South of the Border

South of the border
Down Singapore way
Where the nights are warm
And human palm trees still sway

If you got rinnnggit&dame&dime
Hear the new kasi-no chime
Malaysians donwanna go Ghighland
Sin-along to Singapura's Nu-westBand

PLicence exercised here: Apologies to Mexico from desiderita
for taking liberties;
Art thou a her or him or it?

Two latest developments in a country so-near-yet-so-far with which Malaysians conduct illicit love-hate relationships, with occasional public exhibitionists hogging the 900-seond limelight. Today I try to steal a few minutes of the thunder.

All the media (including The Star and NST and theSun) highlighted, and the Singapore press I believe, trumpeted today that Singapore has decided to open up not one, but two casino resortsworth USD3billion (Rm11.4billion!) WoW, ('tis) JUST (to) let me have 1% for this PR piece, Yes? KASI, NO?)

In his first major policy decision since taking over from Mr Goh Chok Tong last August, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced plans to build one casino on Marina Bay near the city centre and one on the resort island of Sentosa.

"We cannot stand still. The whole region is on the move," Lee said, citing statistics showing Singapore getting 6.0percent of Asia-Pacific tourists in 2002, down from 8.0percent in 1998, reports the NST on page 6.

A second report on B1 (BusinessTimes) goes: "The Genting Group said yesterday's decision by the Singapore government to lift a four-decade ban on casionos in the republic presents a significant investment opportunity for it."

Genting is planning to expand into the island state, but will have to compete with 18 other contenders -- including gaming heavyweights Las Vegas Sands Corp, Wynn Resorts Ltd and MGM Mirage -- for the right to build the integrated casino-resort.

What makes Singapore buzz..z..z..

I'm tying up this "South of the Border" news of the samba-and-rumba development, re-branding the staid and strait-laced "kiasu-nemesi" across(ed) the causeway with two other media reports on Singapore matters sighted within the last two days.

* AP reported on Sunday April 17, 2005 that the Singapore government degfended its decision to bar an Amnesty International researcher, Timothy Barritt, from speaking at a public forum about the death penalty in the city state, saying it doesn't need a foreigner to lecture it on its criminal system.

Barritt, however, attended the forum with a statement of his views issued instead, but he plans to meet a Foreign Ministry official to discuss the bar.

** In the New Sunday Times of April 17, 2005, page 10 carried a Bernama report headlined Mistake not having Formula One, says Kuan Yew. I quote, in full, as I feel it's important enough:

SINGAPORE, Sat. -- Not building a Formula One course in Singapore was a mistake, said the republic's founding father Lee Kuan Yew, who acknowledged he under-estimated the power of pop-culture.
In remarks published here today,the former Prime Minister said Singapore had paid attention only to high culture, such as the arts.
"I went for high culture, and forgot pop culture. That is where the money is."
The decision not to build an F1 circuit had cost the country money.
"My colleagues and I said: 'Oh, It's bad. It'll teach our drivers to be reckless. Better not.'
"But that was a stupid decision because everybody wants to be on F1 and they put their names on it and millions of eyes are watching F1," Lee said.
This was a "lesson" he learnt, he said, and although he may not make decisions in the Cabinet now, he had told the younger ministers to "pay attention to all these" as "this is what would make Singapore buzz".

Lee also said that there would be "trouble" in Singapore if there were casinos, but there would be "more trouble" if there was none. -- Bernama.

In Senior Lee's last sentence lies the chief detectable rationale behind the Singapore government's "historic" decision yesterday.

The landmark decision had been preceded by much and vocal debate by usually quiet and compliant Singaporeans on the pros-and-cons of the casi-no or yes arrival at their doorsteps, when previously it was a few hours' drive to GHighlands or a swim to board a Star Cruises liner for that fling on the gaming table. They don't call in gambling, for that to all governments have a negative ring to it.

So Malaysians may be enticed soon to use more frequently the causeway or the bridge, and mayhaps when that "crooked" bridge was straightened out soon, like the two casinos?

Back to the Amnesty guy wanting to lecture Singaporeans (or for that matter, Asians), I agree the Sin.government has a point, just as most probably the Malay-si(a)n one in a similar scenario. I don't subscribe to the much-held view that "human rights" and freedom are mostly concepts imported from the West. I also don't buy that all the cultural products of decadence coming into our region originate from the west.

Don't we have enough brainpower to counter viewpoint-by-point whatever the opinions that Barritt (or Hollywood, or Bollywood, or Collywood) brings to this region. Hey, many Singaporeans, and some rare, and a dying breed of, Malaysians, I know have great oratory and critical powers, as exemplified by the Senior Lee, the architect of modern Singapore, and Sdr Anwar Ibrahim, one-time PM-in-waiting.

For Malaysia to be reticent engaging the Westerners in debate, I can understand, because our Engrish standard has fallen so far behind that it had been reported many of our diplomats abroad shy away from attending international forums -- what more addressing them -- as they do not wish to be caught in displaying the Emperor's new clothes.

Singapore in this new millennium -- Still afraid of a clash of minds?

This is a Globalised World. With the dancing and music Brazil-mardi gras-style along Orchard Road on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, mayhaps Singapore and Malaysia can do a little more space, and volume, at Speakers' Spaceout, not His Master's Voice style?

At the end of the day, I guess the almighty dollar dictates how the world spins -- and Charles Darwin's axiom pertaining to the Survival of the Fittest rules at the international marketplace. I just hope Malaysia wakes up in time to really know the newly branded marketplace is also constanly changing and mercilessly competitive. Someone south of the border knows. Do we?