Singapore's YOG and the international media.

The international media reaction to Singapore's Youth Olympic Games is rather interesting. Firstly, it is interesting to note that there is so relatively little coverage...and secondly, that quite a bit of that coverage is negative. There might be good reasons for that.

Singapore is famous for many things. It is famous for its airport. (Something that is pretty sad in itself, don't you think? How about being famous for its composers, artists, scientists, engineers, writers, actors...) It is famous for its cleanliness. It is famous for its strictness of social control. It is famous for its liberally applied death penalty. It is also famous for loving to sue anyone, in the international media, who voices any kind of criticism. Not only that, but international media know they may lose the right to distribute their newspapers or magazines, in Singapore, if they don't mind what they say.

Now, think about that for a moment. Singapore has had a large number of widely publicized law suits AGAINST international media. What effect do you think that has on the international media's view of Singapore? Surely, all international media, even those who have not been sued, directly, might feel somewhat chilly on the issue of Singapore, given the way it behaves towards their brethren. Don't you think, given Singapore's reputation amongst the international media, that international journalists might be reluctant to heap praise on Singapore, during the Youth Olympic Games? It seems to me that they might take some delight in either ignoring the games (as many have) or in covering it in a negative light (as many of them have). You see Singapore cannot expect to bully, intimidate and threaten the international media when they are trying to give their views of the city state - but then expect those very same international media, to come running to heap praise on their wonderful YOG.

Singapore, as ever, is short-sighted, as it is in all things. Scholars, you see, can't see beyond the next page in their books. Perhaps all that reading has left them too short-sighted to see the realities of the world. Singapore has long pursued a policy of bullying the international media into a quiescent, manageable state with regards to how they comment on the "Disneyland with the death penalty", as William Gibson famously described it. (I think he got it wrong, though. It is much less comfortable and interesting than Disneyland - though equally as crowded these days.) Now, all that bullying will have bred a certain attitude towards Singapore - a certain lingering dislike in the minds of many an international journalist. That has obvious consequences for Singapore. The effects are obvious. Though this is the first Youth Olympic Games and so is, in that sense, an historic event, the international broadcast media have generally decided to pass on it. They are simply not covering it. So, too, international newspapers are writing relatively little about it. Many of them, in fact, have taken to knocking it. I have read tales of Singapore's "Stalinist approach" to the Youth Olympic Games; I have read gloating articles of the "empty seats", of the "dog food" served to "volunteers" who were "forced" to help out. Indeed, the negative copy is quite perturbing if the purpose of the Youth Olympic Games was to elevate Singapore as a desirable host of major international events.

Having glanced through the sparse global coverage that I have seen, the general impression is not a positive one. It does seem, from it, that Singapore's people are not supportive of the event - and that Singapore's government is not as good at organizing things as the legend of Singapore would lead us to expect.

Yet, all this is the fault of none other than Singapore itself. Whatever the inadequacies of their organization, marketing and promoting of the Youth Olympic Games (and there are plenty of those...for instance, not bothering to tell everyone where the individual events are!), the failure of the YOG to inspire the global media, may have its ultimate roots in the kind of relationship Singapore has long been cultivating with said media: an antagonistic, oppositional, intimidating one. Indeed, I feel tempted to describe it as belligerent.

The international media have long formed their views of Singapore, through its historical behaviour towards them. It seems to me unlikely that many media would be keen to write endless reams of positive copy, on a city state that has ill-treated them in the past. Thus, it is that Singapore cannot have it both ways. Singapore cannot expect to muzzle the international media from commenting on its shortcomings and curious practices - and then expect them to stampede to their shores, clamouring to cover the YOG - or whatever other event or great accomplishment they want the world to take note of.

Thus it is we can see the harm done to Singapore through its persistent bullying of international media into silence. Once so silenced, do you think they want to speak out to say something positive, when required, on cue, when Singapore desires it? No. Once silenced, they shall be forever unwilling to speak in Singapore's favour.

Singapore needs the global community for its continued prosperity, indeed, its very existence. Bullying the media, is a very isolationist thing to do...the absolute reverse of what Singapore needs to survive long term. The ultimate effect of such bullying is to remove the ability of Singapore to communicate its merits to the rest of the world, should it have any merits to communicate. The rest of the world, in the shape of the media, will have stopped to listen, after their brethren have had one law suit too many.

