11/24/2016

Kishore’s change of heart

It has been a while since Kishore last expounded his ideas on the pages of the Straits Times and it is refreshing to hear him again. The doyen of the Lee Kuan Yew School has returned and speaking again after a heart problem put him out of action for a while. What I thought would be another enlightening essay turned out to be a bit of a letdown. Maybe he had a change of heart, or a heart change, or was it a bypass?  This is not the Kishore of the past. His article in the ST on 22 Nov titled ‘Asean still the critical catalyst for China’s future’ was like he was out of touch of sort.  The Asean of today is passé, still a bunch of young punks trying to grow up, no longer the neutral Asean that could talk in one voice and with common interest and agenda, but turning into a barking dog of superpowers, dabbling in big power politics like it was some great player in the world stage and wanting to punch above its weight.

The whole of Kishore’s article can be described as someone looking into a glass bowl but forgot to look back at himself, that it was all about the object forgetting the subject and the subjective bias of self and introspection. It is like someone blinded to his own deeds or misdeeds and blaming on the whole world.

He pointed rightly that China used to have very good relations with Asean, China was generous towards Asean and Asean reciprocated.  He quoted many initiatives of China that favoured Asean and its members’ interests. Then he put the blame on China for the failing relations with Asean. It was all China’s fault for the disunity in Asean vis a vis the South China Sea. In his displeasure over China, he forgot that there was a bigger devil behind all the troubles in the SCS, in what Asean was doing, scheming against China and challenging China. He forgot that Asean was already divided by the bigger devil to take on China with all the fake claims of a UN backed Tribunal in The Hague when it was anything but UN backed and anything but an international court whose rulings are binding, like international law, but a kangaroo court in all counts. This ruse is today confirmed when all the pretentious western media that used to sing in chorus that The Hague Tribunal was ‘UN backed’ have now dropped this pretence. No more would they unashamingly tagged the label ‘UN backed’ to The Hague Tribunal to mislead the readers and to discredit themselves. Yes, they have dropped the pretence that The Hague Tribunal was a UN backed international court whose rulings are legal and binding even when the counter party refused to participate.

Kishore was puzzled by China’s action since Asean is still to him a critical catalyst to China’s rise as if China still needs Asean for its rise.  While Asean is still struggling to grow up, China is now the new super power sharing the same table as the Americans. And China needs to recalculate it’s actions in the SCS to improve relations with Asean? In reality it is Asean that needs to recalculate its actions, its collusion with the devil to corner China and to want to push China out of the SCS.  Kishore even quoted Deng Xiaoping’s advice to China to ‘hide and bide’ and ‘to swallow bitter humiliation’ as the thing to do.  For saying these, he contradicted himself without knowing it.

China has risen, the Number Two superpower, the Number One trading power since 2014 according to him, unless he is thinking of China being the Number One superpower and the world hegemon or else China has not arrived. China does not need that and does not want to be the new hegemon. Being the Number Two superpower, China has bided its time and no long has to swallow bitter humiliation, not at the hands of little puny states. This is how out of touch Kishore has been after being away for a few months.

He admitted that ‘China is one of the more rational geopolitical actors today, unlike the US and Russia. China’s geopolitical actions are not commonly driven by emotional paroxysms.’ Exactly!  How would he expect China to continue to swallow bitter humiliations from little states fronting up for the USA and wanting to seize Chinese islands? No? This is what Kishore said in the beginning of his article though he claimed he was puzzled by China’s seemingly irrational or emotional reactions to the Asean states. ‘It was inevitable that China would eventually lose its patience and lash out against perceived maritime provocations by Japan and Asean.’ Was’nt this exactly what was going on in the SCS contention and The Hague Tribunal?  The kangaroo court rulings and the provocations by naval gunboats sailing into Chinese islands were not provocations serious enough for China to act and risked being driven out by little states climbing on the shoulders of the Americans?

