May 2-8, 2014
OBAMA IN ASIA
Contents May 2-8, 2014
❖ View
❖ Weekly Briefing
❖ Life
The East-West power struggle
Obama in Asia
Tragedy, grief and culture
COVER IMAGE BY AFP
Contents May 2-8, 2014
❖ Life A play of Russian roulette
❖ Politics A giant admired by all
❖ Politics
❖ Technology
Indonesian politics as a spectator sport
Whatever happened to the ubiquitous pagers?
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Contents May 2-8, 2014
❖ Business
❖ Fashion
Datebook
Marrying into wealth
In good times or otherwise, Bandung 'distros' thrive
Happenings around Asia
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May 2-8, 2014
WEEKLY BRIEFING AFP
OBAMA IN ASIA Us President Barack Obama made a four-country swing through the Asia-Pacific region visiting Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines. The trip was aimed at boosting the US’ commitment as the region’s economic, military and political partner. The eight-day trip was also a do-over of the Asia tour Obama had scheduled last October but cancelled in the midst of the partial shutdown of the US government. He met with his counterparts in each country he visited and we gather here his best shots with the Asian leaders as well as his quotes that stood out from each stop.
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AFP
This handout photo taken on April 23, 2014 and released by Japan's Cabinet Public Relations Office shows Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (2nd R) pouring sake for US President Barack Obama (R) as they dine at the Sukiyabashi Jiro sushi restaurant in Tokyo.
In Japan:
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Our treaty commitment to Japan’s security is absolute, and Article 5 [of the Japan-US Security Treaty] covers all territories under Japan’s administration, including the Senkaku Islands.
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North Korea already is the most isolated country in the world, by far. Its people suffer terribly because of the decisions its leaders have made. And we are not going to find a magic bullet that solves this problem overnight.
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US President Barack Obama (R) and South Korean President Park Geun-hye attend a welcoming ceremony at the presidential Blue House in Seoul on April 25, 2014.
AFP
In South Korea:
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PM Najib Razak’s Facebook
In Malaysia:
“ MALAYSIAN PM NAJIB RAZAK TAKES A SELFIE WITH US PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.
No country is going to succeed if part of its population is put on the sidelines or discriminated against. … Embrace the culture, be proud of who you are, your background. Appreciate your language, food, how you worship God.
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In the Philippines:
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Our commitment to defend the Philippines is ironclad. The United States will keep that commitment because allies never stand alone.
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US President Barack Obama (L) proposes a toast with Philippine President Benigo Aquino III (R) during a state dinner at Malacanang Palace in Manila on April 28, 2014.
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May 2-8, 2014
The East-West power struggle US President Obama’s visit to Asia raises questions within the region on where it is going and how it should engage and embrace the West Andrew Sheng Asia News Network
N
o understanding of globalisation and its impact on Asia can be complete without tracing it to the remarkable period in the 19th century, when the West used the power of the Industrial Revolution and science and
Hong Kong
technology to carve up the rest of the world into different colonies. In a remarkable book by Indian writer Pankaj Mishra, the tale of Asia’s integration into global markets is told from the perspectives of several key Asian intellectuals, notably a Persian
Muslim Jamal a-Din al-Afghani (1938-1897) and a Chinese revolutionary, Liang Qichao (18731929). The former struggled with the dismantlement of the Ottoman empire and the revival of Islam in the 19th century, while the other had to abandon
May 2-8, 2014
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the beliefs of his teacher, the famous Confucian scholar Kang Youwei (1858-1927), who failed to revive the Qing Dynasty. These intellectuals witnessed the collapse of their civilisations in the face of superior science, technology, governance and guns. They sought the strategic answers and appropriate responses to both physical and mental colonisation. Their students and successors are still trying to find the right answers. There were essentially four paths open to countries and cultures that confronted Western colonisation in the 150 years to the end of the Second World War.
