Foreign Devils
The Expats were employed in the absense of any local talent or experience.
Jet's 777 operation has been built on the expertise of some 120 hugely experienced Expat pilots from many of the world's most prestigious airlines. Locals converting to the international operations have had to convert their thinking processes from 737 national short-haul ops into a much broader perspective. This has not been a rapid or easy transition.
It would appear that certain of the sacked individuals appeal to "nationalist" opinion in order to cover their own inadequacies and resentment of outside expertise.
Significantly, much of the senior airline management remains in non-national, ie expert, hands.