Burma or Myanmar - Oct 1, 2007
How we fared - Feb 13, 2006The hot-and-cold media Feb 13, 2005
We're three years old - Nov 12, 2003
Finally back in action! - Sep 13, 2003
Roses and rockets - May 11, 2003
A new feature - Apr 30, 2003
Two years, a million hits - Feb 16, 2003
Hi, I'm back! Mar 28, 2002
Our first global award - Nov 22, 2001
The Costs will Rise - Sept 16, 2001
Nine Months Old And It's Not Bad - Aug 15, 2001
Sorry, a Little Trouble - Aug 6, 2001
Will Littlespeck have to register? - July 13, 2001Sorry, we were out June 25, 2001
Revamp's Completed June 20, 2001
Politics: One Tough Lady to Call June 2, 2001
Reorganising This Little Fellow - May 15, 2001
The First Greeting - Jan 22, 2001
Burma or Myanmar
Some friends have asked why Littlespeck insists on calling it Burma when others refer to it as Myanmar. Actually the world is split on the usage and audiences everywhere are confused.The Washington Post, for example, headlined the story on Page 1 “Burma Meets Protests With Violence" while The New York Times exclaimed, "Myanmar Attacks Protestors, Arresting Monks."
This difference exists worldwide. So is it Burma (the old name) or Myanmar?
The short answer is: It depends on whether one supports the repressive military junta, which grabbed power in 1989 after losing landslide elections to the main opposition party led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
That year it renamed the country Myanmar and the capital Yangon (instead of Rangoon). But this has not been recognised by the opposition and the Burmese people in general.The outside world which resents tyranny has stuck to Burma.
Frankly, that’s not the international practice. Any change of name (whether a country or a city) is the perogative of the country itself – or to be precise, the constituted government.
Usually the world institutions and the media will follow its wish, thus Brunei became Brunei Darussalam and Peking and Bombay are now Beijing and Mumbai.
Governments have little say on the matter; they have to respect the wishes of a sovereign country, however much it dislikes it.
The media has a choice: Some believe they, too. ought not to challenge a country’s sovereign rights. Others feel the Burmese regime has guns – but not the legitimacy or mandate - to rule and so what the alteration doesn’t count.
For us here, it’s just a matter of following the heart. It is our small part, helpless as we are, to demonstrate our support of the Burmese people.
When one day they become free and opt for Myanmar, we will happily follow.
The Editor
How we fared
Some friends have been asking how we have been doing during the past five years since our launch.Well, without much publicity we've steadily grown in size, popularity and reach to consolidate out position as Singapore's third biggest news and information website, but far behind the two giants, AsiaOne and CNA. Not bad for a one-man operation, though.
The following information may answer some of your questions: -
* Since our start on Nov. 12, 2000. we have accumulated and placed on archives several hundred features (mostly about trends) on Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the region (to a lesser extent, the world).
* Littlespeck.com is now included reference link to the US Congress library and a number of major universities in the US and Australia. An estimated 20-25% of our visitors are from America and Western Europe, judging by the hours of visit.
* For a long time, now we've been updating the site every day. In order words, new articles are posted sometimes several times daily.
* In January, 2006 our website recorded the following:
Number of visits = 37,138
Page reads = 98,678
Hits = 216,342Our moderate targets for the whole year are: -
Number of visits = 480,000
Page reads = 1.3m
Hits = 2.85mI am grateful to all who have supported us these past years.
Editor Seah Chiang Nee
Feb 1, 2006
=The hot-and-cold media
Feb 13, 2005
After nearly 40 years of independence, the media scene in Singapore lacks far behind its economic achievements.Have you seen some of the traditional hotels in Western Europe, beautiful, grand in their old ways, but rather impractical.
Take, for example, the basin in some of their rooms. It had two taps that are exquisitely designed, one giving out cold and the other, hot water, really hot. For the guest during winter, it posed a problem.
It was either too hot or too cold to wash one’s face or hands. Ideally, one should switch on both taps for the right warm mix collected from the basin.
