Human Rights Abuses

Two dozen people protested outside China's Foreign Ministry to mark the 60th anniversary of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The end result was obvious in that they were all bundled onto buses and taken away. The significance of the event was not how they demonstrated or were arrested but that numbers who took to the street to voice their indignation. Governments every where tended to have a bad perception of humam right advocates. Many see them as "trouble makers" and others classify them as a "threat" to political stability. It is indeed a shame that basic rights are not widely followed by countries who are not just members of the United Nations but even those who sit on the Security Council. While I am not advocating that one should take to the streets to push for governments to pay more attention to human rights issue, I think the UN body should revisit the charter and look at how this matter can be given a new dressing and made more palatable to its wider membership.

There are so many countries where governments abuse their power and steam-rolled their way through to get things done to their advantage. The events in Zimbabwe is pathetic and given the ills that have beset the world's economies, free governments are not too enthusiastic to put their finger in lest they be drawn into a deep bottomless pit. While politicians look polished in their suits and lavish office, large parts of the people are dying of cholera and suffering from starvation.
Sudan and Myanmar are other examples where human rights are abused in broad daylight. But such abuses are not just confined to the Third World. We see absuses in developed nations which makes it difficult for anyone to throw a stone at the likes of Zimbawe and Sudan since everyone seems to be living in a glass house.

Meantime the people must suffer, finding solace only in the writings in their religious books where sufferings is seen as an atonement for past sins given by the Greater Being. Suffering is also seen as a way to greater glory in the life hereafter.

Wash away by recession

The advertisements in the newspapers posed a constant reminder that the Christmas season is just round the corner. The trees along the main business district was also donned with bright city lights and colourful decorative buntings. Santas, with their bushy beards and bells are somehow noticeable absent...perhaps it is still too early. Certainly the mood is dampened not only by the economic recession that pervades across the spectrum of society but even the weather is not letting up. Amid the whole gloom, I believe not everyone is affected badly. I would exclude the rich from the list as they are obviously still comfortably sitting on their wealth albeit the values may have lost one or two zeros. Certainly if we look at the professionals, the lawyers, doctors, accountants and those who are holding senior management positions like CEO, COO, CFO, Corporate Secretary, General Manager etc they would still be well cushioned from the impact of the recession. Perhaps they may be denied the additional dressings on top of their main dish, but the fact remains that they would still have their main dish. The next level would be those who are in the middle management. Earnings may be curtailed by employers cutting back on annual bonuses and increments, but they too would have benefited from the employer's generosity with raises in salary in 2007 and all the perks that came with it. Their only fear is that they have to keep themselves employed because when the axe comes down often it would fall on the middle terrain. The lower rankings and those on the shopfloor are the worse off. Though their wages may be small, often they are the target of retrenchments by virtue of their being in large numbers. $1500a month each for 1000 workers is a lot of money for a struggling business, compared with $5000 a month for four senior managers. Besides during bad times companies need good managers to develop the business, or to hold whatever business there is left. The production or shopfloor work can be outsourced or be done by fewer numbers, working a little longer hours.

The signs were there before the tidal waves hit the shores. Yet many in postion of authority did not more than make verbal exhortations and became passive bystanders when the waters crashed on the beaches, wiping away whatever stood in its way. Could we not divert the workers on the shopfloor to other areas? Point them to safer avenues where they can take temporary refuge even though wages may be lower? Did we think about it at all, or did we fail to lift a finger for them?

