By P. Gunasegaram
Tiger thinks it rather odd to celebrate anything by screening the controversial Tanda Putera. That’s what Malaysia Airlines did for what it billed as its 41st anniversary. But as with the film, which has distorted the way things happened, the anniversary itself is a misrepresentation of history. The things humans do to celebrate!
Tigers don’t write their history down or film it – it is passed down through word of mouth as far as that is possible between Tigers. Which is perhaps just as well. Was it Churchill who said “History is written by the victors”?
To that Tiger would like to add that history is rewritten by those in power and rewritten after power changes. After so many revisions, who can totally believe in history anymore, beyond what people can actually remember of it?
This Tiger has not seen Tanda Putera but has read enough about it to know that many parts of it with respect to how May 13, 1969 actually started are wrong. How does Tiger know, you ask? Because Tiger was there, not two miles from where the riots first started, and it has ears and very sharp hearing and was old enough to remember.
There’s a lot Tiger can say about that but will refrain here because this is not really the forum for it. Suffice to say it will be more enlightening and accurate than the movie.
Why would such a contentious movie, which was a box office failure and by the accounts of critics wiser than Tiger was badly made on top of historical errors, be chosen as THE movie to screen for Malaysia Airlines to celebrate their 41st anniversary is just beyond Tiger.
Tiger looked to Malaysia Airlines for help and located its press statement proudly announcing the celebration. So that there is no ambiguity, let’s quote directly the relevant excerpt from the statement. It attributed this to its CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya:
“Our journey began in 1972 when our airline’s name became MAS and the challenge was set to elevate our Nation’s name around the world and bring pride to all our countrymen and women. Today, Malaysia Airlines celebrates its 41st anniversary. In the world of aviation, being in business for this length of time is a milestone, a major achievement.”
“We wanted to screen Tanda Putera to our staff because it contains a lot of historical content which is with relations (sic) to Malaysia Airlines. It will bring fond memories to our senior staff and act as a motivational boost for the junior ones.”
Tiger supposes the first paragraph provides context and the second the reasons. Let’s take the second paragraph first. How does the historical content of the movie really relate to Malaysia Airlines? Would it help to turn around the troubled airline faster or will it reopen old wounds? Did it learn any lessons on how it can be better?
A highly distressing historical event which is cited by politicians repeatedly to oppress the populace can hardly be described as bringing fond memories to senior staff but is more likely instead to cause trauma among those who have suffered. Ditto as a provider of a “motivational boost for junior ones”. If that’s what Malaysia Airlines is depending on to motivate staff…..Tiger is at a loss for words.
Now back to the first paragraph and history being remade. To say that Malaysia Airlines began its journey in 1972 is dead wrong. That was the year when Malaysia-Singapore Airlines was split up into two airlines.
The correct historical date, which Malaysia Airlines ought to celebrate (Singapore Airlines does), is in fact April 2, 1947, according to its own website, when the first commercial flight of Malayan Airways, the forerunner of both airlines, took off. The picture, also from the Malaysia Airlines website, shows this. Note the Flying Tiger logo, which Tiger naturally likes.
The 41st anniversary dates back from the 1972 split but remember that Malaysia/Malaysian has been used in the logo continuously from the date of formation of Malaysia in 1963 when the airline was called Malaysian Airlines Ltd. With Singapore’s separation from Malaysia in 1965, the airline became known as Malaysia- Singapore Airlines. In 1972 the Malaysian offshoot became Malaysian Airline System or MAS.
The 41st anniversary therefore rather erroneously dates back only from 1972, and obliterates 25 years of history between 1947 and 1972. Why?
Would it not be much better for Malaysia Airlines image and completely accurate for it to be celebrating its 66th anniversary instead of its 41st? What strange benefit does Malaysia Airlines hope to achieve by erasing a quarter century of history?
Ahmad Jauhari Yahya
Jauhari says it is quite an achievement in aviation to be in business after 41 years. Tiger can’t disagree. But wouldn’t it be a greater achievement by more than half to have been in business for 66 years, which is historically correct?
Puzzled Tiger returned to the press statement and reproduces below the first paragraph:
“Malaysia Airlines has been operating flights from Kuala Lumpur to over 100 destinations as Malaysian Airlines System Berhad since 1 October 1972 and to mark its 41st anniversary of Malaysian Hospitality this year, the national airline has outlined a month-long (sic) full of activities.”
Oh, so its the 41st anniversary of Malaysian Hospitality, is that what it is? But the word “Malaysia” or Malaysian has been on the livery from 1965 and before that from the airline’s first flight in 1947 it had the word “Malayan”. Isn’t Malaya now part of Malaysia?
Oh come on, Malaysia Airlines. There is so much you have to be proud off and so many people that have contributed to your growth and progress. You are a great airline which rates among the best in cabin service, flight safety and timeliness.
Just do the right things to get the money in. Don’t mix politics up with business. Has that not been the reason for its many previous failures despite Malaysia Airlines’ undoubted position as an airline of repute and great service?
Don’t show movies that divide rather than unite staff. At the end of the day everyone, no matter colour, creed, race or religion, is working for the good of the airline. There is no need to exclude or belittle anyone’s contribution.
As an aside, if you want to reward staff for great performance done, make sure the awards you give commensurate with their achievements. What is Tiger referring to? Let’s refer to the second paragraph of the press statement:
“To commemorate the celebration, the national carrier treated its staff to a special screening of ‘Tanda Putera’ at Malaysia Airlines Academy, Kelana Jaya. Besides that, the airline also presented the iCAN Lifetime Award to the Malaysia Airlines team that scaled the challenging Himalayas and made it to base camp, at 17,600 ft, on 18 September 2013.”
“Treating” the staff to a special screening of Tanda Putera is bad enough – that is hardly a treat. A Lifetime Award for reaching a base camp? Tiger presumes that the press release refers to the Everest base camp.
Tough as the trek to Everest base camp is, it is a walk in the park when compared to actually climbing Mount Everest which is an extremely difficult, very dangerous, and highly technical climb requiring specialised equipment and considerable training. The trek to the base camp is just a trek but a difficult one.
Most people who have trekked up to the peak of Mount Kinabalu will be able to go up to Everest base camp. Tiger is not saying it is easy but it can be done – he has done both when he was more than half a century old and never got any award for it, let alone a lifetime award.
Malaysia Airlines, don’t get carried away and please be more circumspect about the way you brand and position yourself. Tiger is not particularly enamoured with the latest branding exercise, but that’s a story for another day.
If, as Malaysia Airlines says in its latest branding exercise, “journeys are made by the people you travel with”, shouldn’t you take care to not offend those who may want to fly with you and have enjoyed the experience before?
It is simply bad business for an airline to needlessly involve itself in political controversy. Malaysia Airlines should have known better.
GRRRRR!
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