This is neither an authoritative nor prescriptive exposition. It is based on one person’s experience with life in a reasonably democratic country with fundamental human rights. You learn something. You share, even in an imperfect way. And you hope the next person will take it, use it or improve on it.
If you are living in a society with room for improvement, you may want to consider my recipe. This is, of course, not an exhaustive list.
Freedom of speech. This includes a free press. Political parties cannot have any shareholding or interests in newspapers and TV stations. They can be allowed to have specialized political newspapers or magazines or even a TV channel, but will never be allowed to monopolise political thoughts, just as no large corporation will be allowed to dominate any market. A free press plays a critical role in ensuring human rights are not compromised. Investigative journalism contributes to a more honest and transparent society. Freedom of speech empowers the people to speak for themselves, to criticise what is wrong, and convey their needs to the government their.
A free market, with provisions against anti-competitive behaviour on the part of large corporations, leads to efficiency in the society and the greatest benefits to society.
Independent judiciary system. The Prime Minister is unable to appoint or sack the key people in the judiciary system. The system has to be seen as fair, and independent of influences from the politicians, organized crime, or any party.
Independent electoral system. Likewise, the appointment of the head has to be debated and approved by Parliament, not unlike the appointment of key positions in the US government. Nominees have to be subjected to public scrutiny.
Accountable police and security forces. A public commission will oversee the activities of the police and security forces. The police will have to act within the law and cannot go beyond their prescribed powers.
The government should fund a viable opposition to the government. This involves paying a salary to an opposition “cabinet of shadow ministers” and funding the establishment of offices and basic staffing of all members of Parliament so that they have some means of serving the electorate. There should also be funding to enable people and political parties to offer themselves for election. This will ensure a viable and participative democracy.
Transparency and anti-corruption. Establish a “permanent transparency and anti-corruption commission” which can investigate any transaction involving politicians and public servants. A parallel commission will look at transaction involving corporations e.g. directors over-valuing an acquisition or overlooking the interests of shareholders.
All members of Parliament, politicians holding positions in their parties, and all public servants will have to declare their pecuniary interests and report changes when appropriate.
Freedom of information. The public and journalists will have greater access to how decisions were made in government.
An anti-discrimination commission to ensure that the minorities are not discriminated against and that people of all races and background have equal rights to pursue their lives.
Check and balance instruments
The government should fund and encourage the development of bodies such as consumer association, health commission, education commission, employer groups, unions, motorist association, shareholders association, public transport commission, rent and housing commission, and police commission to provide another voice and mechanism that the interest of the public is well looked after. These bodies will be run independently and will keep an overview of issues affecting the public.
Good governments leading to good societies – something to hope for.
Saturday, 31 May 2008
Monday, 26 May 2008
An Amnesty for Corruption?
The Philippines was at one time the most “westernized” of Asian countries, with prolonged influence from the Spanish and Americans. In fact it was and still is the only Catholic Asian country. Some of its people have names that appear to be western rather than Asian. Seemingly more democratized, you would have expected it to fare better. Unfortunately, democracy did not live up to its promises.
How is it that with all the democratic institutions such as free speech, free elections, etc, the country did not progress as much as some of the other countries such as Malaysia where there is no real freedom of speech and opposition leaders get arrested under the internal security law?
The finger can be pointed at corruption. Corruption deeply entrenched in society is such a curse that infant democracy cannot get rid of it. President Aquino had good intentions but corruption persists.
Corruption is bad, a big SIN. There is no other way to look at it. Even the fear of punishment from the Almighty God will not deter people of any religion from being corrupted.
Two recent corruption cases were in the news recently. One in Malaysia involved someone who is a friend of the Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister. The Malaysian Ministry of Defence, which the Deputy Prime Minister headed as defense minister, paid 1 billion euros (RM4.5 billion at that time) for the purchase of submarines. A company in which this friend has interests, Perimekar, received a commission of 114 million euros, a whopping 11 percent of the sales price of the submarines. This matter has received media attention now because the person involved is on trial for murder, with two Malaysian army personnel, of his Mongolian lover. Talk about transparency in government decisions!
The second case is from Indonesia. The Sydney Morning Herald on 23 May reported on a corruption trial. US$2.85 billion sourced from public funds was lost in a loan given to an Indonesian tycoon some years ago. The Indonesian Attorney-General’s office dropped the fraud charge against the tycoon. Two days later, a state prosecutor was arrested in the tycoon’s house with a box containing US$600,000 in cash. Also arrested was a woman business associate of the tycoon, who claimed she was only lending the money to the state prosecutor. The state attorney had apparently organized for the woman to meet a junior attorney-general and the director of special crimes to discuss the investigation into the loan from Bank Indonesia. The latter two people have not been implicated in any corruption charge. (I have to give credit to President Yudhoyuno for his anti-corruption intiatives in Indonesia; the same cannot be said of Prime Minister Badawi of Malaysia who planned an anti-corruption drive that went nowhere).
We are not talking of small bucks in the above cases; money belonging to the people.
114 million euros in Malaysia and US$2.85 billion in Indonesia; money that could been used to build hospitals, schools, roads, etc.
These are just the tip of the iceberg, so to say. Big money decisions are made all the time. Corruption changes the way decisions are made. You can say the decisions that are made will not be the right ones or the best ones, because it will no longer be a fair process. In any corrupt society, you can bet many sub-optimal decisions are made every day! Imagine the costs to society.
No matter what values or religion you have, or from what standpoint you look at it, there is no justification for corruption. Corruption is wrong. Corruption is a crime against society, against humanity! The penalty should be severe for such a crime.
Corruption can only be eradicated if there is solid political will, something that we seldom see. Human failings than strength (of leaders) are more common in anti-corruption drives. For example, you are the president of a nation and you have good intentions of fighting corruption. You set about and get a few people arrested for corruption. Then you ultimately find that your greatest ally in politics is corrupted. Do you put a sting operation, arrest him or her, and lose some of your own support base?
After thinking long and hard, this idea comes to mind. It is not an original idea. It does not matter; it may work. Offer an amnesty for a certain period of time. This is not dissimilar to the amnesty for crimes during the apartheid years in South Africa. Own up and return some of the money, and you can live the rest of your life as a free man. In the process of owning up, you will have to provide details of how you obtained the money. This means names will be given to the authorities. This will put more pressure on other people to own up in case their names have been provided by others.
It may seem counter-intuitive, allowing the robbers of society to get away. But it appears to me that this is one way of fighting corruption. It is worth trying.
How is it that with all the democratic institutions such as free speech, free elections, etc, the country did not progress as much as some of the other countries such as Malaysia where there is no real freedom of speech and opposition leaders get arrested under the internal security law?
The finger can be pointed at corruption. Corruption deeply entrenched in society is such a curse that infant democracy cannot get rid of it. President Aquino had good intentions but corruption persists.
Corruption is bad, a big SIN. There is no other way to look at it. Even the fear of punishment from the Almighty God will not deter people of any religion from being corrupted.
Two recent corruption cases were in the news recently. One in Malaysia involved someone who is a friend of the Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister. The Malaysian Ministry of Defence, which the Deputy Prime Minister headed as defense minister, paid 1 billion euros (RM4.5 billion at that time) for the purchase of submarines. A company in which this friend has interests, Perimekar, received a commission of 114 million euros, a whopping 11 percent of the sales price of the submarines. This matter has received media attention now because the person involved is on trial for murder, with two Malaysian army personnel, of his Mongolian lover. Talk about transparency in government decisions!
The second case is from Indonesia. The Sydney Morning Herald on 23 May reported on a corruption trial. US$2.85 billion sourced from public funds was lost in a loan given to an Indonesian tycoon some years ago. The Indonesian Attorney-General’s office dropped the fraud charge against the tycoon. Two days later, a state prosecutor was arrested in the tycoon’s house with a box containing US$600,000 in cash. Also arrested was a woman business associate of the tycoon, who claimed she was only lending the money to the state prosecutor. The state attorney had apparently organized for the woman to meet a junior attorney-general and the director of special crimes to discuss the investigation into the loan from Bank Indonesia. The latter two people have not been implicated in any corruption charge. (I have to give credit to President Yudhoyuno for his anti-corruption intiatives in Indonesia; the same cannot be said of Prime Minister Badawi of Malaysia who planned an anti-corruption drive that went nowhere).