Of wars lost and won

The contamination of Irish pork is indeed a case that requires more probing by the authorities. While I am not here to cause a scare but given the current liberties that terror groups are taking with innocent lives, it is important that one should get to the bottom of the issue to ensure that foul play if any is not the job of those who are bent to do evil in society. Indeed if they could puncture the WTC and cause a catastrophic loss of a few thousand lives, there is nothing to prevent them from looking at the food supply chain to contaminate it with poison. I wonder if there is going to be an end to all this evil doing. We once lived in an era where hijacking of planes were a continual occurrence. Tightened security at airports and concerted efforts by government to deny them landing rights eventually rendered the hijackers out of jobs. But the current wave of furtive planting of bombs to main and kill innocent people is making the job more challenging for the authorities. I then took refuge in Socrates and remembered his encounter with Meno in the latter's search for an understanding of what is "virtue" and what is "good". Are these evil-doers in carrying out their killings under the belief that what they are doing is good and virtuous? Or are they so warp in their beliefs that they don't see right from wrong and would simply "carry out orders"? Indeed even as I am writing my eyes caught a glimpse of the scrolling news that talks about the Taliban occupying 70% of the society in Afghanistan and also about the arrest of the alleged Mumbai mastermind in Pakistan. Where do we go from here? Will Afghanistan return to the days of the Taliban as the West struggles to put their economic mess in order? I recall reading some eminent person pointing out that future for warfare lies not in just going for high technology weapons to win the battles. Rather it is the ability to endure and survive after winning the battles that determines the eventual winner. Iraq and Afghanistan are two present day lessons. Vietnam was a lesson that was quickly forgotten. While the British won the battle with the Malayan Communist Party by winning the hearts and minds of the local population, the landscape has changed dramatically since those early days. Today, it is more than bread and butter. It is religion that is the platform for winning the ground. The Philippines is still struggling in its fight against the Moro Liberation Front. Does it mean that wars must now be fought with the religious teachers embedded in the front lines, to advice and engage the ground after each battle is won in order to raise the flag for the final victory?

So what lies ahead come 2009

Someone asked what can we look forward to in the new year 2009? Thought it was a timely question. Instead of making resolutions, let's look at what the future holds. Mankind is such that they take a keen interest to know the future, hence horoscopes have a good following even till today though the accuracy of their forecasts is not done scientifically. We also have soothsayers and fortune tellers who would gladly take you on an excursion into your future life. I have often heard of people who consult mediums to find out if they should do this, that or the other. But dabbling in the future can be a risky business. Analysts, economists and those who try to peep into the future can tell you. Take the current economic climate. How many learned economists and analysts were proven wrong. Nightly I watched the TV and could see how many of them would have lost their credibility if they were taken to task on their forecasts. The smarter ones of course put a caveat to their forecasts.

Never mind that, but coming back to what to expect in 2009? I think it would be safe to say it will be an interesting year where there will be a lot of anticipation. The first is the new Obama team taking office at the White House and how they are going to steer the US economy and with it the world out of the current quagmire. Their policies will impact on the Middle East politics but not so much for Europe. The European continent are more likely to be steered by Russia, France, Britain. In Asia, there are two major events to look forward to, namely the changing of the guards in Malaysia, and the outcome of Thai politics. The absence of the Thai King from his annual address to the nation on his birthday on 4th Dec created a lot of speculation. There were talks of spilt within the high office whether to support the yellow shirts or the red shirts. Malaysia's new political leadership will have to show how much influence it can yield to stave off a power grab by the opposition. Indonesia is another cauldron where a new political leader may emerge. The pot is brewing and some posturing by the key players are expected to be more pronounced in early 2009. Well even in Singapore there may be some interesting developments as it tries to steer itself out of the recession. China is not expected to see changes in its leadership and focus is more on economics than politics. Australia is feel an unease with the change in government in New Zealand. The conservatives are in after more than a decade of absence. Kevin Rudd remains popular in Australia though some reports said he lost some points. It is still early days for Australia elections.

Let's see how we fare after the first three months of next year with our forecast, or outlook on politics.

The first quarter of the year would set the tone for much of the rest of 2009. So it will be an interesting Jan-March if you ask me.

Looking at the brighter side

The wet weather certainly brings back memories of the season that we encountered earlier this year in the US. Instead of rain, it snowed unexpectedly. Fortunately we had sufficient warm clothes to keep ourselves comfortable. The carpet of snow was a sight to behold but the subsequent melting of the ice made it a challenge to keep your shoes and trousers clean. But really the weather can be a damper to your mood or not all at. Much would depend on your mental makeup.

