It is probably the best decision the board of Air Mauritius has taken for quite some time in appointing Mr Megh Pillay as their new chief executive officer. One of the worse decisions, if not the worst, of the board in situ at that time was when they sacked him to please their political masters. Since then, we have witnessed a succession of chief executive officers who have done little to enhance the fortunes of our national airline.
I have no doubt that Megh Pillay will be as successful as he was before but he will have to get rid of some dead wood. He will have his work cut out before he gets the company on an even keel. Considering the number of lame ducks he will have to cope with, he can expect to navigate through blustery weather for quite a while, not forgetting the omnipresent turbulence, before he can get the plane back on course.
Over the years, there has been a perennial problem with parastatal bodies. The chairmanship has been bestowed to individuals for some political reasons or for services rendered. As a result, any Tom, Dick or Harry who had been a faithful servant and had acquiesced to all of his political master’s caprices and whims, or was good enough to fork the necessary funds for his political campaign, found himself suddenly catapulted to the dizzy heights of chairmanship. As a result, the parastatal body went down the pan very quickly because the person appointed was clueless, not to say useless – a question of a square peg in a round hole. Many have seen themselves appointed to jobs beyond their wildest dreams, not to say their limited intellect.
For once, the board of a parastatal body has taken the right decision in appointing their chief executive. I can say unequivocally that they have chosen the right man for the right job and I have no doubt this will prove to be a judicious choice for the future of our national airline. If only other parastatal bodies would follow suit when making appointments. I may be wishing for too much or others might say that I am living in cloud cuckoo land. Oh well, I can only but hope!
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