Yo Harper! George Bush has this irritating (some say endearing) habit of being all chummy with world leaders.At the G8 summit, this time, it was Canadian PM Harper who was caught being in da ‘hood with Georgie. Tales of pork Recently, I’ve been having a fair bit of pork dishes, and here’s what I’ve got to say about them. FIrst off, it’s bak kut teh (pork bone soup, for non-Singaporeans) at Rangoon Road. Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh serves up a steaming bowl of goodness, the light type of BKT, as opposed to the dark version. As with both, spices make up an important component of BKT, and this shop enters my list of BKT places due to their balanced usage of spices, thus ensuring that the pork flavour has not been overpowered by tumeric, cloves or cinnamon. Normally, I’d order lettuce and pig liver as I’m not a huge fan of the other more exotic stuff, e.g miscellaneous parts of the pig (I kid you not, that’s the literal translation working here). A single bowl of BKT comes with two moderately sized pieces and usually is enough for the average adult male’s appetite. Expect to pay approx $9-$10 per person if eating in a group of four. On to the next pork dish then.. Nirai Kanai Okinawan Restaurant at Liang Court’s Basement One is unique amongst most Japanese eating establishments in Singapore in that they have a largely Japanese staff and clientele, unlike those other restaurants which are usually run by locals and are overcommercialised. Their signature dish is basically any variant of pork belly, be it fried, stewed, braised or with ramen. The pork belly is soft and yet one would not taste the disgusting nature of the fat, as it has been quite drizzled away during the initial deep-frying process, leaving it slightly crispy and fragrant. Two dishes to try would be the Pork Belly Ramen or the Pork Belly Cutlet. On Mondays, they have special promotions for sake, if that’s your cuppa. I guess the prices are moderate, expect to pay 14-16 per pax. The Electric Wonder Beautiful isn’t she? The Tesla Roadster. Perhaps she might cause your hair to stand like Nikola Tesla’s famous towers of crackling electricity. Did I mention she goes to 100km/h in 4 seconds. Wah piang, that’s phenomenal and worthy of removing the staid image of the electric automobile. She’s certainly no frumpy Prius. (Apologies to the Prius drivers who’re reading this, but IMHO, the Prius is really frumpy :)) 10 Misconceptions in Photography Well, this is a short little list of the common misconceptions that photographers in Singapore often have, or subconsciously attempt to foist on their peers or contemporaries. They might apply to other photographers outside these borders, but that’s another story for another day. From interacting and witnessing certain events, I’ve come to realise that these misconceptions transcend national boundaries, racial identity, religious convictions and general levels of wealth. In no particular order of ranking.. 1. The cost of one’s equipment is the sole determinant of image quality and photographic skill. (Absolute bollocks. If you own a Hasselblad and you shoot like a drunk, it only reflects the lack of foresight the dealer had about you) 2. The range and/or variety (or lack thereof) of one’s equipment is the sole determinant of photographic success in assorted realms of participation, be it leisure shoots or amatuer competitions. (Again, tough luck if you lose to a participant with equipment costing half of yours and showing more effort and conscientiousness than you) 3. Skills have a limit and you’ve reached the top of your game. (If that were so, we’d have no need to hold ARPS/FRPS judging sessions) 4. Professional photographers create better works of art than hobbyists. (Being professional merely means you do it for a living, to feed the cat and your mother-in-law’s oft-rabid passion for Coach handbags. It is by no means a fair representation of the quality of art produced, as your efforts are channeled into commercial client requests) 5. If you’re a full-time photographer, you are quite responsible in your workflow and you’re a paragon of good client relations and account management. (Fair call, but one could get by with a competent assistant) 6. Rates are everything, much more than your relationship with your client. (That’s fine if you’re alright with pulling the occasional fast one and losing a good long-term source of income. Be wise, not greedy.) 7. Your own career advancement is the only thing that matters. (If you do not prosper your employer as an assistant, where’s your paycheck going to come from in the future? Whoops.) 