But I – Probably many others – wasn’t too keen on that for fear that others had earlier urinated into the basin (the room had no attached bathroom). Mercifully, such amenities have long gone into general extinction.
That’s how Singapore’s media scene looks to me - today.
The ‘cold’ water, in my views, comes from the mainstream media - the licensed TV and newspapers - while the ‘hot’ tap is emerging from the various websites and Internet forums, which boast of an alternative viewpoint.
These include a large array of political sites, chatsites, copy-and-paste services and increasingly weblogs (or personal diaries).
To many of the young (and not so young) readers, the licensed media is too tightly controlled to be truly credible on many issues. Talk to the cynics, the answer is, “Oh, it’s well designed, but it’s a government mouthpiece.”
That’s like switching on a beautifully-designed “cold’ tap in winter.
It has sparked government critics to launch (or write to) websites to offer “an alternative viewpoint”. Their rationale is: “Let the Straits Times carry the pro-government stories, we’ll give you the anti-government stories.”
Many, in fact, have nothing good to say about policies, any policy. “We leave the praises to the controlled press” is its explanation.
That is the “hot” tap.
To me, it doesn’t make sense. If the general reader is sick of reading “government propaganda’ – as the cynics say – why should he read anti-government propaganda?
Littlespeck.com, a four-year-old, non-profit news and information website, hopes to provide not ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ but warm water. That, I think is best for the New Singapore.
There’s a role to play for an objective media that is truly objective, carrying neither pro or anti propaganda but one that treads the middle road, objective and balanced. Only then can we have a well-informed public.
Mr. Lee Hsien Loong said before he became Prime Minister, that the role model for the Singapore media should be the British broadcasting Corporation or admiringly referred to simply as BBC.
It is objective – despite being financed by the British government. I believe we’ll get there one day. We deserve better.
The Editor
We're three years old
Nov 12, 2003
Hi,
Today is a special day at Littlespeck.com. This day in the year 2000 it was born into a world just about to explode into turbulence and uncertainty.At the launch I said of our reason: To contribute to a better-informed society by reporting and explaining major trends. Events were happening so fast that many people could not keep up with them.
Actually I did not even know half of what was to come - Sept. 11, Jemaah Islamiah, SARS, and the tremendous uncertainties of a global economy.
In the past three years, this news and information website had not done too badly. Despite all the thunder and lightning, it remains a free website.
During the past 12 months, it has had more than 750,000 hits (see Littlespeck.com/stats).
At last count (this morning) the average number of visitors in this Internet news-magazine - one of Singapore's top three - is nearing 1,000, with more 1,800 pages read. Not bad for a little fellow with zero budget for promotion.
We've now hundreds of articles, most of them self-written, on archive. More satisfying is that we've gained many friends and loyal readers.
For them, I say a big "Thank You."
It will redouble its effort to maintain its professional, objective write-ups of Singapore and the region.
The Editor,
Seah Chiang Nee
Finally back in action!
Hi, Nice to be back. I have been compelled to take a vacation from this website for 18 days (Aug 26 - Sept 13) because my computer's hard disk and its files were hit by viruses which also cut me off from the Internet.This happened despite anti-virus protection, fire-wall, plenty of updating. I suppose for a more tech-savvy person, it would have taken a shorter time to be up my feet.
I'm not. I apologise for disappointing all of you.
This enforced holiday gave me time to reflect on this wonder of technology, this miracle that drew me to cyberspace, but also its vulnerability.
A bit like the recent New York blackout, which knocked out most mobile phones but left conventional phones largely operational. And of course, the expensive - normally fast, efficient - trains came to a halt; passengers had to rely on the old faithfuls - buses and walking.
Must be a lesson somewhere for Singapore, which is relying so much on technology. I hope the authorities plan for its failure in a massive blackout, a war or a disaster.
But the worldwide web is actually awesome. From a small northeast corner of this tiny island, it is possible for an individual to put up a website that can be read by anyone anywhere in the world - 24 hours a day.
It is entering a new phase. Viruses and spams are threatening to close it down for millions of home-users.