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The first was to accept colonisation and attempt to educate the next generation in terms of science, technology, culture and modern governance—the Indian path. The second, followed by Japan and Kemal Ataturk in Turkey, was to become Western and try to beat them at their own game. The Japanese succeeded with the naval defeat of the Russians at the famous battle of Tsushima in 1905. The third was to synthesize the best of the West with indigenous culture and attempt to create one’s own path of development— essentially the Chinese journey that remains unfinished. Another path is to totally reject the West and to fight it through terrorism and other means, one that Osama bin Laden took. None of these paths were painless. Jamal al-Din was an itinerant thinker, moving from
Persia to India, Afganistan, Turkey and the West. Because he travelled widely, he understood the power of science and knowledge, and he placed faith in the power of Islam and nationalism, but in the end, he opted for pan-Islamism. Liang Qichao, on the other hand, also struggled with preserving the old and dealing realistically with modernisation and economic growth driven by Western capitalism. Educated in Japan and later travelling to the US opened his eyes to both the positive and negative side of modernisation. The dark side of capitalism drove him back to traditionalist moral order. To him, modernisation need not be equated with Westernisation. Pankaj Mishra rightly argues that “the West has seen Asia through the narrow perspective of its own strategic and econom-
ic interests, leaving unexamined —and unimagined—the collective experiences and subjectivities of Asian peoples.” There is of course no single Asian view or even values, many of which are contradictory and even confused. It is too easy to be chauvinistic and parochial, insisting that traditional values can be adequate bulwarks against the invasion of Hollywood and social media. Those who argue about the inevitable rise of the East forget that history does not necessarily move in straight lines. Similarly, those who criticise the West must offer realistic alternatives, not just for national paths to development, but solutions for the new global order or non-order. True, the Great Recession of 2007-2009 shook the West to the core, signalling a shift in the balance of power from a
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unipolar world to a multipolar nexus. The events of Crimea this year rudely reminded us that the Cold War or the struggle between Big Powers has not ended. But the recovery of the West and withdrawal of quantitative easing has also revealed many emerging markets as those swimming with little clothes on when the tide went out. The problem with the current unstable situation is not that there is a fight about who should be number one, but that everyone is insecure, including the current number one. The reality is that the old compasses do not guide us in this period of rapid change—in demographics, technology, climate change, social mobility, inequality and global competition. At a time when there should be more global public goods, the US Congress’s refusal to in-
crease the capital of the IMF in December last year, as had agreed by G20, told everyone that in the new global monetary order, you are on your own. The dilemma of being on one’s own requires, as Pankaj Mishra correctly argues, an answer to the question of how to define one’s own place in a world where gold and power still rules. But those who have the power may not necessarily have the gold and those who have the gold (or oil) may not necessarily rule. Many emerging market intellectuals have realised that they cannot rely on multilateral bodies to propel growth and development. They must find their own way of development, based on their own comparative advantages, cultures and strengths. The unipolar model of onesize-fit all development is dead.
But globalisation and technology have together created a huge melting pot of cultures in which there will be a new synthesis of ideas East and West, North and South. The new synthesis is being driven not by one ideology or one hegemon, but by the common threat facing all mankind, the Age of the Anthropocene, in which we are all destroying the natural environment around us. Thus, the real threat is not just nation versus nation, but a mutual destruction of us and our whole biodiversity through an unsustainable consumption model. The old empires were built through unfettered capitalism, but the worst empires are those of the mind. We must learn to conquer oneself, before we can even begin to deal with everyone else around us. ¬
May 2-8, 2014
VIEW LIFE AFP
To young students under the sea The grief that the Sewol tragedy has brought South Korea has made many question the government and the country's culture
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Kim Seong-kon The Korea Herald Seoul
D
ear young students under the sea, please forgive us for not being able to rescue you from the ill-fated ferry Sewol. As you have found out by now, we adults are so incredibly incompetent and irresponsible that you cannot count on us in times of emergency. When the disaster happened, we were hopelessly sloppy in the rescue mission, press releases and broadcasting. And we were flustered by the wrong information about the passengers. To your disappointment, we were incredibly slow to act as well, even though we were notoriously quick-tempered. For
example, we wasted the crucial first two hours when the ferry was still afloat and the first day when the sea was relatively calm and the current was rather placid. We lost the golden opportunity to rescue you from the sinking ship. Instead of launching a prompt, large-scale rescue operation, we just moved around this way and that in confusion, not knowing what to do. As a result, not a single passenger was rescued after the second day. Our incompetence and tardiness broke the hearts of your parents and siblings, who were desperately waiting for your safe return. Dear young students under the sea, we were also appalled to learn that the captain and his crew abandoned the ship and fled without any attempt to rescue you. How he could be so irresponsible and cowardly is beyond us, but surely this reflects a chronic problem of our society.
