If the Scottish government's decision to free the terminally ill Libyan convicted of bringing the Pan-Am flight down in 1988 was purely based on compassionate grounds I will have no hesitation saying, "Well done, hats off to you." The gesture came two days before the start of the Ramadan month. But, despite his claims of innocence, let us not forget he was jailed for the terrorist act that killed all 270 passengers (mostly American) aboard.

 

I would still have saluted Scotland if only it had been able to get the convict, who was sentenced in 2001, to publicly denounce terrorism and make a passionate call for peace. That will have given a fillip to the fight against terror. But then humanism will have to be unconditional and any tradeoffs may have negated its spirit.

 

Can the world be certain that only compassion was involved in the release of Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, who doctors feel may not survive for more than three months? Can there be truth in the talk that Britain may be keen to tap Libya's oil wealth amid an economy in turmoil? Questions and doubts do linger, but it may not be fair to jump to conclusions based on just assumptions.

 

For more on the decision, head to http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/6062496/Barack-Obama-leads-condemnation-of-Scotland-for-freeing-Lockerbie-bomber.html or http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/south_of_scotland/8197370.stm 

 

New-Generation Leadership for the Future or will it be Age Discrimination to the Fore?

When it comes to taking controversial, even discriminatory, decisions, you can trust Singapore to deliver them without any fear of repercussions.  Public opinion has hardly mattered here as all major decisions are taken by the leadership cream within the establishment. I wouldn’t want to take issue with that as it has been a model that has not failed to yield good results for Singapore. So what if independent thinking may have become a casualty in the process!

It was nary a surprise, therefore, when last week former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, pointed out that a search was now on for a successor to Mr Lee Hsien Loong, who has been occupying the hot seat since 2004. But don’t read too much into this as the person they pick will have to be in the government for around 10 years before the Premier steps down. So that is still a long way away.

When Mr Goh Chok Tong (now Senior Minister) became the Prime Minister in 1990, critics felt he was being chosen to keep the seat warm until Mr Lee Hsien Loong (son of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, considered the Father of the Nation) is ready to step in. It did turn out to be uncharitable for by the time Mr Goh made way in 2004 for his successor he had held the reins for around 14 years.

Grooming: A significant part of Mr Goh’s announcement was his indication that the person they would be looking for would be in his 30s. He would then be groomed over a period of 10 years before he is made fully fit for the post. That in effect meant all those in the Cabinet who could have been serving the country well during the last 10 years or more would be out of the running. Youth, more than capability and experience, is now a key criterion. 

I would not rush to call it age discrimination. Having a succession plan firmly in place is a healthy practice in the corporate world. Singapore is also run with business-like precision. It is only in true democracies that people get to choose their leaders, though they can also go dangerously wrong particularly in places where illiteracy is rampant.

--G Joslin Vethakumar

 

As a blogger, I have consistently found my posts lack the sparkle that can draw even the most impatient reader. Headlining, after all, is an art that is alien to me. So you will have seen just yawn-inducing headlines here. I don't think I have that imaginative touch in me to bring out the essence of, say, a 1000-word piece, in a punchy heading,

 

When I wrote a cover story for Microsoft Magazine more than a decade ago on how technology was redefining shopping, I headlined it, What's in Store! and was mightily pleased with myself.  The truth was that I was not capable of anything better. I probably did better when I came up with "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" for a review of a tool that featured a database of movies.

 

Catchy headings in newspapers and magazines never fail to leave me in awe. For instance, yesterday's edition of The Telegraph (U.K.) had a brilliant heading for a feature on China blacking out all social networking sites -- The Battle to Scale the Great Firewall of China. That is a creative spark not every journalist has. The piece is well worth a read at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/5976173/The-battle-to-scale-the-Great-Firewall-of-China.html