Since the Internet belongs to no one and everyone, there is little or no control and anyone with the knowledge can do anything with it.
Will it still be around in 10,20 years from now? Or will it die slowly by a thousand cuts. No one knows.
But one thing is for sure. Life in the Internet will be a lot more troublesome and costly as users rely on businesses to come up with solutions.
The future of small, free websites like ours is most at stake of being overwhelmed by the high cost of prevention or repair.
Until the worst occurs, Littlespeck.com, Singapore's third news and information website will continue to work towards a better-informed society.
By Seah Chiang Nee
Roses and Rockets
Introducing another feature in Singapore media scene for readers, which journalists - both working and students - may find interesting.I call it "Roses and Rockets" in the Media Section.
It is an idea I picked up from my old mentor, Reuters News Agency, which distribiuted through its newsletter compliments (for a job well done or roses) or criticisms (Rockets) to its large force of correspondents and sub-editors during the the 60sand 70s. Its original name was Rockets and Roses. I decided to reverse it to emphasise the positive.
It was all in good spirit done for a vital feedback purpose. Even the best got a rocket once a while; and the newest recruit could earn a bouquet.
I had wanted to introduce it in this website on the Singapore media (and maybe the region later) but had not got around it. Now with Sars makinf for a more complexed world,, it's as good a time as any to start it.
Readers' contributions that are concise, informed and reasoned are very welcomed - but please, no personal grouses or rude remarks. Littlespeck will, of course, subject itself to the same criterion. Please whack us if you think we deserve it.
Main objective is to highlight good efforts and reduce poor ones in a world that's becoming more complicating for reporters.
The Editor
May 11, 2003
A new feature
The past is often a mirror of the future, they say.With this in mind, I'm proud to announce a new section, The Past, and hope that it will appeal to readers with an interest - or doing courses - in contemporary history, especially students.
They are mostly journalistic accounts of Singapore and the region, including major historical events. I think college and university students preparing projects may find them useful.
Most of them were my reporting assignments or experiences gathered in 43 years of my work in Singapore and outside. But Littlespeck will be more than happy to feature any contribution sent in from readers with an interesting story to tell.
It may be an article of our past - an anecdote of war or crisis or just impressions of bygone life interesting to young people.
Compiling this will take time, so please be patient. The first (see highlight at bottom of main page) is the end of the Vietnam war exactly 28 years ago today.
We'll highlight more articles as we go along. Please watch the same space for them.
The Editor
Apr 30, 2003
Two years, a million hits
Over a recent lunch, a friend ribbed me: "How's your website doing? Do you have people actually visiting it?"
The answer is: Yes, a bit more than a few. Actually, in a little over two years since its launch, Littlespeck.com has had more than a million hits. (about 521,000).
During the past 12 months (up to Feb 16, 2003) our web0hosts recorded as follows:
Hits: 521,000
Visits: 110,000 and
Pages Read: 271,350
Currently, the average daily figures (can be seen in www.littlespeck.com/stats) are still climbing.
Most of the visitors - bumping 500 a day reading more than 1,000 pages - are Singaporeans with a large minority of Malaysians, some from Hong Kong and Australia. But steadily, there are more Americans, too (judging by midnight-8 am visits).
This is satisfying for a one-person operation, considering there's nothing more than word-of-mouth promotion and desperately needed technical improvement that humbly I cannot provide at the moment.
Singapore's third websiteAt any rate, I'm happy that Littlespeck.com has become Singapore's third general news and information web-site, if one discounts sites that do not generate their own articles or current news.
In Littlespeck.com, there are now than 200 self-written pieces.
Actually, it has long become - by default - Singapore's third domestic news and information web-site. There are only three. The other two, Asia1 and MediaCorp, are, of course, incomparably miles ahead.
Yes, there are good prospects for better figures.
Feb 18, 2003
Hi, I'm back!
By coincidence - on the hour when Malaysia's Prime Minister was emotionally announcing his retirement - I was being wheeled into the Singapore General Hospital for a painful throat infection. That was Saturday.For the next several days I was on an antibiotic drip, watching the drama on a bed and unable to work on this website. Apologies to all.
