Appointment of MAS new CEO should be welcomed - Najib

KUALA LUMPUR: The appointment of home-grown talent, Captain Izham Ismail to helm Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) as group chief executive officer (GCEO) of the national carrier should be welcomed by all quarters, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.
He said it should also put an end to criticisms against the government, including over the appointment of two non-Malaysians (Christopher Mueller and Peter Bellew) who resigned before their contract period as GCEO of the national carrier was completed.
"When Peter Bellew resigned I was also criticised. Now that we've appointed a Malaysian they should be happy, they wanted a Malaysian in the first place.
"The trouble with these people (opposition) is that everything we do, they take the opposite view, whether it is right or not, it doesn't matter," said Najib during a dialogue session on TN50: Malaysia Chinese Youth Summit 2017 at Wisma Huazong, Serdang near here, which was also attended by MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
Izham, currently the chief operating officer, has been appointed the airline's executive director and GCEO- designate with immediate effect yesterday (Oct 20).
The announcement came after the surprise resignation of current GCEO Peter Bellew, who is returning to Ireland's airline, Ryanair on Dec 1. — Bernama