We are not talking of small bucks in the above cases; money belonging to the people.
114 million euros in Malaysia and US$2.85 billion in Indonesia; money that could been used to build hospitals, schools, roads, etc.
These are just the tip of the iceberg, so to say. Big money decisions are made all the time. Corruption changes the way decisions are made. You can say the decisions that are made will not be the right ones or the best ones, because it will no longer be a fair process. In any corrupt society, you can bet many sub-optimal decisions are made every day! Imagine the costs to society.
No matter what values or religion you have, or from what standpoint you look at it, there is no justification for corruption. Corruption is wrong. Corruption is a crime against society, against humanity! The penalty should be severe for such a crime.
Corruption can only be eradicated if there is solid political will, something that we seldom see. Human failings than strength (of leaders) are more common in anti-corruption drives. For example, you are the president of a nation and you have good intentions of fighting corruption. You set about and get a few people arrested for corruption. Then you ultimately find that your greatest ally in politics is corrupted. Do you put a sting operation, arrest him or her, and lose some of your own support base?
After thinking long and hard, this idea comes to mind. It is not an original idea. It does not matter; it may work. Offer an amnesty for a certain period of time. This is not dissimilar to the amnesty for crimes during the apartheid years in South Africa. Own up and return some of the money, and you can live the rest of your life as a free man. In the process of owning up, you will have to provide details of how you obtained the money. This means names will be given to the authorities. This will put more pressure on other people to own up in case their names have been provided by others.
It may seem counter-intuitive, allowing the robbers of society to get away. But it appears to me that this is one way of fighting corruption. It is worth trying.
Governments, rights, corruption, and society
Why am I writing about these matters? You can’t avoid these subjects once you think about life, or about the problems people face in living their lives. You expect that all countries will progress so that their people will have better lives. But it is not so. There are countries which go backwards.
Human rights, freedom of speech, the proficiency of governments, and corruption – they are all inter-related. Governments which deny their people of fundamental human rights end up abusing their power. Public funds are misused. Relatives and cronies are rewarded; public funds are wasted. There is no transparency and accountability in the government’s actions. The public service gets corrupted. The majority of the people have lost their natural access to opportunities. The privileged ones get richer and the poor gets poorer. Law enforcement and the judiciary become corrupted as well or are directed by corrupt politicians. Human rights deteriorate. If you live in one of those countries, you will know all the horror stories.
Governments have to take the blame. Bad governments create the environment for the abuse of power, corruption and poverty. As if being poor is not bad enough, the people are also oppressed by the lack of basic human rights. And they have no power or means to speak out against injustice.
Bad governments do not value their people. Their lives are nothing. Look at Burma now after the typhoon. There have been calls to charge the generals for crimes against humanity, if people were to die because foreign aid was not permitted to reach them.
No amount of foreign aid or charity is able to make a dent on poor countries. Firstly, a lot of the aid may end up in the wrong hands. Secondly, whatever is built up is often destroyed by wars, racial uprisings or civil disorders. Infrastructures and institutions are destroyed. An entire generation or two may go without education or a normal life, where you go to work to make a living, and return to a home and family. All it takes is just one bad president or prime minister.
What I am going to say will be controversial. I can see why so many western leaders are talking about human rights. I can see why George Bush invaded Iraq, with all the atrocities committed by the late Saddam Hussein against our fellow human beings. It may appear right for the world to take over Burma and Zimbabwe, if only it can be that straightforward. The world may need to intervene in some countries. One can’t help thinking like this.
So I cry out about human rights, corruption and good governments. These all the things we have to look at in order to have a better world.
Human rights, freedom of speech, the proficiency of governments, and corruption – they are all inter-related. Governments which deny their people of fundamental human rights end up abusing their power. Public funds are misused. Relatives and cronies are rewarded; public funds are wasted. There is no transparency and accountability in the government’s actions. The public service gets corrupted. The majority of the people have lost their natural access to opportunities. The privileged ones get richer and the poor gets poorer. Law enforcement and the judiciary become corrupted as well or are directed by corrupt politicians. Human rights deteriorate. If you live in one of those countries, you will know all the horror stories.
Governments have to take the blame. Bad governments create the environment for the abuse of power, corruption and poverty. As if being poor is not bad enough, the people are also oppressed by the lack of basic human rights. And they have no power or means to speak out against injustice.
Bad governments do not value their people. Their lives are nothing. Look at Burma now after the typhoon. There have been calls to charge the generals for crimes against humanity, if people were to die because foreign aid was not permitted to reach them.
No amount of foreign aid or charity is able to make a dent on poor countries. Firstly, a lot of the aid may end up in the wrong hands. Secondly, whatever is built up is often destroyed by wars, racial uprisings or civil disorders. Infrastructures and institutions are destroyed. An entire generation or two may go without education or a normal life, where you go to work to make a living, and return to a home and family. All it takes is just one bad president or prime minister.
What I am going to say will be controversial. I can see why so many western leaders are talking about human rights. I can see why George Bush invaded Iraq, with all the atrocities committed by the late Saddam Hussein against our fellow human beings. It may appear right for the world to take over Burma and Zimbabwe, if only it can be that straightforward. The world may need to intervene in some countries. One can’t help thinking like this.
So I cry out about human rights, corruption and good governments. These all the things we have to look at in order to have a better world.
Friday, 23 May 2008
Democracy and Culture
It is sometimes argued that some cultures are not compatible with democracy. Is that real or just an excuse?
I think I know where the problem lies.
There are cultures where it is not usual for the parents or elders to be questioned by their children or subordinates (Chinese, Malays). This cultural disposition extends to corporations where the bosses tend to be paternalistic, and subordinates do not feel good to question the bosses unless requested. (I concede that I am generalising because I am sure that management style may vary). And as you would expect, this cultural thing extends to politics and public administration, where the political leaders do not tolerate criticisms or dissent. Such are taken with the attitude that “you are not giving me respect or face”. I am your boss, so why should you criticise what I do. You are not being loyal. Terms such as running dogs are thrown at those who dare to criticise. You do not bite the hand that feeds you. So they lock up the opposition leaders and suppress the press.
Hence you see the intolerance for dissent, the control of the press, and the suppression of the opposition. If you are lucky, it becomes a paternalistic government for the benefit of society (as in Singapore; you may disagree with my assessment). In others, this style of government may evolve into abuse of power, corruption, nepotism and autocratic tendencies, leading to the degradation of human rights. Any opposition to government policies is not tolerated and is rewarded with jailings and beatings.
So while some of these countries profess to be democratic and practise free election, they do not practice democracy as is known in the west. They may argue that they have their own brand of democracy, but it is really a big lie.
Culture has been used as an excuse for autocratic practices and iron-clad rule.
If Confucianism could be put aside for Chinese Communism, so can eastern cultures embrace democracy.
The institutions for democracy can be nurtured. Parliament can be adapted to provide more robust debates. The press can be liberated to allow freedom of expressions and for the people to have their say (as is already happening in the alternative media, the internet). Political parties can be funded by the government to develop a healthy opposition. The judiciary is freed from the influence of those in power so that there is justice. People will speak up if they know that justice is fair. Students can be encouraged to engage in political debating. Children can learn to express their opinions. Laws will not be used to deter dissent.
Let us hope that as governments change in developing countries and new leaders take the stage, the system will also change to allow freedom of expression and democratic reforms. If not, there will be no improvement in human rights, no matter who is in government.
I think I know where the problem lies.
There are cultures where it is not usual for the parents or elders to be questioned by their children or subordinates (Chinese, Malays). This cultural disposition extends to corporations where the bosses tend to be paternalistic, and subordinates do not feel good to question the bosses unless requested. (I concede that I am generalising because I am sure that management style may vary). And as you would expect, this cultural thing extends to politics and public administration, where the political leaders do not tolerate criticisms or dissent. Such are taken with the attitude that “you are not giving me respect or face”. I am your boss, so why should you criticise what I do. You are not being loyal. Terms such as running dogs are thrown at those who dare to criticise. You do not bite the hand that feeds you. So they lock up the opposition leaders and suppress the press.