When the Korean War broke out, for example, our political leader hastily escaped to a local city, destroying the Han River Bridge, so no one else could escape from Seoul. It was good to see President Park rush to the accident site and meet with the victims’ angry parents to comfort them, which obviously was not an easy thing to do. Dear children trapped in the sunken ship, please accept our heartfelt apologies for the tragic accident. We should not have let the ferry leave port and begin the perilous voyage in the first place. Reportedly, the departure was delayed for a few hours due to foggy weather. Then, before the departure, we should have checked whether emergency gear such as life vests, lifeboats and emergency sliding devices properly worked. But we were completely negligent. A ferry full of young students should be treated like a treasure
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ship to be handled with extra care. Instead, we treated you as if you were cheap cargo on board at a group discount fare. Our indifference culminated in assigning a 69-year-old substitute captain to your ferry. Dear young students under the dark sea, we are so ashamed to confess that we were not prepared for such a disaster at all. When Japan was hit by the tsunami a few years ago, our newspaper columnists derided the Japanese people by writing, “The Japanese are people who follow the manual faithfully. Therefore, when an accident not described in the manual happens, they are at a loss.” Now we come to realise that we do not even have a manual to follow, or ignore the manual if there actually is one. Besides, the Japanese disaster was a natural one, but ours was caused by human error.
Dear young students under the cold sea, we are also ashamed of ourselves, because we do not possess the proper sense of safety. Traditionally, we think that being cautious about safety is not manly. In order not to look like sissies, therefore, we have always deliberately ignored safety measures. Consequently, we let you go down under the deep, dark sea without a chance to be rescued. Now we belatedly realise that the Ministry of Security and Public Administration should change its name to the Ministry of Safety and Public Administration, so it can concentrate on the safety of the people, rather than on national security. The Ministry of Education should also abolish totally unnecessary student field trips once and for all, so this kind of tragic accident won’t happen again in the future. Dear children, please understand that our Coast Guards and
divers did their best to rescue you despite high tides and roaring waves. Nevertheless, it was a shame that South Korea, a country famous for its shipbuilding and advanced technology, was totally incompetent when faced with the disaster. We hope that the sunken ferry is not a microcosm of our society. We now realise that it is not K-pop or IT that makes Korea an advanced country. We should overhaul the system and effectuate the Sewol law immediately, so no similar disaster happens in the future and no sea captain abandons his ship before rescuing all his passengers. Dear young students under the sea, we adults are grief-stricken and will suffer an unmitigated sense of guilt for the rest of our lives. You may not be with us anymore, but surely you will live in our hearts in the years to come. ¬
May 2-8, 2014
Reflecting on the culture of obedience
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ED JONES/AFP
A monk sits before the sea at an area where relatives of victims of the South Korean ferry Sewol were gathered, at Jindo harbour on April 21, 2014.
Chang May Choon The Straits Times Singapore
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ome critics have blamed the high death toll in South Korea's ferry disaster—210 passengers confirmed dead so far, 92 still missing (as of April 30)—on the country's culture of obedience. But others feel it was only natural for the passengers, mostly high school students, to listen to a voice of authority during an emergency situation. South Korea may be the world's most wired country, but Confucian values instilled during the Chosun dynasty still run deep. Children are taught to respect their elders and listen to them, and workers rarely challenge their seniors in the office. Even if they dare speak up— like the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 co-pilot who warned his pilot that
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KIM DOO-HO/AFP
Buddhist followers pray for missing passengers aboard a capsized ferry with the words made by candlelights reading "we are waiting," at a temple in Seoul on April 19, 2014.
the plane was descending too fast before it crashed in San Francisco last year—their words may not be taken seriously. On board the doomed Sewol, the captain and his crew issued orders to stay put and not move when the ferry started listing and eventually sank in waters off the
south-western coast of the Korean peninsula last Wednesday. Media reports noted that it was the "naughty" students—the ones who disobeyed orders—who are among the 174 survivors. Those who obeyed instructions did it out of the conformist mindset to "do what everyone else is doing",
said Kelly Yu, 38, a South Korean mother of two living in Singapore. "If one person moves, others will say, 'no, no, you have to listen to the teacher'," she told The Straits Times. "It's very difficult to break out of group behaviour." South Koreans are "painfully aware" of their need to belong to a
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ED JONES/AFP
A relative of a missing passenger of the Sewol ferry prays at Jindo harbour on April 23, 2014.
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KIM DOO-HO/AFP
larger system and maintain a good public image, wrote Dr Kim Eun Yong in her book, "A Cross-cultural Reference Of Business Practices In A New Korea". "South Koreans first consider what others would think of them in their decision-making process and tend to avoid any risky deviation from conformity." Others, like marketing consultant Joanna Choi, 25, said she feels that the students acted out of a natural and non-cultural instinct. "It's not just students who followed orders, adults, too," she said. "It's a natural instinct to follow guidance during an emergency situation." The fault should not fall on the victims' shoulders, said Kim Wan Joong, minister-counsellor and consul-general of the South Korea Embassy in Singapore. "You can't call it a culture of obedience," he said. "Anyone on board is supposed to follow orders, it's a form of discipline."
