>Introducing the big cock talker, Chan Chun Sing
Indonesia is a huge country. If we make enemies out of them, we are dead meat. But if we make them our allies, nobody would dare touch us.
Chan Chun Sing was tasked to understand Indonesia better when he was posted to Jarkata some years back. Did he learn much? Did he return from Indonesia with pearls of wisdom on how to strike a chord with the big giant? Or did he screw us up and simply wasted our tax money, making us pay for his holiday there?
Chun Sing sings same old song -
Chan Chun Sing is proud enough to arrogantly claim he knows much about Indonesia and Indonesians. Even to the point that he tells everyone not to pigeon hole them, without realizing he pigeon holes them himself.
Chun Sing said that we must be mindful of Indonesia’s birth rate and population size. The subtle hint is that they are HUGE and we are puny and tiny. So better be on our toes and not take our peace for granted, because presumably, one day, all the 200 over million Indonesians may set foot here and sink our island into the sea.
On one hand, he reminds us that Indonesia is made up of 200+ million people. Yes, from the Western part of Sumatra, Aceh, to the East of Java, where Papua NG borders Irian Jaya. Not to mention Kalimantan and Sulewesi in the North East of Jakarta – and the countless of islands spread all over the place engulfing tiny Singapore.
On another hand, he claims to be able to know the psyche and mindset of this large population, spread over a large area, to tell us to be wary of them – when he had only been in Jakarta for two short years, isolated from the rural folk in the far out provinces.
As the saying goes, army is always about talking cock. Hasn’t he pigeon holed all 200+ million Indonesians himself, when he claims we must be wary of them, simply because he had lived in Jakarta?
Doesn’t smart *ss kid Chun Sing know that the majority of Indonesians in the far out places outside Jakarta don’t even know that there is such a place called Singapore? What talking he that the 200+ million have an eye on Singapore?
So did this army boy learn anything from his stint in Jakarta? I don’t this so. He simply parrots what LKY and GCT had said decades ago. What a waste of time and tax resource, sending this kid over there!
Singapore’s Indonesia-phobia is as old as Singapore itself -
The “let’s be afraid of Indonesia” idea is not new. It is in fact as old as Singapore itself. LKY gives the idea that Indonesia is hostile to us, using the Confrontation Period which was around the early sixties. But that issue was between Indonesia and Malaysia. LKY dishonestly took opportunity to portray this dispute as Indonesia’s attempt to usurp Singapore.
Decades after the Confrontation Period was over, Singapore still uses this “let’s be afraid of Indonesia” plot to create fear and tension among Singaporeans. I recall in the early 1990s, when GCT was PM, in his speech during closed door sessions, the Indonesia theme was again played up.
What was mentioned was very similar to Army Boy Chan’s talk. Indonesia’s physical geographical size. Its massive population. Its birth rate. And yes, tiny Singapore is right in the middle of all this.
It can be seen that Chan Chun Sing hasn’t told us anything new. He was just repeating a forty year old grandmother hen story, started by LKY and continued by GCT! Perhaps he is being trained to be the next PM.
Real issues we have with Indonesia that should be addressed -
Creating an environment of fear and tension is not a good way to live. It is like creating tension with your neighbours and having to see their sour faces each morning. Singapore’s govt has been doing that the last more than forty years.
So what are the main issues that we should seek to address with Indonesia? Many Singaporeans do not know. But the truth is that it is Indonesia who has the right to be upset with us, rather than the other way.
Issue #1 – Singapore is habouring Indonesian criminals and their ill-gotten funds
This is the biggest sore point Indonesia has with Singapore. Singapore prides itself as having an “uncorrupted” govt. I put that in quotes because the irony is that while our govt does not accept bribes, it is complicit in helping others do so. See this article I wrote – Singapore Complicit in Laundering Ill-gotten Funds
Note that while PAPpy not only has prided itself that Singapore is uncorrupted, it also alleges that our neighbours are corrupt. Yet, when our neighbour (Indonesia) makes an effort to bring the corrupted parties to justice, it is Singapore (courtesy of PAPy of course), that blocks that! That’s because if Singapore assists Indonesia, all that ill-gotten funds (could it be in the sum of billions?), will flow out of Singapore. What hypocrisy!
RI, S’pore extradition deal unclear after leaders meet
Although the plan had been for the agenda to discuss all pressing bilateral issues, an anticipated agreement on extradition sought by Jakarta to bring home corrupt fugitives seeking asylum in Singapore was left out of the talks, Antara news agency reported.
Such an agreement could bring home billions of US dollars lost to graft when Indonesian corruption fugitives fled to Singapore after the 1997 regional financial meltdown.
…..The extradition agreement has become a priority for Jakarta because Singapore has been used as a safe haven for Indonesian corrupt fugitives to escape to with their illegal assets.