Amid the lightening, I pleased to have had a good start to the day, with some good meeting with a client to advise them on their work. I hope also to focus on opportunities that may arise when the market picks up. The best time to prepare for new businesses is during a downturn, because some competitors may fold up, and potential clients would need a boost to get themselves up at the pole position. There has been much discussion by motor firms in US and Europe seeking bailouts from the Government. A poignant question was put to one of the European firms, namely, that in the past five years the firm has been in the red and how would this be justification for a bailout by the government.

Oh, I can't help but let my concentration be interruped by the sirens from an ambulance rushing to or from somewhere. Its also a reminder of the fragility of life though it also underscores the point that even in bad times, the healthcare industry may not be as adversely affected. The worse hit are those offering luxury or non-essential services like beauty care. But what about food? My son thought it was a good industry as people still have to eat always. However the key lies in whether you can cook as otherwise you will be at the mercy of the chef. Or what about being an important of canned foodstuff instead and you won't have to worry about the chef. Well it is then taking a different path...may be I should ask someone say a politician what he or she thinks about it. It is always good to pose question to people who are in unrelated professions to seek their views because they may be able to see things from a totally different perspective. I guess I may do just that.

Preparing for better times

It's been difficult times and how badly it is hurting the population isn't really felt so far. People are still thronging the streets at least to walk and walk if they aren't shop and shop for the Christmas season. Interestingly a senior union official said the real impact would be felt in the first and second quarter of next year when retrenchments can be expected from many more businesses. One news grabbing headline was about a major corporation whose employees were taking pay cuts in order to stave off any retrenchment among the staff. Ironically the chief executive took home more than $6 million in salary and bonuses. The corporation was quick to emphasize that the bulk of his income came from bonuses. With that kind of pay packet what would a 50% cut be to him? Yes, he would take notice of the cut but he could still afford a good turkey and chestnuts to roast on the fireplace during Christmas. True enough the news only marginally fan the stocks by rising a notch or two before it ended on the bourse in the negative. I hope this is a sign of investors and the man-in-the-street being more discerning and not be taken in by statistics and percentages, so that their vision would not be blurred by the wool.

One commentator has rightly pointed out that at a time of recession it is when people should take stock and look at how they can spring back when the economy turns upwards. Instead of just nursing wounds and complaining, we should be scrutinizing the horizon and see if there is a glimmer of light somewhere out there!

An interesting homily

Over the weekend I heard an interesting homily and I thought how true it is that mankind is such that much of what we are suffering from is our own doing. AIDS for one is our own doing. The subprime and related financial crisis are our own doing. And I guess mankind has always been destructive. As we invent something new, we will eventually end up victims of our own inventions. So I thought to myself, if I should come up with any new idea, I will first examine if it will in any way destroy myself, and what can I do to neutralise that destructive element.

Even as I was writing I can't help but be distracted by the large number of editorial space devoted to the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks, and suddenly the economic crisis became a backseat passenger. In fact the economic crisis is almost forgotten, as the media also prepares readers for the events that would unfold in Thailand.

I decided to turn my mind to the weekend impending marathon. While I won't be a competitor I certainly am a firm believer of good health. I noticed an increasing number of eager beavers running up and down the coastline and assumed that they were training for the big run. I huffed and puffed, but realised that there was no way for me to keep abreast of these runners whose legs seem to gallop like the horse. Their stamina appear unlimited in supply and I was contend with running two kilometres. I guess not many people would appreciate the joy of running and some may even complain that it is boring. However, running with iPod in your ears under the starry eyes of the night sky is but a joy. I remembered once someone told me how he would always bring his running gear when he travels abroad so that he could run in the different parks around the world. Well though I am not a great swimmer I recalled doing that when I was headed for Hawaii. I brought my swim wear and got myself into the waters off Waikiki beach. At least I thought I could say I swam on that famous waters!