And the big question, who is the culprit in the breakup of Asean, in the disunity in Asean? China? In the whole article it was all China’s fault, including the disunity in Asean. Not a word was mentioned about the devil that was behind the whole fiasco.  The Asean that China worked closely together, giving favours to, was in the past. The Asean today is a broken house full of conspiracies and conspirators. And it rightly deserved to be broken up as it is now. No, not true, Asean is the little innocent angel of the past, neutral, principled? Pass him the magnifying glass please.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

32 comments:

  1. This ah NEH need to wake up...he is living in the 70s or 80s ..he heart problem has made him 'back to the past' & unable to 'back to the future'..what that he wrote about the relation between Asean & China is all 'obsolete' & fail to look at the whose 'is the murderer of this cordial relationships'..tis guy need to retire or the reality will be all too harsh for him to swallow (even a change of heart can't even change him & his opinions while the world has changed in Trumponomics).

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  2. When economy is under stressed, nations will go where the money is. You cannot expect ASEAN to be united and speak in one voice. Take Philippine for example, giving livelihood to fishermen is so important that they can even forgo the law suite that they won from International Court. Guess bread in the mouth is better than a rock in the sea.

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  3. Aiyoh, just like the EU, Asean will not last very much longer.

    Not every old leader and incoming new leader thinks alike all the time, every time and most of the time.

    Even in a family, not everyone agrees every time, all the time and most of the time.

    I agree this Ah Neh's thinking has gone under the knife and gone for good.

    And from what I see, every wrong in this world, the best and easiest solution is always to blame it on China. You can count on the full support of all the poodles.

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  4. The case at The Hague was at the provocation of the Americans and the clown Aquino went for it, now looking like a real clown, with his perpetual clownish smile still printed on his face.

    The Americans just padded their own backside and walked away as if nothing happens leaving the clown standing in the middle of the circus under the limelight.

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  5. Some Asean countries have turned into US barking dogs.

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  6. Rb //Maybe he had a change of heart, or a heart change, or was it a bypass? //


    Aiyo ....

    Uncle, y yew so "unromantic" ......

    "Maybe he had a change of (sweet)heart, or a heart of (sweet) change, or was it a by(e) of the (sweet)pass?"???

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  7. In the whole article it was all China’s fault, including the disunity in Asean. Not a word was mentioned about the devil that was behind the whole fiasco.
    RB

    Aiyo, u know Kishore is employed by who?

    This type of thing understood one lah.

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  8. The world is changing too fast for this ahneh to catch up. The old way of quoting what Deng said is well passed this world. Xi was elevated as same rank as Deng in China, yet this ahneh missed such important events. I just read the author s message jumping the lines.

    Those tricks played by Hillary and continues by Obama is 99% over. I read NYtimes doubting the Hillary supported IsIs controlled the 275000 women and children refugees from fleeing battle ground. I have never doubted NYtimes bias reporting, and asked why such a papers eroded into fiction telling. There was almost a month of ceased fire and bombing for the refugees to run off, yet none did it. There was a riot reported by refugees and the IsIs shot 30 dead with machine guns. The riot was caused by problem of fleeing that deadly place. Yet daily we see social media saying bombing of children.

    Trump is not going into such tricks. I hope so. He appointed an anti muslim as CIA chief. He appointed an anti immigration as Justice Chief. The line up is 90% on opposite course of Hillary Obama s policies.

    China is not the winner. Since Trump s win, NY stock has broken the top. Money is flowing back to US, and China RMB is dropping like papers, it has passed 6.94 to 1 USD.
    From Xi s hardwork travelling across the globe to promote trade with China, Asean is no match. Which Asean leader works so hard like Xi?

    The ahneh blame China for Asean s problem is similar to the leeders blame voters NS men s "spurs not sticking into the hides, its your own problem".

    The coming 2017: on 20th January, dayone, Trump will tell the world TPP is invalid.

    It does not mean Japan and Singapore cannot practise TPP. China can also join Japan and Singapore to be the 3rd country on TPP. It is a matter if Singapore and Japan want China to join TPP, am I correct?