8. Adobe Photoshop will take care of everything from loose hair to overexposed detail blooms. (The basics of composition and lighting matter, no software will allow you to say “Let there be light” from a pitch dark image of a model whom you made to look like Eva Braun on an absinthe overdose) 9. Winning an award in a photographic competition means you are empirically better than your peers for life. (Oh really? Wow. Shall we do away with the Pulitzers then?) 10. Film photographers are old fogeys and need to move on with life. (Tell that to the filmmakers who still buy reel stock. They certainly have a good, enriching life right now, the last time I checked) Somehow, I’m of the opinion that if one’s close-minded, or are unwilling to make the leap to look beyond and farther afield from the image candy, photography is not for you as well. (Disclaimer : I don’t think I’m the final stop in terms of advice, but somehow I believe these are fairly valid to the best of my knowledge. But as a human being, and being human and bias, I must say that Jeremy Monteiro is still the best Singaporean jazz pianist.There you go, one indulgence for my very humanity. ) The Talking Cat If you’re fans of Hatchan, here’s a new image. (image copyrighted to Hatchan-nikki) Check out more of this talking cat here PLA troops kill Tibetan pilgrims Romanian videographer captures Chinese soldiers killing Tibeten pilgrims in cold blood on the Himalayas mountain range. Get.Lost I’m just sick of the whole saga. Very sick. Don’t try to convince me otherwise. I have no appetite to see millionaires buggering up and taking the population as farking idiots. Be honest. Don’t play spin doctor anymore. This is insulting to the people. What a waste of time. Get. Lost. The Burmese Junta Rebuffs Gambari Read this AP article - Myanmar rejects UN calls to amend draft constitution ©AFP Just some thoughts. Those wankers that call themselves the leaders of Burma are on the loose again, making a mockery of Ibrahim Gambari’s efforts of mediation and common sense and further weakening the reputation of ASEAN as a whole. If this is not a regional insecurity complex waiting to happen, I wonder what is. This new Constitution will not enhance Burmese stability, nor does it involve every group in Burma, much less allow them an actual say in the progress of their nation. It’s sad really. Burma was one of the most post-WW2 progressive nations in SEA, not to mention one of the more prosperous ones. Let it be a lesson that deluded fools not be allowed in power. This is a good example of what happens when you let the military run a state. ASEAN has a fine line to tread, unlike us laymen who can comment without the straitjacket of strategic imperatives on their shoulders. It’ll be interesting to see if they ratchet the pressure up a notch. Burma is not an infalliable dictatorship, it has weaknesses and the sooner the international community hit those soft spots, the easier those wankers in uniform will be to work with. The end of the fairy-tale? Singapore’s economy hits a bump. From the lovely descriptions of the Hongbao Budget(clearly meant to excite the laypeople) and the less cheery and more realistic reports from Reuters; to this report by Citigroup’s Chief Economist for Singapore and Malaysia. What does it bode for us all? So many other bloggers have made their point on this, and I don’t think I want to waste my time flogging a dead horse. Somehow, the truth is in between the cracks of those three reports on our budget and economic prospects this year. Make merry now, perhaps the worst of the fallout has not arrived yet. Surely as oranges hint at the calm before the storm in every Godfather movie, CNY spending and feel-good drama always masks what could come later on in the year. The Budget is either here or there. Pick your side. Meanwhile, here’s a third side. Hope you all had a smashing Lunar New Year. Citigroup Says Singapore `Fairy Tale’ Reaches End: Chart of Day By Lee J. Miller Feb. 18 (Bloomberg) — Singapore’s budget targets lower- and middle-income households — and disappoints on income tax — as the government grapples with rising prices and the U.S. economy slows, Citigroup Inc. said in a report. “The fairy tale economy of high growth and low inflation of the past two years has come to an end,” Kit Wei Zheng, chief economist for Singapore and Malaysia, wrote in the report today. The chart of the day shows Singapore’s economic growth (in red) against the cost of food (in white). Gross domestic product in the October-December period contracted for the first time in 18 quarters. The city-state of 4.6 million people imports about 90 percent of its food, according to the government. The budget also provides “massive increases” in spending on subway and road projects, helping construction companies, the report said. A “key disappointment was the lack of a cut in personal income taxes,” with a one-time 20 percent tax rebate, the report said. Still, the government will provide “generous handouts,” including rebates, payments to the national pension fund, and subsidies for adult education. Singapore’s Finance Ministry unveiled the estimated S$37.5 billion ($26.6 billion) budget on Feb. 15. The day before, the growth forecast was lowered by half a percentage point, to a range of 4 percent to 6 percent for 