Friday, December 26, 2008

KLIA East@Labu

The first ever airport to be built in Negeri Sembilan will be in my parliamentary constituency! Am sure many of you heard the news that the Cabinet has given the nod to the proposed new Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Labu. Well, the exact location should be around Gadong Jaya, a place within the Rasah Parliament constituency.

I visited the new village in Labu this morning to meet the voters and distributed my 2009 calendar. Spoke to the press and voiced my support to the LCCT project. I have various reasons to support the LCCT project. The most important of all is because it located within my constituency :) The new airport will surely be a catalyst for development in the surrounding area. More infrastructure development will pour in. The land value in Labu will skyrocket in the future.

The other reason i support the project is because it is a "Private Finance Initiative" (PFI) project. It means no taxpayer's monies will be used to fund the project. The estimated building cost is RM1.6 billion. You can't ask for more in the current gloomy economic condition right? It is definitely a good news. Private investment is an important component to jumpstart the economy. Hopefully, the RM1.6 billion can create more multiplier effects to the local economy.

I call on the state government to ensure that the project will bring some benefits to the local players like small contractors, suppliers and so on so that they can enjoy a small pie of the cake. Open tender for all the related contracts given is a MUST! If any of you are Sime Darby's shareholders, hope that you can voice it up in your AGM!

The project will take 2 years to complete. In such a project, surely thousands of workers will be located there. Hopefully, it will create some business opportunities for the local folks.

The other reason i support the new LCCT is because the current one near the KLIA cargo is really a shame. I used the airport regularly (DAP's policy of flying the cheapest available fare) and found it really messy and inconvenient. Imagine you have the board a flight on a rainy day. Bet you will get wet. Even if you take a bus in Puduraya won't get you wet on a rainy day. In that sense, isn't it worst than Puduraya?

Hope the new LCCT will provide a more comfortable journey for travelers. Flying budget airline has more or less become a norm for ordinary Malaysians.

Welcome to KLIA @ RASAH!
.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

LCCT @ Labu , seems gd timing as prices of building materials had come down quite a bit.

Anonymous said...

Yippee Yay!... Good to see more beneficial development coming to the Sleepy Hollow aka Seremban.

Make sure YB maintain a constant vigilance to guard against "Korupsyen".

P130 voter

Anonymous said...

it may seems a gd project , however the controversial question is how many low cost foreign carriers is interested or committed to use this facility ??????

what kind of perks is being offered to attract foreign low cost carriers to use this facilities ?

Anonymous said...

下次出国不用那么早起床去LCCT KL 那边了.但是还是觉得挺浪费钱的.

Anonymous said...

The exact location is Labu Estate. There is one article in The Star today i.e. 2 Sept 2009 by its Editor.
Personally, I have no qualms about the project. Overall, it brings more benefit to NS as a whole.

Wong said...

MP Wee Choo Keong has started a campaign against KLIA East @ Labu. What do you say?

http://weechookeong.wordpress.com/2009/01/09/campaign-against-klia-east-labu/

Anonymous said...

YB Loke,

You should not be happy and support the proposed terminal just because it is proposed to be built in your constituency, bringing in biz activity and other benefit to your constituency.
Based on this logic, then every MP should propose a terminal to be built in his/her constituency. :)

Agree with you on the mess of boarding plane during rainy days in LCCT. However, do you think there will be airbridges in the newly proposed LCCT? Don't think they will build airbridges if they want to keep cost low. Don't be so naive.

As the chairman of DAPSY and a leader of DAP, you should look at a bigger picture.
1)Is it feasible to have two airports so close to each other? Will there be any conflict? How about air safety issue? More coordination between 2 control towers?
2)Will this airport affect the long term direction/policy or development of KLIA, which the government had spent so much resources on it?
3)Is it a better to direct all resources to make KLIA a hub?
4)What is the pros and cons of having 2 airport operators, namely MAHB and AirAsia-SimeDarby?
5)If AirAsia is also the airport operator, is there any conflict?

