Lontong Sayur Enak

THE FOX SHOWING ITS TAIL TOO SOON IN MALAYSIA?

2009-04-10T21:42:00.003+07:00

Straight after Prime Minister Najib got sworn in, Tun Mahathir rejoined UMNO, the ruling party in Malaysia. As an outsider, and having read about Tun M's resignation from UMNO and his constant attacks on Badawi, Najib's predecessor, one can't help but conclude that Tun M had an active and pro-active part in forcing Badawi to resign prematurely.

Among the reasons cited for Badawi's incompetence, the most striking was that of corruption and his enriching of his family through his son-in-law, Khairy. But didn't Tun M also practise his patronage system when he was in power, helping to dole out government contracts to his trusted aides and supporters?

Already my business friends in Malaysia are talking about the changing of guards in Malaysia and starting to recall long lost contacts - aligned with the Tun M clans but sidelined when Badawi came to power.

I believe what the Chinese say about "crows are all black in this world". Have you seen a white crow in your life? Have you come across a "clean" and objective politician or minister in Malaysia who will award a government contract to the most competent with the "best value for money to the Malaysian people" tender bid? Where do the funds for UMNO's campaigning come from?

They don't seem to have much of a choice I don't think. Even the Americans - touted as the most democratic nation in the eyes of the Western world - have to take heed when dealing with donors of their political campaigns. Look at what happened to the awarding of security contracts to private firms for Iraq etc. It's not proven; but somehow the fishiness smells in each and every living room of discerning folks there. Maybe that's why Obama was voted in.

Through all these ramblings, I really have no solution as to how politicians can resolve their "chicken and egg" scenarios in this part of the world or in the affluent Western worlds. I just feel like politicians invent their benchmarks along the way. And what fits them best is what they will promote - maybe even pass into law - and us common folks are looked after with the occasional doling out of benefits or tax breaks or populist initiatives. Look at what's happening to the trillions of dollars spent in the USA now to get the economy back on track while making the voters happy (somewhat).

Crows are black, no matter which sky you're looking up on.

THOSE GENTLE RED SHIRTS OF THAILAND

2009-04-10T21:14:00.004+07:00

Can't help but notice how the Red shirts compare with the Yellow shirts of the PAD in Thailand. Basically I think they're being too gentle. But that could be because they know that the Yellow shirts have the upper hand due to support from the old elites in Bangkok and the army.

That shows - maybe - that Thaksin is prepared to mobilise the masses for political gains or perhaps to protect democracy in Thailand - but is not prepared to make the masses suffer through economic deprivation like what the PAD did when they closed off the airports in Bangkok some months ago.

To an outside observer, the PAD don't seem to give a "hoot" as to what the common folks in Thailand feels or have to suffer by their actions. They have no qualms whatsoever in paralysing the tourism industry to achieve their political agenda. From what happened a few months ago, it seems like their efforts at paralysing the economy had a swaying effect on the judiciary in disqualifying a Prime Minister, and hence scaring off otherwise Thaksin loyalists to defect.

Now that Thaksin has raised his stakes in daring to attack the one behind the coup two years ago and the one backing the Bangkok elite and the PAD - it's General Prem I'm referring to in case you haven't been following Thai politics - it's anybody's guess as to what can happen to Thailand over the next few weeks. Thaksin is far away in exile. But what he can garner in the form of resistance to the government and the institutions propping up the government is anybody's guess. Even if the government accuses him of "les majeste", he's in exile and nothing can be done. He already has a considerable amount of assets frozen in Thailand as a result of corruption accusations, and has lost Manchester City, so what else can he lose?

The Chinese like to say that if you force a dog into a dead end lane, be prepared for the consequences. Is this beyond the UK-born Premier Abhisit who looks like he's of Chinese-origin although not necessarily have had the benefit of traditional Chinese Confucianist teachings?

Whatever, I thought! It's Thailand. My friends in business there tell me that Thaksin has been too greedy, not unlike the friends in Indonesia who used to lament about the Suharto clan trying to gobble up every deal up for grabs in Jakarta.

For those of you who are purists and idealists, maybe this is a lesson - at least in Asia - in that politics is not always about equality and welfare for all citizens rich or poor. Politics seem to be about power followed by wealth followed by more power! And that's before we look at what's happening in Taiwan and Malaysia.

So for those of you in the West who are used to your Western ideas and ideals about democracy, these are interesting times for you to chart in your history and economic journals.

Fasting month in Jakarta

2008-09-21T20:47:00.002+07:00

It's that time of the year again. My drivers are fasting,the maids are fasting, so are the rest in my office.

In Indonesia, which prioritizes religion over everything else, fasting is a God given right. Efficiency and productivity is down; people call in sick; people arrive late for work - all these are "acceptable" and "understandable".

I've been told by a Moslem friend in Indonesia that fasting is God's test of one's resolve. He says that things are different in the Middle East, where everyone works only half a day at most during the Ramadhan fasting month. But in Indonesia, the Moslems supposedly believe differently - during Ramadhan, one is supposed to carry on life as usual.

There are numerous interpretations - understandably. I'm not a Moslem so it would not be fair for me to comment on their practises.

However, if we go by the norms promulgated by renowned economists and theorists, I would expect that Moslem nations observing the holy month of Ramadhan should have devised policies which will ensure that their working population contribute more during the other months just so they can make up for the losses in productivity and efficiency of the fasting months.

I don't have statistics to delve further into this; but from observation, I don't think any policies have been put in place. At least not in Malaysia and Indonesia. I'm not even sure that Malaysia and Indonesia have any yardsticks or benchmarks to effectively measure productivity, fasting or not fasting.

Perhaps that's something the authorities can consider and come up with an effective solution in this era of globalisation and supposedly fair competition?

Tumultous months ahead for ASIA

2008-09-18T23:51:00.003+07:00

So, what's all this news about Thailand and Malaysia? Why are they hogging the headlines?

With Thailand's re-inventing of democracy, and Malaysia's reconciling of the balance between Malays and the other races living in that country, we in Asia are left where we started.

The Philippines has its problems, but they are contained in a way. Who in Asia gives a shxx about what happens in Makati or Mindanao these days? We all have our hands full in our own countries with our own issues.

Internal Security Act?

So be it. It's not democratic; but who cares these days?

Can Anwar maneuver himself out of his sodomy allegations? Can Samak find a replacement whom the DAP will be happy with? We don't know. Just like this unknown Palin out of Alaska who is facing the American public now!

We all know (or should know) who Hillary Clinton is. McCain was from the last campaign, so again, no excuses. Obama? Well OK also, since he's had the benefit of that political machinery behind him. But, to be honest, their running mates are a cast out of heaven.

But that's politics out of the USA! Period. Anyone care to dispute that?

So why can't we in Asia be the same?

Why can't we in Asia have politicians with the same flair as those in Uncle Sam? Why can't we be... simply what they can be?

We are new to this thing called democracy - I gather. We are new economies. We are immature countries without a stable political system, like what Uncle Sam has. We are we.....

So why are we pretending that "we are not we" ....?

Why are the Badawis and Mahathirs pretending that we are different? Why is the PAD behaving like they are the God of the Thais?

Even the likes of Hu Jingtao and Wen Jiabo have come to terms with this new world (in their own ways), so why are people still re-inventing the wheel?

Thai democracy - where they're at now

2008-09-02T21:13:00.002+07:00

I wrote about the Thai style of democracy last June. And guess what - they've just declared a state of emergency.

The PAD (People's Alliance for Democracy) in Thailand isn't that democratic after all. They want the constitution changed so that the Parliament comprises elected representatives as well as appointed reps, such as those from trade unions etc. How can that be democratic? Who is authorised to appoint reps to Parliament other than the citizens of Thailand?

One of their justifications is that Thais in the rural parts of the country are illiterate or less literate than those in urban centres; and these are the people most culpable to voting for people who give them money - what they call vote buying. But aren't these rural folks a part of their populace with the same rights under the constitution?

Their proposals smell of the Indonesian parliament under the rule of President Suharto where there are fixed number of appointees from various organisations, such as the military etc.

If Thailand can get away with this, then Malaysia can also say that the rural Malays do not deserve the same vote as the urban Chinese. Malaysia can also say that the rubber tappers who are so essential to their economy also do not deserve the same vote as the more educated people. Should we redefine democracy such that one university degree gets one vote? Or one higher school certificate gets one vote? Maybe Singapore should dictate that those who do not have two kids cannot vote. Or that democracy is only for the elite; and anything which the elite doesn't like is not democracy?

Although absurd - I believe - these are the notions the 10,000 or so people illegally occupying the government's office, and the same group who closed off the airports to their main tourist destinations are proposing for their country. Is Thailand heading back to the stone age? Only the Thais know.

Indonesia putting corruption suspects in uniforms

2008-08-23T23:17:00.000+07:00

Came across an article about Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Committee, the local equivalent of ICAC in Hongkong and CPIB in Singapore. They're advocating putting corruption suspects in special uniforms. From pictures published, they look similar to the orange jumpsuits of suspected terrorists in Guantanamo Bay.

The virtues of Guantanamo and its treatment of suspected terrorists aside. Corruption suspects are not dissimilar to criminal suspects, and that is, they're innocent until proven guilty - a basic tenet around the world. Why would the Indonesians who have supposedly been through 10 years of reformation want to treat their "suspects" differently and to the point of humiliating them?

Has the Indonesian authorities lost faith in their judicial system to the point of desperately trying to "get even" by shaming their suspects before they're let off the hook too easily by the time the courts finish with them? Administration of some form of summary justice perhaps?

The Indonesian parliament is hesitant about verifying the ASEAN Charter primarily on grounds of inadequacies in the protection of human rights, directed - for the moment - at the "injustices" they see in Myanmar. Is this hypocrites at work or is this reformation?

OUR PLANET: A MID YEAR REVIEW

2008-07-02T01:03:00.000+07:00

Time flies. It's interesting - at the same time scary - to think about what's happened in our world over the last six months of this year.

The biggest news is probably the sub-prime overhang causing havoc in stock exchanges around the world and fueling expectations of a slow down in the US economy.

Then there's spiralling oil prices. Besides downwards revisions of economic growths, political implications of fuel subsidy reductions are taking its toll around the world.

Grain and commodity price rises aren't away from the limelight as well. Shortages of staple food like rice and wheat are creating havoc in world economies and all sorts of problems for World Bank planners in poverty alleviation programs. (What poverty alleviation? Feeding all those who can afford on this planet is already a problem).

Inflation is at an "almost" all time high with no signs of abating. The poor's getting poorer and more impoverished. The rich will be spending less in anticipation of that "rainy day".

Is this the end of the world?

Most prophecies on the world's end originate from conflicts of some kind, with differing religious views at the forefront. None (I've heard of) attributed the struggle for survival as a possible cause for nations to destroy one another.

