Quickly on Wednesday, Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen - presumably the Singapore's Chief of Defence referred to in the interview - welcomed General Moeldoko's comments with much glee, and said the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will reciprocate by resuming bilateral cooperation with the TNI.
Then early on Thursday, General Moeldoko spoke to Indonesian media at the President's Office in Jakarta prior to the start of Cabinet proceedings to clarify his views. He made it quite clear that the apology had been for the fact that the decision to name the ship was final and would not be changed. To avoid further misunderstanding, the head of TNI's public affairs Fuad Basya confirmed in writing, "the TNI Commander was expressing his regrets that the naming was final and would not change."
Before the matter is finally laid to rest, one needs to understand what Ng meant when he said "The SAF will reciprocate General Moeldoko's positive intentions". If he interpreted the positive intentions to be renaming the Indonesian warship "Usman Harun" to "Usman Harun", there's nothing new to add. After all, Mah Bow Tan did commission global branding company Interbrand to rename "Marina Bay" to "Marina Bay", and it cost the taxpayers all of $400,000. We may need NSA's record of the Ng-Moeldoko conversation to settle this.
This say-something-first, clarify-something-else-later thingamajig comes in the wake of the Financial Times interview in London where the possibility of a coalition government in some future day was first recorded. When General Moeldoko said the episode has been a "learning process", he must be referring to the lessons culled from the prime minister's clarification thought process.
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A good one Tattler. You have to watch your lips or they will ask you for clarification. I recommend the book Fools Are Everywhere by Beatrice Otto to your readers.
ReplyDeleteAnd to think that our Minister is highest paid minister in the world. Such quality! I would give back my salary.
DeleteIts far easier to apologise than to ask for permission...
ReplyDelete.. see?.. so quick to resume activities. We need more them than they us. We are nothing but prostitutes... expert but not so professional.
I don't know what school of diplomacy PAPigs graduate from.
ReplyDeleteI was uncomfortable from the 1st second I heard about the
Indonesian public apology.
Adding insult to injury, PAPig Ng Eng Hen then says "Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will reciprocate by resuming bilateral cooperation with the TNI."
And now this clarification from General Moeldoko makes me even more uncomfortable.
Indonesia is a big country.
Indonesians have their pride.
We must respect that.
The Indonesians are our friends and allies.
They are not our enemy.
Clearly the naming of the Indonesian warships has rubbed the PAP LKY idealogues the wrong way.
And the LKY idealogues have now dragged Singaporeans into a spat a close ally.
It is not the LKY idealogues who pursued this otherwise unheralded affair. LKY himself showed no great outrage at the MacDonald House bombing. In fact he never even mentioned it in his book, The Singapore Story, whilst noting the bombing at Sennett Estate, also without any sense of outrage. These,out of their depth new leaders, thought they could capitalise on the naming and redeem themselves by beating the patriotic drums. Now they are caught embarrassing themselves. As an aside, the Malays were looked upon with suspicion in the SAF, with LKY asking if they would attack the Malaysians in the event of armed conflict. They same question could legitimately be asked of ex-Malaysian Minister Ng and his other ex-Malaysian colleagues.
DeleteWhence Ex Malaysians and other Nationals migrated from the Counteies of their Births and work for other Regimes, these folks can never be trusted anymore. They are by nature of their behaviours tirncoats, betrayors or wose traitors. But, even then, they commit less sin than those who worked for war criminals who killed our forebears. Those are traitors of the highest degree.
DeleteWho was the one who stired emtions? Not the naming country I believed. It was perhaps their culture to do so with no ill intent. Is that a big deal?
ReplyDeleteYes, we are too small to neogtiate the World Cup Football deal....so similarly, cant our leader say "we are too small to overturn their decision...."?
So is the Hen Minister going to retract his statement welcoming the apology when it is now clarified that it is no apology afterall ?
ReplyDeleteMaking a big farce over something that is meaningless to us Singaporeans. If that is something to be fussed about, what about a more meaningful apology to those detained under Operation Coldstore ? What a fucking joke ???
It's all much ado over nothing. Or a storm in a teacup. Minister Hen was very quick to count his chickens. His alacrity in grabbing at face-saving straws to resolve this spat must mean the severance of the bilateral cooperation with the TNI has hurt Singapore more than Indonesia. So will he now withdraw his "acceptance" of the so called apology? Remember that pride goes before a fall. Reminds me of 2 school boys daring to call each other names. But here we have minsters paid in millions. Jeese.
ReplyDeleteThat's why he is a hen. Must act like one mah... Ready to count his chickens before they hatch. Ready to grab the million dollar salary before he is up to task for the job. He should jolly well go dig a hole and hide to lay more eggs. Singapore's face is being tarnished by his remarks.
Deletetattler must be a moron - the ft (london) interview with the pm was done in paper and pen (or may be with a laptop); but the cna interview with this tni general was recorded "live" on television for the world to watch.
ReplyDeleteQuick as the Hen; read the first paragraph:
DeleteQuote
As the Singaporean prime minister settles into his seat for lunch, I am fussing with my tape machines – two of them, just in case one fails. Lee Hsien Loong smiles faintly and says: “The NSA will give you a copy.”
Unquote
If the moron is between you and tattler, it must be the former.
DeleteNot what you think it is.
