Indonesia & Thailand top most corrupt list - RP is not the most corrupt country in Asia anymore!

I doubt if leftists and Ping Lacson can use this:

SINGAPORE - Indonesia and Thailand are perceived as Asia's most corrupt economies, with last year's cellar-dweller the Philippines making a marked improvement, an annual survey of foreign business executives showed Wednesday.

Singapore and Hong Kong retained their top two rankings as the region's least corrupt economies, although there are concerns about private-sector fraud, according to the survey by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC), made available to AFP.

Despite the negative perception of Indonesia, PERC noted "there has been a real headway in fighting the problem" under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is seeking re-election in presidential polls in July.

Table of the corruption scores of 14 Asian economies as seen in a survey of more than 1,700 expatriate business executives by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC).

Australia and the United States were included in the survey for purposes of comparison.

On a scale of zero to 10, zero is the best possible score.

1. Singapore, 1.07

2. Hong Kong, 1.89

3. Australia, 2.40

4. United States, 2.89

5. Japan, 3.99

6. South Korea, 4.64

7. Macau, 5.84

8. China, 6.16

9. Taiwan, 6.47

10. Malaysia, 6.70

11. Philippines, 7.0

12. Vietnam, 7.11

13. India, 7.21

14. Cambodia, 7.25

15. Thailand, 7.63

16. Indonesia, 8.32

Source: Agence France-Presse

"To be sure, the absolute scores show corruption in the public and private sectors is still very high," PERC said.

"But our latest survey shows that residents in Indonesia are more favourably impressed with the determined way the KPK (anti-corruption commission) has been fighting corruption than any of the other countries graded poorly for corruption."

It said the major question its respondents are asking in Indonesia is whether the anti-corruption efforts can be sustained.

The March results are based on more than 1,700 responses from 14 Asian economies plus Australia and the United States, which were included for comparison purposes, PERC said.

In a grading system with zero as the best possible score and 10 the worst, Indonesia got 8.32.

Thailand was seen as the second most corrupt country with a grade of 7.63, but PERC said foreign investors were more concerned about political stability.

"Very few expatriate executives find that corruption makes the country a less attractive place to live and do business," it said.

Cambodia was seen as the third most corrupt country with a score of 7.25, followed by India with 7.21 and Vietnam with 7.11.

A grade greater than 7.0 indicates that a "serious" corruption problem exists, PERC said.

Perceived as Asia's most corrupt country in the 2008 survey, the Philippines had a score of 7.0 to rank sixth from the bottom this year.

It was followed by Malaysia with 6.70, Taiwan with 6.47, China with 6.16, Macau with 5.84, South Korea with 4.64 and Japan with 3.99.

A score between 4.0 and 7.0 indicates a "moderate" level of corruption, the Hong Kong-based consultancy said.

The Philippine customs and tax agencies, police and politicians have the meanest reputation for corruption in the country, the consultancy said.

But while "there is very little confidence in the government's seriousness about fighting the problem," PERC also said that "the actual level of corruption is not as bad as it is often portrayed."

Singapore again topped the survey as Asia's least corrupt country with a score of 1.07, followed by Hong Kong with 1.89.

Australia scored 2.40 to be in third place followed by the United States with 2.89.

On regional financial centres Singapore and Hong Kong, PERC said "it is possible that the pressures of the recession will result in an increase in corruption in the private sector this year."
 

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/04/08/09/rp-ranking-improves-asian-corruption-survey

as of 04/08/2009 4:38 PM

The ASEAN Way- The Official Anthem

The Talkshop finally had an anthem. I think it is boring and as useless as ASEAN itself.

Manila: The Second Richest City in Southeast Asia - and ASEAN's richest by 2020.

Manila (left)


Thanks to Carlos
and the BISEAN blog about this article.

The following list was extracted from worldwide research figures by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) last 11 March 2007. Manila is projected to be the richest city in Southeast Asia. 

 

The figures represent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for cities and their surrounding urban areas in 2005.  Figures are estimated and are expressed in US$ using purchasing power parity exchange rates.

