Can’t do sans expertise
historically, the japanese are seen to be the most self-confi dent people around the world. they are certainly the best in almost everything. were it not for their painful defeat in the world war two following the dropping of two atom bombs on two cities and being subjected to humiliating conditions imposed on them by the american general douglas macarthur, they would have still been arrogant and conceited because they had never lost a war before. japan, at the peak of its strength and economic power it represents, the third in the world after america and china, with all its self-pride and the depth of the japanese conscience, did not hesitate to use the talents and capabilities of foreign experts, such as ghosn, the french industrialist of lebanese origin, who took over the task where others had failed. ghosn rescued one of the biggest japanese automakers from bankruptcy and made it a leading company. who are we (in kuwait) to differ from the whole world, and think we are better than others? the japanese are an example, so we require those who can manage one of our biggest technical institutions which has lost billions of dollars. should he be a kuwaiti? it is nice to be proud of our homeland and our citizens, to provide jobs for them, and to give them priority, but that does not mean they are better than others in everything. the citizen is not the best, for example in the areas of cleaning. they are knowledgeable and experienced in the management of banks and the oil industry and others so we must not hesitate to use others to carry out these jobs and tens of thousands of others from outside kuwait, for reasons far from passion, but often deceptive. we write this after the kuwait airways corporation, after setting a precedent, i would have liked to feel it had been beautiful, published an advertisement for the post of the chief executive offi cer, the highest operational position in the company. however the ad stated that one of the conditions that must be met by the applicant is to be a ‘kuwaiti’. i do not know the reason for this arrogance. our national carrier has suffered from the government, which for three decades has neglected it. this negligence has caused losses in billions of dollars, and fi nancial, labor and technical problems. its current board of directors comprising respectable members knows that it may be worthy to open the door for the kuwaitis and others to apply for the top positions of the company, even if for a specifi c period. the global market needs global expertise, qualifi ed to manage and rescue troubled airlines and return them to profi tability. if we do this, we do not neglect the rights of citizens, we are not better than other countries and companies in the region, and the uae is a model as it has employed the foreign expertise in many of its companies without being disgraced. what applies to kuwait airways applies to all other institutions. the situation of the company is dangerous and requires great efforts. i do not think the latest patchy solutions will lift the company from dire straits. we hope we are wrong. everyone wants our national carrier to return to its glorious days of prosperity