Hence you see the intolerance for dissent, the control of the press, and the suppression of the opposition. If you are lucky, it becomes a paternalistic government for the benefit of society (as in Singapore; you may disagree with my assessment). In others, this style of government may evolve into abuse of power, corruption, nepotism and autocratic tendencies, leading to the degradation of human rights. Any opposition to government policies is not tolerated and is rewarded with jailings and beatings.
So while some of these countries profess to be democratic and practise free election, they do not practice democracy as is known in the west. They may argue that they have their own brand of democracy, but it is really a big lie.
Culture has been used as an excuse for autocratic practices and iron-clad rule.
If Confucianism could be put aside for Chinese Communism, so can eastern cultures embrace democracy.
The institutions for democracy can be nurtured. Parliament can be adapted to provide more robust debates. The press can be liberated to allow freedom of expressions and for the people to have their say (as is already happening in the alternative media, the internet). Political parties can be funded by the government to develop a healthy opposition. The judiciary is freed from the influence of those in power so that there is justice. People will speak up if they know that justice is fair. Students can be encouraged to engage in political debating. Children can learn to express their opinions. Laws will not be used to deter dissent.
Let us hope that as governments change in developing countries and new leaders take the stage, the system will also change to allow freedom of expression and democratic reforms. If not, there will be no improvement in human rights, no matter who is in government.
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Dissent and freedom of speech
Democracy (the real one) is synonymous with freedom and human rights as enshrined in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Freedom of expression enables members of the society to give their opinion, to engage in robust discussion about government policies, to oppose and disagree if they so wish. Freedom of association allows the formation of political groups, groups with common interests to establish and promote their ideas or to lobby the government with respects to policies, etc. These groups, political or apolitical, are common and relevant features of a democratic society.
Governments have to continue to woo the electorate or voters to their policies. If not, they will only stay in power till the next elections. The other political parties, who would like to be voted in to form the next government, will try its best to sell its policies too, whilst criticising the current government’s policies. There is continuous pressure on the government to have the right policies, to continue to manage well, and to continue to engage with the public. The people can never be taken for granted and the government has to listen to their concerns..
Let me illustrate the above points with an Australian example. Every year, the government has to present its budget to Parliament. The budget embodies the government’s policies and plans, and sets out how funds will be allocated for various government programmes.
The Australian Labor Party, which had won the recent elections, presented its budget through the Treasurer a week ago. Prior to Budget day, some speculations of the proposed changes found their way to the media and were tested in an informal way. The media, in its usual role, canvassed and reported on public opinion. Talk back radios were active with reactions on the speculations. So there was a big build-up to this important event of the year.
The Budget is always presented at 7.30 pm, long after the stock market had closed. The Treasurer holds the stage and makes his speech, which is broadcast live over TV and radio.
After the presentation is over, there will be interviews with the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader and Shadow Treasurer (in the Australian system, these opposition leaders enjoy a salary paid from government funds). As the commentators will say, the hard sell starts now, to woo the public. Polls will eventually be conducted to see how the public reacted to the Budget.
Two nights after the Budget night, the Shadow Treasurer (Opposition) makes his reply speech in Parliament. In it, he will attempt to bring out all the negatives of the government’s budget and counters with the policies of his party. This is again followed by a few more days of engagement in robust debates about policies, until it loses media and public interest.
Last night, the Prime Minister was interviewed (or grilled) by Kerry O’Brien, a formidable presenter on ABC’s The 7.30 Report. This is never a friendly pro-government interview. O’Brien tried his best to corner the PM on various aspects of the budget, the opposition’s counter proposals, or the reactions from various groups e.g. pensioners. (The previous day, some pensioners took off their shirts during a demonstration on a busy street, accusing the government of neglecting them in the budget). The PM, on the other side, tried to demonstrate that he has all the facts and knowledge of all aspects of the budget, and more. So there were a lot of difficult questions and attempts to put a different spin to things. This type of debate is always done in a friendly but business-like manner. They say that it would be unAustralian to lose your cool in public or on TV. Doing that would change the perception voters have of you and lose you quite a few votes.
One wonders why the Prime Minister subjects himself to such an interview. There are various reasons – to defend his policies, to sell to the electorate, to show that he is not hiding from the public reaction, to beat the drums if the public opinion is favourable. It is democracy at work.
Freedom of speech is a key ingredient in democracy. To be a leader in a real democracy, you have to have good communication skills, a willingness to engage with others in public debate, an ability to keep smiling under pressure.
How will such a political model fare in developing countries? To be continued in the next blog.
Freedom of expression enables members of the society to give their opinion, to engage in robust discussion about government policies, to oppose and disagree if they so wish. Freedom of association allows the formation of political groups, groups with common interests to establish and promote their ideas or to lobby the government with respects to policies, etc. These groups, political or apolitical, are common and relevant features of a democratic society.
Governments have to continue to woo the electorate or voters to their policies. If not, they will only stay in power till the next elections. The other political parties, who would like to be voted in to form the next government, will try its best to sell its policies too, whilst criticising the current government’s policies. There is continuous pressure on the government to have the right policies, to continue to manage well, and to continue to engage with the public. The people can never be taken for granted and the government has to listen to their concerns..
Let me illustrate the above points with an Australian example. Every year, the government has to present its budget to Parliament. The budget embodies the government’s policies and plans, and sets out how funds will be allocated for various government programmes.
The Australian Labor Party, which had won the recent elections, presented its budget through the Treasurer a week ago. Prior to Budget day, some speculations of the proposed changes found their way to the media and were tested in an informal way. The media, in its usual role, canvassed and reported on public opinion. Talk back radios were active with reactions on the speculations. So there was a big build-up to this important event of the year.
The Budget is always presented at 7.30 pm, long after the stock market had closed. The Treasurer holds the stage and makes his speech, which is broadcast live over TV and radio.
After the presentation is over, there will be interviews with the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader and Shadow Treasurer (in the Australian system, these opposition leaders enjoy a salary paid from government funds). As the commentators will say, the hard sell starts now, to woo the public. Polls will eventually be conducted to see how the public reacted to the Budget.
Two nights after the Budget night, the Shadow Treasurer (Opposition) makes his reply speech in Parliament. In it, he will attempt to bring out all the negatives of the government’s budget and counters with the policies of his party. This is again followed by a few more days of engagement in robust debates about policies, until it loses media and public interest.
Last night, the Prime Minister was interviewed (or grilled) by Kerry O’Brien, a formidable presenter on ABC’s The 7.30 Report. This is never a friendly pro-government interview. O’Brien tried his best to corner the PM on various aspects of the budget, the opposition’s counter proposals, or the reactions from various groups e.g. pensioners. (The previous day, some pensioners took off their shirts during a demonstration on a busy street, accusing the government of neglecting them in the budget). The PM, on the other side, tried to demonstrate that he has all the facts and knowledge of all aspects of the budget, and more. So there were a lot of difficult questions and attempts to put a different spin to things. This type of debate is always done in a friendly but business-like manner. They say that it would be unAustralian to lose your cool in public or on TV. Doing that would change the perception voters have of you and lose you quite a few votes.
One wonders why the Prime Minister subjects himself to such an interview. There are various reasons – to defend his policies, to sell to the electorate, to show that he is not hiding from the public reaction, to beat the drums if the public opinion is favourable. It is democracy at work.
Freedom of speech is a key ingredient in democracy. To be a leader in a real democracy, you have to have good communication skills, a willingness to engage with others in public debate, an ability to keep smiling under pressure.
How will such a political model fare in developing countries? To be continued in the next blog.
Sunday, 18 May 2008
Nation building or nation wrecking
I am not an expert on human rights. But I have lived in various societies to know what human rights means to me.
This is what I can say.
When you have human rights in a society, it is easy to build on it. You have the legislative framework and supporting institutions (independent judiciary and law enforcement, etc) in place. So it is a matter of improving them. How do you build on it? You nurture all the democratic practices, free press, engage all in policy debates, improve access to all levels of government, fund the opposing sides of politics, encourage the growth of interest groups, increase transparency in government, make sure the checks and balances work.