2008. The outlook for inflation was raised by a full point, to between 4.5 percent and 5.5 percent. The government singled out higher costs as a concern. “There was still a little of something for everyone,” the Citigroup report said. “Perhaps more could have been done to help businesses to deal with rising costs.” Much of the increased spending for businesses was in the form of tax incentives on research and development investment in Singapore, the report said. The budget is “fairly generous and expansionary.” Singapore will boost spending 12.5 percent in the financial year starting April 1. Link By the way, Reuters interviewed some economists here, and one of them, Selena Ling of OCBC; had this to say. “I don’t think it actually deals with the short-term cost problems in Singapore. They will effectively accommodate the increase in inflation by providing the budget give-aways, but not the short-term cyclical issues. “In other words it effectively throws the inflation ball back in to the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s court.” Read more from the Guardian’s reproduction of the Reuters article here.   AC-130 Spectre engaging insurgents Freedom to be a Complain King The Bill of Rights 1. The Singaporean Shall Have The Right To Bitch 2. The Singaporean’s Right to Bitch Shall Not Be Removed Without Due Effective Solutions Presented To His or Her Eye 3. The Singaporean’s Right To Bitch Will By Association Allow Other Individuals To Accentuate This Action Well, enough of that. I could go on with a parchment and some ink on a quill ala Benjamin Franklin, but I’m no Singaporean counterpart of that great man. As you all would have known, the Complaints Choir was banned from public performance and had to conduct their little ditty sessions in the Old Parliament House sans the Finnish professional singers and the Malaysian conductor. This TOC article has the lyrics to the Singapore leg of the Choir as well. Hamburg has a Choir, Helsinki has one, Birmingham, Hamburg and St. Petersburg too. Are we any lesser than those nations? Definitely no. It disgusts and rankles me to no end that the government or (some nameless-as-usual individual/group within the government) chooses to emphasize and maintain this “us vs them” mentality when it comes to issues of opinion, culture and thought. You increase the quota for foreign migrant workers, residents, yet you refuse them the right to perform a harmless song about what it means to live in Singapore. And if that’s not bad enough, you screw with us citizens and the international image of Singapore by playing such kindergarten games between the MFA and MHA in inter-department turf wars that even required the good offices of Paul Wolfowitz to mediate during the IMF-World Bank meetings. These things have happened before, and it has happened again. These double-standards reek really bad of incompetency, lip service and hypocrisy when it comes to the macrocosm of national interests. Have you fellows actually thought of the damage and costs that such childish actions have brought upon Singapore? We feel ashamed and aghast at headlines of every major news agency covering something so puerile as this. What does it mean to attack what we have created by ourselves? The continued assault on Singlish, the never-ending attempt to co-opt creative ideas for anything under the sun by GLCs, the endless push to depoliticise the natural political landscape. All these are traditional or non-traditional attempts at removing what is grassroots’ created and replaced with top-down directed attempts at managed creativity and all that mumbo-jumbo which we do not need. Don’t meddle with the culture within an individual. It is costly to rebuild should you spoil it in an attempt to deconstruct whatever makes it tick. You cannot always be in monopolistic control of the X-Factor. If this is the kind of unsophisticated attempts at managing creativity and managing our grand narratives of national history, we don’t need your talents and can kindly do without them. Singapore is not a place for childish office politics. Bugger off. (Just so you know, the above shows I’m just being a good old-fashioned Singaporean) A Sombre Sunrise - Suharto’s Passing The Australian has a very well written article here Well, you can love the man, or hate the man. The bottomline is, without Suharto at the helm of Indonesia during the Cold War, the situation might have been much worse. (Of course, this is speaking from a purist standpoint with regards to interstatist politics) He brought stability to ASEAN, although there were many of his policies that were quite abhorrent, it was either the devil or the deep blue sea. I’m sure many other bloggers will talk more about his reign and what not, but sometimes, a simple epithet will do. “He did what was needed, and bore the blame of his mistakes” . A soldier never admits that he made the wrong judgement call, but he bears the responsibility solely upon his