Christopher Gill's Column
SAVY RUNS TO SBC
Seychelles Weekly published an article on Air Seychelles recently that had Captain /Colonel David Savy running to SBC for a ‘tele promptu’ free for all session to cover up the mess Air Seychelles is facing. He did not write to the Weekly to counter any points raised in its article but instead opted for a solo act on SBC in English and then in Creole. Both performances were dismal and only hurt Mr. Savy’s image as a CEO in my opinion. It appeared to be a very desperate act.
Mr. Savy, of course, is wondering what is the fuss over Air Seychelles. He claims that because of a damaged airplane at Charles De Gaulle in December 2007, flights were subsequently delayed and according to him it is normal. He dismisses Customer grievances and Staff complaints and asserts that the writer of the article was just out to distort the truth and maliciously attack him in a “mechant” manner.
I did not write that article, but I have written my fair share on Air Seychelles. Others carry that banner now, freely and willingly. But Mr. Savy seems to forget the point of the writer. I would suggest he re - reads the article, then go back to SBC for a chat if he cannot rebut the writer as is normal in a democratic society. This is the year of the Constitution and rebuttals are how public debates are handled.
However, when Mr. Savy claims the Free Press is “trying to turn staff against him” I can only chuckle and laugh a little, because by this assertion, Mr. Savy only shows us how deep the problems are that he faces. You must understand Mr. Savy, the problems we face at Air Seychelles is not about you, it's about our Country and how it is run by people like you. If you choose to take things personal, while you are in Public Service, then it means you treat your affairs in Public Service as if it is your own domain and with that your fiefdom. Air Seychelles is our National Air Carrier, not your little fiefdom. We pay for your follies. We pay the bills. Depending on how it is managed, it can be our pride as a People, or it can become our embarrassment as a People. The sooner you figure out that little detail, the sooner you will stop wasting SBC film every time the Public focuses on your escapades at our National Carrier Office.
I have some advice for Mr. Savy which I will make public through the Weekly. I hope he can implement them this year and not wait until the Dreamliner arrives.
If you would like your Staff to admire you and respect you, accept to be paid in the same money you pay them every month - Seychelles Rupees. When you lose money for a year, do as I do and do not take a salary and cancel the trips overseas. But make sure your staff has their salary, uniforms, and all the equipment they need to do a good job in spite of difficult times. A leader in an organization comes last Mr. Savy, not first. A public largess brat comes first and his staff follows to serve him. As staff pleases him, they are promoted. As staff criticizes him, they are demoted. As fate would have it, you have much to prove of yourself, though of no fault of yourself.
Since it appears you want us to love La Belle Creole in spite of it being over twenty (20) Years old, I ask you to make public its maintenance records so the public can judge for themselves if it has a good track record. While a plane can be 20 years old and be safe, it does depend on the maintenance records whether or not it is safe. Furthermore, well maintained planes are usually not leased out to other companies. They are kept in the fleet lineup to earn the company profits.
If you would like the Public to respect you as a CEO, resign from the Army. After all, you are a Colonel and you did not lose any sleep on Election Day and managed to order about Human Personal Carriers (HPC) at the Point Larue International Airport, after exercising your right to vote.
During Peak Periods, all managers, including you, should be on duty and not on holiday. If you do that, your staff may turn up on New Year's Eve and Christmas Day to work. I do it and it works fine. Expats should be made to work twice as hard as Seychellois. I do that to and it works fine. While at it they also teach our People of the need to work hard on the job. I do not send expat staff off on holiday in a Peak Period. They are here to fill in gaps in our labor pool not to enlarge the gaps. When the moment arises that an expat can be replaced, do it. Do not keep him in place because he has now become your “friend”. Draw a line. Take your business affairs seriously. The Public will take you seriously.
Since you opened a VIP Lounge which cost us $ 1 Million and you leased a plane without First Class Seats, you cannot blame the public for questioning your ability to manage our National Air Carrier. Now we have a $1 Million VIP lounge but only one plane with 24 VIP seats. The rest of all our seats on Air Seychelles are economy. Brilliant! I bet you are wishing you still had that $1 Million plus now spent on those raffia and chairs and a nice Duty Free lease of another $1 Million for the VIP Lounge space to fix Air Seychelles problems. But don’t worry about it. When things get really rough and oil creeps up to $150.00 a barrel, we will have the nice chairs in the VIP lounge to sit in, relax and talk about the good old days when we could print money to solve all our problems.
Since you increased the hours of La Belle Creole from 60 hours a week to 100 hours per week and you did not configure it with E-Tops for international ocean travel when you received it, now you want us to take it to Bangkok. Right, Mr. Savy. I would rather take Cat Coco to Bangkok. At least it has First Class Seats and is probably maintained as well as Cat Rose.
I love my family. I will not forsake their safety to justify your lack of due diligence as a CEO. Until Air Seychelles can prove itself to have restored its safety and professional credentials, I will play it safe and take a longer route on International flights. In the meantime, I have to go collect some bags that came in for a Guest who arrived last week from Charles De Gaulle. The bags are coming in from La Digue though. I do not have to tell you which plane the Guest came in on.
MAY GOD BLESS ALL FREEDOM LOVING SEYCHELLOIS!