Will China infiltrate and control Saudi Arabia in order to assure themselves of oil? Will Uncle Sam install puppet governments in South American to ensure that Americans are fed? Will Japan attempt to take control of South East Asia (again) just so they can survive? Will corrupt governments in African nations sell out their countries' resources to enrich themselves? Will Russians feel that their oil resources are much more powerful weapons than their nuclear warheads in a new "cold war"? Will Indonesia and Australia awaken to their new found powers of having basic minerals which the world needs?

Uncle Sam is going through a transition. Whether Barack Obama or John Mccain gets into office, they will be so pre-occupied with their own political survivals that the rest of the world will be on the back burner for a while. But the world really needs someone, anyone, to lead it out of this quagmire. And if the US can't or won't do it, I don't see who else can.

What we need is a concerted global effort to bring all vested interests together for the common good - the survival of this planet. Although none of us will like this, but the USA seems to be the only one who can lead this initiative.

The Amercians can influence the Saudis and that would appease China and India who need their oil. The Russians may feel isolated and try to influence oil states like Libya and Iran as a counter weight; but the sheer dominance of Saudi's oil resources is unlikely to give the Russians enough weight to deal with the rest of the world.
The Europeans, South Americans and Japanese can also be easily influenced by the US to at least sit down on a round table and discuss the resolution of issues facing the planet. So what do we need?

A new American president who can see the light, really.

Not someone who can only deal with domestic issues and think that such issues dictate his popularity ratings. Not someone who thinks that America makes the world evolve because high pump prices and wheat shortages won't make many happy Americans. We need someone who can see the bigger picture of a world in economic equilibrium making life easier and happier for the average American voter.

If Osama Bin Laden had that vision, he would have spent his resources choking off America's supplies of oil and commodities rather than weaving that intricate plan to bomb the World Trade Center. But then again, he could have known that American presidents aren't that smart and forward thinking; and that the only way to make his point with immediate effect was to do what he allegedly did.

FUEL & OTHER SUBSIDIES

2008-06-01T22:09:00.000+07:00

Most Asian countries have one form of subsidy or another, whether it's for petrol we all need to move around or cooking oil we use to cook the 3 or more meals in our daily lives.

But I'm sure when the late ex-President Suharto introduced fuel subsidies to the Indonesians, he had no hint that oil wil become such an expensive commodity and the subsidies an unbearable burden on the state's budget. Neither could he have anticipated that Indonesia has become a net importer of oil.

Will buffering our poor from market forces help them in the long run? Anyone with the slightest interest in economic theory would have know that the answer is a "BIG NO".

Distorting market forces has a heavy price - whether we pay it now or 30 years down the road. I can agree with temporary solutions and eradicating short term "obstacles" just so we get the nation building in progress. But governments have been slow to eradicate subsidies which were put in place for specific purposes. This must be a painful lesson for governments throughout Asia now.

Each time Indonesia raised fuel prices, there would be demonstrations and protests, the most severe being the one in May 1998 which rewrote history (although that was a long overdue change). The test of a government's political will when contemplating reducing fuel subsidies is immensely tougher after that fateful fuel hike in 1998.

Through the years of nation building, Indonesians have been pampered with low fuel costs to the extent that low fuel costs become a right they are born with. Budget deficits or insufficiencies, along with other things of concern in Indonesia, are aliens to the ordinary folks. They don't understand how these can and will impact on their lives and their kids' lives in future. Yet, I've not seen any effort being put in by the government to effectively communicate and educate the populace of what the country is going through and what the country needs to ensure stability and economic well being in the years to come. Every politician is busy politicking or trying to make the next million dollars from the next deal on the table. No one seems to be interested -- truly interested I mean -- in what will happen to the next generation, their own children included.

Malaysia's government is not much different, although the Malaysians are in a more enviable position as a net exporter of this expensive commodity called oil.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Soon there'll be problems with cooking oil which Indonesia and Malaysia have plenty of, from the millions of hectares of land cultivating palm oil; and rice, the staple food of most Asians. Maybe those who protested vehemently against the conversion of padi fields into golf courses saw something which our well-educated politicians didn't.

THAILAND'S STYLE OF DEMOCRACY

2008-06-01T15:20:00.000+07:00

Throughout its history, the Thais have experienced several coups d'etat, the most recent being September last year. But the question that's baffling me is that why a smart people like the Thais cannot understand the true meaning of democracy

They recently elected a new government into office. By "elect" it's not silly to assume that the populace made their own choices. And one of the fundamental pillars of democracy is that the majority rules and the minority respects that majority. The same rules of democracy also enabled manipulators to fester, and stir up their people to demonstrate against decisions made by the majority.

Demonstrations are healthy. Most of all, demonstrations are a true sign of democracy and the freedom of expression. But what has the army got to do with this?

There is no doubt that in a mature state like Thailand, there would have been an independant judicial system and a police force with clear rules on how to enforce existing laws passed by lawmakers elected by the people.

Under the pretext of keeping peace and unity, they, the army -- whose powers were supposed to have been derived from the civilian government -- blatantly flex their muscles and use weapons purchased from taxes collected from the people who elected their governments, to throw out the democratically elected government.

Must an army be so arrogant in this day and age? Should they feel that their management of Thailand is superior to that of democratically elected representatives of the people? Should they feel that their laws are better than those of elected lawmakers? Do they think that their way of maintaining the peace is better than that of the police force under civilians. Have they not learnt anything from history of the world?

The threat of another coup is affecting not just the proper functioning of the government but also the economy's ability to continue attracting vital foreign investments. The same army which purportedly is acting in the interests of the people and the country is blinded by their "noble illusory conception" as to forget that millions of poor people need to be fed and millions of young children need to be educated for the sake of the future of their nation.

What is a democracy when decisions of the majority facing opposition from the minority become fodder for removal of the government by undemocratic means? Are there no effective laws in Thailand to deal with lawbreakers in such protests and demonstrations? Are the police so severely outnumbered as to be unable arrest anarchists? Is there no faith left in the judiciary in dealing with such anarchists? Or are these (and others) simply excuses conjured up by the men in green? Or are they so close to Myanmar such that their neighbors' ways have had a contagion effect on them?

ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF A TYCOON

2008-05-25T16:13:00.000+07:00

The smell of fruits and freshly brewed Brazilian coffee awakes me each day. The sun would have risen but it won't bother me as I'd deliberately picked the master bedroom's windows to face in a northerly direction just so I won't be bothered by the low light of the rising or setting suns.

It's another sunny day, full of freshness and vitality. The headlines in the morning papers are so predictable these days: if not another rise in the price of crude oil, its a rise in the price of rice, or corn or some other commodity which the world is consuming more and more each day. I like that for consumption spurs growth, and with growth, my empire can expand as I'd wished. But when will the poor people of this planet start to run out of disposable income to afford the basic necessities to sustain life for them and their families?

I can see the chauffeur driving the newly washed car to the front porch as I stroll downstairs for breakfast. My wife has imported this special Norwegian salmon and served it with freshly scrambled "organic" eggs.

I don't mind spending on the finest foods, for I've toiled and worked much of my younger years just to be where I am today. Besides, how much longer will the One above let an old man like me savour such delights? I remember my childhood days when I had to share a single bowl of rice with my brothers and sisters as there just wasn't enough to go around. My parents must have saved that bowl of rice for us, for whenever we asked if they had eaten, the answer was the same. That was then, this is now.

In those days, I can see my dad struggling to make ends meet. My mom and dad can lose nights without sleep over a shortage of a few dollars. These days, my sleepless nights are spent juggling the millions of dollars, or sometimes hundreds of millions to resolve cash flow requirements of all my companies. There is no end to this is there? Rich and poor, the One up there always has a way of testing our resolves and our skills in handling life's problems.

By the time I reach my office, my secretary would have had the freshly brewed cup of Brazilian coffee on my desk, along with a pile of messages and appointments I have to go through in that day. I don't mind being busy, for I have worked hard all my life just to be where I am today. Whether it's a problem with one of the vendor or vendors, or some personnel problems within on of the companies in the group, I invariably have to get involved. This system of having ultimate control over crucial decisions was designed by choice, for I trust no one to that extent. Sure I do trust my subordinates, but only within what I felt they can be entrusted with. Maybe I'm paranoid about losing what I have. Or maybe I've been unduly influenced by those stories of fellow businessmen losing all they have built up over the last 30 or 40 years through one careless and seemingly trivial mistake.

By the time I've been through half of that pile of messages on my desk, plus whatever other new messages which have arrived in the morning, it's time for lunch again. I wished I never had to stop for lunch like my younger days when I would be able to go for 12 or more hours on just coffee and water. But age takes its toll on all of us alike. Besides, I've also learned that getting out of the office is a refreshing way to re-look at problems in the office. I always carry a note pad with me, so whenever I think of something over lunch, whether it's a business lunch meeting, or just lunch with one of my kids or my wife, I always jot them down.

Today is Chinese, for I'm having a lunch meeting with my bankers from Singapore. I've grown away from shark's fin soup, but ordered it for my bankers anyhow. But pictures of fin-less sharks being thrown back into the water cannot escape my mind through that lunch.

My bankers had plenty of stories to share about the general economic climate throughout the world. Every business will have their problems, they suggested which I thoroughly agree. If you're in Indonesia, it's the labour woes; in China, it's inconsistent quality coming from your factories, in Malaysia, it's the threat of new competing projects handed out to a close Malay friend of someone high up in power, In Singapore, you worry about the escalating office rentals and so on. But the most common worry is one of recession in the USA, which market is one where all businesses around the world seem to depend on one way or another. This is compounded by cost pressures caused by rising oil and commodity prices - the same daily topics carried in newspapers' headlines.

How will my businesses adapt to such threats on their survival? We have to forget growth, or at least the sizzling growth rates of the "high" years, and re-strategize to survive. Hopefully by adopting this conservative approach, we can enjoy a bit of growth; but whatever growth we're able to achieve must be looked upon as a bonus.

Nothing lasts forever. When the currents swell, we're taken to new heights but when the sea is calm, we have to steer carefully just in case the next swell catches us unprepared.

I took out my note pad and jotted down a list of things to look into on re-strategizing my companies, asked for the bill, and bade farewell.

On the way back to the office, a storm set in and pedestrians and motor cyclists were scrambling for cover. How sudden the weather can change, I thought. What if it rained down on my business the same way it did on those unprepared pedestrians? So I took out my note pad and jotted down some more notes.

Afternoons in the office are equally hectic. Calls will be coming through from around Asia and Europe. Satisfied customers and clients, along with the ones who are having problems paying their bills. They still find comfort in speaking directly to me rather than my vice presidents, perhaps because their businesses grew up together with mine. We're like old school mates who had to go through the same tests and examinations and who've passed through all of them. I also enjoy having the occasional heart to heart chats with my "ex-schoolmates".