shoulders. Speaking from a realist premise, Singapore and Indonesia shared very close ties during his governing era, especially amongst the TNI-SAF relationship dynamic. I suspect that Suharto remained a soldier to the end, never giving up the fight to live. Maybe Indonesia will learn from this fortitude, and his mistake of excesses too. RIP, General. Quarter Century Rumblings So there it goes. Another birthday, another year passed on in the slipstream of time. Went out with the motoring fellas to Blu Jaz last night. Music was an ecletic mix of saxophones and post-modern jazz, with improvisational electronic tones. The 2nd level’s interior could have been inspired by the New Orleans’ French quarter, with deep red and black paint combinations. Reminiscent of a more retro era, it made for a refreshing visual treat. It also strengthened my long-term goal to own a shophouse/loft.Much can be said for the experience of waking up to wooden shutters, timber floors and the small streams of sunlight streaming in from the shuttered windows. I can’t remember what prompted this love for said domiciles, but it definitely has had to do with a interior design journal from NYC that I picked one time at Basheer. Surely that says a lot about the power of the visual image, to reach across geographical boundaries and touch your mind, despite the lack of commonality in the average Neue Yorkian and your Singapourien. Or perhaps the love for beautiful residences is a universal language as well. Well, it’s got to be one with a good view. No doubt about it. (NB: If you had that crate of ammo, I might help you heft it along till the end) Lens Dilemma I finally managed to get a Nikkor 50mm F1.4 at a decent price today, albeit in a slightly less-than-mint condition. Now there’s a problem. I have an embarassing amount of lenses on my shelf. 1. Nikon 28-105 AF-D F3.5-4.5 2. Nikon 50mm AI-S F1.4 3. Vivitar 24mm F2.8 4. Tamron CF Tele 70-210mm F3.5 5. Pentacon MC Auto 135mm F2.8 I’m thinking of letting go of the Pentacon. It was an impulse buy, to be honest, and I’m regretting the purchase. Let’s see, I probably have only used it 4 times ever since it came home with me. If any of you are reading, what lens do you think should leave the nest and fly away? Going MAAD MAAD - Market for Artists and Designers. Sam and I went to MAAD today to have a look at what was going on in this month’s MAAD market. Upon reaching the Red Dot Museum, the rain threatened to pour much more heavily and we rushed to settle ourselves within the old colonial walls of what was once the headquarters of the Traffic Police, along Maxwell Road. The rain did seem to have an effect of prodding shoppers to hang around awhile more to sample the lovely crafts on sale. Most of the stalls out in the common area were selling hand-made jewellery, painted crafts, hand-sewn/spun/woven shirts, funky fabric bags & cases. This was a contrast to the interior, of which on normal days was a fee-paying design museum dedicated to form and stylistic innovations of the winners of the Annual Red Dot Design Award. A thought hit me when I saw the little kids painting the 10 dollar umbrellas, happily playing with the paint. I felt if as a kid, there were more outlets for the creative arts, and that such flea markets/artists’ sales corners were more common and mainstream, I might have had chosen a different path. The spirit of community is alive within the creatives. It is a good sign of things to come. Perhaps we’re not fully overtaken by cynicism yet. It was nice to see fellow stallholders cover for each others’ absences, lack of plastic bags and even provide information on their products and vice-versa. I love art. I still do. I might also get a booth at MAAD to sell some of my prints in Feb or March. Check MAAD out here. The Karma of Telemarketers. Watch this. It’s hilarious. We’ve all been irritated by them one time or another, and while many simply know when not to call again, the repeated ones deserve the below tactic. Hot Toys from HK This goes into my birthday wishlist. Some Thoughts So what do you do when you feel you’ve hit a rut? Do you explore new frontiers, new genres of photography?Or do you continue to focus in areas where you were comfortable in, where you managed to express your strengths in that genre? Some people believe that you can remake yourself in the same genre, but I choose to believe that if you want to remake yourself, you need to move along and explore other areas of specialty, before returning to evolve in that previous area. It’s elementary really. New insights and different photographic creative-scapes help you to grow other parts of your repertoire, understand the inherent weaknesses within you, and help to remind you that everything needs polishing now and then. I once took a short break from photography and went back to writing. While I was writing, I realised that I’ve forgotten a little part of me that was my imagination, for a while now. Recapturing that