ReplyDeleteFarcical? Gullible? Yes and Yes, but this sounds to me like the MFA and Mindef were competing against each other, fighting to score the most points in front of pinkie. The 2 minstries were each trying hard to see who can claim credit by successfully making up with the southern neighbours after some smart aleck "admin oppicers" recommended the great leeders stir up some nationalist sentiment. No doubt their preparation for 2016 (or 2015 depending on when the real estate market crashes of course) is kicking into first gear. The other one trying to fight for attention is Mr Money, who is now proclaiming that "garmen investments" are paying dividends, no more train breakdowns! See the empire is rotting with corruption, the eunuchs in court are jostling for favours, no time for the masses, definitely no money for any serious "50th anniversary baby bonus" so some Made in China "goodie bag" is all you will get la! So you get some real peanuts. The next stage is barbarians waiting at the gates (actually over 2m have already entered the gates) while Rome burns in factional strive, just you wait and see. huat arghhh!
Everything was supposed to be a face saving episode"
We got so many problems in Singapore.
DeleteAnd the PAP Millionaire Farkers want to pick a fight with a friendly nation and neighbour.
How many more years of mentoring do these farkers need?
Hey LKY.
Does your mentoring service come with a money back guarantee?
The PAP government hopes to gain some brownie points with the Singapore electorate by fanning the flames of nationalism, as if the public here really cares. They have failed miserably in creating a true nation with their reckless open door immigration policies. This is the PAP's quarrel with Indonesia, not Singaporean's And now, caught in this impasse of their own making, they are trying to find a face-saving way out.
DeleteIf the PM had 25 years of mentoring and he is only that good, what do you think the others need?
DeleteMaybe PM Lee's capability reveals just how useless LKY really is.
DeleteMaybe LKY is really not that good.
And it was the rest of his founding PAP team that made him look good.
Possibly the PM realized that much of the past 25 years of mentoring was not helping much . Hence the need to get de-mentored after the last GE. The Singapore system for selecting leaders is in need of a revamp. What worked well in the past may not work in future.
DeleteThe system for selecting leaders worked well in the past? Where were you when Dr. Tan Eng Liang, then Prof. Augustin Tan, then Lim Chee Onn (and lately Raymond Lim) were selected and then dumped shortly afterwards? The system was initiated by the Great Leader to retain control and not for the public good.As he put it "I appoint you and you appoint me". What is needed is not a revamp but a jettison of this ruinuous system which breeds cronyism and complacency.
DeleteThey were dumped when they were not working out. Nobody can ensure everybody will be successful. Our problem is that we are so short of people willing to do the job that we have to put up with mediocrities. A complete jettison of the current system may well be the revamp we need. Maybe , maybe not. What system will then take it's place ?
DeleteWhat flames of nationalism? On the one hand, they are fanning it with the MacDonald house, on the other hand, they are dousing it by labelling us xenophobes against the PIDC celebrating their national day in wanton disregard of our sovereignty. You see where this is heading?
DeleteWhat system was in place when the first generation of PAP leaders took charge, a group nearly everyone agree was outstanding in the creation of modern Singapore?
DeleteFrankly if a Minister still needs to be mentored, then surely he is not fit to be a Minister, no ? Only our PAP or LKY can come up with such an system, but what happened to the Mentor system now ? Does it meant to be a fake one to begin with now that they don't need no mentors anymore ?
DeleteTo have a Minister whose job is to mentor the newbies is an outrage. No country in the world will tolerate it. It is an abuse of power and not even our Constitution provides for it. Every Minister has to be given a portfolio which will be gazetted.
DeleteAkan datang:
ReplyDeleteApology:
We apologise for detaining Chia Thye Poh for 32 years without trial.
Clarification:
We apologise for providing free accommodation to Chia Thye Poh and feeding him for 32 years.
Correction:
DeleteWe apologise that we have to detain Chia Thye Poh...We apologise we have no choice, we have to detain him
I can look good too both in deed and ideology if you are greedy for power & fortune. Everyman is corruptable... some more than others if you find their weakest links.
ReplyDeleteSex, money, fame, power, especially if you are new to all this.. its like entering wonderland... sometimes a pat on the head is sufficient for you to wag your tail.. wildly too.
Every man has his price
DeleteI'm not going to war with Indonesia.
ReplyDeletePAP's millionaire platoon can go fight and defend their own money.
I don't intend to die for PAP's millions.
I agree. Learn from Lee Kuan Yew. Be a translator for the invader instead.
DeleteBetter start studying Bahasa Indonesia.
Delete@ anon 12.14pm
DeleteOr learn from ex president Nathan and become a military police personnel for the invader....ensure no prisoners escape. Defence minister Ng EH should relate LKY and Nathan's story to our NS men to inspire them.
Or learn to make gado gado
DeleteDid anyone notice the extremely nice watch the General was wearing?
ReplyDelete"Dr Ng said he understood that some Singaporeans are perplexed and upset over General Moeldoko's clarification of his initial apology" - Please don't put words in our mouths.
ReplyDelete"Dr Ng said it is not productive to get involved in Indonesia's domestic politics." - Then for f…k's sake, why did you object to the naming of their warship, leading to this row?
"Singapore had said the move would reopen old wounds." - The wounds were reopened when you, in a pique, objected to their renaming of the warship.
Dr Ng said: "We accept his words on camera at face value, that as I've said, they have acknowledged that they stirred up emotions, as we have said reopened old wounds. "
ReplyDeleteHello mini$ter, the general said they didn't think the naming of the frigate will stir up emotions. It's your thin skin and misguided political agenda that caused all this fuss.
Really nothing better to do....Papigs instead of making friends and creating / making good relationships stronger with other countries...do all these self fark themselves leetarded open to the whole world stuff....LKY and LHL really know how to pick the wrong guys and women on their team...really....nuts....zzz
ReplyDeleteFor 40 freaking years dont bother. After they named the ships then suddenly place a "memorial" in front of the HSBC building. You think I really give a damn????
ReplyDeletea bathing ape
ReplyDeletesupreme
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