Now back in circulation, I am trying to catch up on my writing - starting with the impact on Malaysia and its neighbours of Dr. Mahathir Mohamad's exit next year.
In half my 42 years of journalism covering the region, Malaysia was under his rule. I have watched it transformed to a flourishing industrial nation from an agricultural society of plantations and lay-back living that surpassed the Philippines and Thailand to become Asean's second most developed member.
Many young Malaysian friends know of no leader other than Mahathir. Kuala Lumpur has changed into a modern, well-groomed city not unlike some developed capitals. If you think I am exaggerating, go visit Damansara and other Kuala Lumpur centres.Further south, every citizen had been talking in recent months of remaking Singapore.
Will Mahathir's departure be the start of a similar exercise - Remaking Malaysia - in the near future in the wake of his lashing-out at the Malays' over-reliance on privileges?
The immediate reaction of many Malays is a no-go - but this is the first time after 32 years that a harsh review is happening at the top leadership.
These special rights will, of course, not disappear overnight. They are long entrenched in the Malay mind. In my view, however, it is also not possible for them to remain unchanged in the 21st Century for too long after Mahathir's denouncement.
After all, he was its early architect, and it is significant that he now himself snaps at its crutch-building effect on the Malays.
These privileges, grafted into the Malaysian constitution, will not disappear quickly but Mahathir has turned the first page of change.
If the ruling elite has Mahathir's courage these rights may be diluted by a slow - probably very slow - process of erosion.
What Mahathir has helped many Malays to achieve is not just progress and modernisation, but also incalcuting a strong sense of pride, too. This will be the biggest catalyst of their change..
June 27, 2002
Our first global award
We'd just completed our first year of existence (Nov 12, 2001) and received a great birthday present.We're very proud to announce that US-based Kessler Freedman today awarded Littlespeck.com "Best Political Site of the Day" (see www.aboutpolitics.com) for the week of Nov 19, 2001. It has been reviewing the Internet during the past four years.
An announcement over the e-mail received said: "We appreciated your site, and wanted to share it with our audience. Nice job! Congratulations, and thanks for making the Web a more informative and interesting place to visit.
"We've been spotlighting sites for four years, and we're glad to add you to our library."
(Signed) Wayne Kessler
Political Site of the Day
Nov 21, 2001
The Costs will Rise
With a heavy heart, this web-site adds its tiny humble voice to the storm of world outrage against the attacks on the United States.
No one could possibly have missed the growing admiration Singaporeans have for things American in recent years - its technology, its education, its creativity and free spirit and now its patriotism and heroism. Its economic welfare rests on the American market.
Singapore's security is dependent more and more on the US air and naval presence in the republic. US planes, its war ships, including aircraft carriers, stop here on a rotating basis.
Singapore's universities are cutting down on the British traditions and adopting America's market-oriented system; reliance, too, is rising on trade and investment.
It is, therefore, surprising that while its sympathy for USA remains high, its nervousness of an American war on terrorism is even higher.
Above all, the new warfare of hijacking planes and crashing them onto buildings worry aviation hubs like Singapore Hong Kong, where the airport is in the city itself. Besides, Singapore is living close to Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, where extremist Islam is rising.
On top of all these, the attack is an evil act of major proportions. The perpetrators have to be punished.
Several steps need to be - and are probably being - done in line with other global cities. Firstly, raise security and make sure no terrorist moles are here. Tighten up checks on all entry-departure points and conduct a through check on suspicious people already in the country.
And secondly, check on the possibility of Osama Bin Laden setting up accounts or companies to launder money via Singapore.
Unlike others, Singapore also needs to work among Muslim and non-Muslim Singaporeans to ensure an external conflict is not imported either deliberately or insensitively.
The uncertainties - and the costs - are overwhelmiing. The future is likely to worsen. These are darks days for Singapore (as elsewhere) already a city of rising economic hardship.
