Maju, Hentak Kaki or Bersurai for SMRT?

After news of him planning to hire ex-SAF personnel surfaced more than a fortnight ago, SMRT's new CEO, Desmond Quek, has walked the talk and employed four former senior SAF officers. The four military men make up half of the eight new people whom Desmond Kuek has selected to strengthen SMRT's management team.

They are director of human resources Colonel Gerard Koh, director of buses Colonel Tan Kian Heong, director of train operations Colonel Alvin Kek and deputy director of workers liaison and industrial relations Lieutenant Colonel Michael Chua.

One does not need to serve NS to know that the commercial world is an entirely different place from the military. Also, most can understand the fact that SMRT does not need former army regulars, where their professions have hardly any link to public transportation, to run the company efficiently.

General Kuek appears to be taking a risk by including so many ex-officers (still more to come) in this latest reshuffle. Surely, he can argue that he picked the right man for the job but before work commences, the public will be wondering why weren't there more talent poached from the private market.

The main perception by the public is that Kuek possesses limited connections in the private sector which is why he turned his head to his ex-SAF comrades. Or is it a fact that the best local talents all come from the military? Many over-qualified people would consider applying if it was an open competition.

For the post of train operations director, did Desmond Kuek and SMRT ventured into the employment market before coming to a conclusion that the man most suited for the role is a former army engineer? The expertise of combat engineers, which includes ordnance disposal, chemical agents and trench construction, doesn't seem to match the operations of a rail operator.

One big difference between SMRT and SAF is that the latter spends (some say splurge) with an essentially unlimited budget (some say there isn't one in the first place). With the recent bus drivers strike still fresh in the minds of everyone, how will SAF cope with its finances to ensure that the public and its staff are satiated?

Time will tell whether Desmond Kuek made the right move as CEO by injecting military blood into a company that is listed on the Singapore Exchange. In the meantime, he will have to deal with criticism that cronyism was present when he made the decision to appoint his former army kakis.