Frankly, I am still a little sore from this. How is this "NEVER MIND"?
She might be the ambassador to where and where, but that doesn't give you the right to make that kind of comment, even if it's supposed to be one of those "smart-alecky" remarks. Sorry, we might have the same nationality, maybe fostering familiarity in a foreign land, but I don't know you that well for a jive like that...
This just rubs off as an elitist mindset that some people have. Those eugenics, those purists, those oh-so-mighty people who stood at the top of the worlds. Seriously, get down that throne and walk the earth.
That said, this ambassador did make a few compelling points about "democracy, globalization and competitiveness" of our dear island-state. I would prefer though, if she could cut down on the verbose self-glorification. It sounds too much like propaganda and a little excessive. But I did like the way she answers questions and I did learn some stuff.
Did you know we can actually bring in gum but just not manufacture or sell them? In any case, I think I have been rewired so much that I don't care much for gum. And I did have a slightly broader perspective of how intertwined we are with other nations of the world that previously were more murky in my head: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia (Arabs respect Arabs), other Gulf states, African states, the Maldives (~300K people, wow) and how we are viewed by many. We are about the size of Chicago (really?), top 20 smallest countries in the world, >200 million Muslims in SEA (never fail to mention the fact we are surrounded by them) etc.
Habibie coined us the "little red dot" in 1998/9. I guess people will always be interested in the story of "David and Goliath". The story of survival, against all odds.
Us against the world. Nice thought.
