By G. Sharmila
Tiger and her brethren have written repeatedly about government excesses and ill-thought-out projects. However, the authorities seemed determined not to listen, proven by the announcement last month that KLIA is to have a new terminal.
On Nov 23, Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi announced that KLIA is to have a new terminal within the next few years to bump up its capacity to 100 million passengers a year.
According to Abdul Aziz, airport operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is expected to submit a proposal for the airport’s third terminal in the next two to three years after detailed studies.
Reports quoted him saying that last year, KLIA’s main terminal handled 23 million passengers a year, almost near its full capacity of 25 million passengers, while klia2 was also reaching its full capacity of 45 million passengers.
Yet, other reports have highlighted something that he conveniently left out. Under the original plan, KLIA was to have one main terminal and four satellite buildings.
So far, only one terminal and one satellite building have been operating since 1997, catering to the 25 million passengers per annum (mppa). Reports have said that a satellite building will be adequate to boost capacity to 100 mppa and therefore a new terminal is not needed for now.
Abdul Aziz Kaprawi
The deputy minister has been silent after the backlash on the Internet concerning the new terminal, which makes Tiger wonder if he and MAHB even care about the Malaysian public’s feelings on the subject.
Does our opinion about how money is spent (and often wasted) not matter at all? Are we expected to see, hear and speak no evil concerning what government officials say just because they are the ones saying it? Must things be set in stone just because they say they are?
There are a couple of concerns that Tiger has.
Firstly, a supposedly low-cost terminal like klia2 went way over the original budget and is so fraught with problems despite the massive amount of money spent on it.
Secondly, how much is this new terminal going to cost and who will fund it?
Thirdly, how much will airlines and passengers have to pay for the expansion, for surely there will be some cost pass-through to these parties in the form of higher airport charges and passenger fees?
Tiger is also sceptical about the build quality of new terminals, after the numerous flaws found in klia2. This is not the super-efficient Singapore we’re talking about, which incidentally, is expanding Chang Airport. This is Boleh-land, where corners have already been cut and design flaws found in the said klia2.
If KLIA’s new terminal is built, can the deputy minister guarantee that quality control will be impeccable?
Tiger calls upon her fellow Tigers and human Malaysians to protest this unnecessary abomination disguised as a new airport terminal.
The last thing Malaysia needs in these trying economic times is an unnecessary expenditure when the simpler (and most logical) solution is to build a new satellite building instead of an entirely new terminal.
What Tiger is saying in a not-so-succinct way is that KLIA does not need a new terminal and it should not be built just because the deputy minister says so.
She suggests that MAHB and the government carry out a poll to cull public feedback on the matter before proceeding with serious planning for the new terminal. That would earn the rakyat’s confidence and respect that public funds are being spent prudently for the betterment of the nation and not to build something just for the sake of building it.
GRRRRR!!!
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