I looked out my windows and could see the magic light of dusk. My wife called and asked if I've made dinner plans, and I told her I was eating with her and whomever of our kids who hasn't made plans. I took out a large Cuban cigar and started to chew on it while watching peak hour traffic go by far down below. My secretary peeped through the door and I knew she was giving me a sign that she wanted to leave. I gestured and she took the cue.

Why did everyone have to leave their offices at the same time, I wondered? Why did they have to contribute to the pollution and wastage of oil and other resources getting stuck in traffic jams? Imagine the amount of time, money and natural resources we would have saved if we didn't have to get stuck in jams.

With the internet and cell phones these days, a lot of business can be conducted electronically, yet companies are still stuck on convention in having staff work from 9 to 5. Why can't companies think out of the box and design "flexi" hours for their employees like a lot of companies in the USA and Europe have already done so?

I decided to take a first step toward doing my bit for this planet and started writing an email to my human resource department and COO.

ANNUAL FLOODS IN JAKARTA

2008-02-04T00:31:00.000+07:00

Flooding has become part of life in this town. Each year without fail, Jakartans have to live through the same old routine. Evacuating from homes, if the government makes that possible, or living in without electricity and fresh water. And every year, something new and some place new will be affected by the floods. This year hasn't been different.

The toll road going to the international airport is flooded. TV footage of foreigners and local passengers along with their luggage being ferried on rubber rafts across a section of the flooded thoroughfare is such an embarrassment for a city like Jakarta. They have to wade through water to get onto those rubber rafts and then wade out to catch the buses to the terminal.

And then they introduced trucks, the ones they normally use for garbage collection. They're quite high; and passengers, male and female alike, will have to be helped up those trucks without ladders or other improvised steps. But at least they can keep dry, compared to wading to the rubber raft.

The airport was closed for a few hours. Flights were delayed. Outbound passengers who got to the airport before the flooding had to eat lunch and dinner at the terminal before their flights resumed. Inbound passengers who got in after the airport re-opened were stranded as taxis and other forms of public transportation could not reach the airport. For those who managed to hop onto some form of 4-wheeler, their journey is another 5 or more hours.

Sections of the toll roads, or expressways in other parts of the city are flooded too. Once you are jammed on the toll road, there is no way out. This time around, the main city toll road was jammed up for up to 7 or 8 hours. Drivers and their passengers had to resort to making their toilet breaks just outside their cars, sheltered from public eyes by opened car doors.

And gangsters and others out to make a quick buck have their field day. Kids will be collecting healthy fees for helping to push stalled vehicles. Others help to stop traffic and let vehicles do their U-turns to seek alternative routes to their destinations. Gangsters openly knock on windows and windscreens to collect their dues from log jammed vehicles. Street peddlers sell anything from bottled water to bread at inflated prices to desperate commuters.

So why pay the toll for usage of these roads? Or are they paying a fee for parking there for all those hours?

Even the President is not spared this year. His car got stuck on a main city road and he had to get onto his bodyguards' SUV!

Poor lowly paid workers in the city who managed to get to work prior to flooding end their day walking for miles to get to the next available bus on dry land which is still operating to get home. It's not uncommon for them, after a hard and long day's work, to walk and commute for 5 or more hours just to get home.

Although Jakarta has just elected a new governor, he was nowhere to be seen during the floods. Nor has he made any plans about what he will do to alleviate this regular affair.

In any other part of the world, this would have been declared an emergency, which would have allowed the government to utilise all resources, including those of the military to assist its citizens. With those resources, the military's trained engineers could have built temporary bridging using steel ramps and plates which they surely must have in their warehouse, the kind the Indonesian or any military in the world will have for bridging rivers in a war. Indonesia doesn't need to live with the embarrassment of an inaccessible international airport, nor suffer the economic losses of lost manhours and productivity.

I know Indonesians to be proud and determined people. But when it comes to the annual flooding, Jakartans somehow seemed either to willingly leave their fates in the hands of God or resigned to the fact that this is a part of the cost of living in this capital city of theirs.

CONFESSIONS OF A MINI-BUS DRIVER IN JAKARTA

2008-02-04T00:29:00.000+07:00

I start my work day early, leaving my house not long after morning prayers. This will also ensure that I catch the early morning commuters, some going to the markets and others heading for work.

Over the years, I've learnt how to rush to get the commuters. The more passengers I take, the more money I take home after paying for the bus' rental. I don't care what happens to the other buses, nor other road users. When I see a commuter, I will definitely cut into the lane closest and pick the passenger up, for the sooner I pack my bus full, the sooner I can speed to the end destination and the more money I make. I can then have a longer break before I have to drive out again. Driving is just like what we do in the kampung or "village". We cross the road whenever we want to. We can walk any which way we want to.

Since I was a little boy, I've learnt to fend for myself. Even if it means bullying others, I want to be able to eat and feed my family. One can only live if one can think that way. Who cares about the others in this world.

Besides rental for the bus, I also have to pay my manager so he will help me get a good bus and a route which makes more money. The police don't stop us much as they know we're poor people trying to make a living, just like them. They much prefer to stop the private cars, especially the luxurious one, as they can get more money out of them. I've ran past red lights many times even with police standing at the junction. But they will pretend not to see me.

In our line of work, getting enough passengers is the most important. Even if we have to stop and pack ourselves three lanes wide, we have to do that at busy junctions where a lot of passengers will need to get onto buses on our route. We don't care about the other road users even if they blast their horns. We all feel that its our right to make a living and to use the roads whichever way we have to. Anyhow, its our government who built the roads for us all to use, so why should we let others use more of the road.

Our biggest fear is robbery, especially at night when we have to drive through quiet neighbourhoods with no law and order. The premans or "gangster" will board our buses and rob not just our commuters but also all our day's takings. We can't report to our managers for they won't believe us. Reporting to the police is pointless too, for they won't be able to catch those gangsters to get our money back, and it will cost me more money plus hours of waiting time just to make that report.

Taxes? We don't care about taxes. I see billboards everywhere asking us to get our tax numbers and pay taxes. But little poor people like us don't care. Why should we pay taxes? Taxes are only for the bosses and the companies which make money from us. Besides, taxes will only make the government officials richer as they have more money to pilfer from. What will the government do for us, little people, even if we pay taxes? Are the roads going to be better? Are our homes safer from flooding? Will we have more electricity and clean water? Will my children be able to get free education?

I, and all my fellow bus drivers, don't think so.

2007, so what?

2007-12-30T00:11:00.000+07:00

Every year, all publications jump on the bandwagon to recap the year's events. This year is not exception.

The recent Bhutto assasination will certainly bethe hottest news. A liberal Western-educated Muslim murdered a month away from democratic elections in a country plagued by militancy and dictatorship? How could anyone miss that for a Top Story?

Then there is the story of the Democrats' regaining control in the Senate which will surely be big in the USA, for it reflects Americans objection to the war in Iraq.

In Asean, it's probably the PPP's win at the Thai elections which grab headlines and likely to affect the region, economically, in 2008. Thaksin's purchase of Manchester City football club may even get slight mention. The suppression of Monks in Burma will definitely be a big story although economically, for Asean and the rest of the world, Burma is but a situation for scoring political points.

Most of the often authoritative and sometimes violent or brutal Asean states don't really care about what the Burmese military does to the monks. They condemn the military's acts just so they can be included in the world's list as being respectful of human rights and freedom of expression. Malaysia suppresses their Indians and others protesting for different causes, violently. Singapore will not even allow protests at a major world conference they hosted this year. Thailand's military muscled in on their own politicians and people during last year's coup. You name the countries in Asean, and perhaps Asia for that matter, they are all equally guilty of human rights abuse and suppression of freedom of expression in their history.

Indonesia's media will probably be filled with glossy stories about celebrities' divorces and scandals, including Roy Marten's drug case which will obviously not be left out. The recent world conference on climate change in Bali will be something the Indonesians are proud of as well. Then there's this verdict by the monopolies commission on Singapore's Temasek Holdings and its related companies. Major corruption cases won or prosecuted by the government (if there were any) or their fight against terrorism will probabl not be sensational enough to make top stories of 2007.

What has become of this world we live in? The Americans have their domestic problems. The Europeans are distracted by domestic pride and a fragile and young integrated European economy, the Middle East has problems dating back centuries ago, and Asia is coping with survival in the face of the rise of two economies like China and India whose populations can sink the world should they all jump at the same time.

Al Gore did a brillant job to win his Nobel prize in reminding the world about climate change and greenhouse gases. But by the time the people of this world react, it will probably be too late. What does carbon footprint mean to a poverty stricken family in Indonesia or Africa? Is America or Europe going to foot the bill for their alternative fuel needed for subsistence?

Our world is known to be quite resilient. Every time a problem is highlighted, there seems to be a group of people who will come up with a solution. A vaccine was found for the plague. Two world wars ended and countries rebuilt to become economic powerhouses. The cold war ended diplomatically. We seem to be going around in circles. Is this what God intended? Make Men, then let Men make mistakes and learn from those mistakes in order to continue living in a world He created?

Perhaps so... Unless you can come up with another explanation.

Disappointing visit to Malaysia

2007-12-29T21:32:00.000+07:00

Had the chance to visit Kuala Lumpur last week. Thought that would have been a reprieve as this was a much needed break, and Malaysia seems to be the country of choice judging from the way they've bent over backwards to attract visitors in their TV ads around the world. But it was not to be.

After clearing immigration, the wait for baggage to arrive at the carousel was 30 or more minutes. Customs was lax, but I was greeted by at least half a dozen taxi or private hire car touts when I got out of the restricted area. I missed the guy who was supposed to fetch me as he was holding up an A4-sized card with my name, only to be obscured by the same people picking guests up for the hotels, and, the touts.

Finally I found my guy and I pushed our trolley out to the pick-up zone while he retrieves his car from the car park. Where I was waiting is a stretch of area around 10 metres deep. A sultry airport worker (my guess as he was not in uniform) showed up to collect empty trolleys from the edge of that area where cars pull up to fetch the visitors. While I was standing at the edge, and looking out for my commute to the city, I noticed this airport worker gesturing for me to move off his path. I realised I was in his "immediate" path, not that the rest of the 10 metre deep waiting area was congested and he doesn't have an alternative way out with this sole trolley he'd collected.

There was room away from the edge of the road, but he chose to gesture. No "please can you move" nor a smile accompanying his gesture. Although he was not Malay or Chinese, surely they must speak some form of common language, or have had some basic training about how to make visitors welcomed before being allowed to work in the international airport of a country which has spent millions of dollars to attract visitors. Or is that too much to expect of the Malaysian bureaucracy?

The ride into the city was alright, except for the occassional road hoggers crawling in the extreme right lane of the expressway. Either their eyes were off the rear view and wing mirrors, or they simply didn't feel the need to move off that "fast" lane.

Then the check-in at the hotel. From the time I walked through the doors, it was at least 20 minutes later before I arrived in my room. I'd booked an executive suite room but have never stayed in this hotel before. The reception at the lobby level told me I had to wait as one of the guest relations was going to check me in and show me to my room. She finally showed up. She was "Chinese-looking", spoke very poor English, but did not respond when I spoke Mandarin or Cantonese to her (common languages in KL for the Chinese). You know what all the wait was for?