 

1.   Tokyo, Japan  $ 1,191bn; world 1st

2.   Osaka/Kobe, Japan $ 341bn; world 7th

3.   Hong Kong, China $ 244bn; world 14th

4.   Seoul, South Korea $ 218bn; world 20th

5.   Shanghai, China $ 139bn; world 32nd

6.   Singapore, Singapore $ 129bn; world 36th

7.   Mumbai, India $ 126bn; world 37th

8.   Metro Manila, Philippines $ 108bn; world 42nd

9.   Beijing, China $ 99bn; world 44th

10. Jakarta, Indonesia $ 98bn; world 46th

11.  Busan, South Korea $ 95bn; world 48th

12.  Kolkata, India $ 94bn; world 49th

13.  Delhi, India $ 93bn; world 51st

14.  Tel Aviv, Israel $ 92bn world 52nd

15.  Bangkok, Thailand $ 89bn; world 55th

16.  Tehran, Iran $ 88bn; world 56th

17.  Guangzhou, China $ 84bn; world 60th

18.  Riyadh, Saudi Arabia $ 80bn; world 62nd
19.  Fukuoka, Japan $ 72bn; world 72nd

20.  Jidda, Saudi Arabia $ 55bn; world 80th

21.  Karachi, Pakistan $ 55bn; world 81st

22.  Dhaka, Bangladesh $ 52bn; world 82nd

23.  Tianjin, China $ 45bn; world 87th

24.  Bangalore, India $ 45bn; world 88th

25.  Wuhan, China $ 38bn; world 104th

26.  Chennai, India $ 38bn; world 105th

27.  Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam  $ 38bn; world 106th

28.  Hyderabad, India $ 38bn; world 107th

29.  Chongqing, China $ 35bn; world 110th

30.  Taegu, South Korea $ 34bn; world 113th

Singapore (top)

China leads the list with seven of Asia's Top 30, including three in the Top 10.  India has six in the Top 30, while Japan and South Korea each have three.  Tokyo is the world's richest city, and Asia's by far. Osaka/Kobe comes in second.

By 2020, it is projected that Manila will overtake Singapore as the richest in Southeast Asia. Jakarta will come second and the Lion City settling for third. Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Bandung and Yangon completes the top 8.

Jakarta (left); Bangkok (down)

Ho Chi Minh City (down, left)

Please,Get Out Of My Uncaring Elite Face

http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=sammyboymod&msg=121090.1&&liaagc=y
Very interesting exchange:

Some of us have read the commentary, Future of Singapore, by Derek Wee, a 35 year old Singaporean. The commentary has made its rounds in cyberspace and is reproduced below for those who might not have come across it yet.

The purpose of this thread is to highlight a response to Derek Wee's commentary from a very bright RJC girl. The response is taken from her blog. She shares the same surname as Derek. Her academic achievements are impressive. She was from the elite gifted program at RGS who went on to top Singapore in the GCE 'O'-levels in 2004. She also won the Prime Minister's Book Prize for purportedly being effectively bilingual in Chinese and English (even though she often expresses her disdain for the Chinese language). And she is fluent in French. Her dad is one of the men-in-white. Naturally, hers is a highly affluent and privileged background. And without doubt too, hers is the perfect pedigree for joining the ranks of the highest echelons of the government.

Reproduced below are firstly, Ms Wee's response to Derek Wee's commentary and secondly, the original commentary by Derek Wee.

