Let’s scoot to Sydney

From flying super first class in specially designed cabin to San Francisco, lying in cosy beds in wide bodied aircraft while crossing the Pacific Oceans, SIA is now trying a new business in budget airlines. It is like Shangri La going into foodcourt business. With this downstream business strategy, SIA’s business will be complete if it takes on food catering for the airline as well. It reminds me of DBS going back into post offices to serve the customers better.

The greatest achievement perhaps is the acquisition of another foreign talent as its CEO. Such talents are rare, exceptionally rare to find in this island. We have more than 40 years of aviation business history, but producing aviation professionals is something that is just simply difficult, like producing CEOs for our banking industry. Our locals just would not have the experience and the X factor to be CEOs of banks and airlines. The only chance to be one is by setting up a family business.

I believe this Australian CEO must come from the best Australian university, like all talented Australians. Singapore also has sent many of our local talents to Australian universities to study under the same lecturers and courses. Shouldn’t they be at par or similar in talent or knowledge acquired?

I read in the blog that an Australian university graduate of Singapore origin is driving taxi here. He has been replaced by foreign talents from, possibly Australia, could be the same course mate he studied together in university. And very likely their grades could be similar, but the Australian will be here as foreign talent, and may be his boss as well, enjoying all the perks and first class treatment as foreign talent.

There seems to be something missing. Why should two graduates from the same foreign university ended differently, one driving taxi and another as a top executive. One seen as non talent, another as super talent? Maybe their grades were different. Maybe the Singaporean was the average student of our system and the Australian the cream of their students. The truth is difficult to find out unless we can put their education records side by side for comparison.

Maybe there is something else. The X factor that Sinkies or most Asians just don’t have. Sinkies just don’t have that something to be suitable for top positions except in the civil service or as politicians. Put them into the private sector, they somehow don’t look good enough for the top jobs. Even foreign talents from third world countries look more desirable, and better, to fill top positions than Sinkies.

Maybe Singaporeans still look like their coolie parents and grand parents, somehow they don’t have that charisma to front the organization. Some say you need to look good in those high level positions. Some say it is a kind of aura, either one has it or doesn’t.

Blame it on the coolie stock. Until our coolie stock don’t look like Ah Seng or Ah Hock, until they are given the chances and exposure to be in those top positions, let’s keep them at the second level and leave the top management positions to foreigners with that special oomph. They really look good and possibly have straight As degree from the top Ivy League foreign universities. Our Sinkies may have straight As also, but ….

No wonder our taxi drivers are speaking quite good English and perfect to every inch as a butler. Many are probably graduates from foreign universities. Their fault is probably because they are Sinkies. If they hold a different passport, they could be here and welcomed as foreign talents.