Well, I finally found out that being a guest of the executive floor, I was supposed to be checked in by staff from their executive lounge on some high floor. The receptionist who handled my check in didn't tell me I could go straight up tot he 20-something floor and be shown my room without the hassles of waiting at the reception like all the other guests. I've stayed at executive floors in hotels all around the world and have always had a pleasant experience. Either they check me in prompto on the ground floor, or someone would immediately lead me up to my room to be checked in. I never had to wait for someone to wait for the lift and descend from the 20-something floor just to lead me back up to my room on that floor.

More "amazing" things happened during my short stay in Kuala Lumpur. Throughout my stay, there were billboards about "loving Malaysia" and at touristy spots, signs of welcome and hospitality. But they all seem to be messages conjured by expensive advertising agencies which the Tourism board hired, but without the support and conviction from all (to be fair, most) levels of Malaysian society at all.

The only smiles I found were the sales people in the exclusive boutiques I walked into, perhaps eager to have me flash my plastic card so their cash registers go ka-ching! Even the staff at the clubs which charge US$12 for a glass of house wine were sultry and unfriendly. What's with this country, I wondered.

Why has so much money being spent on publicity to attract visitors while the rest of the nation isn't contributing to make visitors feel welcomed? Is it so difficult to smile or be courteous or otherwise interact in ways which make others feel like they're their money is well spent on their establishments, including airports charge fees for their use which are eventually passed on to us travellers? Perhaps they mistook my Chinese face as a local Malaysian. If that is so, how could Malaysians in the service industry treat their Malaysian clients and customrers in that way anyway? Is the money they spend different from that of a visitor of another skin colour? Didn't seem to be the case as I noticed the same sultry and unfriendly faces when they were serving Caucasians and Middle-Eastern looking people.

Quite a pathetic state, I thought. Malaysians don't seem to be happy at their jobs at all. Leaving the airport, the lady at the immigration counter took almost 15 minutes to process a family of three in front of me. She moved at a snail's pace, at times, she didn't even appear like she was paying attention to the passports and immigration cards filled up in front of her. In other words, she was day dreaming most of that 15 minutes while I waited in line. Even the immigration authorities in customarily slower Bali (Indonesia) work quicker. Of course Bangkok, Singapore and Hongkong are miles apart.

Malaysia, Malaysia.... Are you "Truly Asia" or still in the backwaters of civilised Asia?

What's with the Indonesians and Malaysians

2007-12-23T20:07:00.000+07:00

There has been quite a bit of squabbling between the people of these two neighbours, not their governments, thankfully.

FIrst it's about a song. Did Indonesians originated that song or did a descendant of the Malay race write that song while living in a land which was neither Indonesia or Malaysia then?

Then there's this dance which was used by Malaysia in a an ad about the country. That was purportedly an Indonesian dance.

A blog surfaced recently with the hate for Indonesians as its theme, purportedly set up in Malaysia but written in perfect Bahasa Indonesian rather than Bahasa Melayu, the language used in Malaysia.

Why do Malaysia's government departments need to feature songs or dances which are not truly Malaysian, beyond all reasonable doubt? That country supposedly has a higher literacy rate than Indonesia's 220 million people; yet it seems to falter on basic research. Hasn't Malaysia or haven't Malaysians "originated" something truly Malaysian. Why use songs or dances which are or could become potentially contentious?

Since Malaysia won two tiny disputed islands off Borneo's coast at an international tribunal from Indonesia, the Malaysians seem emboldened. They're presently fighting with Singapore for another island between Johore and Singapore, based mainly on historical claims that one of their many sultanates owned that small piece of rock off their coast since time immemorial.

Both Malaysia and Indonesia are proud countries with proud people. Their people are supposed to have lived on their lands, not recent migrants like the majority of Singpoare's population is made up of. But the real indigenous people of their lands have been neglected too, not to the point of being marginalised like the aborigines in Australia appear to be.

But in fact there's still some doubt as to whether the Malays in Indonesia and Malaysia who now controls their economies and governments are actually natives of those countries. In Wikipedia, there is mention that some believe that they are actually "Austronesian people" who migrated there from southern Philippines. Whatever the theory, the people of Indonesia and Malaysia belong to the same race, separated by two national flags.

ASEAN member countries just signed a charter recently in Singapore for all of ASEAN to become integrated like the European union. Economically this made sense, and could be the only chance for survival in the face of competition from "billion people" economies like India and China. So why are ASEAN countries quarreling like they are now? Doesn't seem like they realized the virtues of unity for the common good. Do we really believe ASEAN can be one?

With young (relatively) nations like Malaysia and Indonesia whose politicians have no qualms about invoking nationalistic sentiments to drum up support or distract their populace from the real problems in their respective countries, do we think that a united and integrated ASEAN is really possible. Just look at what's happened to Singapore's Temasek's investments in Thailand and Indonesia and you'll understand.

Well whatever it is, we won't have to wait long. When we get closer to 2015, we should all be singing "I could see clearly now the rain has gone".

TAXIS IN SINGAPORE

2007-10-17T00:55:00.000+07:00

Got to spend a few days in this Lion city. Moving around in cabs could be really enlightening or scary. Not that cabs in this city is any different from those in neighbouring Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand or Hongkong.

Cab drivers are just doing their jobs. Some are motivated in this career or plain courteous, some are bored and tired of getting stuck behind the wheel for 10 or 12 hours, some may be indifferent, while others may just be in the wrong placea at the wrong time without a choice.

Friend of mine just arrived from another country. Not knowing how to get around in the Lion city, they left their journey at the hands of their cab driver from the airport. But, before they realized, they were speeding down this expressway - unwarranted of course - and arrived with a fare which was at about 50 percent more than what it would normally cost. I checked with other taxi drivers and they all gave high and low ranges of fares from the airport to that destination which were about 50 percent lower, hence collaborating my impression/conclusion.

Not so long ago, I read in The Straits Times of Singapore that there numerous cases (sufficient enough to warrant coverage in the Straits Times) of tourists who were forced to negotiate rather than pay by according to fares shown on taxi meter, and taxis waiting but refusing to take passengers unless they negotiate a "favorable" flat rate for them to "go thru the trouble of picking them up and dropping them off at their destination".

Taxi drivers capitalising on peak or late hours are commonplace. I can remember many years ago when I just finished watching an opera in London's West End and couldn't flag a cab. As I walked down the road, there were plenty of taxis parked by the kerb. Upon approaching the first cab and mentioning my destination, he came up with a figure which he thought I wouldn't pay. Being so late at night and weary from a day in hectic London, I agreed and got in. I knew I was paying too much, having lived in London for almost three years during my college days. But, who's to choose.

Same thing in Hongkong. Coming out of a bar in Tsimshatsui toward midnight, there were rows of cabs waiting by the road with a towel over their flags. They all negotiate the ride, their meters redundant.

And when you ring for a cab in Hongkong at peak hours, you have to offer incentives. Several times I've called for a cab and the responses were that there weren't any cabs in the area. BUT, when I offered to add 10,20 or more dollars to the metered fare, depending on how desperate I was, a cab will normally appear within 5 or 10 minutes.

That was before satellite communications and GPSes. I admired Singapore for introducing GPSes in all cabs. They can track them, and can also assist the drivers in getting to the right addresses. Tracking them ensure that cab drivers cannot - to a certain extent - refuse to answer calls if the GPS information show that they're in the neighbourhood cruising for passengers, and nearest to the caller. But most cabs in Singapore wouldn't normally refuse a call as they are entitled to a surcharge for fares booked via the phone; and this surcharge varies between peak and off-peak hoours. For us passengers, we wouldn't need to add that little extra like we had to in Hongkong for drivers already get to add that extra if they answer a call.

Therein lies the next problem.

At peak hours or on a rainy day, cab drivers rarely pick up passengers on the road for these fares would not entitle them to that little surcharge. Most would rather cruise at the far side of the road making them difficult to spot for passengers wishing to flag them, while they wait for the next cab caller who willingly fork out the surcharge. From a couple fo years ago, I have given up the idea of trying to flag down a cab and have always kept several cab companies' numbers handy. That is the surest way of getting from one place to another; even faster than driving and having to look for parking, then retrieving your parked car, assuming you can remember which level and which bay you'd parked in the relatively large multi-storey car parks in most of Singapore's commercial district.

The world's not perfect, isn't it?

Even an organized city/country like Singapore has to live with the opportunistic taxi drivers who were supposedly selected, trained and licensed to drive cabs. What about the rest of the countries in Asia? Try the laws of the jungle, perhaps.

Jakarta's busway

2007-09-29T02:28:00.000+07:00

Congestion in the city of Jakarta has caused traffic to virtually come to a standstill, thanks to the busway introduced about a year ago. For those of you unfamiliar with these streets, three lane thoroughfares were narrowed to two lanes to make way for a dedicated busway corridor.

Prior to that, traffic congestion was already terrible, yet there are politicians and bureaucrats who think that narrowing already congested roads to build a busway will solve traffic problems in the city. At last count, there are less than 100 buses plying the busway corridors throughout the city.

Which commuters did the city planners have in mind when they build the busway?

It didn't seem like they were aiming to serve commuters who relied on the normal dilapidated, carbon monoxide emitting public buses and mini buses which stop anywhere and at anytime they chose to pick up passerngers, irrepective of the inconvenience they cause to other road users. The same number of these buses and mini buses are still plying the same streets as those of the busway.

Or was the busway meant to reduce the number of private vehicles on the roads by providing a convenient and efficient means of public transportation for these people to go in and out of the city? If it was, then the results are certainly not apparent for the same number of private cars seem to be driven to work each day.

One would have thought that if a busway is constructed to link the main outer city suburbs to the city so as to encourage people not to drive their private cars into the city, there would have been plans to provide adequate and proper feeder services from these suburbs to the busway. One would also not be wrong to see a significant reduction in regular buses and mini buses on those roads which the busway operates. But its none of the above. Doesn't make sense right?

Efforts were indeed made to discourage people from driving private cars into the city through the introduction of a 3-in-1 system during peak hours. Private cars with less than 3 persons are not allowed to enter the main road linking north to south Jakarta during peak hours in the morning and evening. However, that only gave rise to a jockey service for the poor inhabitants of the city to provide their services at a small fee to drivers who don't have the requisite 3 persons. Men, women and children of all ages wait by side roads leading to the main road each day hoping to be picked up by drivers requiring jockeys to earn a meagre one US dollar (the equivalent of a pack of Marlboro there).

Conspiracy theories abound on the reasons for the busway, the majority of which pointed to the amounts of money the politicians and bureaucrats can siphon off from a project this size.