sense of fantasy and imagination allowed me to push new boundaries in my own photographic journey far more effectively than if I had stubbornly continued to chug along without an “engine overhaul” or “oil change”, to say the least. That said and done, where do you want to go on your photographic journey today? The Endgame So I need an A, A- and A- grade average for the next three semesters. I wonder if I still have it within me to produce miracles? Bless The World Merry Christmas to everyone out there. May God bless you, your families, friends and loved ones. Achmed the Dead Terrorist - Jeff Dunham Silence! I kill you! Where did you come from? Your freaking suitcase! How now, brown cow? What’s this? Work[home] or just Home. The Family Guy 300 Spartans of Quahog unite! Singapore and Kenya : Different Post-Colonial Outcomes George Mutua of the Business Daily in Nairobi, recently wrote Can Kenya Really Follow Singapore’s Steps? He talks of the different conditions that Singapore and Kenya possess in our history of independant statehood, inspite of a shared post-colonial state legacy. The element of culture is mentioned as a often-forgotten aspect of comparative studies in national development, because political, economic and social policymaking depends on the latent cultural mosaic and its inherent factors at the point of development decision-making. George mentions two key points below, Often, most people discount culture and its critical impact in embracing and implementing successful economic policies within a country. Whereas it goes against political correctness to state that one culture is superior to another, it is high time we acknowledge a stark reality; certain cultures are more organised and better suited to promote speedy economic growth than others. Some countries, by plan or by default, provide the right political and social climates, which allow for quick mobilisation of resources, faster growth of capital, and the rapid application of innovation/technology. The key point being speed; such nations are not faced by serious political, cultural, and social hurdles which inhibit rapid economic growth. and My point being, it is much easier to reach a national consensus, follow the leader, mobilise human capital, organise capital resources, control production processes, and implement national policies in Singapore as compared to Kenya-where trifling politicians and disorganised citizens/labour can actively or inadvertently frustrate progressive national agenda. In Kenya, especially after the advent of political pluralism, one can argue that irresponsible freedom on part of the individual has somewhat subdued social order, which in many ways can preclude economic development. This might seem an unfair attack on the Kenyan society, but a deeper analysis will reveal that although we cherish the fruits of capitalism, most of us lack the discipline, the know-how, and the tools needed to create and accumulate economic wealth. Our failure to master wealth creation has relegated Kenya into a culture of instant- gratification and institutionalised corruption, best displayed by our thieving politicians and our impoverished citizenry. The thrust of his argument seems to be fairly geared towards an lobbyist approach towards embracing the tenets of Singapore’s state-building philosophy, and being fairly rightist too. However, if one were to read on, the reductionist slant that we might have perceived, is quickly avoided in his closing paragraphs. In Kenya’s case, there is glaring and promising potential, but we must first attain the political, social, and cultural kingdoms before we can achieve the economic kingdom. Becoming like Singapore is not a case of just copying and pasting economic policies. Fundamental and radical change is needed to re-engineer our political, cultural and social models in order for Kenya to experience “real” and sustainable economic development. I suppose there is a lesson there the policymakers in Singapore could learn, to avoid leaning too much on a single ideology, and embracing the economic kingdom at the expanse of the political, social and cultural republics. At the same time, remember that cultural relativity may not the best excuse, and has often been abused greatly. Kenya would do best not to copy us wholesale, and we should in turn, look up and chart our comparisons towards more developed societies rather than the perennial nihilist notion of looking behind and telling ourselves that if we move out of what we think has worked, we will slide back. Sure, when you shift up, there is a lag in relation to everyone else, but if you do not allow that gearchange to happen, there is little one can do to push to a higher speed, and sooner or later, this increased “engine” revolution will wear out the gears. Let’s move away from this fear of lagging due to our habit of microscopic scrutiny of relative progress at the expense of the larger picture of greater acceleration on the