Dark clouds over Asia and Southeast Asia

Since the end of the Second World War, Asia and Southeast Asia enjoyed a period of relative peace excluding Vietnam and Korea. The two countries were engaged in wars against the Empire, mainly the US and its allies. After the fall of Vietnam and the departure of the Empire, peace finally returned to the region.

The US, after being driven out of Vietnam, concentrated its military interests in the Middle East, engaging in more wars in that region, fighting in Iraq, threatening Iran, fighting in Afghanistan and Pakistan and lately Libya. Syria is on the verge on being attacked by the Empire.

After decades of fighting a no win war, the Americans are growing tired and disillusioned. They needed to have a convincing win for the home crowd to scream Victory and to celebrate more bravery and heroism over their poor helpless victims. Under pressure from the home crowd and failing to perform, they reluctantly forced a retreat like they did in Vietnam.

But the spare military forces and weapons need to be redeployed in another theatre. Asia and Southeast Asia presented that opportunity. The latter is so much more attractive with militarily weak regimes to rule over. And there were some with vested interests to want the Americans to back their wild claims and ambitions.

There were tensions in the region but very minor. When China was relatively weak militarily, even little country like the Philippines found it acceptable to arrest Chinese fishing boats in Chinese territories and dragged them to Manila as a show of force. With a China growing in military strength and able to stop such military adventurism, such acts became less frequent.

With the American’s declared intention of returning to the region and amassing their superior military presence, it emboldens countries like Vietnam and the Philippines to once again think that it is acceptable to intercept and arrest Chinese fishing boats. The new Chinese navy capability will not allow it to happen again and tension rose when the Chinese took a stand to protect its own fishing boats.

This was played up as an assertive and military strong China and a threat to Southeast Asian countries by the US, and with tacit support for the adventurers to create more skirmishes and tension. It then uses this rising tension to justify its presence in the region, to rule the littoral states, as the return of the Empire. Today, the targeted enemy or strawman is China. Tomorrow it could be India, and next it could be Indonesia. These fabricated threats of the Empire were used to frighten the Southeast Asian countries to seek its military support to rule the waves in the region.

Not all the Southeast Asian countries are daft to accept this fabricated truth and threats. They knew that the biggest threat to peace and stability in the region is actually the presence of the American military forces. There are concrete and historical evidence in the Middle East and Vietnam and Korea to reflect on. Who were the protagonists fighting wars everywhere? Who is the real trouble maker that insists on ruling over the little countries in the region? Who is the one that is against smaller countries to emerge as regional powers and threatened to attack and do regime change? Not China, but the Empire.

The recent Shangri La Dialogue has seen the regional powers stating their positions but was abruptly pushed aside by the Empire. The Empire does not listen to small regional powers or countries. The Empire simply ignored the concerns of the countries in the region and declared that it is here to stay, to be their protector, their ruler. And to hammer home the point, it simply needs to create fear, fear of an assertive China, creates more tension by encouraging more adventurism in the region, perhaps some conflicts. False flag incidents are going to happen next, in the South China Sea, like the Gulf of Tonkin Incident in the 1960s.

Trouble is brewing in an otherwise peaceful Southeast Asian region with the Empire back to cause mischief and mistrust among the regional countries. And France has also declared that it is also a power in the Indian and Pacific Ocean. Following closely is Canada who also wants to set up a base in the region to support the American initiative. Is Southeast Asia ripe for a new phase of colonization when the western powers arrogantly invited themselves in as powers with strategic interests in the region. How are they going to carve up the region as their areas of influence? Is Southeast Asia for the taking?

What would be the position or place for India and Indonesia? And when has the US become an Asian power?

Vellama Marie Muthu versus the Attorney General

The hearing in court on the interpretation of the Constitution on by election could prove to be another highlight on the local changing political landscape. It was a case that needed not be, but after the challenge by the Attorney General against a court’s interpretation of the Act, it is now a case to be watched. The judiciary system, judicial justice and the political system will now be put under the spot light.

It was quite puzzling why the AG would want to stop the court from giving a ruling on a matter of law, on what the Constitution really meant on the expediency to hold a by election. I thought a clear and unmistakable court ruling on this piece of law will be good for everyone, a removal of an ambiguity and more transparency.

Now this case has taken a life of its own and many issues will be put out to air. The PM is now being summoned by the court under Justice Philip Pillai to make an appearance to explain the advice given to him by the AG. Not only the Sinkies will be watching this case with renewed interests, the world will also be watching this development, and the court’s ruling eagerly waited as a measure of the country’s standing and its claim to the rule of law. It has become a test case for democracy, transparency and rule of law.

