3/28/2013

Kishore Mahbubani - Asia West divide disappearing



In his latest book, Kishore is saying that the Asia West divide, or the poor Asia and rich West divide is diminishing with more Asians joining the ranks of middle class. The dominance of the West will fade and they will have to accept the rise of the East to meet somewhere in the middle, a convergence of sort, so he said.

During a launch of his book in Shangri La he took questions on his book. One question stood out and deemed important enough to be quoted in the ST. NUS Law Dean, Simon Chesterman, wondered why Kishore ‘seemed’ to be ‘too soft’ on the East but ‘approriately harsh’ on the West’s foibles. It was a common and accepted position that it should be the other way. And I like Kishore’s reply. ‘That’s because there is still no level playing field,… and unless you get into the West’s face, you will not be heard.’

The question and the answer told a lot about the biases of the two men, one basically a westerner who still sees the world with the West as the dominant partner and another wanting to tell the West that this cannot be anymore. The West has been talking down to the Asians, lecturing them with their biased version of the truth or what is reality. If you read what is being churned out by the western media, you cannot get away from this simplistic mindset that the Asians are all dull, stupid, belligerent, corrupt, naïve and incapable of looking after themselves and needing the West to save them. And the West will be the master to tell the Asians who is the good guy, who is the bad guy and these will be confirmed by the thrash they printed through their media agencies as intelligent stuff from intelligent or intellectual jokers, a lot from the academia as well.

Kishore said it right. The Asians would have to crawl their fingers through the weaterner’s faces to open their eyes and ears to listen to the Asian’s point of view. They have been drowning out the voices of Asians for too long and thinking that all their rubbish would still be swallowed, hook, line and sinkers. Unfortunately they are still allowed to do so in our media.

Also unfortunately, there are not enough of Asians like Kishore to fill our academia and we are still importing a lot of pseudo western intellectuals and booting out Asians as NG. And we are using taxpayers’ money to pay them generously while our local academics ended up driving taxis. And also unfortunately the realities in the way we pay the western talents as if they are the only talents in this world negates whatever Kishore is writing in his book. The Asia West divide is still there and it is the silly Asians that is making this divide happening by worshipping the Great White Gods. Don’t blame the West, and not so fast, the Asians are still inferior in their thinking and thinking that they are inferior to the West and are happily sucking up to the West. Only one Asian, other than Kishore, would dare to lecture to the West. Also unfortunately he often sees the world like he is a westerner with western world view and interests as the basis for what is good or bad.

Sorry Kishore, your book is a bit ahead of time.

10 comments:

  1. "Only one Asian, other than Kishore, would dare to lecture to the West."

    I used to believe in LKY.
    I read his books.
    I supported his views.
    I voted for his party.
    And here we are today.

    Dear redbean.
    It's not Asia versus the West.
    This is a false argument to confuse us.

    The only thing that matters to us in Singapore is;
    Right versus Wrong.
    Truth versus Untruths.
    Goodness versus Evil.
    Beauty versus Ugliness.

    Please don't let these appeals (Asia versus West) to our parochial pride and loyalty blind us to the what truly matters in Singapore:

    Right versus Wrong.
    Truth versus Untruths.
    Goodness versus Evil.
    Beauty versus Ugliness.

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  2. Did not read his book, no interest to read it. Prefer to read a little into the Author, a westernised pseudo angmo to some extent. He was based in the US for many years. An Indian by Race but me doubts he speaks any Indian Language or reads any.

    Most Asians(Orientals) are sadly like him; measuring success only in economic terms. They lose all their cultural traits without knowing and yet feel proud, at times even conceited like baboons feeling superior over chimps.

    No Chinese outside China can be superior to Mainland Chinese, similarly this applies to all other Races. If Asia, largely represent by China and India, is doing well now, it is due primarily to a cycle of 风水轮流转 and secondly the Indigenous Racial Cultures of the Orientals of tribe and thrift. Deeper and more important than economics is the bond and filial of common identity that bind and make the Race lasts.

    The commonality in culture enables a tribe to survival longer than econonic success that tends to make man races towards individualism and worse, to out do, outwit and conquer the people standing beside, even if those standing beside are kins. Some call this MERITOCRACY.

    Nothing to be proud of the Asian Economic Success Now. Soon most of the Orientals will be westernized in thoughts and in deeds. There will then be no West East or vice versa divide, but plenty of competition between one another and amongst everyone.

    The chimp will not live with the baboon neither will the two live with the monkey. Humans get along by understanding each other, unfortunately, they choose to be like other primates killing each other for food, mate and territory.

