Rosli Azad Khan said the proposal to redevelop the airport did not make sense from a transport perspective, and the government’s apparent hesitance about rejecting it made even less sense.

Speaking to FMT, he said he found it strange that the redevelopment proposal reportedly did not come from the transport ministry but from a private entity.

News reports have said that construction and development company WCT Holdings Bhd, controlled by tycoon Desmond Lim, had submitted a proposal to operate the airport under a lease, with the government continuing to own the land and the airport.

However, the transport ministry has said that any proposal to redevelop the airport was still preliminary and that the Cabinet would decide on the matter.

Rosli said such a proposal should not even be considered, and questioned transport minister Wee Ka Siong’s priorities, as well as his vision and plans for the transport sector.

“There are bigger transport issues that need the government’s attention at this point in time, issues affecting taxis, buses, rail transport, road safety, port congestion and so on,” he said.

“An airport is a national asset, any proposals related to it should be solicited and open to all parties for a transparent tender process.”

He added that “most Malaysians can’t even travel by air domestically, let alone internationally.”

Rosli said the transport ministry should reject any proposal to redevelop the airport until the government’s national airport strategic plan is completed.

Previously, Public Transport Users Association president Ajit Johl also spoke against the proposed redevelopment of the airport, warning it could affect Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd’s (MAHB) cross-subsidisation model.

MAHB runs a network of 39 airports though only a handful are profitable. Operations of the non-profitable airports are subsidised by those which do make a profit, and this includes the Subang airport.