Creating a strawman

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Lawmakers say China's currency is unfairly cheap and passed a measure Wednesday that opens the door to tariffs that aim to help U.S. companies compete. The legislation, which authorizes the Commerce Department to impose duties on imports from countries with undervalued currencies, passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 348 to 79. The Senate, however, is not expected to take up the issue until later this year. The bill got support from both sides of the aisle, a rarity in recent sessions, with Democrats framing the legislation as a jobs issue.... China seems to be the cause of US failing economy. And to be specific, it is the Yuan that is causing the problem. By forcing the Yuan to appreciate, all the American problems will go away, jobs will be created, trade deficit will be in America's favour. And all the American heroes in the Congress are in unison, in one mind, to fight China, the new spectre, the new enemy. They have all united, Republicans or Democrats, just like they were united and stood shoulder to shoulder in their votes to invade Iraq. Fortunately China is not a pushover. Otherwise American warships will be in Shanghai like Commodore Perry sailing to Kyoto to open up Japan for trade. Well done America, the champions of free trade! Who is going to pay for this gungho, bravery and madness! The American public of course. Just like they paid with the lives of their children and public money for the invasion of Iraq. The Congressmen can thump table in the comfort of Congress and cheering everyone on. The American public will have to pay more for everything they import. No more cheap toys for Christmas.

Burn Europe/America, burn

Western Intelligence has uncovered the biggest terrorist plans targeting Britain, France, Germany and USA. The historical bullying, looting, plundering and suppression of the victim countries by these empires are going to meet its pay back time. But, but, it was all history. The bullying, destruction and killings were done by their predecessors. The people today are simply innocent, very nice people, have nothing to do with the cruelties and oppression of their forefathers. It was all in the past, forget it and move on. Would the descendants of the victims accept their fait accompli? The sins or mistakes of the former colonialists and imperialists were their inability to do the job completely and leaving behind hordes of descendants to avenge the wrong doings of the past. They only did right to the Red Indians. They were killed to near extinction and no way to fight back. Quietly spending time in the reservations to forget their sorrows and the injustice done to them. The beneficiaries of past brutalities will say, why bring out the past? It’s over. Tell that to the terrorists. America does not need to start fires everywhere outside Europe and the US. The fires are coming home, to stay.

LKY hospitalised for chest infection

LKY has to skip paying his last respect to Balaji because of his hospitalisation. He had a fall the day earlier but managed to appear as the key speaker in the Russia Singapore Business Forum. His mental faculty was still vivid, but his physical appearance was simply bad. Anyone watching the newsclip would know what I meant. I have never seen him in such a horrible condition physically. The point is that he is going to continue what he is doing, flying around and expounding his political wisdom. I am not against him doing it, but he should do it in the comfort of the Istana, probably in his most comfortable couch or a rocking chair. Let Mohammed come to the mountain and not the other way. Any political leaders wanting his advice or his views should pay a visit to the Istana. Even simple courtesy will dictate that the young and vibrant visit the elder who are less mobile. Unfortunately no one is able to tell LKY to stop doing what he is doing. Maybe Hsien Loong should take out an exclusion order to keep him from hurting himself. Biological age respects no one and will take its toll when the time comes.

In good men we trust

The GIC said its investment strategy has paid off, 'and it has significantly recouped most of the losses incurred during the global financial crisis.' Its annual report said that the 20 year nominal average rate of return pa of investment was 7.1% for the preceding 12 months ending March. This is better by 1.4% over the previous year. Real rate of return rose from 2.6% to 3.8%. How much do these numbers mean? How big is the portfolio, how much profit or was there any profit, assuming a positive rate of return means there is profit? Never mind, the money is in good hands and there is an official annual report. Good enough. And the report said everything is doing just fine. We trust the good men handling the good money, and plenty of money in any measures.

More glee on YOG

My feeling is that many are cheering to read more news of the happenings surrounding the YOG. Today it was reported that some volunteers were supposed to be rewarded with F1 tickets that came after the race was over. Cock up, cock up again! I can hear the screaming and cheering. And some will be asking for blood or demanding another apology from Vivian. Poor Vivian. It seems that he is the only one responsible for the YOG, an OMO, one man operation event. The critics may want to give him a break. How about asking the person tasked to mail out the tickets to take the blame? It is definitely not Vivian's fault. He can't be over looking at a mundane task like this and can be expected to rely on the staff concerned to do the necessary. If a minister has to do all these jobs, then every position shall be replaced by a minister and we will have thousands of ministers everywhere. Time to place the blame at the right person.

