8/19/2016

The objective thinkers in red dot

The absence of Kishore Mahbubani in political debates has exposed a glaring big gap in the number of objective thinkers in the little red dot. Many are passing their subjective and one sided political narrative as intellectual thinking when they appeared nothing more than little brats trying to appease their masters in the West. There seems to be no one else out there to challenge political thinking from objective and intellectual thinking for quite a while.

Fortunately this gap is increasingly being filled by Simon Tay who started to present a more neutral view in the intellectual debate and on what is good for Singapore without becoming a little USA while calling other states as Trojan Horses. Do they know what is a Trojan Horse when they see one, or is one themselves without knowing it?

In his latest article in the Today paper titled ‘How will S China Sea dispute affect business in Asean, Simon discussed the mutually interdependent relationship between Asean and China and how China is taking the initiative in the AIIB and OBOR to improve connectivity and infrastructural development in Asia that would benefit Asean as a whole compare to the military buildup and dangerous provocations by the Americans and Japan that would lead the region to war. Which is the better option going forward, to promote more trade or more wars?

China needs peace and Asean as much as Asean needs peace and China for the good of everyone. Why would Asean take an increasingly hostile stance against China? Why would Asean increasingly align itself to the Americans to promote American military domination in the region?  There are great economic and strategic benefits both for Asean and China with more cooperation than antagonism.  According to Simon Tay, Asean does not need to be anyone’s puppet but be a worthy partner to key players in the region.

Asean benefits most by being neutral, taking advantage of big power rivalry to improve Asean’s bargaining power and interests. Asean would be doomed if it takes side in the big power conflict. Asean’s recent position, to throw itself into the American camp against China could be a short sighted gambit. By going against China and sucked into the American embrace, what would happen should Donald Trump become the next President and closes its door to Asean in an inward looking policy? Where or who would Asean turn to then? China would be happy watching the fallouts without offering a helping hand.

This is the first time that Asean is taking a non neutral position in big power rivalry against the wisdom of its forefathers. And the champions of taking sides, to be little Americas, are gaining grounds, unchallenged. Is Asean digging its own grave, led by American Trojan Horses strutting around as little USAs?

Simon Tay said these in his concluding paragraphs: ‘Asean can only remain central by pairing its political centrality with economic dynamism and moving ahead with integration. This is the way to better manage bumps and controversies, even sensitive concerns such as the South China Sea, and move ahead on an agenda for integration and reform that all – governments, businesses and ultimately Asean citizens – may partake and benefit.’

34 comments:

  1. Which is the better option going forward, to promote more trade or more wars?
    RB

    Of course promote trade lah, or make money and lots of it, in Sinkie language.

    No wonder Simon Tay is not a PAP MP.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Problem is Sinkieland, being surrounded by much bigger neighbours, need and want to buy weapons from USA to protect itself from being "eaten up" and also to treat USA as a "big brother" military ally. And in this regard, I think PAP trust USA much better than China.

    Of course this thing PAP cannot publicly say lah but that's the reason why PAP need to support USA mah. Hope RB can see my point.


    ReplyDelete
  3. Of course this thing PAP cannot publicly say lah....
    9:10 am

    Tiok. Just like the reasons why NS for male Sinkies and scholarships for foreigners.

    How to publicly say out the reasons for this, u tell me lah? And 70% voted PAP anyway so why bother, I mean for PAP lah?

    ReplyDelete

  4. TGIF! TGIF! TGIF!

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Politicians at the end of no U turn road will still tell their voters life with them after the dead end road will be a brighter future. The question is: how much can Singapore go on and on by siding US and going against the big market in China, which Singapore money invested as #1 there?

    Can readers see the paradox of recent politicians move? Is the move committing suicide or producing better effects?

    There was a big suicidal move: during 2001 to now, the politicians removed singapore pmets at middle age to driving taxi and replaced them with Indians, on major industries Banking, IT, HR, Accounts, Admin, Engineering. 15 years has passed. Has Singapore become a more advanced country using automation to do manual works? NONE of that sort. The result is: income for the middle class was destroyed. Prices for housing is world top at NY prices. The politicians aim to transformed manufacturing to retailers (service sector) has not achieved any real results.
    What resulted? Manufacturing produced rubbish products that cannot be sold in world market. Look at the electronic products modem, routers, (no handphones, no pc laptop), are rubbish produced at the ubi and changi or chennai factories that no one want even in local market. Its a total flop after 15 to 20 years of changing bloods to Indian technology. Banking industries headed by Indians majority are facing the worst results. IT failures in stock exchange recurs. Singapore s reputation in manufacturing is at its lowest of all time.
    Expect exports to go up?