It is easy to wreck it too. Start off by electing the wrong leader and party. He puts his own people to head the public service, the law enforcement, the military and the judiciary. (On the latter, Pakistan and Malaysia come to mind. They have done that). Then the supporters are rewarded with money politics. The ruling party takes vast interests in business. The supporters with positions too start to abuse their positions and take their share of corrupt money. Then every public servant and policeman wants bribes. Corruption becomes the way of life. The leader prolongs his time in power. The opposition parties are suppressed through money politics. The constitution is changed many times. The media is controlled tightly. The oppostion is arrested without reason under some internal security law. Human rights is eroded. The people has little say or the means to change things. The democratic right to vote means nothing anymore.
When the nation has been wrecked, it becomes difficult to unravel the mess.
I wish I have a solution, but I don’t.
Wherever you live, be watchful. Do whatever you can before it is too late.
This is what I can say.
When you have human rights in a society, it is easy to build on it. You have the legislative framework and supporting institutions (independent judiciary and law enforcement, etc) in place. So it is a matter of improving them. How do you build on it? You nurture all the democratic practices, free press, engage all in policy debates, improve access to all levels of government, fund the opposing sides of politics, encourage the growth of interest groups, increase transparency in government, make sure the checks and balances work.
It is easy to wreck it too. Start off by electing the wrong leader and party. He puts his own people to head the public service, the law enforcement, the military and the judiciary. (On the latter, Pakistan and Malaysia come to mind. They have done that). Then the supporters are rewarded with money politics. The ruling party takes vast interests in business. The supporters with positions too start to abuse their positions and take their share of corrupt money. Then every public servant and policeman wants bribes. Corruption becomes the way of life. The leader prolongs his time in power. The opposition parties are suppressed through money politics. The constitution is changed many times. The media is controlled tightly. The oppostion is arrested without reason under some internal security law. Human rights is eroded. The people has little say or the means to change things. The democratic right to vote means nothing anymore.
When the nation has been wrecked, it becomes difficult to unravel the mess.
I wish I have a solution, but I don’t.
Wherever you live, be watchful. Do whatever you can before it is too late.
Friday, 16 May 2008
What it means to have rights
How do freedom and rights impact on my life?
Here’s one day of my life:
Last night – watched the news, followed by what is called a half hour of post-news “current affairs” where matters affecting people are presented e.g. supermarkets “ripping off” people. I could have watched the live broadcast of the Opposition leader’s speech in reply to the government’s budget proposals, but chose not to.
Good night’s sleep. No fear of being invaded. There is a reasonable effective Police Force to keep the peace and order.
Morning – watched the news briefly. Options of stations to tune into. And foreign news as well. Freedom of the press. Late morning - SBS broadcasts news from foreign-language stations such as Italian, Greek, Indonesian, Chinese, etc.
Drove to work – listened to talk-back radio on people’s opinion of the budget and other issues of public interest. Many stations. Popular with listeners and advertisers, and the presenters are highly paid.
On the train, everyone is equal – black, chocolate or white. People may give up their seats to a pregnant woman, elderly people, adults with young children. Some people bring their bicycles. Prams are common after the peak rush hour.
If I have a seat on the train, I may get to read my papers which had been delivered to my home at about 5.30am. The trains are very crowded these days because more people are catching the trains due to high petrol prices as well as high employment. The public transport is a big issue and the state government has come in for a lot of criticisms from the public.
Yesterday, I sent an email to the State Shadow Minister thanking him for raising an issue about my workplace in Parliament. I got a brief reply from him on the same afternoon.
Next week, the union has organised a 24 hour strike and we will be meeting for a peaceful rally in front of the office of the bosses.
Afternoon, I am going the reverse direction back home. My trains almost always run on time, which is great. CityRail has a service which emails subscribers if there is any trackwork during the week.
Had enough time to go to the optometrist to replace my new glasses for free because the original one did not do the job (my prescription had changed slightly). There are consumer laws and consumerism is strong in Australia.
My car, which had been parked on the roadside for the whole day, is safe and sound. There is a little traffic jam on the way home, but the flow is smooth. Radio stations give regular updates of traffic movements during peak hours. A helicopter flies around to check on traffic and listeners are encouraged to ring and report traffic jams. Should I go over the speed limit, I will probably be caught by speed cameras. There is no crooked cop waiting to collect bribes, as in some countries.
Listened to the radio station that plays pop music. Switched every now and then to talk-back radio to listen to what people are discussing.
It is dusk. Reached home and did my half hour walk in the dark.
Another day of living in peace and security, with the freedom to go about my business and my life without interference, to be what I want to be. And with the knowledge that I do have rights in this country.
Here’s the Australian’s government explanation of democratic rights and freedom:
Independent judiciary
Robust representative parliamentary institutions
Human rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
The separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers
Constitutional safeguards
The rule of law
A transparent criminal justice system – presumed innocent until proven guilty, can only be detained by a police for a limited period, right to a fair trial, trial by jury, legal aid services
Opposition parties partially funded by the government
Anyone can be held accountable and his/her actions, including the government’s, can be scrutinised
Legislative and legal framework with various acts to protect everybody’s fundamental rights
Many non-governmental organisations exist to promote and protect human rights
Freedom of expression, association, assembly, communication and religion
Freedom of Information Act – right to access information in the possession of the government and its authorities, with some exceptions.
See www.dfat.gov.au/facts/democratic_rights_freedoms.html
Now if you think this kind of system is only fitting for rich western countries, think again. Look at something that was drafted more than 60 years ago and adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in December 1948. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights contains 30 articles covering essentially the same principles of human rights.
We are supposed to have a year long celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Declaration, so it is timely to read it again. See http://www.un.org/rights/ (the link is not working, so you will have to type this URL)
Today, many countries are violating the principles of the UN Declaration and “legitimising” themselves by passing laws which justify their actions. The judiciary is not independent and is influenced by politicians and those with money. The electoral system, even though there is a one person one vote system, is controlled by whoever is in power. Politicians abuse their positions. There is not enough transparency in the actions of those in power and in positions. Corruption is rife because the police force and judiciary are corrupted as well. Autocratic politicians hang on to power and cannot be removed even though they may be strangling the country.
Human rights are still wanting!
Here’s one day of my life:
Last night – watched the news, followed by what is called a half hour of post-news “current affairs” where matters affecting people are presented e.g. supermarkets “ripping off” people. I could have watched the live broadcast of the Opposition leader’s speech in reply to the government’s budget proposals, but chose not to.
Good night’s sleep. No fear of being invaded. There is a reasonable effective Police Force to keep the peace and order.
Morning – watched the news briefly. Options of stations to tune into. And foreign news as well. Freedom of the press. Late morning - SBS broadcasts news from foreign-language stations such as Italian, Greek, Indonesian, Chinese, etc.
Drove to work – listened to talk-back radio on people’s opinion of the budget and other issues of public interest. Many stations. Popular with listeners and advertisers, and the presenters are highly paid.
On the train, everyone is equal – black, chocolate or white. People may give up their seats to a pregnant woman, elderly people, adults with young children. Some people bring their bicycles. Prams are common after the peak rush hour.
If I have a seat on the train, I may get to read my papers which had been delivered to my home at about 5.30am. The trains are very crowded these days because more people are catching the trains due to high petrol prices as well as high employment. The public transport is a big issue and the state government has come in for a lot of criticisms from the public.
Yesterday, I sent an email to the State Shadow Minister thanking him for raising an issue about my workplace in Parliament. I got a brief reply from him on the same afternoon.
Next week, the union has organised a 24 hour strike and we will be meeting for a peaceful rally in front of the office of the bosses.
Afternoon, I am going the reverse direction back home. My trains almost always run on time, which is great. CityRail has a service which emails subscribers if there is any trackwork during the week.
Had enough time to go to the optometrist to replace my new glasses for free because the original one did not do the job (my prescription had changed slightly). There are consumer laws and consumerism is strong in Australia.