Sept 17, 2001
Nine Months Old
And It's Not Bad
Since the launch on November 12, 2000 (my son's 21st birthday) Littlespeck.com has received a lot more support than I had dared to hope for.
In these nine months, it has received a total of 460,700 hits, 26,620 visits, and 126,700 page views, a rising number from abroad. For a one-person operation with hardly any publicity, I must admit these are beyond my expectation.
More important were the words of encouragement I have received from Singaporeans as well as people from USA, Western Europe and Asean countries. Among them were a few old friends and neighbours I had not seen for a quarter of a century.
A nephew I had not heard from since my heart transplant in 1985 popped me an e-mail to tell me he had stumbled onto my website from his university in America.
The son of an ageing neighbour from my days at Macpherson Estate 30 years ago (he was then barely able to walk) contacted me to say "hello." He is now married.
Another happy development is the fast growth of the "Letters" Page. More people are writing in to comment on various topics.Good letters, too. Please contribute, if you have a viewpoint.
At the moment, 82 per cent of 148 articles posted in Littlespeck.com (not including Ideas, Lighter Side or other minor items) are written by one person - me. I would dearly love to reduce this proportion through an increase use of "An Informed View" and Letters from you. That will make this a more lively place.
The Future.Where do I go from here?
I'd like to put in more stories of the past - of Singapore and the region. It will be along the lines of From Ball Point Pen To Lap Top and Serangoon, Gardens: Cheery News in Bad Times, the four-part series on China and Vietnam and Hong Kong (See The Region.)
This should make it more useful for students and young people who want to know what life was like.
I have a problem, though - my inability to reach out to more Singaporeans.
Without a budget or revenue, it is not easy to tell Singaporeans about this site. So I'd like to appeal to you for help. If you think this website is useful, please help me pass word to your friends about its existence. E-mail the URL to as many people as you can.
Thank you.
Aug 15, 2001
Sorry, a Little Trouble
For the last 24 hours, I was unable to transfer files for reason or reasons I do not know. Those who logged in would have found the banner and one article missing. Back for the moment.
My computer is still a little unstable and I am trying to find out the fault and correct it. Apologies. Please bear with me for a little while. Thanks.
Aug 6, 2001
Will Littlespeck have to register?
Since July 10 when Sintercom.org reported being asked to register as a political website, several friends have rung me up to ask these questions: What did I think of the move?: Would Littlespeck.com be affected and what would I do if it were?
I'll answer the second question first.
With candour I can say: I don't know. I think it is premature to assume it is going to happen since Littlespeck.com is neither a forum nor a political website.
If the sole criterion is to make the webmaster take responsibility of what others post in his chatsite, then I probably will not be affected. Littlespeck.com is a one-person website, whose webmaster (that's me) already has control of its content since he writes most of it.
All of them bear bylines and accreditations. Unlike a forum, there are no direct entry postings and this includes letters where inflammatory, libellous or obscene remarks are kept out.
So for the moment, a considered reaction is premature. Now for the question: "What do I think of the move?"
I believe it is the start of an effort to control the world of chat-sites, including a free-swinging one operated by Sameul Leong, a Singaporean emigrant based outside Singapore. He also operates a porn site.
If what I believe is true he will probably be asked to register, too, and if he fails to do so, it can be shut down.
For a country striving to be a civil society, the control cannot be good.
In an ideal world, its citizens should be allowed to have a freer say over public matters. That, however, assumes people are mature and take responsibility for what they say.
This is crucially important. In many instances, Singaporeans neglect web ethics; some often posting rude personal attacks, obscene and inflammatory (even libellous) words.
Most surfers are young - very young - so it will take time for most of Singapore's forums to evolve, to balance right with responsibility, to master the art and ethics of public debate, use refined words and rational arguments, whether supporting or criticising someone.
Go into BBC's "Talking Point" or read letters in responsible newspapers and you'll see what I mean. They disagree in an agreeable manner. For starters, they use their real names.
In Singapore, the opposite is happening. Most forumers hide behind anonimity to say anything they like and which they probably would not say had they used their real identities. If expelled, which rarely happens, they'd simply walk right back under another name.
