YOURSAY ‘They now have a first-hand experience of what we had to put up with.’

DCA chief does it again, media livid

Idon'tlikekangkung: This is the usual problem when you appoint incompetent people to high positions because of their connections with people in high places. 

If this had been a local situation, Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) director-general Azharuddin Abdul Rahman would have been able to get away with it - indeed he might even have come out smelling like roses if the government-controlled media had their way. 

But under intense local and international scrutiny, the incompetence surfaces. Resorting to bully tactics will not work. 

CNN had an article about whether this whole fiasco was hurting Malaysia's credibility. Well, the truth is that it is these incompetents who hurt the country's image. 

But I guess they are just following their leader who often does not respond to questions either. What a sorry lot we have in power.   

Ipohcrite: I sympathise with the foreign media who are subjected to such shoddy and irresponsible conduct by the DCA chief. The foreign media now has a first-hand experience of what we right-thinking Malaysians had to put up with all these years.

Malaysia is a sham democracy.

Sabahan: It is very clear to the world that in Malaysia, which does not practise meritocracy and transparency, civil servants are often promoted beyond their ability. 

This is shown in the press conferences held, where the DCA director-general and RMAF (Royal Malaysian Air Force) chief were clearly out of their depth and their grilling by the foreign press, although painful to watch, makes us very worried about Malaysia's future.

Apacerita: Azharuddin is in a defensive mode and that's not a good sign, nor will it help him. In fact, his action aggravates more resentment towards this crisis.

If he could not handle the pressure, please resign and save Malaysia from more embarrassment.

Hplooi: And the Umno propaganda machine is promoting the idea that the foreign media (especially the Chinese media) fallout is due to opposition bad-mouthing Malaysia. Even without opposition comments, the government team is 'hanging' themselves very well.

Already Umno cyber-troopers are lobbing grenades of 'patriotism' and the so-called unpatriotic behaviour of opposition (read: Chinese) electorates.

This meme will be sold to the hilt to the rural electorate, further widening the divide between the Malays and the rest. I hope PKR and PAS have the strategy to counter such nefarious moves by the Umno cabal.

CQ Muar: These are third world brainless leaders who can't even handle foreign journalists.

Doesn’t PM Najib Razak realise the whole world is mocking the 'type' of moronic leaders Malaysia has? Absolutely no class and a shame compared to other countries' world-class leaders.

Understandably, this is the result and product of cronies favoured and picked by the elite to manage and administer the country.

Such morons were probably graduates 'churned out in droves' and awarded degrees by some government-owned universities.

Lamborghini: Azharuddin, you just don't have the brains, the maturity, the experience and the competence to represent Malaysia before the world's press. You are causing so much of embarrassment to yourself and the nation through your actions.

Please don't hold any more media briefings if you are not prepared to say anything useful or helpful. You are such a disgrace. Have some dignity and resign because you obviously don’t have what it takes.

Ferdtan: Where have all the responsible leaders gone to? PM Najib went south to Perth and acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, the face of the missing plane crisis committee, gone north to Hawaii. So who is in charge now?

Has Najib appointed a higher official, at least of a ministerial position, to overlook the situation while both of them are gone? Or they just left like that, without any clear-cut instructions and leaving people like Azharuddin who does not know what to do?

If he answers the questions from reporters wrongly he gets into trouble, so now he decided to avoid them, and with that he will get into even bigger trouble.

This is what happens when there is a lack of or no leadership provided by Najib and Hishammuddin.

Give Him A Break: I observe that many of the remarks by readers are very personal. I find Azharuddin’s standard of English acceptable although he may not speak like Najib who has an English boarding school accent.

About the Balotteli example , he was merely trying to emphasise the point that a person's look would not readily reveal one’s nationality. The press has quoted him out of context and twisted the story to make him appear like an idiot.

I can see that he is trying his best; I also can see that he is highly stressed, given the amount of bad press that he has encountered.

Let's be fair. He may be the DG but he is also human, he is also somebody's son, someone's father and somebody's husband. He too has feelings. Let's not be too harsh on him; give him a break.

Kangkung: After almost of 60 years of having Pyongyang-style news conferences, Umno is now faced with real journalists who are not from party-owned Utusan Malaysia .

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