highway. Guess who are the gears? It doesn’t take much to realise that it’s you and I. The average Singaporean Joe. Let’s have a shifting up of the gears towards greater political, social and cultural speeds. There’s nothing worth achieving standing still. Nothing at all. Real-life X-Wing launch Too bad it won’t go to space. Else we might have to put up with Sith rappers. Dempsey Hill Thoughts Been there twice in a month, and that was during examination season. I need to get the addiction of Ben and Jerry’s out of my system. Still, caramel swirls are much preferred to liberal doses of chocolate fudge. ASEAN and Burma : The Real Realpolitik 4th December, An update to the situation. Below is an excerpt from The Straits Times’ article “Myanmar rejects calls to include Suu Kyi in reforms” . The credibility of ASEAN and Ibrahim Gambari’s good offices seem to have been eroded greatly. Seriously speaking, I feel the writing was on the wall when Thein Sein came to town and issued tightly mouthed communiques from his bosses in Naypyidaw. I would characterise this a blow to the ASEAN Way, where soft dialogue and non-institutionalisation was thought to be better in giving Burma a some strategic space to breathe, in order to effect some influence on reform et al. Guess we got taken for a ride again. The only saving grace is that this might just be very well suited for personal consumption. In ASEAN, what is unsaid may be as important as what is blared out loud. “But BG Kyaw Hsan rejected those calls, saying the junta would stick to its own self-styled ‘road map’ to democracy. A 54-member panel appointed by the junta began work on Monday on drafting a new constitution, which the regime says will eventually lead to elections. A National Convention of delegates also chosen by the military wrapped up 14 years of talks in September, laying out principles to be enshrined in the new charter. There is no timeline for completing the charter, and BG Kyaw Hsan ruled out any role for Aung San Suu Kyi or her National League for Democracy (NLD) party, which won elections in a landslide victory in 1990 but was never allowed to govern. “ —————————————————————————————– The International Herald Tribune published this article today, titled “Myanmar’s Dirty Hand”. My usage of Burma stems from my refusal to recognise the legitimacy of the SPDC junta as the legal rulers of Burma. “Besides, the “caring and sharing community” that Asean wants to build can’t have a place for regimes that use automatic weapons on unarmed people and then have the audacity to sign lofty declarations on human rights.” The above summed up the article quite well (Click to read). And some rough ideas came to me and I’ve summed them up below. The main concern for ASEAN right now is whether their gradual system of evolution within this SEA regionalism can survive competition from India and China, which basically formed the impetus to “charter-ise” ASEAN and create institutions for formalising economic and security arrangements in a regional fashion. The leaders of ASEAN cite realism very often, most times as the basis for political dominance in their home nations, or when dealing with other regional organisations, especially when the clash of political ideals come about at ARF, EAS or ASEM. Very naturally, the words that are spoken often begged for time and understanding on issues that are considered taboo in the eyes of ASEAN statecraft. These are usually issues related to Burma, political openness and to some extent, human rights in ASEAN as a whole, though not in the media spotlight. It’s quite unfortunate when the international news agencies’ reports related to ASEAN do not come in the context of the Charter’s signing, but rather the sideshow that is Burma. Yes. It is a sideshow that is very distracting and nauseating to say the least. Burma has embarassed and “sabo-kinged” ASEAN in great perpetuity, and we’ve been very nice to let this spoilt child throw its tantrums regularly. So, perhaps having read the article by now, you might wonder where ASEAN should go. Is the cost of expelling/suspending Burma and risking it falling into the Indo/Chinese sphere of influence higher or lower than keeping Burma and risk ASEAN losing its credibility and wasting all these efforts in integration so far? What’s our priority? To ensure the children of Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Bandaer Seri Begawan, Hanoi, Vientiene, Jakarta, Phnom Penh and Manila enjoy a more stable, secure and prosperous future within a tightly knit ASEAN that is able to plug in seamlessly with other regional organisations? Or to feed our fear that if we lose Burma, we lose all of South East Asia? What if we lose Burma? China’s inexorable drive towards modernisation and prosperity may not be a bad thing, and if the politicians in Beijing keep going on the right track, China’s national interest may actually be a force for change in Burma one day, in some ways we might not have thought