Be kinder to the oldies and unwell

Was it official wisdom or economic expediency that we want our old and sick to work till they die on the job? There compelling economic reasons to do so, that the old and sick should not become a liability to anyone, to be financially independent and dignified. There are also compelling and compassionate reasons not to allow the old and sick to work when they are unhappy to do so or unable to do so. We have forgot the meaning of life. Living is not just an economic activity, to work to live and to live to work. There are many dimensions of life that are there to be explored and experienced. Work to death is never an enlightening option. What happens to the old adage of retiring and smelling the roses and watching time passes by, enjoying the moments with the grandchildren? We can afford it, with a little ingenuity and thinking, to provide for our old and sick without making their lives miserable. And for those who are financially able, there are many things more valuable than just working and collecting more money. And for those who have not much time left on earth, it is decent and proper that they spend their time in a more fruitful and valuable way, to be with their love ones and enjoy every moment they still have. There is a need to rethink this economic wisdom of working to pay for our time here. As civilised, organised and enlightened society, we must think more than just in economic terms.

Another reason not to have babies

A 3 year old toddler had his thigh bone broken by a maid who was hired to take care of him. I feel so sorry for the poor child. There must be many children out there who were in the charge of maids and suffered pain and injuries, victims of maid abuses. And the parents had to be out earning a living to pay for the maid and hoping to bring up the child, to give the child a good home and a good life. It is not just brave but foolish, silly, to trust your children to a stranger, called maid. Do these parents feel any pain leaving their children to strangers and being battered or tortured in their absence? I can feel the pain for the poor children. This is another reason why it is difficult for young couples to bear children. It is very expensive and if they are unable to take care of their full time, or with reliable help, it is suffering for both the parents and the children. Who says go forth and multiply? So easy meh? Please have a heart for the children and their parents. Not many can afford to bring up children and have peace of mind when the cost of living is so high. Don’t think having children is just for fun, for economic reasons. It is a life!

China taking on the gangsters and yakuzas

For two centuries, China suffered in the hands of the international gangsters and yakuzas. They raided and plundered the country to bankruptcy. They humiliated and robbed the Chinese of all respect and dignity as a people. China suffered constant threats of war, containment, embargoes, incursions, spying and trade discriminations for many years. This is the same fate that many small and weaker countries suffered at the hands of the international gangsters and yakuzas, once called colonialists and imperialists, and now neo colonialists and neo imperialists. They have never let up in their domination over the small and weaker countries. China is saying no to the bullying but the bullies are denouncing China for standing up to them. To the bullies, it is wrong and unacceptable to right the wrong of the gangsters and the yakuzas. What they have done and taken are rightfully theirs to keep. The rules of the game in their favour must be maintained and no one is allowed to challenge them. And the only language they know is power and might. China would have to behave like gangsters and yakuzas when dealing with them. There is no other choice. The small and weaker countries now have a leader in China to change the rule of the game of the gangsters and yakuzas. Would they want to change, rock the boat for a fairer system instead of being suppressed by the existing power blocs? Or would they want to side with the gangsters and yakuzas for a little crumbs left on the table? Asean looks like taking this road and joining the dark side. A little flattering and a little handout are all that is needed to win over the leaders of these countries. They will be divided and ruled as before, under a different guise. The small countries will miss a chance to fight for a level playing field if they join forces with the gangsters and yakuzas. They forgot that they are being courted now because there is a China to spoil the party. Without China, the gangsters and yakuzas will rape them again and again.

