Now Trump trumps summit

There was an oft-quoted saying much beloved of our pioneer leaders in the days of yore that went something like this: “When 2 elephants make love, the grass suffers”.  This was an admonition that Singapore being a tiny spit of an island was vulnerable to big power play and would suffer from their machinations however benign they might seem.  Singapore civil servants in 2018 can be forgiven for feeling a mite the same way. In this case, the 2 elephants did not exactly make love. They only threaten not to make love. Last week, North Korea, peeved at joint military drills by the South and the US, warned that the June 12 love-fest in sunny Singapore may not happen if the enemy indulged in such indecent foreplay. Not to be outdone, President Trump told the world that “there’s a very substantial chance…it (the summit) won’t work out”, but not before adding “That doesn’t mean it won’t work out over a period of time… but it may not work out for June 12. But there’s a good chance that we’ll have the meeting”. Huh??? Now is it on or is it off, Mr Trump?  To which he replied unequivocally - “It’ll be determined pretty soon”.  

Now I can visualise Singapore bureaucrats bellowing: “How soon is soon? June 12 is pretty soon you know!” Mr Trump may not be aware but a summit does not materialise out of thin air. Security for him and Kim Jong Un, probably the two most popular men in the world, must be arranged. The summit venue too must be booked. It cannot be Mt Everest or Bukit Timah Hill. The last I heard, it was down to an F-1 race between Shangri-La and Marina Bay Sands. Then there’re also the hordes of international journalists to handle - most not half as compliant as our Straits Times and Zaobao chaps. So don’t begrudge our civil servants. Their $ not so easy to earn ok!