Any administration can make public policy blunders, and the problem of solving congestion is probably one of trial and error anywhere. In the more affluent and less corrupt countries, the risks of error is probably reduced through several thorough scientific evaluations prior to implementation, and possibly followed by pilot trial in certain districts before being introduced wholesale into the heart of commerce in the city. Public education programs over a period of time are normally a part of the overall effort to introduce a new transportation means. BUT, not in Jakarta.

The busway was introduced with no apparent clear objectives, private car owners are not given much of an alternative, and most Jakartans, except those sitting in government offices seem to have little clue as to the benefits the busway is expected to bring them.

After introduction of the first busway corridor, the city administration proceeded to build other corridors before any apparent attempts to garner feedback and evaluate these feedback from city dwellers. And now, they're even making plans to build an additional corridor cutting through a prime, low density residential estate complete with golf course, high end shopping mall and prestigious schools at the southern end of the city, or what some call the equivalent of "Beverly Hills" in Jakarta.

Prior to the busway, the city considered and started building an alternative monorail system. But disputes with their foreign partners and financiers put a halt to all work. Remnants of unsightly, half-finished pillars of the monorail dot some main streets in Jakarta now.

So how long more do Jakartans have to live with congestion and pollution before there can be any respite? Short of an efficient mass transit subway system, or a combination of proper city planning and relocating the central and city's government to an alternative administrative capital like Malaysia's Putrajaya (not the best example of success) or Australia's Canberra or Canada's Ottawa, Jakarta's traffic will most likely continue to haunt its residents for decades to come.

Toll road charges in Jakarta

2007-09-08T22:49:00.000+07:00

Toll fees were raised recently along most toll roads in Jakarta. For those of you who are not familiar with this city, one has to get onto "toll" roads or expressways or freeways as you would call them in your part of the world in order to get to distant places within the city and its suburbs. If you are not used to paying to get into these toll roads, Jakarta will be an eye opener - unless you live in Singapore where an electronic road pricing scheme exists with much success.

The problem with toll roads in Jakarta is that they are not charging enough to ensure smooth traffic flow. Huge trucks and buses only pay a slight premium over other vehicles using the toll roads, but they hog up much more space (very often in the supposedly fast lanes) and go at a much slower pace.

Indonesians are fond of complaining. If the price of toll fees go up by X percent, they complain and they form masses to demonstrate in front of the authorities causing massive traffic jams which Al Gore would consider an adversary to his crusade on global warming. If only Indonesians can tell the difference between an extra thousand Rupiah spent (US 10 cents or so) on toll charges and the thousands of Rupiahs saved on fuel costs and productivity by spending less driving time.

Basically, there aren't enough roads in Jakarta to cater to the car and motorcycle population here. Policies such as the "busway" are of no help either. Plans are often ill-conceived and fail to look at the WHOLE traffic situation as a bundle of problems requiring solving.

The hours I, as well as the rest of people in Jakarta, spent in traffic jams could have increased productivity in this nation and hence create more wealth which will in turn be distributed to the poor and impoverished (corruption and siphoning of development funds aside).

I can see the dilemma facing the authorities. If they make toll fees so high to the extent people start avoiding them, all the arterial roads will be so clogged up that there will surely be a backlash from their electorates.

But instead of constructing busways which suck up already congested existing road space, they could perhaps look at other options. The latest news is that they're even thinking of creating a bicycle lane for those who choose to ride into work on their unmotorised two wheelers. Honestly, how many people will actually ride a bicycle to work in a polluted city like Jakarta? Are they trying to encourage Indonesians to emulate the Chinese where droves ride bicycles into their cities each day?

So what are the options?

To start with, they can start passing legislation to control irate bus drivers and commuters who choose to wave down buses from any spot they find convenient on the roads. Have proper bus stops so that buses are forced to stop in those areas to pick up their commuters. To do that, they will have to contend with two important issues: (1) properly educate the public into believing that a more disciplined system of getting onto buses will actually save ALL commuting times; (2) getting rid of corruption in the people assigned to police these rules.

On the educational aspect, officials from government departments embark on public service campaigns, be they in the form or print material, outdoor billboards or TV purely to enrich themselves. Look at bird flu and how much the authorities have done for such a deadly disease. Education cannot be achieved with one or two TV ads. It has to be a wholesome approach which must be sustained over several months or even years. Some may even last a whole generation in order for it to work.

The endemic and systemic corruption in this town leaves much in doubt. The police would rather stop a luxury Jaguar or Mercedes or BMW for apparently frivolous traffic violations than to stop a bus driver for a blatant traffic violation who has no more than ten thousand Rupiahs in his pocket. The Jag, Merc or Bimmer drivers will gladly part with tens of thousands of Rupiahs just so they can get on with their business and avoid the hassles and wasting valuable time arguing with the police for they can't win anyway. But for a bus driver, they won't part with 5,000 Rupiahs without a fight, literally.

The Muslim new year (Lebaran) is getting close. All my friends are warning me to be extra careful on the roads for this is the month when everyone, police included, will be out to make more money to buy new clothes for their kids and celebrate the new year with their families.

Most of my Indonesian friends have taken the situation with a "pasrah" mentality. So be it. This is the system we grew up with, this is the system we're used to. So why "rock the boat".

My answer to that is that if the boat is heading nowhere, it should be about time that we rock it and steer it into the right direction. No matter how long it takes to get where we should be, its better to start rocking now.

Weekend before Puasa (fasting)

2007-09-08T21:40:00.000+07:00

Each year the same thing happens - the weekend before the Muslim fasting month is see record crowds at clubs and discos countrywide. I can't remember when the authorities started imposing the ban on sales of alcoholic beverages and restricting opening hours of nightspots, but in the past several years, most nightlife will have to stop for a month or so during this fasting month preceding the Muslim new year, or Idul Fitri.

For the devout, this is a month of cleansing, spiritually. Except for hotels catering to foreign guests, all other entertainment outlets will have to either close, or restrict opening hours or forbid the sale of alcoholic beverages. Even restaurants who are licensed to serve alcohol serve them in coffee mugs or opaque glasses. Imagine drinking wine out of a polystyrene cup. Sounds like the experience I had in the UK and Canada where licensing rules are equally strict. But worry not! For there is always a place in town (normally Chinese restaurants) which would serve up your beer or cognac in a tea cup.

I hear its even stricter in Malaysia where the religious police actually checks out restaurants and pull out Malaysians whom they suspect as Muslims if they find them eating during fasting hours.

My friends are out there on a "binge drinking" stint. And it will go on till the wee hours of the morning. But imagine the dip in takings these clubs, discos and restaurants.

The biggest earners in entertainment outlets are food and beverages. A bottle of wine or spirits are normally marked up twice or thrice their retail prices. If every club, disco or restaurant have to factor in this one month's lost in revenue during the fasting period, we consumers will just end up having to pay for this loss in the form of higher prices. So instead of a plan which factors in 12 months of business, they all have to make do with 11 months, yet have to bear the operational costs of 12 months. Sounds silly to me.

Even if the government doesn't restrict opening hours and sales of alcohol, there are outlets who voluntarily impose their own restrictions for fear of reprisals from the religious vigilantes who arrive in groups and smash up everything in an outlet which does not respect the fasting month. They actually bother to spend on hiring trucks or buses and dressing themselves up in white when they conduct their raids. Even if the restaurant or club is located in a mainly expat area and the bulk of their customers are expats, they are not spared.

BUT, there is always a reason for them to be there, other than religious virtues. A business competitor or enemy who is not happy with the way the business is run can easily, with a few stacks of Rupiahs, summon the help of this religious brigade of vigilantes to destroy, create havoc, or otherwise disrupt their competitor's or enemy's business. It can be as trivial as a partnership dispute for the vigilantes to come with their baseball bats and sticks to cause severe damage and monetary loss to a business.

Sometimes I, as well as a lot of other Indonesians, wish that Suharto could still be in charge. At least there was law and order.

Besides the virtues of cleansing during this holy month, an argument goes where employers are supposed to take plight with and respect their employees who have to wake up at 3 in the morning to take their meal for that day before fasting from dawn till dusk. My Muslim friends tell me that fasting is Allah's and God's way to testing one's strength and faith. If that is the case and the virtue behind the idea of fasting, isn't it a greater test of one's strength and faith if one is subjected to adversity in having to go about one's daily lives during the rest of the 11 months? Why should activities here have to switch to fasting mode? Where lies the standards on the tests of strength and faith? Is one strong when one fasts by slowing down one's daily activities? Or is strength more manifest when one fasts in the face of continuing normal day to day activities? Is this pampering? Perhaps. But only the authorities who make the rules can answer to their own conscience.

Indonesia which is predominantly Muslim do not have the advantages which Malaysia, due to Malaysia's more varied ethnic mix. If the Muslims don't want to or can't work because of a religious holiday, the Indians and Chinese will be there to take over. Similarly, if its a Indian or Chinese holiday or festival, the others who don't celebrate the same will take over.

But if one were to venture downtown to Kota or Chinatown, the situation is somewhat different. There, life continues into the wee hours of the morning, be it a vice den, karaoke joint with Indonesian Muslim hostesses or strip tease bars. Kota in Jakarta is unique, especially during the fasting month. Perhaps the authorities consider Kota to be a den for vices of the Chineses who are not part of their mainstream electorate and are therefore allowed to morally descend into the deepest layers of hell!

But what about those employees who work in the Kota joints? They're just as happy cos when fasting month comes, everywhere else is closed except for their joints; which mean more tips, fatter bonuses and more opportunities. There you are! At least there are folks here who are entrepreneurial and adhere to the values of "fair rewards for fair effort". And, for that matter, the stockbrokers who have to monitor international markets with time differences? They're working till the wee hours of the Indonesian mornings too! Are their jobs considered decent to warrant a lack of sleep over the fasting month? Or are their jobs so important to the Indonesian economy that the authorities won't dare to venture into any form of restrictive regulations on their working hours?

Is this equality? Is this a true test of strength and faith? God probably knows.

English Premier League & Astro pay TV

2007-09-08T18:13:00.000+07:00

Its Super Sunday, and everyone is clamoring for best seats in front of their TVs. Yet many fans of the Premier League are disappointed for they do not have access to Astro.

Astro, compared to other pay TV networks in Indonesia, is the newest entrant. We don't even know if its entity is legal here, with the web of regulations and laws concerning foreign ownership of broadcasters. Yet they managed to secure exclusive rights to broadcast the Premier League games. Bravo Astro!

Football is becoming more and more elitist and is no more a commoner's game. Golf and tennis used to be called elitist as facilities for them are normally found in the best country clubs. However, due to the huge fan base, and possibly also the wagering community, football has become one of the most profitable sports in this part of the world.

Remember the World Cup of 2006? Complaints abound of how FIFA, through its quest for higher monetary rewards, have neglected the general public's love for the sport and their right to watch a world event which occurs only once in four years. Exclusive rights were granted to certain networks for handsome sums of sponsorship money hence, inevitably, depriving others.

