Selamat Datang

On 24 Sep 10, Singapore welcomed the return of one of its infamous supertalents in Mas Selamat. Although Mas has never achieved anything in his career as a mastermind terrorist, his reputation has been elevated to a cult status. He is a legend in escape that makes David Copperfield looks like a school boy. His skills and talent in planning terrorist acts are second to none. I am not sure about the execution part as he has no opportunity to put this plans to work. He has a knack to be arrested and re arrested after his great escapes from fortress Singapore. The potential of Mas becoming a world famous and successful celebrity is immense. There are many big things lined up for him. The copyright to his story of the great escape is worth millions in books and celluloid. He could become a professor in the academy to lecture on terrorism, and how to escape from prisons, or how to float across a body of water using empty plastic bottles tied to his body. He has also made famous the art of breaking a fall by using toilet rolls. At worst he could set up a security agency to provide security guards. I am going to submit my application to Mas Selamat as his business manager. I will promote his talent world wide and bring him instant fame. He can go on a world circuit to give speeches at US$2000 per head to attend his talks. It is so easy to dramatise his heroics and mind blowing feats as a terrorist. I have not read any reports of what he had done, but he must have done many to his credits. Then no sweat, all I need is to engage a few terrorist experts to endorse his talent and write about them, like a comic book super hero. I hope Mas Selamat is reading this and realise his great potential to be a very rich and famous man. PS. Double posting deleted. I honestly posted once only. It must be his special power that rendered my single post becoming double, like seeing double.

The temptation of Garuda

Hilary has done a great job. The Garuda was seduced by her charms and the lure of power and glory, military hardware and foreign aids, to become a regional power. F-15s, F-16s are on the way. So are frigates, battleships and battle tanks. Of course there will be investments and financial aids too. And Indonesia will be invited to all the grand parties organised by America. There will be more visits to the White House and more photo takings with the President of America. The Indonesian President will have his rightful place beside the infidel President. After the courtship and after being hooked, the hardware will no longer be free. The money from timber and palm oil will be needed to exchange for them in times to come. What would happen to Asean? For decades, Asean grew in strength under the banner of peace, freedom and neutrality. By keeping Asean neutral and staying clear from big power rivalry, Asean was able to carve out a bigger space to manouvre in the international arena. The big powers courted and wooed Asean like a pretty maiden but just enough, fearing that it would push Asean to the embrace of its rival. They treated Asean with tender loving care. No harsh words. What if Asean starts to take sides and sleeps with one of the big powers? When the chips are down, when the cards are open, the battle lines will be drawn. No need for any more niceties. The knives will be out. Will Asean regret the efforts put in all these years to keep the big powers at bay and the freedom to drive its own policies and interests? Or will it enjoy more the opportunities to engage and be full participants in big power conflict? Musharaff and Pakistan are living examples of what will happen when a country traded peace for glory. How would Indonesia transform itself while trying to be a member of Asean and a member of the Muslim brotherhood? Would Indonesia become another Iran, a Pakistan or a Saudi Arabia? And what would Asean become? Or would there still be an Asean?

Amazing Singaporeans

Singaporeans continue to amaze in things they think are normal but bizarre to foreigners. I have previously wrote about how Singaporeans paid millions for a house which they hardly stay but left to the maids and their boyfriends when they visit in the middle of the night or when the owners are at work. Fully furnished and well appointed homes that they paid for through their noses but spending their time elsewhere. The next most costly consumer item in a Singaporean’s expenditure is of course the car. Before buying a car they need to buy a COE, Certificate of Entitlement to buy a car, which will cost between $30k for a small car to $50k for a big car. And the small car will cost easily another $30k for a total cost of at least $60k, not including insurance and road tax. The best part is that Singaporeans are encouraged to part their cars at home and cycle or take public transport to work. And parking in public housing car parks is not cheap either. Maybe I am wrong in that the next most costly expenditure item is the bringing up of a child. It easily costs between $250k for the average hardlanders to bring up a child through university and more than $1m for the well heeled that comes with tuitions and all the perks, plus an overseas degree. And Singaporeans are encouraged to have more children, assuming that they can all afford to cough up this huge sum of money to bring up children. Sure, money is not important to Singaporeans as money is abundant. Another baffling thing that the Singaporeans take for granted is to keep saving in a saving fund that they cannot touch, except for housing and specific needs, till a ripe old age of 62 and above. And they enjoy smiling at the big amount of savings from the monthly statements but barely able to make ends meet in their daily lives. Oh, this one got a best part too. The inflation will find their savings a wasteful effort at the end of the day. And the startling discovery is that despite the big savings, between 40 to 50% of their income, retirement is still a problem to many. Some would have to remortgage their flats or sublet them to keep themselves alive. This is how successful Singaporeans are and in their retirement plans. Oh wait, despite having full employment and needing to import millions of foreign workers, there are Singaporeans still complaining about joblessness. And they are qualified, some are graduates. Amazing indeed. One small secret. Some maids and workers own bigger houses in their home countries than their Singaporean employers.

