"It's not what you know, it's who you know".

So goes the old phrase.

Now, that's never been completely true, and it's truer in some endeavors than others.

But there are certainly things where that is very much the truth.

Nine years.

Nobody familiar with the field can imagine that as a qualifying number for the position.  Nobody.  But then, the connections were impeccable and impossible to get around.

And so the fraud of merit is perpetuated.  Connections made the choice.  The appointer declares the choice the best one, as acknowledging the role of connections would be scandalous.  The masses accept that merit must exist, as they know no better.

It's not what you know, it's who you know.

At least on some things.