A child attaches a letter of hope written for missing schoolchildren trapped in the capsized South Korean ferry in the south of country at Ansan Jungang station in Ansan on April 19, 2014.
Assistant professor of Sociology at Harvard University Paul Y. Chang felt it was "difficult to say whether South Koreans are obedient" just based on one incident. "Sure it can seem that way but it's only in hindsight that we now know that listening to the captain's orders was the wrong thing to do." In the wake of the incident, some
parents have raised the issue of whether kids should continue to be taught to obey adults without question, reported JoongAng Daily. A 32-year-old mother of a primary school pupil told the paper: "I'm not certain whether I should teach my child to listen to adults in an emergency—or to just run away as fast as he can." 
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Did a culture of obedience aggravate disaster?
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Song Sang-ho The Korea Herald Seoul
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ne of the stereotypes about Koreans is that, regardless of their age or cultural experience, they have deeply ingrained Confucian values including deference to the elderly. Those values may provide an easy way to describe Korean society, but they do not determine the way young liberal Koreans behave, particularly in life-threatening emergencies, experts said. In the wake of the ferry disaster on April 16, many foreign media outlets have focused on what they called Korea’s “hierarchical culture”, or “culture of obedience”. They have said that the
young victims’ decision to follow the crew’s directions to stay put under the decks, instead of attempting to escape, can be partially attributed to this cultural tendency. “Many of the children did not question their elders, as is customary in hierarchical Korean society. They paid for their obedience with their lives,” said an article published by Reuters last week. An article in Singapore’s The Straits Times on April 17, the day after the sinking, expressed a similar viewpoint. “Like other Asian nations, South Korean society is based on a neo-Confucian culture which emphasises obedience to authority figures and deference to elders. In the wake of the Sewol sinking, these values are being called into question,” the article said.
The ferry disaster has made those outside Korea search for their own explanations, including cultural factors. But analysts are calling for a more prudent analysis of the disaster. Choi Hoon-seok, a social psychology professor at Seoul’s Sungkyunkwan University, countered the view that Korea’s Confucianism-based culture was part of the reason why students stayed put as the crew directed. “That is the typical ignorance and misunderstanding found in Western society about the true nature of Confucianism. Confucianism does not endorse blind conformity or obedience to the elderly or authorities,” he said. “The true nature of it rests in the fact that society will be maintained and function better when people fulfil their duties and responsibilities in their own
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positions. The sheer fact that Confucianism emphasises harmony and collaboration does not mean that one must obey orders from the authorities or follow the majority all the time.” Won Kyu-wang, an English teacher at Goyang Global High School in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, said that students’ decision to follow the crew’s directions might have been based on their own considerations of the best option for their survival, not their obedience to the ferry authorities. “Think about what you might do on a sinking ship when you don’t have any knowledge about what to do regarding the emergency situation. In that case, they might have listened to their teachers or crewmembers as the
best option to secure their survival,” he said. “That decision to stay put seems to have little to do with Korea’s hierarchical culture.” There have been cases in the past of Korea’s culture of deference toward seniors being linked to an accident or disaster. One such case was the crash of an Asiana Airlines passenger plane last July. “New details about the crash of an Asiana Airlines jet have renewed questions about whether a culture of strict deference to more senior pilots can compromise air safety,” said a CBS article in December. “Two of the pilots told investigators they opted against voicing critical concerns or grabbing the controls because
they were subordinate to the instructor.” Analysts argue that young Koreans are not like those in the 1980s or ’90s, as educational authorities have stressed creativity and individuality as main drivers of the country’s economic advancement, and as many have constant cultural exchanges with others around the globe through the Internet. “Look at the big cultural gap between the young and old generations. This partly explains that things have changed,” said a schoolteacher, asking not to be named. “What is seen as a culture of obedience does not really exist among middle- and highschool students anymore.”— With Lee Hyung-jeong and Suh Ye-seul ¬
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Unfair to view tragedy through cultural lens Maryam Mokhtar The Straits Times Singapore
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he Korean culture of obedience and deference to authority is getting a hard knock as divers struggle to bring up the bodies of students from the sunken ferry Sewol. Foreign and Korean media suggested that it was mostly the students who disobeyed orders from the crew and captain to stay in their cabins who came out of the tragedy alive. There were 325 students from Seoul's Danwon High School, out of 476 people on board the ferry. Only 75 of the high-schoolers survived.
