A storm of controversy has emerged in Malaysia over its aviation sector, the fate of Malaysia Airlines, and the purported involvement of Singapore-owned company, SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC).

On Aug. 28, 2024, Malaysia's Transport Minister Anthony Loke held a press conference, where he blamed flight disruptions of Malaysia Airlines on a shortage of aircraft engineers and mechanical components.

There have been a number of cases of Malaysia Airlines flight disruptions in late August 2024 and early September 2024, including a Seoul-bound flight that had to return to Kuala Lumpur an hour after takeoff.

Anthony Loke slammed by previous transport minister

However, Loke's comments drew criticism from his predecessor, Wee Ka Siong.

Wee, who served as transport minister in the coalition Perikatan Nasional government in 2022, blamed Loke for his apparent "failure" to prevent a "brain drain" of skilled workers in the aviation sector, The Star reported.

Loke's relationship to Wee is unique, as the two men are technically coalition partners in the Anwar government. Wee's MCA is part of Barisan Nasional, allied with Anwar's Pakatan Harapan (PH).

However, they have been opponents for much of their careers, as Barisan Nasional was previously opposed to PH.

Significant milestone for SIAEC

Wee referred to SIAEC obtaining a 15-year lease for hangars in Subang Airport in Selangor, which began in December 2023.

An SIAEC press release said the move is a "significant milestone" as it establishes SIAEC's third base maintenance hub in the Asia-Pacific region.

It added that the acquisition of the hangars, each able to accommodate two wide-body craft, boosts SIAEC's capacity to provide services for an "expanding portfolio" of airline customers.

Wee said he approved of the initiative at first as it "brought in investment", but implored Loke to consider the impact on Malaysian companies.

He said, according to The Star:

"Stiff foreign competition for skilled labour was brought to MAS’s homeground.

So when a foreign company with a stronger currency like SIAEC operates in Malaysia, how is MAS supposed to find workers?

When a more lucrative job offer is available, it is obvious our people will make the switch."

Anwar pledged to support Malaysia Airlines, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal accuses govt of "sabotaging" carrier

Firebrand Bersatu member of parliament, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal, also slammed the Anwar government for allowing a company linked to SIA to operate in Malaysia without restrictions on "poaching" staff.

"How can Anwar allow this to happen?" Wan Ahmad said, accusing the government of "sabotaging" Malaysia Airlines, Malay Mail reported.

His comments came a day after Anwar spoke at a public event, pledging his government's support for Malaysian Aviation Group and Malaysia Airlines.

He blamed cronyism for damaging the national carrier, and promised to fix "political problems", although he did not specify if the government would be financially supporting the group.

Top image from Malaysia Airlines FB.