Myth 135

The easiest job to do Many professional jobs require many years to strenous training and discipline to acquire knowledge and skills before one qualifies to practise. The lawyers, the doctors, the engineers, scientists etc. Even a chef will have to take years of training and practice to learn the rope. If we consider the discipline and years of training required as a guide to how difficult a job is, then politician is the easiest of all jobs. One can be a cook, a driver, a lecturer, an engineer, doctor or lawyer, but without any formal training, tomorrow one can become a politician. And the presumed expertise or ability is dependent on how successful one is in the previous profession. The higher one was paid before, the more able one is supposed to be as a politician. Maybe this part is a little tricky as a qualification. The loan shark or mafia boss or drug lord also earns in multiple of millions and should easily qualify as politicians. That is why in countries like Taiwan, Korea and Japan, the mafias are behind the politicians and with some becoming politicians. In brief, the requirement for a good politician is a clean moral record and be successful in any profession. Definitely much easier than any other professions.

More good years

Recent events centred on the issue of succession for Hsien Loong, less than three years after he became prime minister. It was a subject he himself raised. During the debate over pay and good government, the younger Lee surprised Singaporeans by saying that the search for his successor would start now. He would be ready to name him by 2011 and he should be ready to take over by 2016. If this timetable plays out, he would have served 12 years – two years less than his predecessor Goh Chok Tong. This could mean one thing. Lee Kuan Yew will be around to help decide who will succeed his son to become Singapore’s fourth prime minister. (This was first published in The Star on Apr 28, 2007) The above is an extract of an article by Seah Chiang Nee posted in the Star newspaper. I have only copied the last part of the article. The main article dealt with the bigger role player by LKY in domestic politics recently. Chiang Nee ended by saying that LKY will be around to decide who will succeed Hsien Loong as the next Prime Minister. What is pertinent to the above quote is that the ruling govt is sure that nothing will change in this island and in the next few elections PAP will still be the ruling party. This is how predictable Singapore politics or political system is. We already know who will win the next few general elections. Singaporeans can sleep in peace that there will be more good years.

Little birds busy catching worms

When all little birds are busy catching their worms, all things under heaven will be peaceful. Everyone will be happy making their fortune in their own ways. People will simply be turned into economic animals and be contented in what they are doing and all the merry makings. But things will not be simply wished and the problems will go away. The political animals will have a field day engineering the system to their advantage. And Rip Van Winkle will wake up one day not knowing where he is or what has happened. The world around him would have changed without him knowing, without his input and without his interest.

The Indon Alladdin Lamp

Make a wish, rub it hard enough, and genie will appear to make it happen. Apparently the Extradition Treaty is seen in the same light. With the treaty, all the Indonesian problems of corruption will disappear. There will be no more corruption in Indonesia. What a magic formula. This is cheaper and better than Singapore's solution of making everyone a multi millionaire. Should Singapore test whether the treaty work by asking to extradite those who beat up Singaporeans or illegally detaining the Singapore barges? The first case is obvious as the treaty provided for the extradition of people murdering or hurting citizens of either country. The second should be covered under piracy and terrorism. Detaining of barges on legitimate business and plying the sea lanes is definitely piracy. And setting off bombs in the quarry in Karimum is definitely terrorism. Singapore should start the ball rolling.

Extradition Treaty and DCA

They did it! They signed the Extradition Treaty and Defence Cooperation Agreement in godspeed! Unbelieveable. This has taken all critics from both countries by surprise. Yes it happened, it did not get drag on for another few more years. I too am greatly surprised. I never thought that it is possible, or at least under the present conditions when both political and legal systems are as diverse as day versus night. And our bureau chief in Jakarta, Azhar Ghani, wrote about the shockwaves and disbeliefs in Jakarta. All those who were angry with Singapore for dragging its feet, all those who thought that Yudhoyono was a lame President, have the carpet pulled off under their feet. It is a great piece of work for the Indonesian President to get this inked. Now the critiques will take on another form, that they must have inked a rotten deal and that Singapore is going to benefit more than Jakarta. A very familiar tune ala KL. Would the two countries move forward from this agreement and raise the level of cooperation to another level? Or will the next President tear it into pieces and everything return to square one, with more barges arrested and more bombings? But before that, does the agreement need to be ratify by the Indonesian Parliament and be passed? There will be another round of wayang kulit in Jakarta before this treaty be accepted as a statement of better ties between the two countries.