hazy investor confidence

I've always believed that the biggest problem with this country and its government is its obsession with economic progress and staying competitive.

This is exemplified by our PM's letter to the Indonesian President on the haze that's affecting the region. Below's the press release on the letter sent:

MFA Press Statement: Haze Situation In Singapore

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has written to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to express his disappointment over the recurring haze problem, which has been particularly serious this year. In his letter, Mr Lee had stated that Indonesia needed to deal with the problem in a timely and effective manner, so that investor confidence in Indonesia, Indonesia's international standing and ASEAN's credibility would not be affected. Mr Lee had also noted that while it may be too late this year to prevent the fires that cause the haze, it was critical to take action now in order to prevent future forest fires. To this end, Prime Minister Lee informed President Susilo that a meeting of Environment Ministers from the ASEAN countries affected by the haze will be held in Singapore on 13 October 2006. Its objective is to muster ASEAN's resources to help Indonesia cope with the present haze problem. Mr Lee also suggested that the meeting of 13 October 2006 could help in preparing for an international meeting which Indonesia could convene, to marshal the expertise and resources needed to help Indonesia and ASEAN tackle the haze problem effectively.

MFA had also conveyed these concerns on the haze issue in a Third Person Note which was handed to the Charge d'Affaires of the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore on 9 October 2006.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
11 OCTOBER 2006

Note that there's no mention of environmental issues or health problems caused. Instead, the concern is on "investor confidence in Indonesia, Indonesia's international standing and ASEAN's credibility".

success vs popularity

In the penultimate race of the F1 season today, Michael Schumacher shockingly blew his engine while leading comfortably with less than 20 laps to go. The commentator said that it's the first time since 2001 a Ferrari car retired due to engine failure (McClaren should take note). This allowed Fernando Alonso to take over and win the race with ease.

With just one more race to go, Alonso leads Schumacher by 10 points, so it'll take nothing less than a miracle (Schumacher to win the race and Alonso to finish pointless) for any chance of Alonso not winning his second driver's championship.

We also witnessed today the contrast between the former and current champions. After his less than satisfactory performance in the last race, Alonso was shooting off his mouth and accusing his own team of sabotaging him. In contrast, after his retirement today Schumacher made sure he went around to hug every single member of his pit crew and the rest of the Ferrari team. Despite the gloominess around and how lousy he must be feeling inside, he managed a smile all the while.

That may explain why Alonso is trailing so badly in the popularity charts. In sports where success and popularity often have a direct causal effect, his fourth placing performance seems rather absymal.

I guess he still has a lot to learn before he is acknowledged as a true champion.