But this is the world of economics. Without money, there will not be interesting football. Without money, clubs won't be able to buy good players who will captivate and keep fans, and thereby keep their cash registers going 'ka-ching, ka-ching...."

The EPL seems to understand this

Just signing broadcasting rights alone wil and is doing the right thing by negotiating collectively for income to broadcasting rights and splitting them equitably (or a bit more equitably) between all the clubs within the league. This will make the league more credible and watchable as more clubs become more balanced in terms of star players and goal scorers. One will remember the Formula One days of Michael Schumacher who dominated almost every race to the point where fans don't tune in anymore. It's boring. But with a revamp in the rules, Formula One became attractive again as the winners become less predictable. Perhaps the next time F1 has to do is to make the circuits more friendly to overtaking, for who wants to watch cars going at 300 kph around a track one behind another with no chance of a fight once you're in the back row of the grid after the first corner. And everyone waiting for a burst tire for someone else to take his position or for the safety car to come out at an opportune (or inappropriate moment for some) so as to gain track position strategically.

Coming back to the EPL. I still feel that the FA should open up the games to more people through granting of non-exclusive rights. Although this could result in less revenues on a per network basis, the FA and the networks could perhaps come up with a revenue sharing scheme whereby more than one network in one country will get to broadcast their games and the FA gets a share of their advertising revenues subject to certain minimum guaranteed sums, perhaps through a bidding system for each game.

Say, if networks pay certain sum for the right to broadcast EPL games upfront. Then they carry out a private bidding exercise for each game in the season so that networks won't be broadcasting the same games. And networks can base their biddings on the profile and spending power of their advertisers.

This is a more equitable system for all fans of EPL. Although the FA cannot guarantee its members of the league of certainty of income, the windfall which could result from the bidding exercises could more than compensate for that.

So here we go, fans of the EPL. Lets hope they will get their acts together to give us all back our rights to enjoy a commoner's game.

Indonesian's love for chili sauce

2007-08-08T04:03:00.000+07:00

Entrepreneurs in Indonesia are quite creative these days. There's this new vegetarian resto which name their dishes like Nasi Padang Brigitte Bardot, Nasi Hai Nam Confucius, Nasi Campur Henry Ford etc.

What has Brigitte Bardot, Confucius and Henry Ford got to do with the food. But restos all around the world do that. I once had a Jane Fonda salad in a resto in LA.

This is an all vegetarian resto, not unlike the ones in Hongkong, Malaysia and Singapore where they serve "prawns", "ham", "beef" and others prepared from vegetables. The texture of those foods may be similar but they don't taste the same as the meaty versions. Pretty good for an Indonesian resto but a far cry from the way the Hongkongers have their vegetarian dishes. That Indonesian resto has "fried duck" on their menu but the "fried duck" does not have the crispy texture of the equivalent in Hongkong, Malaysia or Singapore.

Besides that, other than the tonne of MSG one immediately picks up, the taste is really blend, which probably accounts for the fact that a large plateful of chili sauce is provided. Indonesians like chili sauce. They add that to their bakmi noodles, sharks fin soups, fried rice, instant noodles and anything they eat.

I've taken Indonesian friends out for meals in London, Shanghai, Hongkong, Bangkok, Singapore and other countries and the first thing they'd ask a waiter will be for chili sauce. And they are quite particular about the chili sauce, not the usual spicy taste one looks for in a chili sauce.

While in Shanghai and also in Bangkok, we were given chili sauce which burnt my tongue and tasted so unique that I still dream of them, my Indonesian friends were unhappy. They wanted their "own" chili sauce of a certain Indonesian brand. I've tasted that chili sauce and its blend is not only artificial, but also hardly taste of chili at all.

After numerous encounters, my conclusion centered on one: my Indonesian friends had a sense of insecurity even when it comes to meals and have to try to surround themselves with an environment (beginning with condiments) that they're used to in order to be at ease.

I must say that this is not "endemic" amongst Indonesians. There have been many who were more at ease at international restos than I was; but the contrary is definitely evident. And I'm not talking about "kampung" kids who lived all their lives amidst padi fields -- most of them have had the opportunity to go through four or five years in college in Indonesia.

A friend once told me: you can take a man out of the country but you can't take the country out of the man.

Independence days in August

2007-07-20T19:05:00.000+07:00

Three countries in ASEAN are celebrating their Independence this month: Singapore on 9th, Indonesia on 17th and Malaysia on 31st. I wonder what their leaders and their people will ask themselves on their Independence days?

By far, Singapore seems to be the one doing best, considering their stable political situation and a booming economy. The government seems to be more open and intent on making Singapore a "truly" global city rich in culture and the arts as well as entertainment and nightlife. But culture and arts aren't attributes one can cultivate over a few years, nor even a decade. Wonder whether the next generation of leaders in their government will have the same resolve as the current in this aspect.

Malaysia? Well the quarreling between the ex and current prime ministers seems to have subsided somewhat. But they have deep racial issues which have to be resolved if they want to catch up with the rest of the world. Or perhaps they don't? Seems like the Malaysian government and some of the deprived people of the Malay race (never forget this forms their electorate) are content with what Malaysia is now and where they stand in the world.

Indonesia is the BIG brother of ASEAN. Having gone through their share of instability and political woes, they've yet to admit officially that terrorism is rampant in their country and that they harbor some of the most radical "brain washers" of terrorism. And the quarreling and jostling for power (for obvious reasons to get enrichment through corruption) within the weak coalition government continue unabated.

So, should they feel that they're better off having their own flags rather than those of their colonizers?

Definitely I would say. Better to have their own people governing them than someone sitting in their cushy offices in some European capital city dictating their faiths. But gaining independence is one thing, administering it is another. There's really no quick fix for any one country as problems are unique to each. But the tendency for some of these people to reject what is happening in affluent civilizations in the West on the pretext that their people are different certainly won't help.

Life is a learning process. So is civilization. But why would people not want to learn from the mistakes that other countries went through and tailor fit those solutions to the characteristics of their own people and country? Perhaps they think they're doing that already, I'm sure. But one can do that over a century or one can short-circuit that to the minimum time possible. To me, it's a case of how tolerable is continuing poverty and literacy.

The poor and impoverished cannot afford to put themselves and their children through education, and hence are unable to tap into normal channels of independent news on affairs around the world. They are more narrow minded and become more and more so as their governments continually treat them like illiterates and feed them with information and propaganda meant for illiterates. When election time comes, the people running for government will have to take measures which appeal to this "illiterate" electorate and forget and forgo what the county really needs. It's really a vicious circle for the longer they take to lift them out of poverty and literacy, the longer it'll take them to steer their country out of the third world abyss.

To my friends in Malaysia, I would tell them to forget about how much more the Chinese and Indians are making compared to some of the poorer Malays for now; liberalize the economy and let businesses compete openly on a level playing field, attract as much foreign investments as possible before they all head to China and India; swallow their national pride for a moment and rope in a foreign strategic partner (or partners) for their loss making Proton car company, and possibly Malaysian airlines as well.

To friends in Indonesia, they should forget about wasting public resources on high profile "weak" legal cases such as those of the Suharto family which will surely be thrown out by the courts; instead, go for currently active corrupts who haven't had the chance to destroy incriminating records yet and move fast on them so as to set good examples to the rest. Get their unions to come to terms with the competitive labor market in Asia and spend more time on increasing productivity rather than holding demonstrations and protests in busy Jakarta streets. Get rid of business-unfriendly laws and regulations and bring as much foreign investments into Indonesia as possible, especially on much needed infrastructure projects. Forget about current woes and natural disasters. Don't ask what God has done to men, but what men has done to men!

To friends in Singapore who perhaps needs the least advice, I'd say start getting used to the fact that the world is hungry for information and people are going to write and talk about you -- so open up to unrestricted free speech. You won't achieve anything by suing every publication which comments negatively about one or two issues in your country. Don't scare away foreign investors by taking over-zealous measures, FOR the minute you decided to let in the billions of dollars for mega casino resorts, you should have known that property and other prices will rise in your land scarce country. Next year is the debut of the Formula-1 race there and the whole world will be watching. Do not make a fool of your country and yourselves.

Happy Independence Days friends...

Hongkong - 10 years after

2007-07-01T18:33:00.000+07:00

It's been 10 years since Hongkong returned to Chinese "communist" rule. From free wheeling capitalism under the British to a much more repressive regime.

Other than the outspoken activists, the Hongkong friends I've spoken to all feel that they've been "looked after" better than when they were under the British as a colony. Of course! China's economy is the hottest around the world now. The most populated country on this planet; and with plenty of money too. Once, one of my Hongkong friends said that if everyone in China jumps at the same time, the resonance will create an earthquake so huge it will even rock America. He could be right.

Whatever happens in China resonates around the world -- be it the stock markets, or the tainted food they export. Not forgetting what we went through with SARS a few years back. I really don't believe there hadn't been any "covers up" when the disease first broke in China. Poor Hongkong, and Canada which bore the brunt of the SARS outbreak. Economies in other parts of South East Asia were affected too, notably Singapore which had close social contacts with Hongkong and China. It was quite fortunate then that Indonesia wasn't affected "officially", for if they had been, it would have turned into a pandemic in no time considering the backwardness of the health care system there. They're not so lucky this time around with bird flu.

China won't and cannot afford to let Hongkong sink. With thoughts of reunification with Taiwan, that would have been the death knell and prone to international condemnation. And that would have served the Taiwanese well in seeking admission to the United Nations.

Without China, Hongkong's economy would not have recovered so quickly after the SARS crisis; similarly for the rest of Asia and the World. The Canadians have to be envious for Canadians are Canadians, NOT US citizens; whereas Hongkongers are Chinese, like their counterparts up north, fellow "descendants of the dragon". Canada can only count on their southern neighbors for spillover effect, whereas the Hongkongers can rely on boosters orchestrated by Beijing.

Reminds me a bit like the typhoon shelters they have in Hongkong. When the wind rises, stay behind the shelter. But China as an economic hinterland has served Hongkong better than the typhoon shelters in that typhoon shelters only provide shelter when the storm arrives, whereas China is in a position to do that plus providing indirect assistance when the storm has passed. How can Hongkong do without China? And why would Hongkongers not embrace this reunification with the mainland?

What about the Brits? They have their own problems in Europe. Anyhow, Hongkong was supposed to be a sort of cash, commodities and securities cow anyway, historically. Money and commodities out of Hongkong trade are meant for the benefit of the British Empire. And Hongkong's geographic location serves as an asset in Britain's quest to play a part in global security.

What can we learn from this relationship between Hongkong and China? Plenty! As long as we keep our minds open and forget all the norms experienced by the Western world and found in text books, for there has not been the equivalent of China and Hongkong in past history recorded by Western historians. It will also serve to remind smaller countries next to BIG hinterlands of the possibilities and varying degrees of assistance she can expect to tap from the bigger brother next to her. And these smaller countries must realize that they are not Hongkong in assessing their positions. Example: smaller countries like Luxembourg in Europe must understand that although they are European, they are not German or French.