…..Some sources say that Singapore would only agree to a reciprocal agreement on extradition that excluded cases from the time of the 1998 financial crisis because it involved a huge amount of money and extracting it all could upset financial markets in Singapore.
My god! That ill-gotten money rightfully belongs to Indonesia. Who the heck is Singapore to keep it, depriving the rightful owners?
A glaring point in this case is that Singapore always claims that its neighbours are corrupted and that our govt is sparkling white and clean.
But now, we have Indonesia who wants to clean up their act, by punishing these corrupted crooks who siphoned billions of reserves. Indonesia wants these crooks extradited and the ill-gotten funds returned.
Isn’t it ironical that it is Singapore who is complicit in money laundering and harbouring these corrupted criminals, stubbornly refusing to extradite them and even using our banks as a safe haven for their ill-gotten funds?
Because of this very sore point Indonesia has with Singapore, our relations are strained.
Be reminded that the sand ban was effected immediately when negotiations between Singapore and Indonesia to have these criminals extradited collapsed.
Be reminded that Indonesia pre-empted Selamat Kastari’s re-entry into Indonesia, right after his escape by telling Singapore that if Selamat was caught in Indonesia, they won’t return him to us. And that’s because we don’t have an extradition treaty, no thanks to our refusal to sign one, in order to protect the crooks who put their ill-gotten funds in Singapore banks.
Be reminded that because of the sand ban, the cost of construction in Singapore (including your housing) shot up astronomically.
Be reminded that because we don’t want to extradite the crooks, Indonesia is now less than helpful in aiding us in our anti-terror campaign. Our security has now been compromised.
Be reminded that when the likes of Chan Chun Sing tries to scare us about Indonesia as the big bad wolf, it is Indonesia who has every right to be upset with us instead.
So all these mishandling of foreign relations on the part of Singapore, is affecting our domestic life as well.
The big question here is, what did Chan Chun Sing do during his tenure in Jakarta, to improve the ties between the two countries?
Answer is nothing. He did NOTHING.
Issue #2 – Singapore’s dallying of return of airspace to Indonesia
A smaller issue, but nevertheless a thorny one, is that Singapore has yet to return an airspace, again rightfully belonging to Indonesia.
S’pore yet to return RI airspace control
The Singaporean government seems unwilling to return control over Indonesia’s airspace in the Riau Islands province, for economic and strategic reasons, a Batam airport official says.
Based on the 2009 Flight Law, Indonesia’s airspace over Riau Islands should be returned to Indonesia, Tevi Amir, the chief air traffic controller at Batam’s Hang Nadim Airport, said Tuesday.
The airspace over the province had been under Singaporean control for around 10 years because of the limited capacity of Indonesia’s radar systems, but this issue was no longer relevant, Tevi said.
Indonesia is not stupid. They have witnessed how Singapore’s long period of control over someone else’s territory would eventually be Singapore’s territory. Like the Pedra Branca case.
Jakarta may seem to be able to delay this handover issue, but the Riau Province does not. Singapore deals with the capital and any smaller govt authority of Indonesia can be swept aside – for now, at least.
However, if political tensions were to rise between Indonesia and us, I am sure this would be one explosive issue on our hands.
Again, my question is, what has army boy Chan Chun Sing done to alert the Singapore govt about the sentiments of the Riau Province?
Answer is once again, NOTHING.
Chan Chun Sing’s appraisal result -
So folks, how do you appraise Chun Sing? Did he do a good job? Did he do what he was supposed to do, that is, help improve ties between Indonesia and us, as well as giving feedback on the psyche of Indonesians, so that we can understand them better?
IMO, Chun Sing is way, way off the mark. Instead of learning what makes Indonesians tick, so that we understand them better, be it for economic or military purposes, he simply repeats what LKY and GCT did.
Yes, that Indonesia is a big, big country, with a big, big population, with a big, big appetite to usurp tiny, tiny Singapore!
I’ll give him – F for a big fat FAIL
He failed to learn anything or resolve anything, in spite of his tenure of two years in Indonesia. Instead, he just propagates the same stale story that the big bad wolf is out to get us!
My Conclusion -
I can live with spoiled brat Tin Pei Ling. She does no harm, other than spending $15k of our hard earned tax money on Kate Spade products.
I am setting aside my judgement on Foo Mee Har for now, though the longer she is silent, the greater will be the suspicion surroudning her husband’s bankruptcy case.
But for Chan Chun Sing, I feel he is a dangerous man. A very, very dangerous man. Chun Sing may be our PM one day. He will propagate more fear and suspicion about Indonesia. This will result in more strained relations.
As it is, Indonesia is already upset with the non-extradition of criminals and our harbouring of ill-gotten funds, which rightfully belongs to them.
Any further provocation by Singapore, from the likes of army boy Chan Chun Sing, will fan the flames of tension more.
We cannot afford to have Chun Sing as part of our govt. If there is any single PAP candidate that I want to see lose the elections, it is none other than Army Boy Chan Chun Sing.