My car, which had been parked on the roadside for the whole day, is safe and sound. There is a little traffic jam on the way home, but the flow is smooth. Radio stations give regular updates of traffic movements during peak hours. A helicopter flies around to check on traffic and listeners are encouraged to ring and report traffic jams. Should I go over the speed limit, I will probably be caught by speed cameras. There is no crooked cop waiting to collect bribes, as in some countries.
Listened to the radio station that plays pop music. Switched every now and then to talk-back radio to listen to what people are discussing.
It is dusk. Reached home and did my half hour walk in the dark.
Another day of living in peace and security, with the freedom to go about my business and my life without interference, to be what I want to be. And with the knowledge that I do have rights in this country.
Here’s the Australian’s government explanation of democratic rights and freedom:
Independent judiciary
Robust representative parliamentary institutions
Human rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
The separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers
Constitutional safeguards
The rule of law
A transparent criminal justice system – presumed innocent until proven guilty, can only be detained by a police for a limited period, right to a fair trial, trial by jury, legal aid services
Opposition parties partially funded by the government
Anyone can be held accountable and his/her actions, including the government’s, can be scrutinised
Legislative and legal framework with various acts to protect everybody’s fundamental rights
Many non-governmental organisations exist to promote and protect human rights
Freedom of expression, association, assembly, communication and religion
Freedom of Information Act – right to access information in the possession of the government and its authorities, with some exceptions.
See www.dfat.gov.au/facts/democratic_rights_freedoms.html
Now if you think this kind of system is only fitting for rich western countries, think again. Look at something that was drafted more than 60 years ago and adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in December 1948. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights contains 30 articles covering essentially the same principles of human rights.
We are supposed to have a year long celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Declaration, so it is timely to read it again. See http://www.un.org/rights/ (the link is not working, so you will have to type this URL)
Today, many countries are violating the principles of the UN Declaration and “legitimising” themselves by passing laws which justify their actions. The judiciary is not independent and is influenced by politicians and those with money. The electoral system, even though there is a one person one vote system, is controlled by whoever is in power. Politicians abuse their positions. There is not enough transparency in the actions of those in power and in positions. Corruption is rife because the police force and judiciary are corrupted as well. Autocratic politicians hang on to power and cannot be removed even though they may be strangling the country.
Human rights are still wanting!
Saturday, 10 May 2008
Courage and Hope - The Migration Museum
Between North Terrace and the Torrens is the Migration Museum. This is the first time that I have come across it, even though I have been to Adelaide many times.
As they say, that is a season for all things. Perhaps certain matters strike a chord with me now, not before.
Australia is a land of migrants. This is a museum dedicated to those who left their homelands for good reasons to settle in this country far from everywhere else. War is probably the greatest cause of migration. The current intake includes Sudanese.
In the front courtyard are plagues placed by various ethnic groups to honour their migrants – Filipinos, Bosnians, Croatians, Jewish, Slovenians, Hungarians, Serbians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Latvians, Tartars, Polish, Vietnamese and British child migrants. Migrants from over 100 countries now contribute to multi-cultural Australia.
A bronze sculpture greets visitors with the inscription “the immigrants - courage, pride, dreams, achievements”.
This is what it is. People are sometimes critical of migrants and wonder why they leave and settle in another country. They do not realize the pain, suffering, sacrifices, challenges, rejections and discriminations that migrants put up with. Like all things, you pay a price. You go with the hope that life will be better, if not for you, for your children. Most ran because of war and famine, persecutions, discriminations, abusive governments, and for the pursuit of freedom and basic human rights.
Some sacrificed their way of life and career, not being able to speak the language of the new country. They faced the challenge of starting life and careers again, but with hopes and aspirations for the future. Most will miss their homeland for the rest of their lives. Some never made enough to even go back for a visit.
As recorded at the museum, an early migrant, Mary Thomas in 1836, penned these words:
“Yes, England I have fled from thee
Fast fades thy beauteous shores
Then flow my tears, for I shall see
My native land no more.”
I salute and respect the people who have the courage, hope, and determination to migrate.
One day, I hope people will leave their countries, not as migrants, but as happy tourists.
As they say, that is a season for all things. Perhaps certain matters strike a chord with me now, not before.
Australia is a land of migrants. This is a museum dedicated to those who left their homelands for good reasons to settle in this country far from everywhere else. War is probably the greatest cause of migration. The current intake includes Sudanese.
In the front courtyard are plagues placed by various ethnic groups to honour their migrants – Filipinos, Bosnians, Croatians, Jewish, Slovenians, Hungarians, Serbians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Latvians, Tartars, Polish, Vietnamese and British child migrants. Migrants from over 100 countries now contribute to multi-cultural Australia.
A bronze sculpture greets visitors with the inscription “the immigrants - courage, pride, dreams, achievements”.
This is what it is. People are sometimes critical of migrants and wonder why they leave and settle in another country. They do not realize the pain, suffering, sacrifices, challenges, rejections and discriminations that migrants put up with. Like all things, you pay a price. You go with the hope that life will be better, if not for you, for your children. Most ran because of war and famine, persecutions, discriminations, abusive governments, and for the pursuit of freedom and basic human rights.
Some sacrificed their way of life and career, not being able to speak the language of the new country. They faced the challenge of starting life and careers again, but with hopes and aspirations for the future. Most will miss their homeland for the rest of their lives. Some never made enough to even go back for a visit.
As recorded at the museum, an early migrant, Mary Thomas in 1836, penned these words:
“Yes, England I have fled from thee
Fast fades thy beauteous shores
Then flow my tears, for I shall see
My native land no more.”
I salute and respect the people who have the courage, hope, and determination to migrate.
One day, I hope people will leave their countries, not as migrants, but as happy tourists.
Friday, 9 May 2008
A Day Out
This has to be the most busy day of my trip – having to go to the city for a few hours. Common, get some car fumes into my lungs. I have to prepare for Sydney.
One can only do so many beach walks at Glenelg. So I decided that I will see the real world and visit the Central Market (again), North Terrace and Rundle Mall.
The tram starts near where I live. No rush. There is one every 8 minutes. At 9.30am, you only find oldies (sorry, senior citizens) on the tram.
What is a tram? It runs on a track like a train. It looks like a train, but is not called a train. Adelaide is pretty flat, so it suits the tram. It goes slowly and makes about 18 stops before it reaches the city. It even stopped for window cleaning. The conductor goes around asking “are you alright?” instead of “show me your ticket”. In Sydney, they go around in threes and you show your ticket before they ask you.
This is Adelaide. I thought to myself, if it is too slow for you, go to Sydney.
On the way, you see little cottages on small blocks of land. Expectations and needs of inhabitants were more modest in the early days. Now homeowners are prone to build McMansions of a few hundred square metres.
After 24 patient minutes, I arrived at Adelaide, city of churches.
North Terrace has to be the most pretty street in Australia. On one side, you see older, character buildings – the train station, the Casino, State Parliament, Government House, State Library, the Museum of South Australia, the Art Gallery, the University of Adelaide and the Adelaide Hospital. On the other side is the assortment of old and new buildings. The street is wide and there is a spacious terrace where you can stroll or sit and enjoy the space.
The North Terrace slopes gently down to the Torrens River. Bordered by green banks, it reminds me of Oxford/Cambridge.
In fact, this place is the beautiful campus of the University of Adelaide. I can imagine the students having their lunch break by the banks of the Torrens. When I am retired, I should spend a few months here and register to study a subject at the University, perhaps in the humanities area. Imagine coming to lectures late, falling asleep, participating in a student demonstration? That would be quite nice.
Rundle Mall is a really a street that has been turned into a pedestrians mall, lined by retailers. It is the “shop till you drop” paradise of Adelaide. Here you get all the well known retailers that you will find in any city in Australia..
Rundle Mall extends into Hindley Street. I was amazed by the number of food establishments on this stretch. There must be demand not only from the city workers, but from the many students in high rise accommodation in the area.