Balaji -Living the Singapore Spirit

Life is short. At 55, Balaji was even younger than Hsien Loong. What is pronounced in his passing is that he lived the Singapore Spirit. What is that? The Singapore Spirit is the desire to work till one's last breath. Even when he was very sick, he never stop working. He powered on, to serve the people, doing his duty as an MP and a Senior Minister of State. For his devotion, commitment and dedication to public service, he deserved a beautiful eulogy to his honour. The current leaders should look at Balaji as an inspiration and soldier on in their tasks to build a better nation. In sickness or in pain, answer the call of duty and persevere in an honourable role as leaders of a country. Then again, the people must not demand such an unreasonable expectation, that our leaders should plod along if they do not think they could take it. Some medical conditions or biological conditions will make this onerous task that much more demanding and excruciating. For those who have good reasons to want to spend more time while they can, to enjoy a little of life's pleasantness, and quit their jobs, the people must understand and wish them well. Singaporeans shall not demand that our leaders shall work till death do us part. They must also be given the privilege to have a good time and enjoy life while they can. To be honoured with an excellent eulogy is a good thing. To enjoy life and live well is equally good, though a bit selfish. As a Singaporean, I am feeling a bit guilty that we made our minister work to his death when he was already very sick. We should be more graceful and generous to our selfless leaders and remind them not to over work in the call of duty to the country and people. May Balaji rest in peace.

Dr S Balaji passed away this morning

At 55, he is a young man in the PAP's lineup of candidates. Quite a waste for a talented man to pass away at the prime of his career. Statistically he should have another 30 years to live for. Looking at SR Nathan, he is a marvel, looking chubby and younger every day. He looks like someone who is going to live forever and ever. He should write a book to share his secret on how to live longer and look younger. Indeed he is living a good life, free from care and want. My little bird has made one prediction right for the next GE.

A great evening for F1 but shit….

Everything was perfect. Even the threat of inclement weather was blown away. The evening was surprisingly cool and the spectators were happy enjoying themselves while the cars roared by, right to left, the heads kept turning. That’s what F1 is all about unless one is following closely on who is winning the race or chasing who. My best time spent was behind the grandstand, in the padang itself. The performers were great. The aerial dancers were better still. I did not stay back for Maria Carey and Adam Lambert show. But many came in just for that. I was quite pissed off with the F1 itself. I got a sore neck after repeating my head turns for an hour following the cars whoosing from right to left. That’s not all. I brought two cameras to shoot the cars and all I could shoot was the fence. Even at the top of the padang grandstand I could not overlook the fence. Eventually I folded up, and that’s when I got my sore neck. And there was even a clause in the terms and conditions of sale of ticket that copyrights of photographs taken of the F1 race belong to the organizer. Unbelievable! Do the organizers really feel that their competent photographers could not shoot better than amateurs and they have to fence up the whole circuit to make photographing the race impossible? Where is the freedom to take photographs? I am sure the event would have more exposure and interest if the public and amateur photographers were able to shoot good pictures and post it everywhere in cyberspace or in other media. It is free publicity and promotion for the F1. Surely safety can still be ensured by some ingenious fencing and location of the spectators with the fence lowered in some sections for a clear and unobstructed view of the race. It really spoilt the fun watching through the fences and unable to take a single clear shot. This is shit to F1.

East Asia coming full circle

China is demanding that Japan apologises and pay compensation for the arrest of fishing boat captain Ding Xiping. Japan had detained him for 3 weeks before releasing him under intense pressure from China. For the uninitiated, Japan annexed the island with the Penghu island group and Taiwan after it defeated China in 1895. It also claimed war reparation and many other rights and territorial claims. It wrestled Korea as its colony and hundreds of tons of silver from China. The weak and defeated China could not do anything but resigned to its dismal fate. And Japan went on to rape China and extort more and more rights from her, creating all kinds of incidents for more apologies and demands. The Marco Polo Incident was etched deeply in the minds of the Chinese populace. The closest equivalent of power between China and Japan then is between Iraq and the US today. The US could do anything to Iraq without any credible response from the Iraqi people. Today Japan is till a powerful military state. But the equation of its military might vis a vis China is that of Germany or England vis a vis the US. The Japanese still did not realise that there is a mismatch of the power equation and not in its favour anymore. For every soldier the Japanese have, the Chinese have 1000. For every military aircraft or tanks the Japanese have, the Chinese have 100 more. The bow and arrow and big sword armies of the Qing Dynasty were long gone. Today China will be making demands and more demands for any Japanese incursion and violation of its territorial integrity. And China does not need to create any incident like the Japanese did. It only needs to claim back all its territories ceded to Japan during the days of gunboat diplomacy and unequal treaties. The Yakuzas in Japan still think that they can take on China in the battle field. They are dreaming. The China of today is even ready to take on the US if forced to defend its national interest and territorial integrity. If Japan still does not take heed, it will be China declaring war on Japan and demanding apologies and war reparation. Naoto Kan said it is unthinkable for Japan to apologise over this incident and that Diaoyutai is Japanese territory. Such a stand will have grave consequences as China will no longer accept the unjust treaties it signed under duress. China will not and cannot back down from this Japanese position or it will be seen as acceptance of the Japanese claim. Let’s see what China will do next.