    That was the spirit of Singapore on China. Now ahneh blames China for not joining TPP with Singapore. The author is 100% correct. This ahneh needs to check his brain. He is growing younger like a child s brain.

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  9. Is ASEAN a house divided?
    Is this what happens when ASEAN follows the Singapore (or PAP?) principle of "If you die, that's your business. I'm not going to help. No subsidy-help will be entertained."

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  10. Is ASEAN a house divided?
    10:43 am

    Of course lah. Each Asean country got so much shitty problems, so how to expect ASEAN not to be divided, u tell me lah? Like that how to be strong and united in dealing with others?

    Just like each Sinkie opposition party has so much shitty problems, so how not to be weak and divided? Like that how to replace PAP as govt?

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  11. Asean has never been a "house". It is a convenience for small dot to tag along when meeting is called by big country such as china.

    China is smart. It sign contract to have free trade with Asean. Its like signing with nobody. There is no such supra country called Asean. The individually, China and a country still have flexibility to have a better deal: like Duterte, and Ahlong. Both are Asean, but deals are different. And ahlong is a party with pinoys encircling China.

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  12. The very day when USA the Evil Empire and international trouble maker was invited to join Asean under Asean + + countries I had serious apprehensions. When the devil woman, Hillary Clinton and bellicose Obama announced their pivot to Asia I knew before long there would be trouble for China and Asean. True to my prediction USA created the South China Sea issue and used it as an excuse to hijack ASEAN for its insidious motive of containing China's peaceful development. I had in the past wrote two articles to inform the public and the world that ASEAN had outlived its original peurpose and objective and thus it should be disbanded.

    I now refer to netizens the two articles entitled ( 1 ) ASEAN Is A Joke And Is On Its Way To Moribund Death. ( 03-06-2015 ) ( 2 ) Obsolete ASEAN and the brainless gaffee by some western oriented bananas. ( 21-06-2016 ). In the two articles I set out the reasons and scenario why ASEAN should close shop and be disbanded.

    Southernglory1
    Thursday,24-11-2016

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  13. I think it's time to invite China to join ASEAN.
    Or maybe .... ASEAN to join China.

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  14. There is no need for Asean.

    The Member Countries are all
    self sufficient and should be
    able to develop and live well
    individually.

    lf neighbours do not covet or are envious and jealous of others wealth, resource and
    prosperity, why should independent and self sufficient nations form alliances?

    It's invariably case of rogue regimes that make resource rich nations failures to avhieve peace and prosperity for their nations.
    More often than not, the Rogue Rulers exploit and some even scammed their fellow countrymen and the Nation.

    Co-operations and alms giving never need any form of alliance or triad.
    Swear of allegiance and worse
    clause and agreement are all but forms without substance.

    In Sin, there are too many clowns.
    However, circus are no more in Vogue and clowns will be
    treated as trashes.


    patriot


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  15. "Kishore’s change of heart"
    ------------------
    Kishore (PAP) got heart meh?

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  16. Prosecutor of Political SlavesNovember 24, 2016 1:32 pm

    RB,

    Kishore, for all his worth, is just a puny nobody as far as China is concerned.

    His opinions, analysis, changed-heart or his self-important senile brain does not count anything in China's calculation of Geopolitics and China's National Interests.

    Even the tiny City-State of Singapore can be easily by-passed, economically and politically, in any way possible by China's Leaders. In fact, Singapore is now at the mercy of China's Rising Economic Power House. If Singapore leaders are stupid enough to continue to embrace the White Supremacy, they are in for a rude shock just round the corner.

    Who the hell is Kishore? Those who know him know that he is very good in kissing and licking. He has made a name for himself just by kissing and licking. That really fitted him well in the past, may be also the present and future.

    By the way, it is time for him to kick the bucket and be burnt to ashes like LKY.

