I refer to the Malaysiakini report Chinese heads PKNS: Staff say 'No' .
I must congratulate the menteri besar of Selangor in doing the right thing by picking the best person, a woman to boot, to head PKNS. It matters not whether it is a he or she as long as the person is the best available to do the job.
To say that PKNS should exclusively be meant for the bumiputera is to miss the point about gobalisation which the world market is now undergoing. And with the credit crunch and investment banks going bust, it becomes more urgent and of public interest that any organisation - more so public institutions like PKNS - be manned by capable captains.
We should follow the example of the late American president John F Kennedy who picked cabinet members who were the ‘best and the brightest’ of whatever colour or creed or religion or gender. He wanted the best people to run the US government. We also should be open-minded and pick the best for our nation and not for selfish, narrow interests.
I can still remember the Umno leader who said that the CEO and managing director of MAS should be a Malay! Who cares if it is a bumiputera or a Malay or an alien?
The most important point is that the person is the best if we are interested to see MAS grow to be the best national carrier that could fight with other airlines in the Pacific Rim and beyond. Look at AirAsia for comparison. With just a handful of airplanes a few years ago, it is now a challenger to not only the other low-cost carriers in the region and beyond but also the more established airlines!
How is this possible? The simplest answer, as far as I see it, is that it has got the best talent available to run the show.
I have feeling that the bumiputera is afraid to accept challenges in a very challenging world. What can we boast about? The tallest flag-post? The longest roti canai ? The biggest nasi lemak ? Where are we in the world football? Where are we in hockey?
Look at our 18 public universities and look at their rankings in the world. The best Malaysian university, Universiti Malaya, is ranked 246. It is not on the radar screen as far as world rankings are concerned. Are we not ashamed of ourselves?
Is it because of the crutch-mentality? We should head-hunt the world for the best vice- chancellors, the best professors, the best lecturers and equip the universities with the best materials and take in the best students, if (yes, if) we want to be in the top ten of the world’s rankings.
A Chinese president (Chou En-lai, I think ) once said: ‘It does not matter whether the cat is black or white as long as it can catch mice’. Yes, it does not matter whether it is an African-American (Barrack Obama) or a white (John McCain) who becomes the next US president as long as he is can ‘catch mice’.
Also, in the Malaysian context, it does not matter whether it is Najib Abdul Razak or Anwar Ibrahim or Lim Kit Siang or Abdul Hadi Awang or P Uthayakumar who is the prime minister so long as he can ‘catch mice’ and make Malaysia great.
Why feel inferior? Why feel threatened by a non-bumiputera woman helming PKNS, even on a temporary basis? I salute the MB of Selangor for being brave in doing what he thinks is right. It can be Ahmad, it can be Subramaniam, it can be Ah Moi, it can Ranjit Singh, it can be Bagus anak Bijak. Who cares, provided he or she is the best person.
How far can you go if you compete among yourselves? A comfort zone. Yes, in the world of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
A cosy life will make our limbs soft and even a breeze(not necessarily a storm) will sweep us off our feet. Change today for a better tomorrow for everybody.