I made a short visit to the Art Gallery, at the same speed as when I go into a supermarket – which is very fast. There was one painting that caught my untrained eye – Evening Shadows, Backwater of the Murray” by HJ Johnstone, oil on canvas circa 1880. It stood out from the rest on the same wall. What impressed me was the fact that the artist captured the colour of the evening so well. Apparently, this painting is the most popular piece in the museum. I searched for it on the internet. Have a look. “Control and click” the link http://www.artgallery.sa.gov.au/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId%20=192
Interestingly, quiet a few of the artists lived in Australia for a while and returned to England. Even in those days, people were coming and returning. It was not a one way ticket.
Deceased singers like Elvis and John Lennon have songs that live on after their death, and they continue to earn royalties and a following of imitators and fans. With artists, their paintings and fame live on for even longer, and appreciate more with time. Their paintings hang in nice majestic buildings and expensive homes. There is no need to build a monument to honour Rembrandt, Picasso or Monet.
Having done my cultural bit and filled my lungs with city air, I hastened to catch the slow tram back to seaside Glenelg.
One can only do so many beach walks at Glenelg. So I decided that I will see the real world and visit the Central Market (again), North Terrace and Rundle Mall.
The tram starts near where I live. No rush. There is one every 8 minutes. At 9.30am, you only find oldies (sorry, senior citizens) on the tram.
What is a tram? It runs on a track like a train. It looks like a train, but is not called a train. Adelaide is pretty flat, so it suits the tram. It goes slowly and makes about 18 stops before it reaches the city. It even stopped for window cleaning. The conductor goes around asking “are you alright?” instead of “show me your ticket”. In Sydney, they go around in threes and you show your ticket before they ask you.
This is Adelaide. I thought to myself, if it is too slow for you, go to Sydney.
On the way, you see little cottages on small blocks of land. Expectations and needs of inhabitants were more modest in the early days. Now homeowners are prone to build McMansions of a few hundred square metres.
After 24 patient minutes, I arrived at Adelaide, city of churches.
North Terrace has to be the most pretty street in Australia. On one side, you see older, character buildings – the train station, the Casino, State Parliament, Government House, State Library, the Museum of South Australia, the Art Gallery, the University of Adelaide and the Adelaide Hospital. On the other side is the assortment of old and new buildings. The street is wide and there is a spacious terrace where you can stroll or sit and enjoy the space.
The North Terrace slopes gently down to the Torrens River. Bordered by green banks, it reminds me of Oxford/Cambridge.
In fact, this place is the beautiful campus of the University of Adelaide. I can imagine the students having their lunch break by the banks of the Torrens. When I am retired, I should spend a few months here and register to study a subject at the University, perhaps in the humanities area. Imagine coming to lectures late, falling asleep, participating in a student demonstration? That would be quite nice.
Rundle Mall is a really a street that has been turned into a pedestrians mall, lined by retailers. It is the “shop till you drop” paradise of Adelaide. Here you get all the well known retailers that you will find in any city in Australia..
Rundle Mall extends into Hindley Street. I was amazed by the number of food establishments on this stretch. There must be demand not only from the city workers, but from the many students in high rise accommodation in the area.
I made a short visit to the Art Gallery, at the same speed as when I go into a supermarket – which is very fast. There was one painting that caught my untrained eye – Evening Shadows, Backwater of the Murray” by HJ Johnstone, oil on canvas circa 1880. It stood out from the rest on the same wall. What impressed me was the fact that the artist captured the colour of the evening so well. Apparently, this painting is the most popular piece in the museum. I searched for it on the internet. Have a look. “Control and click” the link http://www.artgallery.sa.gov.au/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId%20=192
Interestingly, quiet a few of the artists lived in Australia for a while and returned to England. Even in those days, people were coming and returning. It was not a one way ticket.
Deceased singers like Elvis and John Lennon have songs that live on after their death, and they continue to earn royalties and a following of imitators and fans. With artists, their paintings and fame live on for even longer, and appreciate more with time. Their paintings hang in nice majestic buildings and expensive homes. There is no need to build a monument to honour Rembrandt, Picasso or Monet.
Having done my cultural bit and filled my lungs with city air, I hastened to catch the slow tram back to seaside Glenelg.
Tuesday, 6 May 2008
The Early Heroes of South Australia
Facing the jetty at Glenelg beach, between the Stamford Grand Hotel and the old Town Hall with its clock tower, is a granite monument standing about 10 metres tall. Glenelg was where the British started to build Adelaide. The monument was erected in 1936 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of South Australia.
This was the area where Governor Hindmarsh and the pioneer settlers first landed to establish the new province. His name is prominent on the west side of the monument facing the sea and jetty. Symbolically, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip landed here on their Royal Jubilee Tour in 1977.
On the northern wall of the monument, it says founders. Here you will find the surnames that you associate with roads and places in South Australia. Wakefield is right at the top. He has a special recognition. Then there are Gougher, Angas and Torrens. The idyllic river that splits Adelaide into north and south is named after the latter. The others have lent their names to prominent roads. The inscription says they ”overcame difficulties to secure the South Australia Foundation Act of 1834”. By that, I believe these people were the politicians of the day.
The names of the prominent pioneers occupy the southern wall (pun not intended). Gougher is at the top. The road in the city named after him has become part of Chinatown. Further down are Nuyts, Flinders (a university is named after him), Baudin, Sturt (the Sturt Highway goes all the way to Sydney), Barker, and Light (a surveyor-general, regarded as the founder of Adelaide). These people were honoured for being the first explorers and first settlers, meaning that they opened up the outback, and started farming.
They were the ones who were given land roamed and hunted on by the indigenous people of this southern land mass. Of course, the Aborigines did not have a concept of ownership or land titles of the Western type. It took more than two hundred years before a common man, Eddie Mabo went to the High Court in 1992 to successfully overcome the concept of terra nullius (land without settled inhabitants and settled law), and to get the court to recognize that the indigenous people had rights to land i.e. native title, and that the aborigines were the original “legal owners” of the land.
These names on the monument were the movers and the shakers of that era, the people who have left their footprints on the sands of time, the heroes of the new province of South Australia.
Adelaide was first populated by free settlers, not convicts as in Sydney and many other cities in Australia. In recent years, it has had a mayor of Chinese origin, Alfred Huang.
Today it is a sizeable modern metropolitan with a population of about 1.1 million.
The Afghans and their camels have been credited with the development of outback Australia. The first Afghan landed in Port Adelaide in 1838, only two years after the establishment of South Australia. Today, camels run free in the arid areas of Australia. So it is perhaps fitting that on a weekend, you will find two camels and an Afghan owner, 20 metres from this monument, providing rides on Glenelg beach.
Out in Adelaide city, the world’s first solar-powered electric bus is moving people too. Its passengers probably include indigenous people and migrants or descendents of migrants from over 100 countries of the world, with aspirations not very different from the ones who first landed on Glenelg beach back in 1836.
This was the area where Governor Hindmarsh and the pioneer settlers first landed to establish the new province. His name is prominent on the west side of the monument facing the sea and jetty. Symbolically, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip landed here on their Royal Jubilee Tour in 1977.
On the northern wall of the monument, it says founders. Here you will find the surnames that you associate with roads and places in South Australia. Wakefield is right at the top. He has a special recognition. Then there are Gougher, Angas and Torrens. The idyllic river that splits Adelaide into north and south is named after the latter. The others have lent their names to prominent roads. The inscription says they ”overcame difficulties to secure the South Australia Foundation Act of 1834”. By that, I believe these people were the politicians of the day.
The names of the prominent pioneers occupy the southern wall (pun not intended). Gougher is at the top. The road in the city named after him has become part of Chinatown. Further down are Nuyts, Flinders (a university is named after him), Baudin, Sturt (the Sturt Highway goes all the way to Sydney), Barker, and Light (a surveyor-general, regarded as the founder of Adelaide). These people were honoured for being the first explorers and first settlers, meaning that they opened up the outback, and started farming.
They were the ones who were given land roamed and hunted on by the indigenous people of this southern land mass. Of course, the Aborigines did not have a concept of ownership or land titles of the Western type. It took more than two hundred years before a common man, Eddie Mabo went to the High Court in 1992 to successfully overcome the concept of terra nullius (land without settled inhabitants and settled law), and to get the court to recognize that the indigenous people had rights to land i.e. native title, and that the aborigines were the original “legal owners” of the land.