    He Era is over. It would be better, if he still has the brain to think, for him to just shut up and call it a day and enjoy a little peace of mind.

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  17. Malaysian generals sitting side by side with PLA commander to watch joint exercise at selangor. Hardly seen such exercise between saf and malaysians. This is an indication of different paths. Malaysians seem are flexible enough to catch the trend on cargo flows at Malaca straites and the trend of waning usa fortune.

    Sin catches the right trends of waning japanese fortune and usa looking at themselves in the miracle of Trump s win.

    From anon 11:28am, not all sin are so smart to follow ahlong on whatever he does and says. It is a good sign. Too smart like Hillary covering all the news papers with cash thinking its the world she could wrap up with Obama rally for her would win, with Bill s free flow of money from a foundations. The world did not react to money alone. It ends up those famous news papers are being marked as garbage status.

    Sin s facing isolation after Hillary. The old man used to frequent No 10 UK when Tony Blair was sitting. Now Tony is almost a war criminal. He said he is coming back. I think he will be like Sazosky, yes came back, but too quick to say good bye. After courting the wrong Tong, Sin's courted Hillary also branded as "devil woman" with a noble peace prize winner stained with bloods on hands:
    not trying to scare. I still fear such two face devils till they lose power.
    This video shows IsIs is using US TOW missile. How did IsIs get so powerful weapon?
    Have a look lah. It is TOW missile, made by usa.
    https://youtu.be/X1y2OZYADjQ

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  18. Correction, last paragraph at November 24, 2016 1:32 pm. should read as:

    His Era is over. It would be better, if he still has the brain to think, for him to just shut up and call it a day, and try to enjoy a little peace of mind.

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  19. Politician words how much can you trust ?

    特朗普改口了:对气候协定持开放态度
    http://wallstreetcn.com/node/275338

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  20. Singapore leaders have been barking up the wrong tree for the past 10 to 12 years, especially under the son of the Dead Dictator (since they came out with a law to prevent people from using his name, I have no choice but to call him The Dead Dictator).

    When the Pro-Islam Barrack Hussein Obama (aka Barry Soetoro) was running for the Presidency of USA, Singapore leaders, both young and old, lambasted, castigated, chastised, condemned, harangued and attacked Hussein Obama to the extent of seemingly trying to derail his Presidency. In other words, belittling his chances of becoming the President of the USA in such a confident way as to write him off totally.

    When finally, the results showed that Hussein Obama was elected the US President, the Singapore Leaders did not know where to hide their faces. Then started the process of shameless diplomacy to try to get into President Obama's good book. The rest of the cock-up story is history.

    For the last 16 months, after Donald John Trump announced his running for the US Presidency, Singapore's newspapers and online news have been flooded with Anti-Trump "news" and articles of out-right lies about Donald J Trump. Officially, the Singapore Government and Leaders also adopted the same attitude as Hillary Rodham Clinton and her supporters. They unabashedly and openly supported Hillary R Clinton all the way, so sure of her winning the Presidency that all cautions were thrown into the air.

    Now, that President-Elect Donald J Trump is calling the shots, these arrogant, moronic and shameless Singapore leaders are scurrying for cover, don't know where to hide their faces again. How can one make blunder after blunder? Intelligence failure again? Or personal bias?

    They are top scholars, you say? No, they are not equal to any scholar, true genuine scholar, at all. They are simply frauds disguised as scholars. Worst of all, this fraudulent claim has been generated and promoted by the Singapore Government and accepted by the general public at large. They are not scholars, I repeat. How can simply obtaining 4 A's in a A-Level Examination Results and getting a scholarship be considered a scholar? To be a true scholar worth his salt, one has to go through years of wide-ranging studies and research, exposed to prolonged years of experiences, and accumulated a vast amount of knowledge and wisdom. Furthermore, they have to earn the Title; not being labelled the Title.

    One saying has it like this:

    "When dogs have eaten shit once, they will keep eating the same shit!"

