AirAsia chief Tony Fernandes apologises for backing scandal-tainted former Malaysian Prime Minister
The group chief executive officer of Malaysia-based low-cost airline AirAsia has apologised for going out of his way to back ousted Prime Minister Najib Razak and his party, Barisan Nasional (BN) in the run-up to the May 9 elections in Malaysia.
In the video, Fernandes apologised for his actions, saying he thought his actions ‘would appease the government’.
Tony Fernandes, who is also the chairman of English football club Queens Park Rangers, had appeared in a video on YouTube on May 6, to credit the Malaysian government for AirAsia's success, adding "I believe the Prime Minister put the people first and allowed AirAsia to grow despite opposition from all over the place."
A day later, photos of an AirAsia plane sporting the BN's campaign slogan ‘Hebatkan Negaraku’ (Make My Country Greater) and colours was posted on Najib’s Facebook page, which also show him boarding the plane with Fernandes.
However, after the scandal-tainted Najib lost the election to opposition Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope), which ended BN’s six-decade rule, Fernandes posted a seven-minute video on his personal Facebook page, claiming he was pressured into showing support for the previous government.
In the video, Fernandes apologised for his actions, saying he thought his actions ‘would appease the government’, which he accused of pressuring him over AirAsia's decision to provide extra flights for Malaysians abroad to fly back home to vote. The airline had announced 120 extra flights at lower than usual prices especially for the election, which would have carried 26,000 people home to vote.
He also pointed out that when he was asked removed former trade minister Rafidah Aziz, who is chairman of AirAsia X, for speaking out against the previous administration, he had refused to do so.
“Foolishly I thought by doing the video - which I felt was fairly neutral and factual - and the plane from Kota Kinabalu would appease the government and protect the jobs of allstars (AirAsia staff) and more importantly, the very essence of allowing more than 80 million people to fly every year with low fares," he said.
"Under the intense pressure, I buckled. It wasn’t right, I'll forever regret it. "I apologise once again for the pain and the hurt I caused."
Fernandes’s apology did not seem to placate investors, as according to Reuters, shares in AirAsia tumbled nearly 10 percent on Monday before closing down 5.4% in the first trading session after markets opened for the first time since the election.
The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) has also announced it has begun investigating Fernandes's claims in the video, labeling his comments as 'serious allegations'.
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AirAsia
AirAsia Berhad is a Malaysian low-cost airline headquartered near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the largest airline in Malaysia by fleet size and destinations.
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