For me, a sign of wisdom is the ability to see the consequences in whatever we choose to do. By that measure, there seems little wisdom in the leadership of Singapore - for they do not see the future they are creating, by the actions they take, today. They are so concerned with the immediate, that they do not see the delayed impact, of their deeds. Yet, the future of a nation, is determined by those consequences. It seems, therefore, that, overall, the-powers-that-be, in Singapore, are rather blind to the tomorrow they are building for their tiny nation state.

It takes very little understanding of human nature to realize that if a policy of bullying the media is pursued, that those media will not be there, in future, to give positive comment on one's subsequent achievements, when it is needed. How come Singapore's very expensively paid leadership, couldn't see that? Personally, I confess myself somewhat baffled that something so stunningly obvious, could have been overlooked.

If Singapore wants to build a great international reputation, it must begin, not to terrorize writers, but to cultivate them. Singapore needs to be kind to the media, if it ever expects the media to be kind to it. That means being accepting of the international media's free speech, being tolerant of bloggers in the blogosphere - and generally being open to the idea of an expressive, free and independent global media. Only after the international media has come to see that Singapore has changed, not only in its conduct towards them, but in the nature of the society itself and its degree of freedom of expression, will they be mollified, and open, thereafter, to a more friendly and abundant coverage of the misguided nation state.

Then again, will they listen? I have my doubts...after all, I left Singapore precisely because of their congenital deafness and arthritic inflexibility. Maybe the sniggers of the global media, regarding the YOG fiasco, might unblock their ears.

We shall see.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to:
http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/
Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/
Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

YOG and Singapore's strange priorities

Singapore is a wealthy country, supposedly. I say "supposedly" because sometimes they say they haven't got any money. That was what we were repeatedly told, when we sought educational provision for Ainan. The Gifted Branch said: "There are no resources available" and "Chemistry classes are resource intensive." and the real kicker: "Why don't you find a private school and pay for it yourself?" We did. They wanted 600 dollars an hour for a lab class for Ainan! I don't know about you, but we couldn't pay that.

Now, we have already ascertained, from our experience, that the supposedly rich Singapore was unwilling to allocate sufficient resources to accommodate one prodigious child, educationally. So, it must, in fact, be a truly cash strapped nation, then? It must be a nation on the edge of financial collapse. Or perhaps, Singapore doesn't want a half-Malay boy to succeed and become an example to his particular minority race.

Imagine, then, my surprise when I learned that Singapore has spent 290 million US Dollars, so far, on the Youth Olympic Games, being held there. How odd. Surely Chemistry classes, for one child, would not have cost 290 Million US Dollars? Perhaps Chemistry teachers are much better paid than I had thought.

It is easy to see what is happening here. Singapore is able to make a goodly fraction of a billion dollars available, to host a high prestige event and draw global attention to itself...but it is not able to ensure the adequate intellectual growth of a single unusual child. Why? Because they don't see the prestige in it. They don't see any status raising, in it. There is not, in short, enough "gloss" in it, for them. Singapore is the land where substance, is always sidelined, for show.

The funny thing is, of course, that they did not have the imagination to see that Ainan's achievements also brought a lot of attention onto Singapore...and a whole lot more cheaply than the massive Youth Olympic Games did.

290 million US Dollars is a lot of money. Imagine if the top 1000 most promising children in Singapore were given an equal slice of that money. That would be 290,000 US Dollars each. That is enough to buy each of them the best educations in the world. Would that not make more true, substantial difference to Singapore than the froth of seeing young sportsmen and women - or sports girls and boys, prancing their stuff?

Now, I don't wish to be misunderstood. I have characterized the YOG, before, as an important outlet for young sports people to begin to make their mark in their necessarily short careers. So, I do support the idea. However, I think some things are more important, to a nation that wishes to be worthy, than that.

So, by all means have the YOG - but only AFTER you have fully satisfied all the educational needs, special or otherwise, of your citizens.

Some say that Ainan is not a Singaporean...well, he was born one, and so, in my view of what a country should provide for its natives, he should have been adequately provided for, educationally. He wasn't. Instead we have the Youth Olympic Games.

The expensive presence of the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore proves one thing: there ARE resources available in Singapore...plenty of them. They are just not available to help promising kids realize their promise. At least, not intellectual kids...only for overseas young athletes to show theirs.

