Latest on Fri, 06:13 am
I love the Minister of Defence
Sometimes, though these are very rare occasions, there is good news in the papers. This for instance was in the International edition of the NRC: “Dutch defence minister Eimert van Middelkoop says he is “very happy” he found a legal way to dodge his military service“. Generally speaking I don’t share Mr Middelkoop’s policies, but suddenly he is real sympathetic to me.
He, like I did, had to serve in times we had conscription in this country. I sincerely congratulate him on this accomplishment to avoid that fate- he managed to do what I would have done if I had been as shrewd and clever as he obviously was. Military service meant young men lost two years of their lives . Two years, which in his and my times usually meant one was idly waiting for the Sowjet Union’s attack- though it was actually never really imminent. We were kept busy with duties without any purpose. Learning skills a decent society should not practice. Acquiring inferior morals and attitudes which for some of us proved hard to kick afterwards.
“Asia is overcome by a tidal wave of common sense”
The quote is from Kishore Mahbubani, a learned and eminent Singapore citizen of Indian descent. He himself is making tidal waves in the media and universities by his books in which he castigates the West for arrogance, geo political incompetence and complacency, while at the same time he proclaims the ascent of Asian progress. While the US and Europe lack the capacity to understand the transformation the world is going through, Asia is marching to modernity with a huge, peace and stability loving middle class as result. In the process an ocean of new Asian brainpower – which always has been wasted- will become available and boost the developments.
As one might expect China is kind of a model to him. According to Mahbubani that country took two major beneficial decisions. One of them is that after the end of the cold war it didn’t copy the political system of the West (= liberal democracy), but only the economical one (free market economy). In that way it profited from the dynamics and vitality of the system, but could prevent the socio-political chaos the former USSR had and has to deal with. The other one is a geo strategic one: China offered a free trade agreement to the Asean and Asian countries and executed it. The outcome of that decision is that the Asian hemisphere as a whole benefits from a remarkable economic growth.
Promotion of the Open Mind.
Usually I try to keep clear of the construction workers of the castles in the air. Good doers and softies. But there is nothing wrong with people who practice their ideals. Courageous guys and dolls who persistently work towards reducing conflicts, helping mutual understanding and enhancing harmony in society and between societies. Especially in times when dogmatic loudmouth extremists – politically, economically and theologically- seem to have got hold of the stage.
It’s high time to promote the voice of moderation. Jennie Bev is one of those voices. I think she is right. It’s about time to contradict and, if necessary drown out, the too harsh, threatening, aggressive sounds of the Bushes, the Osama’s, the Wilders’ and the Abu Bakar Ba’ashirs. I think Jennie Bev’s article, which was in the Jakarta Post also, is about this common sense people trying to strengthen common sense on both sides of the gaps which divide them.
Mixed Signals from Jakarta
Like everywhere else in the world Jakarta also has several realities. One is caused by the ever widening gap between the poor and the rich. And the way the common man has to cope. By this account (in Dutch) the growing new middleclass gladly pays € 2.10 for the popular iced latte. Or rather 30.000 rupiah. By comparison: in New York the price is slightly under $ 4.- (= € 2.50). A saleswoman in a bookshop earns about € 85.- a month, so she can spend it on approximately one ice latte a day- after that she’s got rid of all her money but a little cash which she can use for one or two nassi meals a week. The nassi vendor makes less than half of that income, € 35.- a month. So as for now he and his wife are no plausible Starbucks’ clients at all. Maybe this is the Indonesian Dream: the shining bright future when there is one iced latte a day for everyone. Unfortunately the liberal democracy is still in its toddler’s stage.
That’s the reality of daily life. But way up, practically out of sight of the common man, is this other reality. Or should I use plural: other realities. Realities for which he/she is too busy trying to survive to pay much attention too. Or even to bother at all.
Does Democracy Further Corruption?