The SDP Rally at Hong Lim

A 400 crowd attended the SDP rally yesterday to express their unhappiness on the social political situation in the island. The crowd could be bigger if there were more publicity, and if public transportation is cheaper. Attending such a rally could cost a lunch or dinner and could be an inhibiting factor preventing people from attending. The organisers should have tried to contact those bus operators that were recently out of job to ferry hardlanders to Hong Lim instead of the casinos. That way the crowd could easily swell by a few thousands. The three main issues raised were foreigners, jobs and cost of living. The SDP's position is that too many foreigners is not good, not enough jobs and escalating cost of living, which reads bad. The response from the govt could be like this. They are slowing down on the intake of foreigners. And those foreigners that are still here are no foreigners any more. They are new citizens. As for jobs, who says no jobs? Just lower the expectations, there are plenty of jobs around and that is the reason why we need so many foreigners. The bestest living spirit of a Singaporean is to take any job that comes along. A foreigner with a PHD is willing to drive taxi, so what are Singaporeans complaining? And the last one, cost of living which equates to high public housing. This is definitely not a good reason. More than 80% of Singaporeans are living in public housing and the higher the prices the happier they will be. They can smile every day, not every month, when they read the newspapers reporting that the value of their flats have risen. The little annoyance is that all the CPF money will be sucked into it and nothing left to withdraw on retirement, taking into consideration the huge minimum sum and medisave account. But the latter two are for the good of Singaporeans. At the worst, they will die rich, with plenty of money to pass down to their children, if any, or worthy of the inheritance. See, so easy to rebut the opposition claims.

Who’s out in the next GE?

This must be something everyone is guessing and wanting to know. Allow me to pick my list, not in order of merit or demerit of course. The following are likely to miss the next GE. 1. Lee Kuan Yew 2. Goh Chok Tong 3. S Jayakumar 4. Lim Boon Heng 5. Khaw Boon Wan 6. Mah Bow Tan 7. Abdullah Tarmugi 8. S Balaji 9. Chan Soo Sen 10. Yeo Cheow Tong 11. Foo Yee Shoon 12. Ang Mong Seng 13. Charles Chong 14. Lee Bee Wah 15. Seng Han Thong 16. Ong Ah Heng 17. Irene Ng 18. Wee Siew Kim The above 18 will make up about 15% of the current 82 PAP MPs. The percentage seems about right if past election numbers were used for self renewal. Some of the names I throw out here may be a bit startling but given the way things are developing, I think it is a good guess. Or at least this is what the little bird thinks so. OK, I will let you people in on the methodology used for this prediction. I bought two packs of cards and pasted the photos of the MPs onto them. Then I lifted the door of the bird cage and whistled at the birdie. And these were the cards picked. Now if this birdie is as good as the octopus, I will put her up for sale. Should fetch quite a handsome price. I must apologise for thinking of making money all the time.

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.

Commonwealth Games - The height of Irresponsibility

Singapore will be sending a team of sportsmen and sportswomen to New Delhi to compete in the Commonwealth Games. Other than training hard for their respective sports, there is one additional drill that the athletes would have to be trained. And this part they must take it very seriously, as the training involved a matter of life and death. The athletes must be properly and carefully briefed and trained to react in the worst eventuality, a terrorist attack! The syllabus must be quite a bundle, how to react, what to do, what not to do during an attack, in the line of fire, becoming hostages, how to stay safe from harm, how to behave to avoid antagonising the terrorists should they be caught in a bad situation like in Manila. Or how to escape, how to survive, treat injuries…. And the list goes on and on. This is one kind of a sports event that is more than a sports event. My thought, what kind of people would organise such a sporting event in a country where terrorism is not mere threats but real? And what kind of govt would send their athletes to such an event? Of course it will never happen to our athletes. We have also made all the necessary preparations. Our athletes will be safe. Did I hear someone whispering, better safe than sorry? I don’t like it a wee bit. Is it the height of Irresponsibility or Stupidity?