Don't just support an airport to be built in your constituency. If not we will have more than 200 airports.

Do your homework and study thouroughly first on all positive and negative impacts of this issue or any other issue before you comment. Be a resposible MP. I believe MP in DAP has a higher standard than the BN ones. So, be more responsible in future.

Loke Siew Fook said...

Dear CK Tan,

Well, you are fully entitled to your opinion but i still stick to my original position on the airport.

I never ask for the airport to be built in my constituency but it just happened to be, then i welcome it.

As a responsible MP, I will support whatever good for the people. It is because i "look at the bigger picture", i put aside political differences and supported the state government on this project.

I will answer your questions as below:

1)Is it feasible to have two airports so close to each other? Will there be any conflict? How about air safety issue? More coordination between 2 control towers?

The new airport and KLIA is 2 different airports..It is not cater for international airlines but purely for Air Asia. London has 3 airports! Well, i think Tony Fernandez will be more worried about safety than anybody else..a small mistake, his company will go burst. I am no expert to answer the technical issue but it is responsibility of the authority to ensure everything is fine before approval given.


2)Will this airport affect the long term direction/policy or development of KLIA, which the government had spent so much resources on it?

The new one can complement the existing one if everyone willing to work together. It is the failure of this government in their planning if they cant fully utilize KLIA. I understand there are some technical hindrance to the expansion.

3)Is it a better to direct all resources to make KLIA a hub?

The failure of KLIA to become a regional hub has nothing to do with the new LCCT. Major international airlines refused to fly into KLIA is NOT because we have a new airport but rather their failure to market and manage KLIA as a hub compare to Changi and Bangkok.

4)What is the pros and cons of having 2 airport operators, namely MAHB and AirAsia-SimeDarby?

More competition and it means more benefits to the consumers ie..cheaper air fares (cox airport tax will be lowered)

5)If AirAsia is also the airport operator, is there any conflict?

They are not asking other airlines to operate from here so i cant see any.

There is no single opinion that is 100% correct..We are looking at it from a different perspective and it just happen that yours and mine is different. I won't call you naive and i hope i won't be called one too..:)

Old Fart said...

You sound rather naive. If you represent the quality of MPs PR can offer....I have to worry!!


I am now waiting for you to be reprimanded by your party and then see how you get out of this one.

Loke Siew Fook said...

then i think you will be dissapointed. What have i done that the party needs to reprimand me?

Loke Siew Fook said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
CK said...

yes, it's not your fault that the airport is planned to be in your constituency and you are entitled to support it.

for me, I don't think it's a good idea as the current arrangement of KLIA and KLIA LCCT is complex enough without the new KLIA East @ Labu. and I seriously think it's not going to cost passenger less in the long run cox at the end of the day, it's tax payers' money.

and the controversies and tonnes of unclear and hidden agendas cloud the decision on the airport make it worse.

Anonymous said...

Hi MP Loke,

Thanks for the reply.
First of all, would like to clarify that I'm CK Tan n not CK. WIll repost to your email for you recognise my identity.

I think you should be a more responsible MP (as i always have high regards on MP from DAP) because i do not agree on your comment - "The most important of all is because it [is] located within my constituency".

"Located in your constituency" cannot be the most important reason, not even a reason, that u should welcome a project.

U cannot simply welcome a project because it's to be built in your constituency. Instead, you should study or get your assistant to study which is the best location to build a new LCCT, if a new LCCT is neccesary. Of course, before that, you should also study whether is it neccesary to have a new LCCT.

I said "don't be naive" because i think u expect them to build aerobridges so that it can be better than puduraya bus station. Do u sincerely believe that they will build aerobriges for you to board a plane?

I said "look at a bigger picture". I mean you should study the pros n cons of building a new airport. Should we divide the resources or concentrate on KLIA, if it's a good airport. Or we shall change direction n to have competition.

