‘I did it to save jobs at AirAsia’

PUTRAJAYA: AirAsia group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes ( pix) has said the video he recorded to endorse the former Barisan Nasional government was done to protect jobs at the airline.

Acknowledging that he “buckled at the crucial moment in the country’s history”, Fernandes yesterday pledged to do his best and put in 150% to make up for the error of judgement.

In a new video on his Facebook page yesterday, Fernandes said AirAsia had always been under pressure from industry regulators and government authorities since its inception, as it is part of a heavily regulated industry.

“I have been under pressure many, many times before. But I have withstood it. People have seen it in the newspapers when I fought regulators and government authorities, always in the name of getting more people to fly,” he said.

“It was hard, I never buckled. So, people are asking me why I buckled at this crucial time. There are no real excuses but I will tell you how I felt, leading up to those decisions.”

“When (Tan Sri) Rafidah (Aziz) started getting involved in the Pakatan Harapan campaign through social media and eventually ceramah, I was asked to remove her as chairman of AirAsia X. I refused to do so, because I thought it was not the right thing to do.

“I came under intense pressure as Rafidah got more and more involved in the campaign. As Rafidah’s impact and popularity grew, the pressure grew exponentially. It was getting harder and harder to resist the pressure from the Prime Minister’s Office.

“Foolishly, I thought that by doing the under more pressure.”

He claimed that the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) had summoned him and told him to cancel the said flights. In response, Mavcom said in a statement it would investigate the matter, saying it considers the allegation “serious”.

Rafidah has thanked Fernandes for standing by her when he was under pressure from the previous government.

“Tony and Din (AirAsia chairman Datuk Kamarudin Meranun) conveyed to me the message from the powers-that-be that I should stop attacking the then prime minister and stop supporting Pakatan Harapan. But I told them no one will stop me from telling the truth,” she said in a statement yesterday.

“Fernandes was under pressure to sack me but he refused to do so. His only mistake, or ‘stupidity’ as I told him, was trying to please and placate the then prime minister’s operatives,” she said.

On Friday, Pakatan Harapan lawmaker Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said Fernandes was an “unsung hero” who supports the newly formed government.

In an Instagram post, the Muar MP said Fernandes was being wrongfully attacked by netizens. He said the AirAsia boss was the first person to come to the aid of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin when he stood up to then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and challenged him over the 1MDB scandal.