Malaysia - Truly Second-Rate Asia

Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon wants the Transport Ministry to investigate yesterday's incident which resulted in a three-hour closure of the Bayan Lepas International Airport.

He believed that the incident was due to human negligence. Dr Koh said that this was based on his understanding that the contractor entrusted to carry out resurfacing of the airport runway could not complete the work on time because there was not enough pre-mix.

"I deeply regret the incident because in those three hours, about 20 passenger and cargo flights were affected and many passengers were stranded. It happened because of human error and negligence," he told reporters after a New Year gathering with civil servants here. He said the Transport Ministry should investigate the matter so that action could be taken to prevent a recurrence of the incident. Koh suggested that a system be introduced to fine contractors who failed to do their job properly.

He said the Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) management should learn from the crash in Taipei several years ago and precautionary measures should be taken to prevent a similar mishap from happening in the country.

The Bayan Lepas International Airport was closed from 12.30pm to 3pm yesterday for security reasons due to loose pebbles found on the runway. It was re-opened after repairs were carried out. The closure resulted in 19 flights being delayed and two being cancelled. Koh said the airport closure also affected the marketing sector due to delays in delivery of goods and, to some extent, the Visit Malaysia Year 2007 campaign.

He also said that MAHB and Malaysia Airlines (MAS) should improve on their information system for the convenience of passengers. He said the situation was a little chaotic yesterday when several flights had to be re-routed to the KL International Airport and this was compounded by a breakdown in the MAS information system.

"Passengers have to be informed if their flights are delayed so that they can plan ahead," he added.
Image - nicholas chan
UPDATE: Penang Airport Contractor Issued Stop Work Order