    To summarize; let me says that there is no need to shout and beat the chest for a little achievement for just a short time. Sustaining it is more important and effort must be made to make all beings live well. IT IS PURE STUPIDITY TO FEEL SUPERIOR OVER OTHERS.

    Difficult for me to express myself clearly, please do forgive

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  3. I find the author and those who share his ideology to be extremely dangerous. The end result of the author's ideology is to transform what he perceives to be a strong international consensus among the global elite into stronger global governance. Let me translate this "Globalist Speak" for you into clear English. The author wants to see a lessening of national sovereignty and an increase in power of the United Nations and an increase in international treaties that supersede national laws. I cannot help but notice that the foregoing ideology has become alarmingly mainstream. The global elite have managed to convince a large segment of the population that "global problems require global solutions" and that global solutions require one-world governance. But what happens when, and it is when not if, a tyrant comes to power? How will a malevolent, global government be opposed? The answer is that it cannot be meaningfully opposed. Where would the checks and balances of a legislative, judicial and executive branch of government be found? Are your values the values of the more than 50 Islamic nations that have a strong voice at the United Nations and who will help govern your future? Will global governance reflect the values and protections of the United States Constitution? I assure you it will not. This author tries to sell his views for the future by presenting a very rosy picture of the international state of affairs, but he ignores massive, widespread economic issues that threaten global security. There are extremely serious economic problems in Europe, America, and even in China and there may well be an economic meltdown that was fueled by globalism and the very strong international global elites that the author so admires. Please do not be fooled by these innumerable calls for global governance. It will be a disaster. Global governance will reflect the values of the global elite - values that are bringing America to the brink of unprecedented decline and disaster. If you really want to read this author's book, at least balance it by reading William Jasper's Magnum Opus - "The United Nations Exposed." These two books reflect alternate views of the World and you must decide which view reflects your true values.

    ---

    In short, KM is in support of the "New World Order".
    Just look at how a small group of elites from EU Commission/EuroBank sits outside of the local countries, creating havoc for the citizens of cyprus to greece to spain. And did the voters vote for them? Can they trial these crooks who are ruining their lives and jobs and economy? Who are they accountable to? If Asians are stupid enough to go down that route, then clearly, Asians CANNOT think.

    If your country's leeders are only interested in punching above their weight on the global stage, hobnob with global players and optimizing their benefits, instead of the citizens, then please vote them out of our parliament. The local domestic market is getting to small a playground for them to warrant their interest to govern. They can all go retire themselves into a comfy positions with the UN and World Banks of the likes. When 3m is too small a population, and 7m -10m is what they are aiming for, you know their hearts are already not in the interests to govern selflessly, for the people, by the people.

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  4. Thank you 3:33 for your insight.

    The world is divided by religion, race, nationality, economic systems, culture, rich poor gap etc etc

    Would there be a day, a unifying force or personality or what not to bring the world together under a single umbrella? A new world order can be in many combination and variation, certainly not a monolithic one.

    The human race is created to be divisive and with all the reasons to bicker and fight against each other.

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  5. Anon 10:57
    - Right versus Wrong.
    Truth versus Untruths.
    Goodness versus Evil.
    Beauty versus Ugliness. -
    Agreed that it is not Asia versus the West.

    With usury in banks, lies and deceit where a country gave itself the right to invade, NWO as advocated by Bush & co is an Illuminati agenda.

    The real NWO will emerge after their downfall, where good will be over evil. It will come, most defiinately it will come.

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  6. This world is full of lies, any government is full of false promises. Never expect anything good from them. They are all self serving, nasty, cruel, greedy, evil 'people'. They all aim to make themselves richer and more powerful and the rest poorer.

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  7. RB, this world is not meant to be divided but united. Almost everyone wants the same thing - family, friends, love, proper housing, proper sanitary, proper system etc. But a very small percentage of the people in this world wants much much more and they feed us lies about the division. People should learn to think what unite us not what divide us.

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  8. When an ahneh open his mouth, only one thing will come out - lies. Just ask those white british in london, they also hated the ahnehs.

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  9. The New World Order conspiracy is humbug - a far-fetched conspiracy theory. What's next? The Illuninati?
    The Rothschild taking over the world?

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  10. I don't always agree with this guy, but this time I do.

    Asians need to stand up and be more INDIVIDUAL. That point was missed by Kishore. The west is the way it is because EVERY INDIVIDUAL can make a public comment -- right or wrong, offensive or conciliatory, and in the west you just shrug it off as "opinion", whereas in Asia you take it personally and become defensive and hostile.

    I wouldn't waste my time trying to convince whitey el supremo that I am as good, if not "better" than him.

    Best let the achievements speak, and not say anything.

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