I touched briefly on it on my Notes Worse Than 1997 of July 9 - one day before Sintercom.org's bad news.
I wrote about young forumers who did not seem to realise the dangerous world Singapore is now living in. Sintercom.org is comparatively classier, more knowledgeable and less wild-swinging than others. Quite a few posters are anti-government but others are supporters..
In the wilder websites, I've read of irresponsible youths - raised in relative wealth and stability - knocking national service and nationalism as the region gets more unstable by the day.
Some attack others' races or religions. One thread was started by someone who proclaimed he would not fight for Singapore but leave if war comes. It has attracted anti-government posters like bees to honey.
These are real people living in an unreal world. It needs only a dozen people with multiple names posting irresponsible messages to create false perception that the whole state has such views.
What is a better solution?
I notice in all forums, there is a registration process that no one follows. Only in a rare exceptions is the questionnaire partially answered. Most spaces are left blank. Sintercom is no exception.
I think a better control lies in that questionnaire. Webmasters should make sure participants fill it up accurately. A forumer can use a pen-name must leave at its side a button that reveals his real name, address, age, profession and other information.
Yeah, but will it not shut up critics who may fear government retaliation?
Possible, some may have these fears, but it is time Singaporeans learn to shake them off. The fault, however, often lies in us not the government.
I remember giving a talk to some 700 Secondary 3 and 4 strudents in a gifted school about the race riots of 1964 which I covered as a new agency reporter.
At the end when questions were invited not a single student of this top school spoke up. I wasn't surprised because I was warned in advance by the projects teacher. "They're bright students but they are shy about speaking in public," she said.
She closed the session for refreshments, saying anyone with questions could ask the guest there.
Two boys later approached me, one of them askiing a series of questions while his friend stood and listened. The questions reflected maturity. "Well," I told the teacher, "At least someone spoke up."
"Not really. The boy who asked the questions. He's actually from Taiwan."Educated adults are often like that, too. Quite often forum speakers are greeted with silence when questions were invited.
For a long time, I often wondered why I could never get an answer when I asked Singaporeans who they had voted for. Even the most educated would refuse to say. In the USA, people will readily tell you he is a Republican or a Democract - and why.
Before anyone concludes: "This proves people are fearful of the government" I must hasten to add that this reticence applies also to those who voted for the ruling party. At one time its support was 75 per cent; for three quarters it could not have been fear of punishment since they voted for government.I think it is due to the fear of having to publicly defend one's action or viewpoint or of getting into an argument. If I don't argue I can't lose an argument.
This is the Singaporean way. Debate is done only among a few close friends - not in front of a large audience of strangers. If I lose, I lose face.
It is the same with the chat-sites.
The Internet forums are like a huge crowded auditorium that even the most irrational person can feel free to speak his mind because he wears a mask when speaking. And he tells himself - quite rightly - if I were expelled or publicly shamed, I could leave the hall and come back wearing another cybermask, another name.
Tear off the mask, and the wild postings will end.
July 13, 2001
Sorry, we were out
As you've probably noticed, littlespeck has just suffered from its first illness.
For 24 hours, the web-site was knocked out of cyberspace for spelling a file name "index" in upper case. Not supposed to do that.
My apologies to visitors who tried unsuccessfully to click in between Saturday night and Sunday night. That's new technology, its a tremendous help to mankind, but, at times, it is also a pain in the butt.
At any rate, one of the benefits I get from operating this little fellow is what I can learn - not always enough as the weekend proved - from the exercise.
A New Threat
It is one of those stories that journalists sometimes write and hope they're proven wrong.
A couple of months ago we wrote (Hostage-taking: When it won't work, Current Topics, Apr 29, 2001) about the world of hostage-taking for politics, for money, etc.
It's not new, we said. In fact, it was a regular affliction in the 70's especially in the Middle East but Singapore wasn't too worried.
Today, it's a different matter. With 100,000 Singaporeans knocking around the world for business, studies, holidays, Singapore has plenty of reasons to be concerned.
