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forget it if PAP think Pinoy w vote for them, read Pinoy FT group news online,

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I say India PRC Pinoy all new citizens aren't voting PAP, only some Malaysians.:biggrin:

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=674786&publicationSubCategoryId=64

We are being left behind

FROM A DISTANCE By Carmen N. Pedrosa (The Philippine Star) Updated April 10, 2011 12:00 AM

SINGAPORE — Had another leader in another country said it, he would have invited a storm of protest. But it was Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loon speaking to the young of Singapore. He said a two-party system would not work for Singapore and he gives the reasons why. He is believed because his country is well run.

It is especially relevant to us in the Philippines where elections are pursued for elections’ sake. These are held without any relation to the quality of elected officials. That is why we are stuck in a presidential system that does not address good governance no matter the lip service paid to it. Words are cheap but actions that make for good government are hard to find.

Lee spoke at the University of Singapore on the topic “Leadership Renewal: The Fourth Generation and Beyond” at the Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum. What he said was a headline story for the Straits Times.

“There is simply not enough talent in Singapore to form two ‘A’ teams to govern well, when a small nation like Singapore needs to have the strongest possible team to compete globally,” he said to some 1,200 students.

He said there are simply not enough people of calibre to perform key roles like that of Finance or Defense Minister.

As far as the coming elections are concerned, PAP candidates will be key members of an “A” team and will need voters’ full support to get elected and deliver results.

He also criticized the two-party systems of older, bigger countries like the US and the UK because these result in a divided society.

“We are working hard to prevent this because I think we should try and, to the maximum extent that we can, align all the interests of Singaporeans and make sure that one party can represent you, whether you’re the CEO or whether you’re the taxi driver,” he said.

I like the way he compares Singapore’s government to a soccer team. “If you watch World Cup soccer, every country only has one team. No country fields two teams for the World Cup soccer. You have one national soccer team. You have reserve players, you have coaches. You can change players and maybe you can even change the coach. But you concentrate all your talent, make one team and give your best shot, whether it’s Johannesburg or Rio de Janeiro. And I think that’s what we should do.”

* * *

Back to the 7th Asian Mining Conference. There was much to learn about mining in the exhibit and how other countries are moving ahead with the industry. I was especially curious about Indonesia because it is the country that comes closest to the Philippines in development. So I was amazed at how fast they have moved on in inviting huge investments to their country. They actually promote the mining industry there. They hold mining conferences like Mining Indonesia as an industry platform. No wonder it is referred to as Asia’s emerging powerhouse. Indonesians promote their country as economically strong, politically stable and reform minded.

If we are to compete with our neighbor, I am afraid that we have much catching up to do. While we are said to have one of the best mining laws in the world, it is not implemented seriously. Instead we create new barriers to stop investments. Indonesia is doing the opposite. It is creating new mining laws to attract investments back to the industry. Its new mining laws are designed to attract investment back to the mining sector as certainty returns and companies look to Indonesia for growth.

It is already the world’s biggest exporter of coal for power plants, supplying coal to China, India, Japan, South Korea and other Asian countries to feed coal-fired power plants, which is said to be cheaper than their own domestic supplies. With the nuclear disaster in Japan’s Fukushima, Indonesia is poised to cash in on the coal boom in Asia.

They are ready for the boom. The new mining regulations make it easier for firms to obtain mining permits. The idea is to create a stable environment for investors in the mining sector.

“The new regulations — one covering mining areas and the other on mining business — should allow investors to obtain new mining permits and help speed up issuance for existing investors. The regulations will be applied retroactively from 1 February 2010,” Bambang Gatot Ariyono, director of coal and mining business at the energy and mining ministry said.

Can the Philippines compete with such determination and innovative thinking coming from Indonesia?

* * *

Did you know that the largest unmined iron deposit in Asia is in Afghanistan? I didn’t because all I read in newspapers or see on television is about the war. I visited their booth at the 7th Asian Mining Conference here in Singapore to be educated. Two unbearded gentlemen in Western coat and tie tending the exhibit patiently showed me the map indicating where the Hajigak iron deposits are located.

It is in the mountainous region of Bamyan province only 130 kilometers from Kabul. The deposits are believed to be about 1.8 billion tons of iron ore at a grade of 62 percent. This makes it world class. So despite the continuing insurgency Hajigsak remains attractive to mining companies.

Afghanistan invited 22 companies, 15 from India, to bid for Hajigak iron ore last August.

How investors will deal with the war torn country is the challenge. The Hajigak deposit is in Bamiyan, Parwan and Wardak provinces and only Bamiyan is relatively peaceful.

No wonder there is a struggle for this country. It has so much untapped wealth. The Afghans estimate the worth of its reserves at as much as $350 billion.

But it would be years, decades before mining can be undertaken with the massive security and infrastructure required for potential investors. But the Afghans are undaunted by the tasks.

Among the interested companies are India’s Jindal Steel and Power Ltd, JSW Steel, Tata Steel, NMDC, Steel Authority of India and Ispat Industries. UK-based Stemcor was also named, as well as Canadian-based Kilo Goldmines Ltd.

United Mining and Minerals Co. was the only Chinese company on the list, the ministry said.

The Chinese are already there. China’s top integrated copper producer, Jiangxi Copper Co., and Metallurgical Corp. of China are developing the vast Aynak copper mine south of Kabul. They got their contract in 2007. It is a $4-billion project and considered the biggest non-military investment in the country so far.

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