Well I can only wish my Hongkongers and my friends there all the best in this newfound relationship. Democracy is great, but democracy must serve and look after its people. Too much talk of democracy without tangible benefits will leave too many poor people disgruntled and lead to unwanted instability.

Protectionsim - does it work?

2007-06-30T22:41:00.000+07:00

Sometimes its so refreshing to travel. Had the chance to spend a few days in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia is still Malaysia. They've got a good economy going for them, but this thing about protection of Malays seems a bit antiquated. That European envoy who commented on the ills of this system got plenty of coverage in the Malaysian media and plenty of attention from Malaysians, including ministers and their cohorts. And they all rejected his comment. But will the protectionist policy work though? And who are they protecting the Malays against? Apparently Malaysian Chinese, who are also their own Malaysian citizens.

They keep saying that they need Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) to help them with their growth targets so as to sustain economic well being and employment levels in their countries (such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam & the other Asian economies). However they keep citing percentage growth rather than what the FDIs are doing to help their economies. A certain minister would say they managed to increase FDI by "x" percentage points over that of last year or over the figure 5 years ago. But do they realize that if there had not been such antiquated protectionist policies, FDI figures could have, and would probably have reached, a different level?

As long as they look politically good, as long as they can report an increment in FDI, they're happy. They never look at what others are attracting in terms of FDI. Have you ever heard the Malaysian trade minister saying that FDI growth in Malaysia is a "net" gain over those of the other Asian countries? That would really have qualifies as an achievement, right? Not percentage growth with our "eyes wide shut"? What's the point of boasting about the growth in FDI in your country when the others in Asia are enjoying growth in real terms, terms which accord them the opportunity to not only grow their economies but also to restructure them so they are better geared towards the era of globalisation and to better handle the threats of emerging economic behemoths like India and China?

This isn't only about Malaysia. The Indonesians, and possibly the Thais, are the same. Just because they had an extra one or two billion in FDI, they're happy and able to report to their respective parliaments and people that they've done great jobs in attracting foreign investments ( and hence deserve to be re-elected). The technocrats in those governments are Harvard trained, or trained in a foreign tertiary institution of equivalent stature. Surely they must have their mathematical models designed for "non protectionist" parameters to predict investments and growth in the ideal scenario.

This all boils down to politics I guess; but the immaturity of their growing middle class cannot be absolved of blame as well. This "new found" middle class is easily manipulated; and in the case of Indonesia and possibly Thailand as well, they can be easily coerced or bribed into speaking on behalf of their politicians' ends rather than what is REALLY good for their country and for their people. Sad isn't it, considering they have so many people below the poverty line who are not likely to be able to get out of the poverty trap in their lifetimes, or maybe even the lifetimes of their children?

Perhaps they'll have to stick to lontong sayur for the rest of their lives, which isn't bad for nutrition. Most of the impoverished cannot even afford lontong sayur. They need money to buy rice to make lontong and have to till their lands for the vegetables (sayur), assuming their lands have not been appropriated by corrupt officials to build golf courses or shopping malls.

But why do they elect governments after governments who have no wish to tend to their interests? They don't, actually. For a few US Dollars, these poor and impoverished people are prepared to sell their votes to the highest bidder, thereby letting them decide their fates, as well as theirs of their children.

Money politics, they say. So do they have any hope at all?

Where's the Chinese bubble & when will it burst

2007-06-19T01:55:00.000+07:00

"Sir" Dr. Marc Faber is probably right - I think he deserves the "SIR" that I've added. Despite what was said by Messrs. Alan Greenspan, Li Ka Shing and other eminent economists and politicians, the Chinese bubble appears to be here to stay.

Considering that the savings rate in China is still much higher than what they've put into the stock markets (if I remember "Sir" Marc correctly, it's in the 70 to 80 percent region), it isn't surprising that "Sir" Marc's opinion differs from that of Messrs Greenspan,, Li and the others. Mr. Li, the richest man in Hongkong said on TV that PEs of 50 to 60 times cannot conceivably be unsustainable in China. But does the conventional rules of economics apply to the new-China we're seeing today? We'll have to wait and see.

Great thinkers, the likes of Adam Smith and Milton Keynes, studied trends and theorized the rules of macro and micro economics. But how could they have foreseen that the critical masses of one billion plus people in China and India can radically change the ground rules of 20th Century economic theories? It's not unlike the chain reaction in an atom or hydrogen bomb, I thought!

Remember what happened when stock markets went through continual downside corrections when oil prices shot up after escalating conflicts in the Middle East in the past, and most recently 2006? Then there's this latest round of oil price increases caused by Iran's seemingly uncompromising stance (so far at least) in their pursuit of nuclear "advancement" which hardly dented the global stock markets.

The world is going through changes, and global economies are constantly in a state of flux. Should we adapt to this changing world and start questioning economic theories of the years or decades gone by? Or do we hang on to these theories to lead us to the light at the end of the tunnel?

There are plenty of learned people on earth who constantly analyze and hypothesize through the use of sophisticated mathematical models and equations. I'm quite sure they are doing a great job, and earning lots of money along the way. But how many of these are open minded enough to realign their mindsets the way "Sir" Dr. Marc Faber did?

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a die hard fan of "Sir" Marc. But, I do honestly feel that he makes sense a lot of times I get to see and hear him comment. No disrespect to Messrs Greenspan and Li, whom I'm also a BIG fan of, mainly because of their achievements, stature and influence on this globalized economy which we're all a part of.

"So keep rocking "Sir" Marc", I would say to the man if I get to meet him face to face one day.

Thai politics - need a compass?

2007-06-02T20:43:00.000+07:00

The Thai constitutional court has ruled at last. And the TRT party has lost, as expected. So where are the Thais headed?

Somewhat like Japan where the cushy bureaucrats and politicians would rather retain the status quo. Look at what happened to that young entrepreneur who tried to capitalize on the internet boom in Japan? He came up with something unconventional, and perhaps more in tune with current economic environment; yet the "old timers" can't seem to accept this young radical chap in changing, or perhaps reforming, the business landscape. Soon, it turned political, and a "sort of" witch hunt ensued. Obviously he was prosecuted.

Look at Thaksin, minus the alleged corrupt practises. He and his TRT party is the only one to have won a parliamentary majority in a land so used to coalition governments and coup d'etats. What he did to the poor northern peasants doesn't seem to ring the same bells with the "old boys" in Bangkok.

And then this sage about Singapore's Temasek Holdings who bought over Thaksin's telecommunications company, which also included control of a satellite. Suddenly the nation is gripped with nationalism and are being led to believe that Singapore can actually tap into their satellite communications detrimental to the security of Thailand. Common!

Like what the Indonesian Defense Minister said when he was lobbying his parliament to rectify the defense treaty signed between Singapore and Indonesia. Why should Indonesia feel threatened? It was reported in the press that he said words to the effect that Singapore has no offensive aspirations; and if Singapore were bombed, the island will sink. Which is true.

Singapore only has 4 million odd people while Indonesia has 200 million plus. Even if Sun Tzu were alive, he would have recommended that Singapore avoid direct confrontation and seek diplomatic means of resolving matters. Or if Singapore can, seek alliance with an immediate power who might counter balance the inferior numbers of Singapore viz-a-viz Indonesia. Or perhaps protect Singapore from further intimidation by her bigger neighbors. But who can this power be?

The USA is too far away and has her plates full with Iraq, North Korea and Iran. Australia isn't in a position to be that power for it need its neighbor Indonesia to ensure stability and to cooperate in anti-terrorism efforts. China? Well not for the next 30 years anyway for China is busy with its economic agenda and has to manage the deep economic divide between her rural poor and the urban rich. Furthermore, she also has to worry about the growing pro-independence drift in Taiwan.

Indonesia has become emboldened by Thailand's moves against Temasek Singapore. Suddenly, their own telcos like Indosat and Telkomsel are being accused of price fixing just because Temasek and its subsidiaries own the two companies. Is this the true spirit of a free market, or nationalist feelings at play, or is it part of a grander scheme orchestrated by some big Russian telco in cohort with corrupt Indonesian officials as reported in the Straits Times of Singapore and the Jakarta Post of Indonesia? Who knows.

One can never be certain in Asia. So many factors are in play. A young democracy in Indonesia, a junta in Thailand trying to appease their people and the international community, communist Vietnam trying to ride the wave and benefit from the allure of capitalism, a reforming Malaysia whose "somewhat militant" former premier handpicked a more reform minded premier to succeed him. Then there's China and India. The economic powerhouses of the new millennium!

But we mustn't forget the power the old kingdoms wield! Look at Iran. The slightest hint of nuclear armament is enough to throw the whole world into disarray. The USA, Japan, China, India and almost all economies in the world are dependent on oil to keep their economies growing. The more they need oil, the more petrodollars the Middle East will earn.

Perhaps a sort of holocaust will help to re-balance the whole equation. Perhaps. But the costs will be too heavy to mankind than mankind can handle.

Xiao Long Bao made with hairy crab

2007-05-27T18:15:00.000+07:00

Some friends took me to this restaurant in a 5 star hotel in Jakarta which serves all sorts of northern Chinese delicacies with hairy crab meat and roe in it, including the infamous xiao long bao. This restaurant hails from Shanghai, so including hairy crab as part of the ingredients is understandable.

My friend said that this restaurant has to be halal (no pork) in order to cater to rich Indonesians in south Jakarta. Since they cannot use pork which is the normal ingredient in xiao long bao and other delicacies, using hairy crab with chicken is a novel approach. Besides they get to charge much higher prices than ones made of beef - each xiao long bao made from hairy crab costs about USD1 more than one made from beef.

There's no end to one's imagination. They've come up with beef bacon for breakfast and your club sandwiches in Muslim countries like Indonesia; or turkey ham which I thought was a far cry from the normal ham. The Chinese have their vegetarian versions of cha siew and roasted goose made from truly vegetarian ingredients such as beancurd, treated of course to give that tender taste associated with the original cha siew, and crispy like the skin of and roasted goose. We humans are very entrepreneurial. Is it to survive or is it to profit? Depends on how you look at it really.

In Indonesia, the nasi padang restaurants are normally no frills. All the food is prepared in the morning and left in glass display cabinets (like the ones you buy pens and watches) and one is charged by the amount one eats from the plates. So if they serve you a plate of curry chicken with 3 pieces and you eat only one of those 3 pieces, the "untouched" chicken is returned and not charged. May sound strange, and possibly unhygienic, to some of you but they've been doing that for ages so everyone here is used to it. The food is always cold, from being left in cabinets since they were cooked.