Indonesia in the big league

The US officially welcomes Indonesia as a member of the big power league with Indonesia rejecting China's stand that the US should not meddle with the territorial disputes in the region. The Indonesian Foreign Minister, Marty Natalegawa, after a meeting with Hilary Clinton in Washington, 'has rejected China's stance that the US stay out of territorial disputes in the South China Sea.' His positive commitment will be rewarded with an audience with President Obama who would probably announce his visit to Indonesia as icing on the cake. With Indonesia openly supporting a US backing for Asean states to negotiate with China, Vietnam already in support of this position, and with Asean's number one military power sure to take the same position, Asean is likely to grow in confidence to thump table with China. China will find it tough handling the most populous Muslim power in the region, back by the US. Marty Natalegawa added that the current row between China and Japan 'reminds all of us that we cannot take for granted the relatively benign atmosphere we've had for many decades now in the Asia Pacific region.' It is time to raise the temperature and have some fun with a little tension and possibly war. Pakistan had many years of peace but found it too uncomfortable. It then invited the US military to have a little fun and the rest is history. Indonesia will be the first recipient of generous military hardware sales to beef up its defence forces to take on China, just in case. And the other Asean states too will queue up to buy more sophisticated American weapons. The US war merchants are salivating with such wonderful opportunities opening up. Soon we will have a militarily strong Asean standing at par with the super powers. Forget about ZOPFAN. That is history. Asean should change its name to SEATO.

How easy to start a war

Ask the Americans, or ask George Bush in particular. It is so easy to start a war. The Americans have been doing it for decades or centuries. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, the WMD and the war on terrorism are recent events of history. Some of the reasons for starting a war could be fictitious or fabricated and involving some hare brain issues. The latest is to declare it a national risk as if America will be attacked, or an issue of American interest. The latter has surfaced at the recent Asean meeting with the superpowers. Just declare that it is of America’s interest, no matter how far and how detached or remote, it is good enough a reason to start a war. The present heat generated in East China Sea between China and Japan is not hogwash. It is not a fabricated no brainer. It is about territorial sovereignity, about a country’s territory. In this case it was an island seized by Japan when China was weak, helpless and powerless. The Japanese just declared war on China, won and extracted land and islands from the defeated. China must not forget the atrocious Treaty of Shimonoseki and the 21 demands that came later. A militarily weak China was of no match to the then mighty modern Japanese army, navy and airforce. And China had to sign away its territories to the Japanese, just like it signed again Hongkong to Britain and Macau to the Portugese. And more land to Russia. Is it unreasonable or belligerent for China to declare war with Japan to reclaim its territory? The Western view is that such an act will prove that China is an aggressive and hostile power. China is doing it all for face? China should send Japan a 37 demands to commemorate the 37 Incident and to avenge the 21 demands shafted to her in 1915. Declaring war on a fabricated truth like WMD is acceptable and not aggressive, not warmongering if done by the USA. In fact it is an act of a peaceful power. Japan took away Chinese territories by force, by an act of war when it was strong and China was weak. Today Japan is still strong, but China is stronger, militarily. Is it unfair and unjust to take back one’s lost possession taken when someone put a knife at your throat? The tension could easily flare up and war could be here tomorrow despite the heavy tolls and destruction on both countries. Japan seems to be very eager to prove that it is still the supreme military power in East Asia and what they took by forced would not be returned unless by a superior force. From the tough stand taken by its leaders, they are more than ready to take on China, with the Americans backing them from behind. China will be easy meat, like in the 19th and 20th centuries. Asean is enjoying peace for decades since the end of WW2. Asean too can enjoy some tension and possibly war if it finds peace too dull and uneventful. The Americans are there ready to back Asean countries to wrestle with China in the battle field instead of the negotiating table. America is the number one superpower and has no fear of China. But it would not fight China and neither does it have any legitimate reason to do so. It can fabricate another WMD or China is an expansionist power and need to be stopped. Even then, fighting China directly is a deadly business and not much benefits or profits to be made. Getting Asean to do the fighting and America supplying arms is more lucrative. America can stand at the sideline, watching and profiting from selling all the weapons that Asean countries would need. Asean is being invited to Washington for a cosy conference and for a little cajoling to intoxicate them with the feeling of power and how fascinating victory in war can be. It is a nice feeling, and terribly exciting too.