It should be noted that the Youth Olympic Games is three times over budget. This is quite telling. When the YOG organizers ran out of money, were they told: "There are no resources available." No. They weren't. They were given three times as much money as they had stated in their initial budget. You see, the world's eyes are on the YOG and Singapore...so Singapore will spend ANY amount of money necessary to make themselves look good in the world's eyes. Rather myopically, however, what they didn't realize, when they decided to be so stingy in support of Ainan, is that the world's eyes were on them, in his case, too - and what they eventually saw, did not make Singapore look wise, generous or far-sighted. It showed that Singapore lacked vision, or the ability to see the potential for long term benefit to Singapore, that Ainan represented. I use the past tense, because he has left, now, owing to their failure to support him.

It is very cheap to enable a gifted child to reach their fullest potential. It doesn't cost much. The educational infrastructure is already in place. All it takes is the willingness to make it available to the child. Singapore didn't have that willingness. It would have cost them, in truth, very little to do so. It has cost them much more, not to do so...and that cost can only grow over time, as Ainan contributes to other countries, in his life and not the one he was born in.

Singapore does have the "resources", to support every special child. One reason is that there simply aren't that many of them. The cost of doing so is certainly no greater than the amount of money magically materialized for the Youth Olympic Games. Perhaps this is another indicator that Singapore really doesn't want a homegrown intellectual class - because it is not willing to invest in growing one. It would rather have a glitzy international show, to spotlight Singapore. It would rather "invest" in its Formula One Night Racing and its Youth Olympic Games. What a shallow nation it is. It would rather support showmen than future thinkers. Thus, of course, it will get what it wants, ulimately: a nation that plays host to international gloss, but which has no INTELLECTUAL gloss of its own.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to:
http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/
Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/
Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

The wisdom of planning ahead.

I have often wondered whether Mankind is a truly intelligent species. I am led to wonder because, on the whole, Man does more stupid, than intelligent things. Mankind is more remarkable for its moments of utter dumbness, than its peaks of intelligent action.

Now, many of you might be moved to argue with me, over this. Yet, it only takes a little reflection on what Man actually does, to realize that it is true. I will give you one example: New Orleans. Most of you will remember that Hurricane Katrina demolished this US city, some years ago. What you might not be aware of, is that this was entirely avoidable. You see, for many years before Hurricane Katrina, disaster planners would use New Orleans as an example of what could happen in the event of a hurricane hitting the US. They even ran a simulation not long before the actual hurricane hit (a year or so, I think). In that simulation, they calculated the devastation that would be caused and all agreed that it would be terrible indeed. Yet, what did they do to prepare for it? Nothing much. As I have noted, Mankind is stupid. When confronted with the knowledge that certain death and destruction is going to occur, sometime, in the future, in a particular locality, the collective will of Mankind is to do nothing about it. People would rather "save money" now, than worry about a "hypothetical" disaster later. Of course, this makes said disaster inevitable, when it could have been avoided. I am even led to propose a principle: there is no such thing as a natural disaster, only human inaction, before it. Hurricane Katrina was as much a product of a human unwillingness to prepare for the future, as it was a result of the movement of air, over water.

What gets me about this, of course, is that the cost of not preparing for the future, is always greater than the cost of actually doing so. There is, in truth, no money to be "saved" by doing nothing to avert predictable disasters.

Another disaster waiting to happen to Humanity, is bird flu. The H5N1 strain of bird flu has occasionally showed itself, over the past decade or two, in Asia, promptly killing most of the people it infected. Indeed, the World Health Organization website says that "avian influenza can reach a mortality rate of 100% in 48 hours of onset". So, bird flu is something to be feared. It is also something, one would have thought, to prepare against. Just imagine that bird flu, say H5N1, mutates to become readily transmissible between humans. Just think what would happen once it boards planes around the world, from China (a likely source), to scatter widely about the Earth before anyone notices. (China has a history of hushing up disease outbreaks, which leads to the world being unaware of what is happening until too late). Imagine a disease as infectious as the common cold, or typical flu, but with a fatality rate approaching 100%. It could destroy the human race.

Yet, what, precisely, is the human race doing about it? Zero. As far as I am aware there is no real preparation for this eventuality which will, eventually, occur, without any doubt. It is just a matter of time. Somewhere, in a rural area of, most probably, Asia, a sick chicken is going to make a child sick and that child is going to kill the world.