Since then, five Singaporeans have been kidnapped in the Philippines (two paying up between $150,000-$300,000 for release) and one in Malaysia ($200,000.)
A pall of gloom has descended on Singaporean businessmen and tourists. I was told people are beginning to call off their trips there.
The economic crisis has raised poverty and made the region unstable and Singaporeans are going to feel it.(Read "Four Years into the Regional Storm)
The threat to security - at least for the foreseeable future - is not a war in the region, but rising lawlessness that can overwhelm Singapore, like a massive influx of illegal immigrants, an increase in piracy in its trade routes and, now, a possible new industry of kidnapping.
Can you imagine, if Indonesia were to take up this lucrative business with the hard-pressed police and armed forces unable to do anything about it?
June 25, 2001
Revamp's Completed
Well, the revamp is done! All our features are now at one spot (left column) for easier use. The overall look is largely intact. Hope you like it.
Let me know, will you?
And if you like it, applause to a nice, hard-working lady. Her name is Carine Zheng Kaixin, 19, a final year computer student of Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
I am grateful to her.
The ideas, easy and simple, are hers, executed during the greater part of her month's holidays. You know, I have written quite a bit about the new generation and its newly acquired capabilities.
In her, I have an added example of it.
At times for hours I would sit beside her watching her work her miracle on the keyboard and mouse, skirting around problems with a speed faster than my eyes could follow.
And if this is representative of what our polytechnics are doing, I say Singapore has a place in this high-tech world. Thanks Carine!
How we're doing.
Six months after our launch, littlespeck.com I have put slightly more than 100 articles into it (not counting Informed View (from valued guests), Lighter Side, Ideas.)
Our growth, thanks to you, has been modest.
For about six months until June 19, the site has a total of 352,457 hits and (more relevantly) 84,065 page visits.
This month, our average is 2,404 hits and 672 page visits a day. The most important measurement is, of course, not statistics but a better quality of work that we try to provide.That's why it takes time.
At times when we're a bit slow putting in new stuff, please be patient. Routinely it is a still one-person operation.
Bookmark Me. This button is now included on the Main Page. If you like us, please use it. Tell - or e-mail - your friends about littlespeck.com, will you?.
Other points we'd like to make: -
Editor's Notes - A more regular input here, I promise myself. It serves as an editorial but is also used to talk about future plans, new features and explain "why" we're doing certain things. Stay with it.
Letters - More letters are being received as friends and readers respond to my request But more than numbers we'd like to attract a greater variety of well-considered views.
Please keep them short. Go to the "e-mail" button, click and shoot. Under subject just mark "For Letters"
Will talk about other features the next time. See you!
The Editor
June 20, 2001
Politics: One Tough Lady to Call
In politics everywhere, appearances often lie. It is toughest in Asia for unwary commentators who hunt in pack or who depend on traditional wisdom.
At any rate a lot of luck is needed.
Here at Littlespeck.com, we've had our fair share of good fortune on two major stories: -
General Election, Singapore - Around the first quarter when a flurry of people were writing about an imminent snap election, we said on Mar. 11 that the People's Action Party was not ready.
The likely time, this website added, was end of 2001 or early next year. A few days later Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said just that and made us look smarter than we were.
Daim Zainuddin's leave - When Malaysia's Finance Minister announced he was leaving on long leave, everyone knew about his rift with Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.
But few believed he would quit the government. In fact, the majority of the foreign correspondents believed it was wayang kulit, a shadow play between the two men.
"Don't read too much into it. He will return to the Treasury," said a powerful UMNO backroom figure.
The reason? The two men depended too much on each other. When Diam quit it would herald Dr. Mahathir's exit, I was told.
An aide of jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim told me in Singapore recently: "Seventy per cent of Malays will tell you it's a charade."
Littlespeck.com came out with its own analysis on Apr 25 (See - Malaysia "Is M's Right Hand really gone?) that, inspite of all this, the Treasury will have a new man.