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  21. "When dogs have eaten shit once, they will keep eating the same shit!"
    3:12 pm

    That's part of their genes. So cannot blame the dog lar. Don't say dog, even humans also cannot choose what type of genes to have, tio bo?

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  22. How can simply obtaining 4 A's in a A-Level Examination Results and getting a scholarship be considered a scholar?
    3:12 pm

    Not say cannot lah, but chances of being a real scholar is still better than those who don't have 4 A's. So of course not 100% lah. If only 70% chance, very good already.

    That's why PAP regard 4 A's as more likely to become real scholars than non 4 A's.

    Just like 70% regard PAP as more likely to become a better govt than the opposition. Of course better than does not mean good lah, it can mean less bad, or the lesser evil.

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  23. Mati lah.

    9 AFV 8 wheel armor car were impounded by HK custom without permit.
    This was reported in China news. The report suspected someone was smuggling weapons.

    The 9 AFV were sent from Taiwan, so China said they could be used for starlight, something the chinese knew and reported in details.

    Armor cars are not accountable items? mati lah.

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  24. 有肉的骨头已經少了不?就沒得吃.

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  25. Stupid idiot should be sacked. Blame this and that does not work anymore. China is one country that every country should try to work with. Should think of the optimism what a good relationship with china will bring.China more interested in sabah than sg. Very soon sabah will want independent from malaysia.

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  26. /// That's why PAP regard 4 A's as more likely to become real scholars than non 4 A's. ///

    More likely.
    The 4 straight A's scholar more likely to bankrupt a shipping company or a train company.

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  27. Normally when an ah neh talk about China, it's usually critical . . .

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  28. Pigs got heart to change meh?

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  29. some idiots say that TPP is much better than China led pact, RCEP because TPP has high standard on environmental protection, Worker right , Union etc....

    Do these idiot know that those term of TPP was drafted by these greedy big Corporate?

    Do you know why TPP are conducted in such secretive manners?

    Do you know why TPP was widely supported by these Big Corporate?

    you naively believe that these Big corporate Cared so much about " Good Governance, Environmental protection, Labor Right.



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  30. This speaker,K is on the same page with those Western propagandists

    They always blame China for causing disunity in Asean.

    Since when there are UNITY in ASEAN?

    Malaysia want to boycott BURMA over Rohingya issues. Would Singapore support them?

    Singapore want Indonesia to take responsibility over Haze. Would Thai or Philippine support Them?

    Singapore invite Israel PM to visit their city. Would Singapore condemn Israel for occupying West Bank as sign of solidarity with Malaysia and Indonesia?

    Would Singapore ask Philippine to expel US military base because Asean are suppose to be NEUTRAL?

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  31. Western media , USA , EU and NGO are bullying Philippine and President, Duterte over human right issue in relation to his war on drug campaign .


    Why didn't Singapore come out and say that it is ASEAN ISSUE.

    Asean must speak with one united VOICE to defend integrity of ASEAN member against such bullying and intimidation.

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  32. @ Anonymous - November 24, 2016 4:00 pm

    "Not say cannot lah, but chances of being a real scholar is still better than those who don't have 4 A's. So of course not 100% lah. If only 70% chance, very good already."

    Not necessary so. Chance is for gamblers. For the long-term interests, a small city-state like Singapore cannot afford to gamble off real talents as opposed to fake talents. Most of these shameless entitlement "scholars" are duds. Even one of the DPM is a dud, as can be seen from his own revelations numerous times.

    "That's why PAP regard 4 A's as more likely to become real scholars than non 4 A's."

    In reality, for the past 30 years, those 4 Asses have proven to cock-up in every post they held. It has always been the Permanent Civil Servants who clean up their shits left behind after they got promoted and left for greener pastures or higher office.

    "Just like 70% regard PAP as more likely to become a better govt than the opposition. Of course better than does not mean good lah, it can mean less bad, or the lesser evil."

    This comparison is irrelevant. You are talking cock!



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