*************************
From Ms Wee's blog:

http://www.suchvividnothing.blogspot.com/

Thursday, October 19, 2006

mom's friend sent her some blog post by some bleeding stupid 40-year old singaporean called derek wee (WHY do all the idiots have my surname why?!) whining about how singapore is such an insecure place, how old ppl (ie, 40 and above) fear for their jobs, how the pool of foreign "talent" (dismissively chucked between inverted commas) is really a tsunami that will consume us all (no actually he didn't say that, he probably said Fouren Talern Bery Bad.), how the reason why no one wants kids is that they're a liability in this world of fragile ricebowls, how the government really needs to save us from inevitable doom but they aren't because they are stick-shoved-up-ass elites who have no idea how the world works, yadayadayadayada.

i am inclined - too much, perhaps - to dismiss such people as crackpots. stupid crackpots. the sadder class. too often singaporeans - both the neighborhood poor and the red-taloned socialites - kid themselves into believing that our society, like most others, is compartmentalized by breeding. ridiculous. we are a tyranny of the capable and the clever, and the only other class is the complement.

sad derek attracted more than 50 comments praising him for his poignant views, joining him in a chorus of complaints that climax at the accusation of lack of press freedom because his all-too-true views had been rejected by the straits times forum. while i tend to gripe about how we only have one functioning newspaper too, i think the main reason for its lack of publication was that his incensed diatribe was written in pathetic little scraps that passed off as sentences, with poor spelling and no grammar.

derek, derek, derek darling, how can you expect to have an iron ricebowl or a solid future if you cannot spell?

if you're not good enough, life will kick you in the balls. that's just how things go. there's no point in lambasting the government for making our society one that is, i quote, "far too survival of fittest". it's the same everywhere. yes discrimination exists, and it is sad, but most of the time if people would prefer hiring other people over you, it's because they're better. it's so sad when people like old derek lament the kind of world that singapore will be if we make it so uncertain. go be friggin communist, if uncertainty of success offends you so much - you will certainly be poor and miserable. unless you are an arm-twisting commie bully, which, given your whiny middle-class undereducated penchant, i doubt.

then again, it's easy for me to say. my future isn't certain but i guess right now it's a lot brighter than most people's. derek will read this and brand me as an 18-year old elite, one of the sinners who will inherit the country and run his stock to the gutter. go ahead. the world is about winners and losers. it's only sad when people who could be winners are marginalised and oppressed. is dear derek starving? has dear derek been denied an education? has dear derek been forced into child prostitution? has dear derek had his clan massacred by the government?

i should think not. dear derek is one of many wretched, undermotivated, overassuming leeches in our country, and in this world. one of those who would prefer to be unemployed and wax lyrical about how his myriad talents are being abandoned for the foreigner's, instead of earning a decent, stable living as a sales assistant. it's not even about being a road sweeper. these shitbags don't want anything without "manager" and a name card.

please, get out of my elite uncaring face.

posted at 12:08 PM

*******************************

Derek Wee's original commentary which prompted Ms Wee's response above.

By Derek Wee
Oct 12, 2006

When I read the Straits Times article (dated 24 Sep) on PM Lee calling the young to be committed and make a difference to Singapore, I have so much thought about the issue.

I am 35 years old, graduated from University and gainfully employed in a multinational company. But I cannot help but feel insecure over the future of Singapore. Lets face it, it's not uncommon to hear, "when you are above 40, you are over the hill".

The government has been stressing on re-training, skills upgrading and re-adapt. The fact is, no matter how well qualified or adaptable one is, once you hit the magical 40, employers will say, "you are simply too old".

We have been focusing our resources and problem solving on low unskilled labour. But in reality, our managerial positions and skilled labour force are actually fast losing its competitiveness.

I travel around the region frequently for the past 10 years. It didn't take me long to realise how far our neighbours have come over the past decade.

They have quality skilled workers, and are less expensive. When I work with them, their analytical skills are equally good, if not better than us.

It's not new anymore. Taxi drivers are fast becoming "too early to retire, too old to work" segment of the society. I like to talk to taxi drivers whenever I am heading for the airport.

There was this driver. Eloquent and well read. He was an export manager for 12 years with an MNC. Retrenched at 40 years old. He had been searching for a job since his retrenchment.

Although he was willing to lower his pay expectations, employers were not willing to lower their prejudice. He was deemed too old. I wouldn't be surprised if we have another No. 1; having the most highly educated taxi drivers in the world.