The mood in Malaysia, it added, resembled that which existed just before Dr Mahathir moved against Anwar in September 1998 -plenty of innuendoes, cynical comments and baffling events.
So sure that he was going, it ran a side-article on Daim - and Singapore.
On May 30, he was reported to be going back to work.
A day later - on June 1, 2001at 3 pm - Dr. Mahathir confirmed his right hand man had indeed resigned from his government positions and that he had accepted it. He is also likely to quit as Treasurer of United Malays' National Organisation (UMNO).
This conclusion looks inevitable now - on hindsight - not so two months ago when most pundits were predicting it was impossible. There had been many stories which had turned out differently from what leaders themselves had said.
After 40 years covering Asia, many of them Malaysia, I have learned to weigh every one's words - however high level - with care.Forums
A special invitation to all friends and visitors to contribute to Forums on any subject. Please observe usual courtesies to others, keep it brief and nothing libellous, obscene or inflammatory.
If you have a viewpoint, an idea, anything, just click into E-Mail Me on the left, type in "For Forums" and shoot. All contributions welcomed. Happy writing!
June 2, 2001
Reorganising This Little Fellow
Just a few words to say that I am trying to reorganise the website to make for easier viewing.
I had started it on the wings of a prayer and a "can do" attitude, with zero technical knowledge on how to do it. It's been a dizzying climb.
To await for perfection before launching it would have meant a long, long wait. So I did it like any idiot would do under the circumstances - go ahead, imperfection and all, then gradually try to improve it.
To date six months later, it has more than 100 articles and still counting.
By default, Littlespeck.com has become the third domestic news information website in Singapore - a very distant third (way down there) to AsiaOne and ChannelnewsAsia.
Some new features will be added - a "Letters" column, instead of promoting "Forum" which would take more resources to operate than are available. Besides, there is an abundance of chat rooms already.
A Tale of Two Presidents
While George W. Bush has started office as one of the least travelled presidents in the world, visiting no more than five countries, including student trips (read "If only the World is like Texas"), the president of Indonesia is just the opposite.
In only 20 months in office, President Abdurrahman Wahad has visited more than 40 countries. It must be a world record.
Under normal circumstances, this tiring performance would have resulted in a rich harvest of diplomatic achievements. He would also have come home with a lot of experiences gained for implementation back home, not so in the case.
The reason is - without wanting to be insensitive - his blindness. He would have been shown a lot, but saw little, no impressions - good or bad - for Indonesia to emulate or avoid.
When Vice President Megawati blindfolded herself for three days to understand Mr. Wahid's plight, I was puzzled. Was that necessary? Now I think it is.
Without the handicap it would already have been a monumental task governing Indonesia, 220 million people in 13,900 islands what more for someone who can't read reports or see how the vast country is doing?
Asked why he did not come home from his trip to visit riot-torn Kalimantan, the president quipped: "What for? I can't see anything?"
So the president - like Mr Bush Jr for a different reason - is excessively dependent on others around him which means a lot of luck and good advisors are needed.
For the world, these are nail biting times.
May 15, 2001This is the 9th week of our launch. As you can see, we have put on a new face, re-arranged our sections and added this little "From the Editor" column - and hope you like it.
Comments will be greatly appreciated.
Nothing stands still; we hope you like the changes. The purpose, however, remains the same - to provide a broad perspective on our complex world.
"From the Editor" will keep you informed on what Littlespeck is doing - and why - and hope that you will continue to visit and support it. I am very grateful for the well wishes and encouragement you have sent me.
The overall objective is to be as helpful as we can. This revamped format is to allow for a better display of articles and provide for faster reaction on developing trends.
The "Current Topics" and "Brief Comments", for example, will, from now on, become more prominent and will be updated more frequently. Eventually I hope to promote a public forum.
Some of you have asked if this is really a one-man cyber-work and the answer is "No".
Helping me is Arthur Chia, a good friend, who - despite his busy full-time job - has worked very hard to help turn my e-dream into a reality. To him I say "Thank You".
To all Chinese friends, a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Until next time,
January 22, 2001
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