possible. Perhaps it won’t be an overnight change for Burma to become a liberal democracy, but this semi-proxy situation might possess enough weight for Beijing to pressure those hermits in Nyapidaw to actually evolve. Perhaps China should be brought into the bargaining table, and Burma kicked away. ASEAN and Burma : The Real Realpolitik The International Herald Tribune published this article today, titled “Myanmar’s Dirty Hand”. My usage of Burma stems from my refusal to recognise the legitimacy of the SPDC junta as the legal rulers of Burma. “Besides, the “caring and sharing community” that Asean wants to build can’t have a place for regimes that use automatic weapons on unarmed people and then have the audacity to sign lofty declarations on human rights.” The above summed up the article quite well (Click to read). And some rough ideas came to me and I’ve summed them up below. The main concern for ASEAN right now is whether their gradual system of evolution within this SEA regionalism can survive competition from India and China, which basically formed the impetus to “charter-ise” ASEAN and create institutions for formalising economic and security arrangements in a regional fashion. The leaders of ASEAN cite realism very often, most times as the basis for political dominance in their home nations, or when dealing with other regional organisations, especially when the clash of political ideals come about at ARF, EAS or ASEM. Very naturally, the words that are spoken often begged for time and understanding on issues that are considered taboo in the eyes of ASEAN statecraft. These are usually issues related to Burma, political openness and to some extent, human rights in ASEAN as a whole, though not in the media spotlight. It’s quite unfortunate when the international news agencies’ reports related to ASEAN do not come in the context of the Charter’s signing, but rather the sideshow that is Burma. Yes. It is a sideshow that is very distracting and nauseating to say the least. Burma has embarassed and “sabo-kinged” ASEAN in great perpetuity, and we’ve been very nice to let this spoilt child throw its tantrums regularly. So, perhaps having read the article by now, you might wonder where ASEAN should go. Is the cost of expelling/suspending Burma and risking it falling into the Indo/Chinese sphere of influence higher or lower than keeping Burma and risk ASEAN losing its credibility and wasting all these efforts in integration so far? What’s our priority? To ensure the children of Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Bandaer Seri Begawan, Hanoi, Vientiene, Jakarta, Phnom Penh and Manila enjoy a more stable, secure and prosperous future within a tightly knit ASEAN that is able to plug in seamlessly with other regional organisations? Or to feed our fear that if we lose Burma, we lose all of South East Asia? What if we lose Burma? China’s inexorable drive towards modernisation and prosperity may not be a bad thing, and if the politicians in Beijing keep going on the right track, China’s national interest may actually be a force for change in Burma one day, in some ways we might not have thought possible. Perhaps it won’t be an overnight change for Burma to become a liberal democracy, but this semi-proxy situation might possess enough weight for Beijing to pressure those hermits in Nyapidaw to actually evolve. Perhaps China should be brought into the bargaining table, and Burma kicked away. PM Rudd wins election. ALP regains power after 13 years. Rudd says he’ll govern for all Sid Marris and Paul Maley | November 24, 2007 AUSTRALIA had looked to the future and had decided the nation must move forward, Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd said tonight. Claiming the election win he said Australia had decided to prepare and plan to make the nation a better place – forging a new consensus that put old battles aside and wrote ‘’a new page in Australia’s history’’. “It is time for us to write this new page in our history – I thank the nation.’’ He called on Australia to seize the opportunity of the future. He said there was a great privilege and responsibility in assuming leadership, thanking those who had voted for Labor for the first time. “I will never take their sacred trust for granted,’’ he said. Mr Rudd said he would be “a prime minister for ‘all Australians’’. He said he would be a leader for indigenous Australians, migrants, town and country, farmers afflicted by drought and for men and women serving in uniform. “I will be prime minister for all Australians,’’ he said “And I make this solemn pledge for the nation I will always govern in the national interest. “And I will always have my door open to men and women of good will who wish to make this country better.’’ Mr Rudd said all that he had promised over the past year would be his work agenda: an education revolution, boosting the funding of hospitals, tackling climate change, building a first-class broadband network and getting the balance right in the workplace. He promised to keep the economy strong but ‘’to make sure it delivered for working families as well”. He said he understood it would be a hard task but one he would pursue with vigour. Mr Rudd sent a message to allies around the world, particularly the United States, as well as Asia and Europe, to work together on the great challenges. Mr Rudd started his speech by praising Mr Howard’s extensive contribution to public service in Australia despite policy difference and his dignified concession speech. He said all should celebrate and honour the way that Australians exercised democracy. “I want to wish Mr and Mrs Howard and their family all the very best for future,’’ he said. Mr Rudd thanked the electors of Griffith and the Australian Labor Party, which grasps the great mission of pursuing prosperity ‘’without every throwing the fair go out the back door’’. He praised the ALP for keeping the faith through many defeats. Mr Rudd made a special thanks to asbestos diseases campaigner Bernie Banton, praising the values he stood for and the support of the trade union movement. “You stand out as a beacon and clarion call to us all about what is decent and important in life,’’ he said. Mr Rudd also praised deputy leader Julia Gillard saying ‘’she has been fantastic as the deputy leader of the Labor party she will be fantastic as the deputy prime minister of Australia’’. Others to be thanked were old school colleagues Wayne Swan, party president John Faulkner, national secretary Tim Gartrell and NSW secretary and now senator-elect Mark Arbib, his chief of statff David Epstein, his deputy Alister Jordan, the rest of the frontbench and the candidates. Mr Rudd concluded with a thank to his ‘’life partner’’, wife Therese Rein, noting he was married 26 years ago and joined the party 25 years ago, and the rest of his family. He also remembered his father who died when he young and his mother who died the day before the last election. “I salute them and the values they delivered their son,’’ he said. Earlier flanked by his wife Janette and children, Mr Howard conceded defeat and thanked Treasurer Peter Costello to whom he owed a “special debt”. He accepted full responsibility for the Coalition’s loss and all but conceded the loss of his own seat. Mr Howard wished Mr Rudd well on the task he had ahead and said the Coalition bequeathed to him a nation that was “stronger and prouder and more prosperous’’ than it was 11 years ago. He said it was a privilege to have served as prime minister and he thanked the Australian people for that privilege. “The Australian people are the greatest people on earth and this is the greatest country on earth’’. He said he had led a government that had paid off debt and restored prosperity, a government that had not shirked hard decisions and a government that was the envy of the world. He paid thanks to Nationals leader Mark Vaile and his predecessors But without conceding defeat in his own electorate he gave a strong endorsement for Peter Costello, both as the fiscal steward of the past but also for the future. “The future of our party is very much tied up with Peter Costello; he is very much our future,’’ he said. He expressed regrets for those Coalition members who had lost their seats particular Mal Brough the indigenous affairs minister who led the intervention in the Northern Territory. He said he hoped Kevin Rudd would continue to support the action. Mr Howard thanked the Liberal Party saying it had given him much. “I accept full responsibility for the Coalition campaign so I therefore accept full responsibility for the Coalition’s defeat in this campaign,’’ he said. Mr Howard thanked his family particularly his wife Janette. His daughter Melanie could not be there because she was a bridesmaid at a wedding. “She told me she had picked the wrong date for the election, I think she was right,’’ he joked. Mr Howard said he was saddened by the loss but was proud he had been the beneficiary of so much support over many years. “It has been a tremendous honour opportunity and privilege to have served you,’’ he said. Mr Howard concluded by saying Australia’s best years lay ahead and wish the new government good fortune. – Well, let’s see if there will be greater involvement with SEA for the Aussies. First, Do No Harm Not my eyes. Save my eyes. I am quite unable to draw myself away from the fact that our television licenseing fees are going into such comical videos. Goodness me. What will be next.. Would you invest in Singapore if you saw this video? And no, I certainly do not want to see GIC coming out with a rap video and having LKY dance like P.Diddy. I’m not sure if my eyes and my senses can take any more. Now, physician, heal thyself. Here is some medicine you should take now, it may be bitter but it’s for your own good, that’s what Dr Royston said. Maybe I’m just inspired by the salve-effect by Mr Brown here to post the antidote as well.