    Citizens middle class being destroyed affected retailers. Major retailers are losing money. This is irreversible.

    Singapore politicians are stirring issues to divert people s jobless problems and poor income to China vs US issues.

    The politicians are making gains. The people who spent time to attack China are wasting their efforts. China does not need Singapore at all, even it is turned into a wreck. Look at President Xi s attentions: he chairs meeting to push for one belt one road projects internally in China. He never talked about Singapore at all.
    But China chinese are not buying singapore products. Chinese tourists are not coming to singapore to spend on retailers.

    Asean was not formed to be political bloc. It was first said to be a neutral bloc only for economic growth. With Singapore s taking side with US and as coordinator, Asean was seen at US s attack dog against the Chinese. The price can be very high for Singapore to pay.

    Will US take more orders from Singapore s exports? Will more US tourists come to Singapore to buy from it?

    If NOT, Singapore s future is very bad. Very bad under the leeders. Remember, China does not need Singapore. Singapore does not need china market? If Singapore is really so rich, why it re consider to buy F35? Why cpf is delaying in pay out?

    Singapore badly need fresh leaders to turn exports around, and current leeders stirring up issues with china will only lead singapore to poorer in pockets, but not the leeders and supporters. Voters voting for pap will learn sooner or later. No two ways now, its dead end waiting for these clever voters.

    ReplyDelete

  6. Kishore
    Mahou bani no more
    around meh?
    So long he has not stop
    breathing, rest assure he
    will be throwing fire and
    steam.
    Kishore is far more philosophical
    than George Yeo, if not more intellectual.

    Hey! He is the Chief of a Think
    Tank hor.

    Dont play play ah.


    patriot


    ReplyDelete
  7. Americans cheat at Rio. Women 4x100m relay team dropped baton and asked for rerun to get into final. Tribunal set up and paid by them said can rerun.

    Got like that one meh?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Kishore is a very intellectual think tank no doubt but he is also a Sinkie, so very hard to be of any no use lah.

    If Kishore is American, then it may be a different story.

    Remember Sinkie Olympic gold medalist Joseph Schooling said it is very hard to live and train in Sinkeland? How true. If he had lived, train and serve NS in Sinkieland, 93% chance he might not have won a Olympic gold.

    ReplyDelete
  9. "The objective thinkers in red dot"

    Do you think Nominated Members of Parliament are objective thinkers in red dot?
    Who nominated these NMPs?
    Who nominated the committees that nominated the NMPs?
    Who approved and selected these NMPs?

    Who guards the guardians?
    Who watches the watchmen?

    ReplyDelete
  10. In the little red dot.
    What's the difference between an objective thinker and mental masturbation?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Yes They Exist - Meet The Democrats For Trump

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/08/18/why-these-die-hard-democrats-are-rooting-for-trump/?wpisrc=nl_wonk&wpmm=1

    The destruction of middle class and working class Americans under all the free trade agreements.

    Will the same thing happen to Singaporeans under PAP's CECA agreement with India?
    Will the same thing happen to Singaporeans under PAP's population white paper?
    Will the same thing happen to Singaporeans under PAP's Foreign Talent Scheme?
    --------------------

    Ever since Democrats like Bill Clinton embraced free trade, West Virginia has voted for the Republican presidential nominee in greater margins.

    “I don’t know what Trump would do if he’s elected,” said Mark Glyptis, president of the United Steelworkers Local 2911 and a Trump supporter, who voted for Obama in the past two elections. “But I know what Hillary would do.”

    And increasingly, these distressed workers are associating free trade with the Democrats. In Glyptis’s office hangs a poster that says “Free Traders are Traitors.” To many this election season, that means Democrats.

    “You have to get a decent-paying job, that’s the first step of anything,” ...
    “And it branches out, whether you’re going to be a good family man, whether you’re going to get a divorce, whether you’re going to live in the community, whether you’re going to become a good, community-minded person, the job will dictate that.
    We don’t have them around here.”

    “We didn’t see a damn thing in return,” he said of the North American Free Trade Agreement. China’s 2000 admission to the World Trade Organization and the 2004 Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement inundated U.S. markets with cheap foreign metal.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Forget what writer says.

    Whatever it is now, the stage has been set.

    Manufacturing for the west will go back to the west with robotics.
    Money previously invested in Asia (especially China) will need to go back home or elsewhere.

    Only by cutting down trade with China will cut down the massive deficit. It is growing too high and need to be addressed.