But in Singapore, Hongkong and some parts of Malaysia, specialized nasi padang restaurants exist which serve their food hot and the dishes are normally cooked as you order them - no returning of untouched food like Indonesia. Some places in Singapore display their food in cabinets similar to Indonesia's, but will heat the food up before serving them for two reasons: Singaporeans don't normally like cold food unless its a dessert, and reheating them for a few minutes do fit closer with hygiene norms there. Alternatively, some may display the food in glass cabinets but keep them warm with constant heating.

Once I had a "personalized" steamboat in a small restaurant in Beijing which was quite impressive. It is common to have personalized steamboat like shabu-shabu in Japanese restaurants as the Japanese are more hygiene conscious than the Chinese. But having that in Beijing was a pleasant surprise. So much was written about risks of catching hepatitis and other communicable diseases from sharing "common" food which is the normal way to eat Chinese food, I can't turn down an invitation to have traditional Chinese steam boat with my own personal pot.

See there's no end to evolution in this world. We can enjoy anything we like in the context of current developments and concerns, be they for hygienic or other reasons, as long as one leaves one's mind open.

Expensive Hainanese Chicken Rice

2007-05-20T20:54:00.000+07:00

Had the chance to have chicken rice at the Chatterbox Mandarin Singapore a few days ago. It costs almost Sing$30 after taxes now (I think, cos I didn't pay the bill).

Back in the 1970s when I had the privilege to be brought by a rich auntie to try this chicken rice, I remembered it costs above Sing$5.00 a plate, when ordinary chicken rice from the neighbourhood kopitiam would have cost a dollar at most.

Then I remembered one of the bankers, plus other investment bankers, selling the idea of investing in, say mutual funds, at 5% return net per year. I pulled out the spreadsheet from my computer and put in $5 as principal and 5% as rate of return. Guess what? The answer is about $21 after 30 years. So why are these bankers telling us to invest in funds which yield amounts which won't buy us a chicken rice in 20 or 30 years' time?

But if you look outside of Singapore, there are other investments and perfectly legal funds which yield much higher rates of return. I can still remember my early days visiting Hongkong, Taiwan and Indonesia. To the people there, a 5% return isn't even worth 5 minutes of their time. At that time, I thought it was the instability of their currencies, in the case of Taiwan and Indonesia at least, whose people were totally hung up on keeping their stash funds in the safe US dollar. Hongkong is a different story cos you can make a hundred percent return if you're brave enough to speculate on a new property launch. You can make at least 20 to 30 percent a year if you're daring and smart with stocks on the Hang Seng Index, basically buying low, selling high and buying again. In mahjong jargon, they call it "winning a game with small returns is the equivalent of winning one big game". Very unlike the Casino Royale you watched where everything is about winning with ONE good hand.

It was only recently that I realized that the smart investor can actually outdo others, if they care to look beyond their own country. In this day and age, with the powers of the internet, one can get their hands on equities anywhere in the world with online trading. I'm not advocating that one should do this recklessly, cos its like gambling in a casino in Vegas or Macau, or very soon Singapore. But if one sees the price of oil rising, its not unreasonable to invest in stocks of oil related companies or countries. I put some money on a Latin America fund cos Brazil has got coffee and Venezuela oil (forget the cocaine in Columbia as that's in the black market). This money wasn't put in one stock but in a mutual fund managed by a reputable global company. True enough, in less than 9 months, the return was 30 plus percent.

Sure the US dollar is a bit weak now, relative to global currencies. But who needs to liquidate? "Just hang on to the dollars even if I had to liquidate the Latin America fund", I thought. "I don't need to swap the greenback for any currency now. I can wait till I need, say Euros to buy a Merc or a Porsche, before I liquidate the greenbacks. But by then, its a time of my choice and for all you know the greenback would have recovered from their current low of 1.35 to the Euro.

Makes sense?

That's why my advice to my friends who ask for investment advice is that one must always spread one's investments and invest only what one can afford to. Don't invest your kids' education fund if you can't afford to "pull out" in time. I remember the times I got burnt in various stock exchanges I invested in. After pouring money in some rather promising stocks, I suddenly needed funds for another more promising investment. The stocks rose by a few percent, far short of the 10 or 20 percent they were supposed to rise. So I liquidated them to move the money into the "more promising" investments as I'd already made some profit. Then those stocks I liquidated rose to the target levels I originally had in mind, yet the "more promising" investment had yet to deliver on the expected returns. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush, perhaps?

A friend of mine once said to me that if you invest (by jumping on the bandwagon), you have to know when to "jump off the bandwagon". He relates it to the tramcars in Hongkong or elsewhere in the world for that matter. You get on the tram and fall asleep, you'll miss your stop and find that you have to spend double the time to get home.

There's a Chinese saying that you miss the "Su Chow" you won't get another boat. The same in English. But in investing, I feel that there's ALWAYS another boat waiting for you. It's a case of what your expected returns are.

I've been into so many property deals which soured; a bit of the Hongkonger attitude I picked up. There's always a good deal in Hongkong. And people jump on the bandwagon in trying to get rich quick, not unlike the stock exchanges in Shanghai and Guangzhou now. A Chinese friend of mine in Hongkong once told me that the Chinese have gambling in their blood. But if you look carefully, there's always another opportunity if ever you're in doubt about the current one - just like if you see a strong banker in the casino, you don't have to place your bets on his /her table as there's always another table waiting for your bets. Sure there'll be the ones who'll become a millionaire faster than you can, but if you make an easy million, you're likely to lose that just as easily. It's like in the casino. You win, you increase your bets, and then the banker kills you in one swipe.

So now, each time a good deal comes along, I'll trust my own judgement more than what others tell me. I never listen to one investment banker; rather, I listen to a few of them and balance out their views. I'm sure every investment analyst and banker will have their preferences. They have a job to do. Some are over conservative, others are over enthusiastic about what they believe will work.

I missed out on the European funds, specifically emerging Europe. They're Euro based funds and the US was 1.25 to the Euro when my investment banker offered them to me. I felt the Euro was over-valued and sat around to wait till the Euro hits the sub-1.20 region before I move. Russia and the new Eastern European economies prospered. Along with the gain on Euro versus US Dollars exchange rate, I would have made 30 percent at least. But I have no regrets cos the money which I didn't put into Europe ended up in China funds. That went up more than 40 percent in the same period!

Life is fair. With China over-heating now, it may be time I wait for a market correction to go back into emerging Europe.

Back to my chicken rice. It's as good as it used to be. It's also the condiments which add to the pleasure of that expensive plate of chicken rice. The pounced ginger and garlic mix, and the chilly sauce, of course.

So for those of you who're stuck in less than expected yields, I'd suggest you look beyond your geographic boundaries. If you had invested in something which yielded 10 percent return, the $5 you spent on the chicken rice 30 years ago should have cost you more than $80 now. So the $30 we paid for that plate of Chatterbox chicken rice isn't that bad after all.

What's happening to Asia

2007-05-18T02:21:00.000+07:00

What is this about Asia.

Stock markets went berserk. Shanghai market seems to see no end to the bull run. When will it crash? Anybody's guess, really.

All this talk about Dow Jones and the US economy driving the world seems passe for now. Its China man! The Chinese farts, and the world farts along. Even Cannes film festival. Full of Chinese participation from director to artistes. Surely this must have been the effect of having more than one billion people there.

But can China sustain? Looking at the 4,000 years or so of Chinese history, there's this tendency to sit back and relax. Just like those emperors who resort to wine, women and song in the past, hence neglecting the livelihoods of the commoners, or "lau pai sing". Really hope this new breed of Chinese leaders are different from the emperors living in the comfort of their palaces.

So what's in store for the rest of Asia? India is catching up fast. Indian conglomerates are buying up European and Amercian companies like the Arabs did in the 70s with their petro dollars. Of course it's a bit more sensitive when the Chinese try to do the same - a deal some months ago to buy into one of the oil companies in the USA hit a snag with government intervention. So who is going to come out on top of this? The Chinese or the Indians, both of which are savvy traders and merchants since time immemorial.

And what is the rest of Asia doing about these two juggernauts? The Association of South East Asian nations (ASEAN) tried to do their bit. But with political turmoil and the lack of strong leaders, it doesn't look like they'll catch up anytime soon.

Thailand had its coup, Indonesia is mired in political jostling, Malaysia has its share of racial problems to resolve, Vietnam and Cambodia are still reeling from the transition from communism to semi-capitalism. Singapore has a strong government but they are at the mercy of their BIG brothers to the north, south, and west; plus the envy from these poorer big brothers. Hongkong is also at the mercy of what happens to CHINA, which they are supposedly a part of. Japan is embroiled in their own domestic problems, amidst the complications of an emerging Korea. Yet Korea is not without its own problems, considering the militant north. What about Taiwan? Probably more turmoil cos they are struggling to reconcile the relationship vis-a-vis China. Maybe when they stop punching one another in parliament will there be some serious work done in the county.

Where does that leave us in Asia?

Supposedly the South East Asian nations were to achieve ASEAN integration like Europe, with one common market and one common currency. But with such diverse economies and cultural roots, that sounds like an overly ambitious end. There's the issue of indigenous people, the majority of which belong to the Malay race, against the immigrants primarily the Indians and the Chinese who have settled in South East Asia. These are people who left their homes for a purpose and one purpose - to make life for themselves and their families back home better, economically. Their mindsets are different from the indigenous people who take their rights to their own lands for granted, and who feel that they should enjoy the fruits of economic success by virtue of the fact they are indigenous.

This isn't an Asian phenomenon. The Americans had to deal with the Indians and the Australians had to deal with their aborigines. The difference is that the American and Australian immigrant population surpassed that of their indigenous people many many years ago, before they started to realize that their indigenous people are being marginalized, in a way. Honestly, this is really of no consequence to the evolution of mankind and the modernizing of economies and the advent of freedom of global trade.

Asian countries, being a bit more backward (with some exceptions) economically and politically started to introduce immigration and restraint of trade regulations which prevented and hindered the free movement of talents and investments to the extent that they're unable to balance the ratio of their laid back indigenous populace with primordial mindsets against willing immigrants whose only objective is to improve their economic well being in the country they've chosen to live.

A free market economy is probably the only way forward in this day and age. Sure, one can choose to pace the opening up of their economy in tandem with local sentiments and sensitivities. Like China, which has chosen to regulate the appreciation of their currency to avoid social unrest. But the longer the process lasts, the more its populace will be left behind. Closing doors to the rest of the world succeeded in China through the centuries, for there was no internet, no international phone calls, and no super jumbos who can fly from one corner of the world to another in less than one day (disregarding time zones). In that aspect, India seems to be a bit more open, although they have to reconcile the divide between Hindus and Moslems and the impact of neighboring Pakistan on their own people.

What a mess Asia has become! Europe is probably facing the same problems after having merged western European economies with the newly liberated, previously Communists, eastern European markets. But they seem to be doing fine, although they don't have the critical mass which Asia has in China and India.

Long live the king, the queen, the emperor, the raja, the sultan or whomever else. As long as they have the long term interests of the populace in mind, they can live for as long as they like, provided God allows them to...........