A more interesting headline will be ‘Cleaner versus the Prime Minister.’

Spot the idiot

Two super talented housing ministers are saying and doing different things. One cried wolf, claiming that tens of thousands of unsold HDB flats were wasting assets in the billions and need to be got rid off fast, and never to be repeated again. The billions of unproductive dollars were they based on market price or building cost? Did any backbencher question the numbers? The two numbers were as far apart as heaven and hell. Wonder which idiot allowed the surplus to build up to such a huge number, probably sleeping on the job, and which idiot got rid of them only to find that the amount was not enough given the huge influx of immigrants in the pipeline. Did not know? And to compound the problem, the building programme was not only slowed down but no new flats would be built unless the number of confirmed applicants exceeded some numbers that they were happy with. The edict was final.

And of course public housing price was damned affordable and the DPM even quoted in Parliament that a $1000 pm income could buy a HDB flat. And there were more supporting arguments by other ministers and MPs to such a claim. And they claimed that they could be the opposing voice of the people, criticising flawed govt policies, but not a single one of them saw the flaw and the serious problems of housing. Did any of these so called backbencher MPs from the ruling party speak about the housing problems before they admitted that it was a serious problem after the last GE? Can they be trusted by the people to listen to their cries, to represent them and speak for them as individuals of independent mind, speak like opposition MPs?

Now the new housing ministers is trying desperately to ramp out building more public flats and 50,000 units were still not enough. And the prices continue to escalate with continuous demand for more. If the price is affordable, the minister would not need to talk about price easing as a major goal. And funny, the minister is also talking of a pool of over supply HDB flats as a cushion for good measures.

Now, has anyone spotted the idiot? The real idiots are really the voters who believed that ruling party backbencher MPs can really represent them and speak for them. The real idiots are those who believed that public housing was affordable and kept emptying their pockets to pay for a 99 year lease flat that would have no value when the lease expires.

The real idiots are the suckers who would not do anything to help themselves and blindly listen to half truths or fabricated truths. The real idiots are the daft Sinkies. They only have themselves to blame for the plight they are in, for being gullible sheeples. For believing that the housing policies were the best from the most talented, and meekly accepting them, queueing for them, being prevented from buying public housing as citizens while new citizens happily came in to buy and profited from them, and increasing the long queue, and buyers paying happily for public housing at very affordable price as officially pronounced, but the most expensive public housing in the world.

How long would the gullible Sinkies choose to remain as idiots?

Tay Ping Hui: Notable quote

If you have no solutions, shut up.

“Was told if I was going to comment on something, I should provide solutions instead of just talking. My reply:” then what am I paying u 4?” Tay Ping Hui on DPM's comments to the Pre U Students Seminar

Another comment when asked for solutions by the DPM, a student replied. 'But I am on 17. What do you expect me to say?'

The Empire is back

In no uncertain terms, the Americans told the Asean and Asian leaders that they are here to stay. Though they are thousands of miles away across the Pacific Ocean, they are going to deploy the largest armada in the region, consisting of 6 aircraft carriers, destroyers, combat ships and submarines and the bases in Japan, South Korea and Australia, and facilities in some of their allied countries. Resistance is futile, the Empire is here to rule.

The military forces available to the Americans are more than enough to conduct a war against all the Asian and Southeast nations combined, including China and India. That is the kind of dominating force that the Americans are presenting to these nations. What can they do about it? Nothing. They will just have to accept the presence of the Empire, like it or not.

And they invited the Empire to their Summit as a friend, only to be told by this friend that he is the boss and he will dictate the rules of diplomacy and engagement. The Americans never left. Once they are in they will not go away, unless forced out by nationalistic forces as in Vietnam and the Philippines. But both are changing their minds and may invite the Empire to put troops in their countries once again, and become semi colonies.

The two semi colonies in the north, Japan and South Korea, have no choice. One was conquered and will remain a semi colony to host troops from the Empire. The other was caught in a losing civil war when the Empire was invited in. Now that the South Koreans are claiming to be a more superior force than the North and daily itching to attack the North, they are still in no position to ask the Empire to leave. The Empire will not leave once invited in.

How long would Asian and Asean countries be ruled by the Empire and accept its military presence in the region? Are they really so willing to have an overpowering presence of an Empire that will not take no for an answer and will want to have the biggest say in their domestic and regional affairs?

The Empire is back. Resistance is futile. Obey and there will be peace.