Former Transport Minister Tan Sri Ong Tee Keat has asked Khazanah Nasional Bhd not to be distracted by criticisms of its choice of a foreigner as the Chief Executive Officer-designate of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) while applauding the appointment as purely based on merits.

He called on all critics to stop splitting hairs over the issue to enable Khazanah and MAS to fully focusatthis critical period on the task of ensuring the airline's survival.

"This is indeed a crucial time for MAS to fight for survival, to at least turn it around to begin with. This is a crucial time for MAS to stay afloat.

Certainly we need someone irrespective of his nationality but more importantly it is his expertise, skills and capabilities that count," Ong said in response to Khazanah's recent appointment of German-born Christoph Mueller.

Mueller, currently CEO of Aer Lingus, turned around the loss-making Ireland's national airline just within a year of taking up the job in 2009, after previously doing the same for Sabena and Lufthansa, respectively the
Belgian and German airlines.

Khazanah, the main shareholder of MAS, in announcing the appointment, said Mueller's twin tasks would be toturnaaround the ailing national carrier as well as to groom a local successor. He is expected to start as MAS CEObyMarch next year.

Ongreminded Malaysians that when the government then decided to build the Petronas Twin Towers, it chose Cesar Pelli, one of the top American architects to undertake the task along with two construction consortiums each from Japan and South Korea although there was local expertise. The Twin Towers turned out to be one ofworld's iconic buildings.

"In thepast let'snot forget that we had gonehead-huntingfor some of the best brains from abroad in developing our country, in building super-structures like the Twin Towers, even the Penang Bridge and other projects.

"And I see no reason why people must pick on Khazanah or MAS now. At the end of the day, we are confident that with his experience in turning around several airlines in the past, Mr Mueller should be able to share and impart his experience to MAS and ultimately be able to deliver what we are expecting of him to do and certainly we need someone irrespective of his nationality," Ong added.

He said it's standard practice in the corporate world whenever a conglomerate of international status was undertaking a revamp, it had to cast its net globally for the best talent to get it done without being being
distractedby trivialities such as being harped on by critics Mueller's appointment.

Ongsaid with Mueller as the new MAS CEO, backed up by the local team assisting him, he was more than confident that MAS' turnaround as envisaged by Khazanah's 12-point Plan, would be well on track based on best practice and business plan.

He said time was running out and the time for anyone to play to the gallery of the people, especially the gallery of certain political interests over such a critical issue of the survival of the national airline was over.

"This is also a crucial time to appoint someone with the required expertise to turn MAS around and we have no time whatsoever to bicker over some of the issues related to non-operation. When I say non-operation I mean issues like whether the CEO that we appoint can understand local culture or work-style and speak the local language.

"This is something which I could hardly understand. Why should we go hairsplitor cast misgivings or apprehension simplyonthe point that he is not a Malaysian. We don't even bother to judge whether he can do the job or not,” said Ong.

He also praised Khazanah's openness in implementing the restructuring plan by accommodating proposals and ideas from other parties, while adding that MAS has entered a " do or die" situation.
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