Tony Fernandes CEO Blog

Well, it’s been five weeks into the season and the hoopla seems to be catching.

I’m talking, of course, about the ASEAN Basketball League (full disclosure: I’m chairman of the ABL). It has taken us just over a year to get the ABL started. It was tough going at times, but we persevered and it was great to see the first regional sports league in ASEAN tip off in Jakarta. Five weeks into the season, and it’s great to see the response from fans.

I’ve always felt that it’s not enough for us here in ASEAN to merely follow the fortunes of sports teams from elsewhere – be it in football, basketball, F1. We need to create our own teams, cheer our own heroes, celebrate when we win, curse when we lose and given the diversity in ASEAN, we can do both in a variety of languages and customs!

It’s also about nurturing talent and providing opportunities for our people to compete against the best in the region – and eventually, the world.

All the team owners are dedicated to developing the game in their respective countries. We want to show the young, the talented and the committed that you can create a future for yourself playing the sport that you love.

The six teams involved – from the Barracudas from Brunei, KL Dragons from Malaysia, Satria Muda from Jakarta, The Philippine Patriots from Manila, the Singapore Slingers and the Thailand Tigers – have been putting on quite a show.

The fans are turning out in growing numbers at the stadiums where the games are played. There were 1,000 people loudly cheering at a game recently between the Singapore Slingers and the Philippine Patriots. And why not? It’s affordable family entertainment. The action is fast and furious with teams consisting of locals and a limited number of imports playing with passion.

The ABL games are also broadcast live on ESPN on weekday nights and late afternoon on Saturday. You must have caught some of them while channel surfing at home. If you haven’t, tune in some time. Better yet, come on down to the stadiums and catch a game live. Who knows? You may one day be able to say that you watched a future Michael Jordan in action!

Head on over to aseanbasketballleague.com for more details. Hope to see you at a game soon!

Here's a letter which makes it all worthwhile. These were the ideals that started AirAsia and fired us with passion.

Dear Mr. Fernandes,

I would like to thank you and your airline for the wonderful service in evacuating us from Padang on Thursday October 1st, 2009. Myself and 30 others had been abandoned by Tiger Airways in an airport with toilets with no water (toilets choked and putrid), no air conditioning in the heat and humidity and the main ceiling of the airport which had collapsed.While the cowards at Tiger Airways left us behind, your airline, got us to safety, which we and our loved ones are all very thankful and happy about.What made this even more challenging, was that all ATM's, credit card facilities and money changing services were closed or not functioning.

We pooled our Rupiah to buy tickets on Air Asia, of which a couple of tourists got left behind to wait two nights at the Padang airport until Tiger airways finally returns (we hope for their sake). As i was on a business trip to Padang, I had additional rupiah to purchase two German tourists tickets on Air Asia to KL.Upon arriving in KL, we purchased Air Asia tickets with our credit cards to get back home to Singapore (the German tourist got their connecting flights in Singapore and were very relieved)I have written to the press in Australia and Singapore applauding your wonderful service, and i hope some good PR comes of this, as your Airline well deserves it.

Once again, thank you and thank you Air Asia.

We just do what we have to do to help people. We have many who constantly barrage us with attacks and put us down. But when you get a letter like this, it makes it all worth it. This operation to ferry loved ones in and those requiring help out is an ASEAN project. This is what ASEAN is all about, an airline run by ASEAN staff reaching out to an ASEAN community that is in need of help. The ideals that communities can unite beyond language and cultural differences and be globally responsible citizens are what drives ASEAN. This is evidence of how ASEAN can be so powerful in making a difference in all communities that we need to reach out to if we all work together.

Have been getting a lot of reactions on the net and by people on the street on the nation's involvement in the motorsports world of Formula One. Next week, I am looking forward to share my thoughts on why Formula One is important to Malaysia.

Well done to all my 8000 ASEAN staff. You have made an old man very proud. Keep being an All Star in your roles and in the lives of people you touch.

What can you do for your country, not what your country can do for you.