These names on the monument were the movers and the shakers of that era, the people who have left their footprints on the sands of time, the heroes of the new province of South Australia.
Adelaide was first populated by free settlers, not convicts as in Sydney and many other cities in Australia. In recent years, it has had a mayor of Chinese origin, Alfred Huang.
Today it is a sizeable modern metropolitan with a population of about 1.1 million.
The Afghans and their camels have been credited with the development of outback Australia. The first Afghan landed in Port Adelaide in 1838, only two years after the establishment of South Australia. Today, camels run free in the arid areas of Australia. So it is perhaps fitting that on a weekend, you will find two camels and an Afghan owner, 20 metres from this monument, providing rides on Glenelg beach.
Out in Adelaide city, the world’s first solar-powered electric bus is moving people too. Its passengers probably include indigenous people and migrants or descendents of migrants from over 100 countries of the world, with aspirations not very different from the ones who first landed on Glenelg beach back in 1836.
Central Market - the Heart of Adelaide
I have a confession to make. I fell in love….with the Heart of Adelaide on my first visit. Now I always look forward to seeing her again. Love may be blind; everything about her is good.
Generally, I am enthralled by markets. The goods that people buy or eat are on show. They become food for thought for me about the way of life and perhaps the culture of the society.
Food does tell a fair bit about a place. The American blacks created food out of the parts of the pigs that were not fashionable to put on the dining table, because as slaves, their ancestors could only have what their masters discarded. The parts of the animals they eat are no different from the parts that the poor Chinese and French love so much.
Great dishes came out of poor societies. Do you just cook something that can look quite off-putting or do you create a great dish in which the main ingredient is no longer recognisable? And then grace the dish with a distinct name.
It is another perspective of “we are what we eat”.
The Central Market is a foodie paradise. The abundance, quality and variety of food signal that Australia is the lucky country. Food is in abundance. The stallholders have the passion for what they do. The food is always displayed like precious goods.
It is not just the best fruits and vegetables. There are fish and meat stalls, delis, pastry and nut shops, and even a pub.
On offer are foods of various ethnic origins - German, Dutch, English, etc. The market has the European flavour, something that I do not see in Sydney.
Today I spotted a Russian café, breads of various types from black rye to sour dough, game meats, kangaroo pepperoni, emu sausage, neison topside, wild goat shin, Scottish haggis, black pudding, and Sarawak laksa, just to illustrate the diversity.
It is not hard to get lost in this smallish market. One distraction and you cannot not sure if you are going clockwise or anti. It is best to accept that you are lost. Make no attempt to find out where you are. Just keep circling the rectangles of stores.
Today, I understand why. Each store has front and back exposures. Sometimes the back has the same display as the front. You get mesmerized by the display and confused by the duplication.
What did I buy today? Wild goat sausage, kangaroo tomato and fennel sausage, venison chop, three seed black rye bread, and fuji apples.
Still in a daze with my love. My eyes have feasted. As Anthony Bourdain would say in A Cook’s Tour, I am happy.
Generally, I am enthralled by markets. The goods that people buy or eat are on show. They become food for thought for me about the way of life and perhaps the culture of the society.
Food does tell a fair bit about a place. The American blacks created food out of the parts of the pigs that were not fashionable to put on the dining table, because as slaves, their ancestors could only have what their masters discarded. The parts of the animals they eat are no different from the parts that the poor Chinese and French love so much.
Great dishes came out of poor societies. Do you just cook something that can look quite off-putting or do you create a great dish in which the main ingredient is no longer recognisable? And then grace the dish with a distinct name.
It is another perspective of “we are what we eat”.
The Central Market is a foodie paradise. The abundance, quality and variety of food signal that Australia is the lucky country. Food is in abundance. The stallholders have the passion for what they do. The food is always displayed like precious goods.
It is not just the best fruits and vegetables. There are fish and meat stalls, delis, pastry and nut shops, and even a pub.
On offer are foods of various ethnic origins - German, Dutch, English, etc. The market has the European flavour, something that I do not see in Sydney.
Today I spotted a Russian café, breads of various types from black rye to sour dough, game meats, kangaroo pepperoni, emu sausage, neison topside, wild goat shin, Scottish haggis, black pudding, and Sarawak laksa, just to illustrate the diversity.
It is not hard to get lost in this smallish market. One distraction and you cannot not sure if you are going clockwise or anti. It is best to accept that you are lost. Make no attempt to find out where you are. Just keep circling the rectangles of stores.
Today, I understand why. Each store has front and back exposures. Sometimes the back has the same display as the front. You get mesmerized by the display and confused by the duplication.
What did I buy today? Wild goat sausage, kangaroo tomato and fennel sausage, venison chop, three seed black rye bread, and fuji apples.
Still in a daze with my love. My eyes have feasted. As Anthony Bourdain would say in A Cook’s Tour, I am happy.
The Malaysian Factor in Adelaide
Do you know the connection between Adelaide and Penang, Malaysia? Captain Francis Light is acknowledged to be the founder of Penang. His son, Colonel William Light, is the founder of Adelaide. The first building in the new township of Adelaide was in fact put up at Glenelg, where I am writing this. Interestingly, William Light was born in Kuala Kedah (near Penang) in 1786. It is mind-boggling that a Malaysian-born person founded a state capital of Australia.
As if this connection with Malaysia is not sufficient, a previous Premier of South Australia, Donald Dunstan was married to Adele Koh, who was an ex-Malaysian. Both are deceased now. Adele Koh was a young English tutor at the University of Malaya, and a Resident Fellow at First College in the late sixties.
And…..the first person of Asian origin to become a Federal government minister of Australia, Senator Penny Wong, hails from Adelaide. She was born in Sabah, Malaysia. She is currently the Minister of Climate Change.
Monday, 5 May 2008
Lazy Sunday Afternoon
Took a left turn when I came out of the building and went for a walk along the southern stretch of Glenelg beach. The biggest decision of my afternoon. Right tomorrow, perhaps.
It is a nice late afternoon. The sun is so soft. In summer, the sun would have been much hotter. Enjoy the seasons of your life.
Being Sunday afternoon, there are plenty of people on the foreshore. A horde of seagulls, addicted to junk food, noisily hovers at various heights. They can sense it is the unofficial feeding time. Food can make strange creatures out of us, seagulls or people.
I am glad that I did not bring my iPod for the walk. The sound of the waves is just as wonderful.
I am in holiday mood. I feel happy with a sense of tempered excitement. I breathe the Glenelg air.
Glenelg beach faces west. The sun is about to set.
So I stopped, after strolling about a kilometre, to watch. I am not the only spectator. It is not often that the horizon is clear enough. I have a real chance of seeing a great sunset.
I watched and watched. Lower and lower, slowly but surely, the sun flattens itself and disappears below the line.
5.31 pm and the show is over. The setting of the sun left behind an orangey red glow that filled the horizon for a good half an hour. There is nothing as magical as nature showing off. Sure beats the fireworks that we get on the setting of the year, New Year’s Eve.
No wonder the café nearby is full. Patrons had come for the sunset. The coffee is secondary. Or is it the other way round? It does not matter.
An elderly woman on a wheel chair is enjoying both. Isn’t it nice that someone had cared enough to take her out on such a beautiful day?
The air, the waves, the sunset, the people. I am happy. I have had my fill of nature’s delights. The little pleasures of life that I am grateful for.
A new night has begun. Tomorrow, I will walk further.
It is a nice late afternoon. The sun is so soft. In summer, the sun would have been much hotter. Enjoy the seasons of your life.
Being Sunday afternoon, there are plenty of people on the foreshore. A horde of seagulls, addicted to junk food, noisily hovers at various heights. They can sense it is the unofficial feeding time. Food can make strange creatures out of us, seagulls or people.
I am glad that I did not bring my iPod for the walk. The sound of the waves is just as wonderful.
I am in holiday mood. I feel happy with a sense of tempered excitement. I breathe the Glenelg air.
Glenelg beach faces west. The sun is about to set.