Does "competition always mean good for everyone'? Remember the LRT system in Klang Valley which do not coordinate among them and bring inconvinient to the Klang Valley public transport user? Then Gov need to buy all of them and put them under one umbrella again? Look at Singapore and Hong Kong, places which have the highest air traffic in Asia. Do they have a few airports? They are having only a few terminal under the same airport authority/operator.
What about having 2,3 or 4 TNBs in the country or in individual state? How about having 2,3 or 4 water suplliers in one state?

I'm not supporting nor against building of a new LCCT. My argument is, you have to be more responsible and study whether it's neccesary before supporting/welcoming the project. Or you are just looking at the superficial benefits, then support/welcome it because it's to be built in your constituency.

MP Loke, every layman knows that a new development will "be a catalyst for the development in the surrounding area". Even a high school student knows that this is one of the points for him to include in his karangan. You are a MP and Adun. You should give more than that.

The job or the role of a MP/Adun is not to look at longkangs and pot holes on the roads, as always argued by the PR's rep. Their role is to think of the direction/policy of the country, as argued by PR's rep. So, the question now is:
1) Is a new LCCT a good direction/policy? Why? (be resposible and pls don't give the answer of "yes, the most important of all it located within my constituency")
2) Pros and cons of it?
3) If it's good to build a new LCCT. Is Labu the best location? (Wong Chun Wai said that it's good, anyway)

Pls read the blog of your big brother Kit and also the blog of your fellow colleague, jeff ooi. I think u still need to learn more from your big bro, Kit.

Anonymous said...

Dear CK ,

if you read carefully wat YB had written in his blog , it states the following:

"it is a "Private Finance Initiative" (PFI) project. It means no taxpayer's monies will be used to fund the project."

YB had reiterate :everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion & everyone look at things from different angles/perspective......there's no opinion that is 100% correct......

Anonymous said...

PPL of NS need not travel so far to KL to board their flights hence save up some toll payments.

well since its a low cost carrier terminal , u still expect aerobridges to be built ?

effects of LCCT : spurs other economic actitives within LABU areas ,

additional jobs created for the locals once the LCCT starts operations.

the list goes on & on

Anonymous said...

You look at the big picture??

What picture exactly? The euphoric picture painted by little Tony which he desperately tries to convince the public by inviting people to comment on his web site??

Don't even start talking about London. Actually London has 5 airports, not 3, but only Heathrow is the hub, the others are a bit rubbish. 2 of them are mostly used by budget airlines but these airports are all situated VERY far from each other with limited transport link. No one transfer from Heathrow to Luton for example. It's unheard of. I live in London so I should know!

If you really look at the big picture, then you should ask yourself what research exactly has the government has done? What about the study on environment and safety issues of this project? If you believe for one second that "in-depth and serious" study has been conducted as claimed by Air Asia then you are an idiot. A mega project like this normally take at least a year just to get through the public consultation phase. I am using Heathrow Terminal 5 as an example, it took years to get approved after careful study involving all parties like environmental group, independent consulting group represented by local residents surrounding the proposed site etc. How much of this has been done before the government approved this??

I also want to point out the safety issue of building 2 airports in close proximity. The FAA in the USA published this report about the proposed 2 commercial airports in Orange County and clearly and strongly opposed it due to safety reasons.
http://www.eltoroairport.org/issues/faamemo.htm

The IATA also has guidelines issued for "safe distance" between 2 airports. Even countries like India and Indonesia observe these rules by not having 2 commercial airports within the safety zone. Malaysia seems to be very brave to act on its own on this one.


I have asked Air Asia to publish the so-called safety report conducted by the DCA but have not heard anything back. No doubt they will look stupid if publish something that clearly contradicts findings by the IATA and the FAA.

This project is becoming a laughing stock in the world press and it's a pity that some small minded and ignorant individuals like you actually support it!

Anonymous said...

"it is a "Private Finance Initiative" (PFI) project. It means no taxpayer's monies will be used to fund the project."

Don't be naive! Sure none to fund the project but how about once it's running. All the immigration, police, DCA etc?? Govt will also be compelled to provide public transport.