A Happy 2009 to all.

It has been a very strange 2008. For many, it has been an Annus Horriblus. Some cry at the wealth they have lost as the global financial system went into meltdown and national economies slipped into recession. Many are fearful about their own future. And most are glad to see the back of 2008.

I understand their pain. But for me, 2008 has been a truly defining year. A year that ensures that Malaysia and the world will never be the same.

In my business world, it’s been a year when AirAsia finally got almost a level playing field , a year where Tune Money realised that it’s not just about a great product, a year where Tune Hotel got off the ground (and I believe will be a global brand) and Tune Talk finally got a partner. Serving the underserved is what Tune and AirAsia are all about, as someone pointed out in his blog. It was a year I learnt that attention to detail and having proper systems is crucial.

For Malaysia, I think we learnt that democracy is here to stay, and we the people do have a say in shaping our nation’s future. In the March 2008 elections, Malaysians delivered a clear message to the powerful: We all have a view and our opinions and intelligence should be respected and taken into account. I hope we will use that power wisely in the days, months and years ahead.

For the world, it was a year that emphatically reinforced all the old axioms about the evils of greed. Foreign bankers have brought the world to its knees. Casting prudence and good sense aside, they financed a buying binge that was probably unprecedented in history. Many people took advantage. Spurred by the availability of cheap cash, they allowed greed to overwhelm their senses. One house wasn't enough, so they borrowed and borrowed. And bought two, three, sometimes four. Banks happily fed the spending beast, and all that materialism and consumerism is now coming home to roost. The house of cards toppled, and now the pain has begun – and likely to last a while.

So what are my hopes and aspirations for 2009?

1) I hope Malaysians will change forever and look at what they can do for the country, instead of relying on the nation to provide everything. We must be positive and see what we can do to make this country a better place. Sitting back and criticising and not changing will just not work anymore. And I do hope that when we speak, we present our views clearly, rationally and with sensitivity instead of doing so anonymously. So many of those who post their views on blogs, for instance, just criticise and do so anonymously. If there is something to be said, say it openly and be prepared to defend your views in open debate.

2) We as a community must demand more from our education system. If our national schools eradicate their deficiencies and all were more like Victoria Institution or St. John’s, for instance, Malaysians of all races will be lining up to send their kids to national schools. There would then be no need to waste time on pointless debates about vernacular schools and such. Get the national schools right, and we will be on our way. It’s about providing the people with palatable choices.

3) We have to improve the standard of English among our kids. If we are to be globally competitive, then you can't run away from the need for a high standard of English. That's not saying we should not also be fluent in our own mother tongues. How I wish I could speak other languages. Imagine if all our kids could fluently speak English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil or Hindi! How powerful that would be! But we must be masters at English.

4) Hopefully, banks will be responsible in providing credit to allow businesses to function effectively. The lesson from the financial crisis of 2008 is not that banks should not lend, but should do so in a prudent manner and only to businesses that are genuine rather than hand out loads of cash to every charlatan who comes knocking on their doors.

5) That 2009 will be the Year of Meritocracy. Adopting meritocracy as a policy in all sectors will help lure back smart Malaysians and not risk losing them to other countries, especially Singapore.

6) Hopefully, in 2009 our civil servants will see the value of private entrepreneurs and not regard them with undue suspicion. Yes, I’m sure they have been hassled by many Malaysians with get-rich-quick schemes, but there are just as many, if not more, genuine Malaysian businessmen out there.

7) That Malaysia takes the lead in making the Asean economic union a strong and viable reality. Imagine a market of 600 million! Our region would no longer be at the mercy of the industralised world and we would be able to shape our own future.

8) I hope Malaysians will take a grip of their own lives and design their own destiny. Don't complain, don't wait for handouts, go out there and make a difference. Don't be negative and have a real can-do mind-set.

9) And finally, on a personal note, I want to lose weight. I am already doing the obvious – watching my diet and trying to work out more often. Any other tips would be greatly appreciated.

Happy New Year, all.