysian Airlines," he told reporters at the sideline of the 33rd Asia-Pacific Roundtable event here on Tuesday (June 25).

Dr Mahathir said this when asked whether the government was willing to sell MAS if there were willing buyers.

He stated that the government was careful in taking steps to help "resuscitate" MAS.

"We have been making changes to MAS, and each time we make a change, they fail, so this time we have to be a little bit more careful in the steps we take to resuscitate MAS," he added.

"It is not just a change of management. There a lot of other things that are wrong with the airlines which have to be corrected," he said.

It was reported that the Malaysia Airlines Retirees Association (Masra) has made an emotional appeal to the government, urging it not to shut down the national carrier.

The association also offered to help revive the loss-making MAS and return it to its "glory days", by providing expert advice.

More to come