PETALING JAYA: Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg has denied a report claiming that his son, Abang Abdillah Izzarim, is set to be troubled airline MYAirline Sdn Bhd’s new major shareholder.
According to Bernama, Abang Johari said this speculation came after Abang Abdillah attended a recent dialogue session organised by the company.
“What happened was that my son went to the dialogue session with his friend. Therefore, (the news outlet) speculated on that since it saw him present.
“My son now feels guilty. He finds it hard to move around as his every move is being observed by people. To me, this is unfair,” said the Sarawak premier.
Yesterday, New Straits Times reported that Abang Abdillah was believed to be close to becoming MYAirline’s new investor.
The airline suspended its operations today citing “severe financial challenges”. This comes just five days after Rayner Teo resigned as its CEO due to “health considerations”.
Abang Johari also denied speculation that the Sarawak government is set to take over MYAirline, maintaining that its focus is on taking over MASwings Sdn Bhd.
“We are focused on MASwings. This effort is in the process of discussions to fine-tune the details, that’s all.”
In June, the premier said Sarawak agreed in principle to Putrajaya’s proposal for the state to take over MASwings as a Sarawak-based boutique airline.
A Malaysia Airlines Bhd subsidiary, MASwings is a regional airline operating the rural air services in Sarawak and Sabah. It took over routes operated by FlyAsianXpress and RAS flights in 2007.
