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Badlisham Speaks<br />
THE VIEW FROM THE TOP<br />
Managing Director Badlisham Ghazali is back from his recent visit to several STOLports in<br />
East Malaysia and talks about Malaysia Airports’ contribution to the rural community there<br />
It is part of our social obligation to ensure<br />
that the operation of non-profitable rural<br />
and remote airports are sustained, so as to<br />
serve its local community where air<br />
transportation is the primary mode of<br />
transport for food, medical and educational<br />
supplies. From the time we were privatised,<br />
Malaysia Airports has undertaken the<br />
responsibility of operating and managing<br />
18 out of 39 airports called Short Take-Off<br />
and Landing Ports or STOLports that are<br />
located in rural areas of Sarawak, Sabah<br />
and three islands in Peninsula Malaysia.<br />
The STOLports in Sarawak and Sabah are<br />
specifically operated on a corporate<br />
responsibility basis, with no airport tax and<br />
Passenger Service Charge (PSC) incurred<br />
on travellers. In 2015, we handled<br />
168,688 passengers across the 12<br />
STOLports in Sarawak and we believe that<br />
this has helped connect the rural community<br />
to the outside world.<br />
From my visits to several of these STOLports<br />
recently, I am happy to see that Malaysia<br />
Airports’ role is not limited to being a mere<br />
STOLport operator. We are also actively<br />
contributing towards improving the livelihood<br />
of the people within the surrounding area<br />
by providing employment opportunities.<br />
A good example is the collaboration<br />
between Malaysia Airports and Persatuan<br />
Bomba Sukarela (Volunteer Firefighters<br />
Association) where locals are employed as<br />
firefighters and provide help in maintaining<br />
security at our STOLports. In Bario, for<br />
instance, personnel from Malaysia Airports<br />
are assisted by this team to ensure that the<br />
level of airport security is in accordance to<br />
the standards set by the International Civil<br />
Aviation Organisation (ICAO).<br />
Our commitment in Bario has yielded<br />
promising results where we successfully<br />
achieved a Social Return on Investment<br />
(SROI) of RM16.00 for every RM1.00 spent<br />
on managing the Bario STOLport.<br />
For 2016, we have committed to further<br />
help develop Bario as a tourist destination.<br />
Bario has been blessed with an abundance<br />
of natural beauty and unique products such<br />
as the Bario Rice. We will be working with<br />
eBario Sdn. Bhd., a local company that is<br />
responsible for managing and carrying out<br />
Bario’s tourism activities. Malaysia Airports<br />
has donated RM10,000 to eBario for this<br />
purpose. The money was used to provide<br />
eBario with a bicycle shed and 10 bicycles<br />
that will be available for rent by tourists.<br />
Proceeds from these activities will go<br />
towards the Kelabit community in Bario.<br />
In an effort to encourage participation from<br />
the local community, eBario will also be<br />
organising a bicycle shed design<br />
competition with cash prizes up for grabs<br />
sponsored by Aeronita Malaysia Airports,<br />
a social organisation made up of the female<br />
employees of Malaysia Airports, as well<br />
as employees’ wives.<br />
Overall, we feel honoured to be able to<br />
contribute back to the local community. We<br />
believe that Bario has the potential to be a<br />
notable tourist spot in the near future, given<br />
its pristine natural beauty and the<br />
convenience of a STOLport. In realising this<br />
goal, we hope to sustain the strong<br />
relationship between Malaysia Airports and<br />
the local community of Bario which we have<br />
built thus far.<br />
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