    US and allies are so busy now these coming 3-5 years to arm themselves F-35. Even then need to test to work on aircraft physically and set up new doctrines.
    The US need even more time to incorporate all this on their new ford carrier or carriers and stealth destroyers and so on drones/drones subs etc.

    All brand new era ending what is called globalization while military is entering new full phase stealth era or hit the enemy before he can see (detect) you era.

    OBOR will face considerable obstacles as there is no peace and stability almost everywhere and who will take such a big risk to invest other then in a strong US dollar and high interest investment.

    Everywhere especially Asia is either procuring arms or developing something new which was banned last time.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Uber Determines Pittsburgh Lives Most Expendable; Plans To Unleash Autonomous Vehicles There Within Weeks

    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-08-18/uber-finds-pittsburgh-lives-most-expendible-announces-plans-launch-autonomous-vehicl
    ----------------------------------------------

    Even the job of driving taxis in Singapore is not safe anymore.
    - Uber introduces autonomous vehicles

    ReplyDelete
  14. RB give me some of that opium you're smoking. Kishore & Simon are running dogs of the prostitute party. Their jobs & wealth are due to them being faithful dogs, and have been rewarded by super-high-paying jobs in prostitute-related institutions.

    BTW in 2009 when the world was reeling from the Great Financial Crisis, and everyone contemplating the collapse of US-style finance & economics, Kishore went on TV to say that not only will US survive, but it will come out stronger & more innovative. Kishore said this is the inherent strength of US-system. Many people in 2009 suggested that China-style economics is superior and we should copy China. Kishore then said that China-system is good only if things go according to plan and if there is no nasty surprise. He elaborated that China-system cannot survive if there is massive shock to the system or to the population.

    ReplyDelete
  15. /// Kishore then said that China-system is good only if things go according to plan and if there is no nasty surprise. He elaborated that China-system cannot survive if there is massive shock to the system or to the population. ///
    ----------------------

    What about the PAP-system?
    Is it good only if things go according to plan and if there is no nasty surprise?
    Can the PAP-system survive if there is massive shock to the system or to the population?

    ReplyDelete
  16. The NMPs are like the judges of The Hague Tribunal.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Can the PAP-system survive if there is massive shock to the system or to the population?
    1:11 pm

    If Low Thia Khiang announce that the WP is ready to be govt by next election, this will be a massive shock to the system and the PAP-system will not survive this shock.

    It's like the sky falling down on Sinkieland and a tsunami hit East Coast and Marine Parade. Possible or not, you say lah?

    So not to worry, there will be no shock, let alone a massive shock.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Kishore & Simon are running dogs of the prostitute party.
    1:08 pm

    These are strong and emotional words to use although to be fair to them, you don't bite the hand that feeds you, do you?

    Remember, only a ruling party, prostitute or not, can feed Kishore & Simon. Can WP feed them?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Singapore want to follow the stupid footstep of South Korea under Park.= commit suicide

    Deployment of Thaad would certainly destroy good relationship with China , Russia and North Korea.

    The economy of South Korea would take heavy beating
    1. political instability - regional tension
    2. sanction by China

    ReplyDelete
  20. Americans cheat at Rio. Women 4x100m relay team dropped baton and asked for rerun to get into final. Tribunal set up and paid by them said can rerun.
    __________________________________________________________________________________-
    American would ask IOC to restart RIO Olympic again if they had lost first place ranking in Gold Medal to China.

    ReplyDelete
  21. “You buy an Olympic medal you divide the nation. You cultivate your own winner, you unite the nation.”

    ReplyDelete
  22. Some how the phrases "objective thinkers" and "red dot" don't look like they belong together in a single sentence.
    Sort of like an oxymoron eg: "army intelligence" or "civil service" or "open secret"

    ReplyDelete
  23. Singapore politicians are no longer influential in the western world. American ceo can marry china woman and live in Beijing. These young ang mor have better understanding of china than their old folks like Hillary, already 70s, ai si liao.

    Singapore politicians need attention. But the chinese are younger and they have better technology. Example, china shot out a quantum entanglement communication satellite days ago. US cannot hack the quantum entangled data.

    Months back Pentagon reported china had its 7th time success to test flight a missile flying at 11000km/hr, 5 times sound speed, over the earth. This can be nuclear war heads, and it can by pass most of the defense system at such high speed.

    Thaad has no use when at war. Only asking china to deliver nuclear war head or super bomb to finish it fast.

    Singapore has no places to hide, better not be involved with US challenging china in far east. US like vietnam war, can go home after defeat. If singapore ask for Thaad, and use as base to launch missiles at china warships, singaporeans are to die for the mistakes, not the elite politicians who made the wrong decisions.

