Others may get to run Sabah airports: Wong
Published on: Sunday, November 25, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: Other private sector players may get to manage airports in Sabah amid reports that the Government was looking into breaking the monopoly of Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad (MAHB).State Health and People's Wellbeing Minister Datuk Stephen Wong (pic) said the Government is however still weighing the matter."I heard they want to privatise the airports. They will open it up so that the private sector can participate (in managing them). Currently, the MAHB (Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad) controls most of them," he told reporters after officiating the opening of SabahCare Fertility Centre, here, Saturday.ADVERTISEMENT Wong, who is also Sandakan Member of Parliament, said he had some discussion regarding the matter with Transport Minister Anthony Loke.He said this when answering a reporter's question concerning the delay in the Sandakan airport runway extension project.According to him, the delay was due to time needed by the Government to scrutinise all projects, particularly those proposed and approved by the previous administration.He said the RM80 million project may be re-tendered or given to the private sector to carry out and subsequently manage, if the Government decided to go ahead with the airport privatisation idea. ADVERTISEMENT "The Finance Ministry is still considering which would be a better move for the Government," he said, adding that private sector participation would help the Government save money.Wong reiterated that Sandakan desperately needs a longer runway to cater for more international flights to boost the district's tourism industry.
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He said he had repeatedly raised the matter in Parliament and even pestered Loke "every day until he got scared to meet me.""I've told him that my people would whack me (if I came back without any good news about the runway project). So he said to me it will be very, very soon. He told me to be patient," said Wong.Speaking about financing model for airport upgrades last September, Loke had said that it was not practical to continue to depend on the Government for development expenditures as it was burdened with more than RM1 trillion in debts and liabilities. But he acknowledged that since infrastructure projects must go on, the Government would look into various options to implement airports expansion nationwide.Meanwhile, there had been opinions that problems in consistency of operation could occur if the MAHB were to lose its monopoly.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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According to one opinion, if the Government were to allow competition, passengers might have to cope with inconsistencies of operations and services as they travel through the different airports in the country. - Leonard AlazaPhoto Source : Bernama