Malaysians are funny people. They grumble non-stop about domestic politics, yet most are ferociously patriotic when abroad, ready to defend their cendol as being better than Singapore’s chendol. They will also jump to the defence of their beleaguered flag carrier, Malaysia Airlines (MAS), which is intrinsically tied to their identity and national pride. Before AirAsia entered the scene, it was MAS who would announce “Welcome home” to the Malaysians on board upon landing. Today, MAS is undergoing a really tough period, having suffered multi-year losses as well as lasting reputational and financial damage after the tragedies of MH370 and MH17 in 2014, leading eventually to its privatisation under Khazanah Nasional. The airline is still burdened by massive losses. The government is now preparing to choose a strategic investor and a decision will be made by early 2020 at the latest, Minister of Economic Affairs Mohamed Azmin Ali has said. The enhanced code-sharing arrangement announced on Oct 30 with Singapore Airlines (SIA) is seen as a win-win. However, scepticism abounds. While MH370 and MH17 are tragedies, they were incidents that followed years of mismanagement at the national carrier. MAS’ problems go deeper than what mere code-sharing agreements can resolve. Yet, SIA is perhaps exactly what MAS needs. The Singapore flag carrier has earned a reputation for its high standards (a recent video on how it sets grooming standards for its stewardesses has even gone viral) and the Singapore Girl has a long string of awards to show for it.
See also ‘Getting Malaysia’s aviation reset right’