What can we do about this, you might ask? Well, it is simple really: make a stockpile of vaccine that immunizes against all the strains of H5N1 that have been noted so far and give two shots to everyone one can find, on Earth. Now, some of you might object that we can't know what the proposed highly infectious strain of H5N1 looks like. It might differ significantly from the known strains. Well, this might be true - but I have read something which is very hopeful on that front. Some people were immunized against a 1997 strain of H5N1. Later, their immune reaction was tested against a 2005 strain of H5N1 - and CONSIDERABLE cross protection was noted. Thus, immunizing against the known versions of H5N1, would probably confer a significant degree of protection against future strains. It may, for instance, turn it from a disease which kills, to a disease which merely makes people sick. Another benefit is that it might shorten the period that specific immunization might take, needing, perhaps, only one shot, rather than two, of a vaccine, to confer specific resistance.

So, here we have an example of something Mankind can do to prevent millions, perhaps billions of human deaths. Indeed, something which might even save the human race. Yet, no nation is doing it. They prefer, instead, to wait until disaster strikes, to wait until people are dying en masse of H5N1, before trying to protect against it. The problem with that is that the lead time for producing a vaccine is about 6 months. Thus, in that period, a pandemic H5N1 could kill millions or billions of people.

It seems that Mankind is so enamoured of money, that "saving" it now, is worth more than the death of the human race, later.

I hope that H5N1 never becomes pandemic. Should it do so, one thing seems most likely: the human race will be completely unprepared and millions of people will die. Should you be among the survivors, remember this: all those deaths were unnecessary, caused only by the collective unwillingness of Mankind to prepare for the future.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to:
http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/
Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/
Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

Singapore's Intellectual Class.

Anyone who knows Singapore well will wonder how on Earth I could have written a title like "Singapore's Intellectual Class." Singapore doesn't really have an intellectual class...or if it does, those intellectuals were never in my class (when I taught).

Singapore's education system doesn't produce intellectuals, in my view of what an intellectual is. Singapore's "top students", are very good at passing exams and in telling you what the world already knows. However, what they are not good at...in fact, are hopeless at, is in telling you something you don't know. In other words, they are useless at independent, creative thinking. In other words, they are not truly intellectuals at all.

Now, I am not going to lay blame at the foot of Singaporeans for this. You see, it is difficult to know the cause of this lack of intellectual calibre. Is it genetic? Or is it the fact that the education system requires and trains parrots? Are they parrots by nature or parrots by nurture? I am not going to answer the question here. However, I will say this: I don't think that Singapore will ever have a truly intellectual class. There is too much momentum there, in the way things are done. Singapore will not change until it has died as a nation. Then, perhaps, something new will come of it.

Of course, there is, perhaps, a good reason why Singapore does not have a home grown intellectual class: intellectuals think - and this singularly single party state has never encouraged its people to do that. There is nothing more threatening to a monolithic state than someone able to think of alternatives. Thus it is that true thinkers are not only not found, in Singapore, but not desired, either. A true thinker is the last kind of person Singapore wants.

Given these considerations, I found it most interesting what Lee Kuan Yew had to say on the matter (for those who don't know...which is much of the outside world...Lee Kuan Yew is modern Singapore's iconic "founder" and lifelong effective leader). I say "founder" because, actually, Singapore was founded by the Brit, Sir Stamford Raffles, long ago, though Lee Kuan Yew took it in a different direction.

Lee Kuan Yew recently called for the import of an "intellectual class", specifically from China and India. He stated that this class would be three times larger than the present intellectual class. (Yes. I know. Three times zero is still zero.) He envisaged this intellectual class as being leaders in their fields and as bringing greater wealth to Singapore. This should not be much of a surprise, since wealth or "economic growth" is actually the sole consideration of Singapore's leadership. He then went on to disparage the Malays, by saying that immigrants from Malaysia were "not so bright" and that they only came to Singapore because it provided them with opportunities not found at home.

So, Lee Kuan Yew wants to increase the number of PRCs in Singapore despite the fact that it is already overflowing with them - and to specifically exclude Malaysians from this drive for an "intellectual class". Again, this is not surprising to anyone who has followed Lee Kuan Yew's past pronouncements, quite a few of which involve disparaging one race or another, directly or indirectly.