On PM Lee calling the young to be committed and make a difference. Look around us. How dedicated can we be to Singapore when we can visualise what's in store for us after we turned 40? Then again, how committed are employers to us? But we can't blame them. They have bottom lines & shareholders' gain to answer to.

Onus is really on the government to revamp the society. A society that is not a pressure cooker. A society that does not mirror so perfectly, what survival of the fittest is.

But a society, where it's people can be committed, do their best and not having to fear whether they will still wake up employed tomorrow. Sadly, Singapore does not offer such luxuries and security anymore.

On the issue of babies. The government encourages us to pro-create. The next generation is essential in sustaining our competitive edge. Then again, the current market condition is such that our future has become uncertain. There is no more joy in having babies anymore; they have become more of a liability. It's really a chicken and egg issue.

Many of my peers, bright and well educated have packed up and left. It's what MM Goh called "quitters". It's sad but true, Singapore no longer is a place where one can hope to work hard their lives and retire graciously. It's really the push factor.

A future is something we sweat it out, build and call our own. Unfortunately, people like me, mid 30's going on 40's, staying put by choice or otherwise, we can't help but feel what lies ahead is really a gamble.

To PM Lee and the Ministers, we are on a different platform. Until you truly understand our insecurity, the future of Singapore to me remains a question mark.

Singapore - The Essentials.

Singapore Scenes

Zouk and Ministry of Sound!

Start:	Jul 13, '07 10:00p
Location:	Singapore

Catch me in these places!

Singapore Trip

Start:	Jul 11, '07 5:30p
End:	Jul 14, '07 7:45p
Location:	Singapore

Esplanade
Chinatown
Underwater World
Zouk
(maybe a visit to a Museum/NUS/Nanyang Tech/Philippine Embassy)

+ either Malaysia, Indonesia

Schadenfreude! Now It's Legal to have Oral Sex in Singapore, BUT...

Singapore may relax sex laws, but for heterosexuals only




Associated Press

Last updated 04:52pm (Mla time) 11/09/2006

SINGAPORE
-- Singapore plans to decriminalize oral and anal sex for adult
heterosexuals under legislation unveiled Thursday, but the government
said sex between homosexuals will remain banned.

The government posted proposed amendments to the city-state's Penal
Code -- the result of a three-year review -- on a Web site, and
Singaporeans have a month to offer feedback. The Ministry of Home
Affairs will consider the input before presenting the proposals to
Parliament early next year.

The amendments that have generated the most water-cooler buzz in
strait-laced Singapore are those that would legalize oral and anal sex
between consenting heterosexuals over age 16 -- and the retention of
the law against acts between homosexuals.

That drew immediate criticism from People Like Us, a gay rights group.

"If the government aims for an open, inclusive society, it should be
doing all it can to overturn prejudice and discrimination, rather than
give people reason to remain close-minded through retaining (the ban)
for symbolic purposes," the group said in a statement.

The Home Affairs Ministry said it wants to modernize the laws "to be
in line with social mores and emerging societal trends" -- but that
doesn't include homosexuality.

"Singapore remains, by and large, a conservative society. Many do
not tolerate homosexuality," said a note published with the amendments.

However, it said it would continue its policy of not proactively prosecuting private homosexual acts.

"Gross indecency" between two men can lead to two years in jail, but
it's rarely punished. Singapore has a thriving gay community.

Other proposed amendments would ban necrophilia, toughen penalties
for sex with minors under 14, and introduce penalties for men who rape
their wives.

The amendments would also expand the Sedition Act to cover "the
wounding of racial feelings," and would toughen credit card fraud laws.

A change in the "unlawful assembly" law would broaden its focus to
groups "whose common object is to commit any offense, and not just
those relating to public tranquility."

Outdoor gatherings of more than four people now require a police
permit -- a law seen by critics as an attempt to curb political
dialogue.

Such laws were highlighted in September, when protesters were
confined to an indoor lobby during annual International Monetary Fund
and World Bank meetings held in Singapore.

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.