So I stopped, after strolling about a kilometre, to watch. I am not the only spectator. It is not often that the horizon is clear enough. I have a real chance of seeing a great sunset.
I watched and watched. Lower and lower, slowly but surely, the sun flattens itself and disappears below the line.
5.31 pm and the show is over. The setting of the sun left behind an orangey red glow that filled the horizon for a good half an hour. There is nothing as magical as nature showing off. Sure beats the fireworks that we get on the setting of the year, New Year’s Eve.
No wonder the café nearby is full. Patrons had come for the sunset. The coffee is secondary. Or is it the other way round? It does not matter.
An elderly woman on a wheel chair is enjoying both. Isn’t it nice that someone had cared enough to take her out on such a beautiful day?
The air, the waves, the sunset, the people. I am happy. I have had my fill of nature’s delights. The little pleasures of life that I am grateful for.
A new night has begun. Tomorrow, I will walk further.
Sunday, 4 May 2008
A Sojourn at Adelaide
A nice place. Not too big, not too small. Not much traffic jams. The pace of life I like.
Good public transport. From Glenelg to the city, it is a nice 15 minute tram ride. There is a free bus service within the city.
Three universities. Plenty of foreign students.
Art gallery and museum, if you are into such things.
A nice produce market right in the city. Great for foodies.
A casino too, if you have luck on your side.
Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and McClaren Vale. Reds and whites.
Weather – clear skies. Minimum 10. Maximum 22. I can’t complain.
As for Glenelg, it is the seaside suburb of Adelaide. The distinct landmarks – a beach stretching for miles, a long jetty that sticks out for 80 metres, a tram line running between busy shops, and the imposing Stamford Grand Hotel facing the sea.
In summer, you can get crabs (blue swimmers) from the jetty. A sign says that the catch has to be limited to 40 crabs per person. Lucky Adelaide people.
What I am going to do this morning? Take a lift down to the street
Turn left? Or right? Just the kind of decisions that I will have to wrestle with for the next 6 days.
Good public transport. From Glenelg to the city, it is a nice 15 minute tram ride. There is a free bus service within the city.
Three universities. Plenty of foreign students.
Art gallery and museum, if you are into such things.
A nice produce market right in the city. Great for foodies.
A casino too, if you have luck on your side.
Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and McClaren Vale. Reds and whites.
Weather – clear skies. Minimum 10. Maximum 22. I can’t complain.
As for Glenelg, it is the seaside suburb of Adelaide. The distinct landmarks – a beach stretching for miles, a long jetty that sticks out for 80 metres, a tram line running between busy shops, and the imposing Stamford Grand Hotel facing the sea.
In summer, you can get crabs (blue swimmers) from the jetty. A sign says that the catch has to be limited to 40 crabs per person. Lucky Adelaide people.
What I am going to do this morning? Take a lift down to the street
Turn left? Or right? Just the kind of decisions that I will have to wrestle with for the next 6 days.
The Benefits of Competition and Technology
Here I am in Adelaide. Housesitting for a week at Glenelg, the beach suburb. I am on a 4th floor apartment with a bit of beach and water views. I am also close to the shopping strip and tram terminal. A lovely spot.
I had actually agonized over coming here. After wavering for quite a while, I decided to make the trip. Checked the fares and the cheapest was A$125 each way. And the flight times were convenient. You pay less if you fly at 6 am and more if the flight is at a more reasonable time. The price reflects the supply and demand for a seat at any time of the day. Better for the airline to sell a seat cheap than to have it unoccupied.
So one early morning after tossing in bed for a while, I got up at 4am to made my booking on the internet. The wonders of online buying – it is available 24/7 every day of the year. When I went into the Virgin Blue website, I was surprised to read that they had just started a sale. I managed to get my return flight at only A$85.
Little did I know that the next day, Jetstar (the no frill arm of QANTAS) would start its sale and the ticket would be on offer at A$69 if you have carry-on luggage only.
This is the clear benefit of competition in the airline industry in Australia. It is still a regulated market in the sense that airlines cannot simply come in and do business. The winners are people like who would not have gone traveling if not for the lower fares, as well as the tourism industry, especially the towns that the planes fly to. The downside will be the impact on the environment as more and more planes burn their fuel plying our skies.
Mind you, these low fares are available at a time of high petroleum prices.
Technology has enabled companies like Virgin Blue (thank you, Richard Branson) to create a low-cost business model. Customers buy and pay online, and check in online. I received an email 24 hours before my flight, telling me that I can check in. I made one click of the mouse and I see that I have been allocated a seat and I can change to another if I want to. I checked in two pieces of luggage. All done in a couple of minutes, thank you. At the airport, all I had to do was to drop my bag at the counter. Just a short queue.
Arrived at Adelaide airport. By the time I got to the carousel, my bags were there.
In true budget traveler spirit, I caught a bus to Glenelg.
I had actually agonized over coming here. After wavering for quite a while, I decided to make the trip. Checked the fares and the cheapest was A$125 each way. And the flight times were convenient. You pay less if you fly at 6 am and more if the flight is at a more reasonable time. The price reflects the supply and demand for a seat at any time of the day. Better for the airline to sell a seat cheap than to have it unoccupied.
So one early morning after tossing in bed for a while, I got up at 4am to made my booking on the internet. The wonders of online buying – it is available 24/7 every day of the year. When I went into the Virgin Blue website, I was surprised to read that they had just started a sale. I managed to get my return flight at only A$85.
Little did I know that the next day, Jetstar (the no frill arm of QANTAS) would start its sale and the ticket would be on offer at A$69 if you have carry-on luggage only.
This is the clear benefit of competition in the airline industry in Australia. It is still a regulated market in the sense that airlines cannot simply come in and do business. The winners are people like who would not have gone traveling if not for the lower fares, as well as the tourism industry, especially the towns that the planes fly to. The downside will be the impact on the environment as more and more planes burn their fuel plying our skies.
Mind you, these low fares are available at a time of high petroleum prices.
Technology has enabled companies like Virgin Blue (thank you, Richard Branson) to create a low-cost business model. Customers buy and pay online, and check in online. I received an email 24 hours before my flight, telling me that I can check in. I made one click of the mouse and I see that I have been allocated a seat and I can change to another if I want to. I checked in two pieces of luggage. All done in a couple of minutes, thank you. At the airport, all I had to do was to drop my bag at the counter. Just a short queue.
Arrived at Adelaide airport. By the time I got to the carousel, my bags were there.
In true budget traveler spirit, I caught a bus to Glenelg.
Thursday, 1 May 2008
One of the Best Things You Can Do For Your Kids
……….is to allow them a chance to do things, to experience responsibility, to make decisions, to face challenges, and to learn to deal with others.
Here is an example. This couple has a sheep farm. They also keep a few chickens. On one occasion, they asked their 12 year old daughter to sell a few eggs, which she did competently. Then they thought that she should be given the chance to run her own business within the farm. She took up the challenge and decided that she would run a chicken and egg business. She started ringing people from home selling organic eggs under the name Madelaine’s Eggs. Then she invested in an incubator (making an investment decision) and soon she was selling chicks. Then she branched into ducks and was soon selling ducklings. This young girl was soon manning her own store in the town’s weekend market, selling her organic eggs, chickens and ducklings.
She managed the entire business by herself, with a little help from her little sister and her parents.
At a time of water shortage, her business was the only part of the family farm that was making a profit.
Not a bad start to life for a kid who was still in primary school.
Here is an example. This couple has a sheep farm. They also keep a few chickens. On one occasion, they asked their 12 year old daughter to sell a few eggs, which she did competently. Then they thought that she should be given the chance to run her own business within the farm. She took up the challenge and decided that she would run a chicken and egg business. She started ringing people from home selling organic eggs under the name Madelaine’s Eggs. Then she invested in an incubator (making an investment decision) and soon she was selling chicks. Then she branched into ducks and was soon selling ducklings. This young girl was soon manning her own store in the town’s weekend market, selling her organic eggs, chickens and ducklings.
She managed the entire business by herself, with a little help from her little sister and her parents.
At a time of water shortage, her business was the only part of the family farm that was making a profit.
Not a bad start to life for a kid who was still in primary school.
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