To my eyes, it is very revealing that Chinese and Indian "intellectuals" should be required and not those from elsewhere. You see, I don't think that such immigrants would be likely to "rock the boat". They are likely to be good little workers, who don't cause any kind of trouble at all. They will tend to keep their opinions to themselves, if they have any. They will just get on with their jobs, in a diligent fashion. As far as being an effective "intellectual class" that is just about the last thing they will be. China, for instance, is not famous for its intellectual class. China is about as good at making intellectuals as Singapore is. They create pretty much the same kind of hardworking, but not at all creative or independently thinking people, as Singapore does. Thus, in importing an intellectual class consisting of said "intellectuals", Singapore can hope to have a greater concentration of what it already has: hardworking, unthinking, servants of the state.

The big, unstated question, here, of course, is why Singapore feels a need to import an intellectual class at all. What happened to its own? Why can't Singapore make its own intellectuals? After all, every other country (apart, perhaps, from China...) does...

The answer, it seems, from our own experience of life in Singapore, is that Singapore does not WANT a homegrown intellectual class. It does not want a class of people with two attributes: 1) able to think for themselves 2) know Singapore well. The combination of those two attributes leads to the possibility of CHANGE...and CHANGE is what the arthritic system of the Singaporean state resists mightily.

What does Singapore do to its potential intellectual class? Well, I can only answer, from personal experience, about what it does to non-Chinese potential intellectuals. My eldest son is half-Malay...he is also Singapore's most gifted young scientist - or was, until he left. I say "most gifted young scientist", since there is no other candidate of his age, with his achievements, in Singapore...or elsewhere for that matter. Now, you would have thought that a country seeking to build an "intellectual class" would have looked after him well? But no...we faced opposition, every step of the way, in seeking a suitable education for him. What was offered by the Gifted Branch was pure tokenism - an attempt to make it look like they were doing something, whilst they actually did everything they could to delay his progress. It was immensely frustrating dealing with them. Then again, when we made our own arrangements, and progressed without their "help"...Singapore's media began to tell lies about our son, to attempt to diminish him and so, perhaps, spare themselves the embarrassment of what they had (not) done. I only hope that Singaporean readers are not so naive as to swallow what their mainstream media say without reflecting on it, themselves.

Anyway, how are we to interpret this? It does seem that Singapore certainly doesn't want a MALAY intellectual of any kind, to thrive. If it had wanted a Malay intellectual to thrive, it would have been more responsive where Ainan was concerned. No. Singapore wants its intellectuals to be non-Malay - even if that means having to import them.

Then again, there is my own experience of Singapore. I am a very creative person...but in Singapore that creativity was not best deployed. At no time, was I given an opportunity, there, to create in the way that I can, so easily. Instead, my energies were directed towards teaching students who would never, in a trillion years, ever possess one quark of my creativity. It was laughable. What kind of moronic nation cries out for an "intellectual class" - but then fails to recognize or value intellectuals within its own borders? It is hilarious, in its fundamental stupidity.

If Singapore really wants an intellectual class, it should have done everything necessary to allow Ainan to flourish. It should also have made available, to me, a position in which I could be free to think and create. It should also have repeated those steps, however many times are necessary, to accommodate all potential intellectuals - and actual intellectuals - within its borders. Were it to do so, there would be no need to import an intellectual class, because one would already have been fostered within it.

It seems, however, that both Ainan and I are the wrong race, to have been invited to participate in Singapore's "intellectual class". Neither of us is from China or India, after all. One of us even has those dreaded Malay genes...so God forbid however could he be an intellectual?

Yet, we are intellectuals. Singapore's failure to value that fact doesn't change it. The funny thing is that we are establishing ourselves as intellectuals in Malaysia, the country that Lee Kuan Yew disparaged so, in his recent speech. Here, we are valued. Ainan is being allowed to grow, intellectually - and I am working creatively as a research scientist. So, all is turning out well for us.

The question, now, of course is: how will it turn out for Singapore? Will its imported "intellectual class" actually be intellectual? Will the people of Singapore support this renewed influx of outsiders? Will these "intellectuals" actually come from China and India...after all, China is booming and India is growing fast, too...so for how long will Singapore seem an attractive prospect?

From here, in KL, the whole situation looks rather funny. You see, Singapore would already have an intellectual class, if only it had looked after its own people and their families. What kind of country so singularly fails to nurture the minds of its own people that it needs to import them, wholesale, from overseas to make up the lack?

Singapore is the kind of country that smart people leave...like we did.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to:
http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/
Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/
Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)