    The world no longer need singapore as bridge to china. Hopefully the leeders realize that they are already 60s and china leaders are far younger and china state is far richer now than old fart s time 30 yrs ago. China leaders are not the same breeds that need leeders teaching. Anyone needs attention, go teach Hillary to be quieter. This will help the region in peace. Singapore need economic growth, not economic decline and giving verbal shots at chinese, who are rich men in this current world. Singapore need money, not missiles or f35 which may finished off whatever cash left by the old guards.

    ReplyDelete
  24. @ August 19, 2016 4:28 pm

    My father never teach me what to do when China is #1.

    Daddy! Daddy!
    China is #1
    Daddy! Daddy!
    How ah?

    ReplyDelete
  25. U.N. Admits Role in Cholera Epidemic in Haiti

    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/18/world/americas/united-nations-haiti-cholera.html?_r=1
    ++++++++++++

    Vote wisely.
    Do you think we can depend on the United Nations to help us if the PAP government collapses under the weight of its own incompetence in the future?

    We must grow a 2nd wing.
    A second political party that is ready to be government.
    Do you still think LKY will rise up from the dead to help us?

    ReplyDelete
  26. German Vice Chancellor calls Germans "vermin that must be jailed".

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqlAkiLrXig&feature=youtu.be
    ++++++++++
    25 second video
    Is this an example of a Pro Alien Politician?
    Can this happen to Singaporeans?

    ReplyDelete

  27. It is high time to forget about
    Lee Kuan Yew
    as he is ashes now.

    He will never be able to rise
    as he had claimed to save
    Sin should calamity, man-make
    or otherwise, strikes.

    As it is, Dengue is out of control
    and so is Tuberculosis.
    What if there are terrorist attacks
    with high casualties?

    Sinkies got to be careful not to be
    infected by any diseases and also
    be alert and avoid crowded places
    where there are many aliens with
    backpacks.

    Jobs will be hard to come and shall
    be worse off and time progresses.
    Driverless train, taxi and bus and
    even goods vehicle may soon be a
    reality. Do not laugh it or brush it
    off as a joke.
    Security robots were shown on Channel
    News Asia days ago and although it may not completely replace humans, the Manpower Requirement shall be
    greatly reduce.

    The Challenges ahead for Sinkies
    shall be the Greatest Ever.

    EVEN LOUSY JOBS WILL HAVE
    LESS VACANCIES FOR THE BETTER
    EDUCATED YOUNGER GENERATIONS.
    THIS IS THE RESULT OF OVER 50 YEARS OF PAP RULE.


    patriot


    ReplyDelete

  28. Like to add that

    whoever Kishore or Simon is,
    there is no way either one of
    them can change the Fate and
    Destiny of Sin.

    The Destiny of Sinkies is
    inseparably links to Sin.


    patriot


    ReplyDelete
  29. All right , malaysia Lee C W defeat china Lin Dan.

    Look forward to gold

    ReplyDelete
  30. 7th mth better don anyhow say things.

    Actually no need new law for saying

    Judge no gd.

    ReplyDelete
  31. // The absence of Kishore Mahbubani in political debates has exposed a glaring big gap in the number of objective thinkers in the little red dot. //


    Recently visited a fren at his hse.

    While catching up many issues, he suddenly decided to demo what does master- dog relationship mean ......

    He shouted his doggie name and it came scrambling to the master's feet ......

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. After taking a closer look, the dog looked in its twilight years

      French remarked that it was bought and fed by his old man for many years before he passed away. Fren inherited most of his old man's assets but also some unfinished duties like caring for the old dog that once served his old man

      Fren, chuckling, after telling the old doggie to sit, stand, lie down, bark, come, go, and finally dimissed it ......

      Was in awe for abt 30 mins watching fren perform mastery over his old man's doggie

      In the midst of the "show", mind drifted and was like in "lah lah land inhaling opium", imagining how brilliant the old master was making the doggie so subservient yet able to think when a stranger or potential burglar attempts to enter at nite?

      It's like day and nite at the same time?

      Summer and winter all at once?

      What was this person smoking?

      Delete
  32. Guys, dun read too much into it ......

    Just a lazy Saturday attempt to inject philosophy into daily lives ......

    Not easy to be a thinker (after this failed attempt) ......

    The glaring gap for objective thinkers may get bigger or unfilled for a long time to come, given the difficult roles of a philosopher?

    Philosophically speaking .....?

    ReplyDelete
  33. Sg needs driverless swimmer,.mp..etc in near future..

    No one want to 2b smart.

    ReplyDelete