Even as I mourn the dead, my head tells me the blame lies beyond just a quiet acceptance to do as told. Is it wrong to put one's life in the hands of those trained in safety procedures and have the expertise to deal with such emergencies? It is only in looking back that we know how those who should have known better had betrayed the innocent faith of the teenagers. I am loath to blame the youngsters for following orders in a crisis. I lived in bustling, wired Seoul for six months in 2010 as a university
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exchange student. I have since returned to visit twice more. Pop culture is pervasive even as the people seem steeped in Confucian traditions, especially in a social setting. Elders and people in authority receive deep respect and are hardly questioned. I saw this daily, in my interactions with them. The respect is reinforced in the different ways people are addressed. The older folk are spoken to in jeondaemal or formal speech while banmal, or informal speech, is used for those of the same age, younger or of a lower stature. It is strictly adhered to. Another striking feature is that on outings, my younger Korean friends allowed the older ones to steer the conversation. Should they disagree or hold a different point of view, they would express
it in the most polite manner and with great restraint. But these behavioural traits and manners of speech do not and will not submerge any person's desire or ability to survive or to think independently to overcome the odds. I believe the teenagers on the ferry did not lose their instincts to live. But they could not overcome several factors beyond their control: the ferry was allegedly carrying far more cargo than allowed; safety procedures were lax and a less experienced officer was steering the vessel when disaster struck. Like South Korea, Singapore's education system is often perceived as instilling a culture of obedience in the young, who are subjected to rote-learning. I am a product of this system. But my peers and I have little problem expressing our views
—politely—during discussions with our supervisors at work or our parents at home. Listening to the authority should not mean we can't think for ourselves. To view the wanton loss of lives in the sinking of the Sewol through a cultural lens is unfair. The students did the right thing in putting on their life jackets but the ferry was fast listing while the captain and crew were tardy in calling for help. The sea was cold and the teenagers were lost in terror, with no idea of the safety procedures in such an emergency. Ultimately, the painful fact is they were very young. I feel the best way to honour them is to focus on the human errors and tangible factors that need to be corrected so that a similar tragedy never happens again. 
May 2-8, 2014
VIEW LIFE
A play of Russian roulette A recent tragedy on Mt. Everest which claimed the lives of 16 Sherpa guides calls for a reevaluation on the value of these mountain dwellers' lives
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Ngawang Karsang Sherpa The Kathmandu Post Kathmandu
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he tragedy that took 16 lives on Everest has shaken the tightly knit community of Sherpas and local climbers to the core. Therefore, as devout Buddhists, it was only natural that they believed this was indeed a “Black Everest Year” — a year when the goddess on Everest is upset — and that it is best to leave her alone. It was a perfectly natural decision. What is not natural, and absolutely unacceptable, is that some of the trekking companies in Nepal and the Nepali government are still urging the Sherpa guides to go back up the mountain. It seems, for the Nepali government and these trekking com-
panies, the loss of 16 lives is not enough. They appear to be comfortable with, and perfectly capable of, playing Russian roulette with the lives of Sherpa guides. If the Western climbers and clients would like to continue climbing Everest this season, then by all means, please be our guest. Just don’t ask our Sherpa people to go ahead and fix the ropes and ladders for you. Or don’t ask your
Value of life
The first phase of the tragedy has essentially taken away precious lives. The second phase of the tragedy will continue as the families left behind bear the brunt of the loss for a long time, emotionally and financially. Most of these guides have left behind young families who will have to fend for themselves. These families will collect about 1.1 million
It seems, for the Nepali government and these trekking companies, the loss of 16 lives is not enough. They appear to be comfortable with, and perfectly capable of, playing Russian roulette with the lives of Sherpa guides. trekking agents in Kathmandu to urge the Sherpa guides to make the climb. We have already lost 16 members of our family this year, and for us, that is unbearable.
Nepali rupees (US$11,259) in insurance proceeds, while funeral rituals will cost at least half a million rupees.
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It is unreasonable that the value of a Sherpa guide’s life is set at mere 1.1 million rupees. Worse still, a good number of these trekking companies are managed or owned by Nepalis, and even ethnic Sherpas. While everyone has
been quick to blame Westerners, especially the inexperienced “trophy” climbers, the Nepali government, or even the media, the main responsibility should lie with the trekking companies who always stand to gain the most. PRAKASHMATHEMA/AFP
Relatives of a Mount Everest avalanche victim grieve during a cremation ceremony in Kathmandu on April 21, 2014. Distraught Nepalese guides and climbers cancelled expeditions on Mount Everest after at least 13 colleagues died in an avalanche, as anger mounted at poor payments for Sherpas who take huge risks on the world's highest peak.
These companies simply handed 1.1 million rupees as set by the government and refused to spend another 20,000 rupees per Sherpa guide to increase their life insurance coverage to 2.3 million rupees. These are the same companies which successfully lobbied the Nepali government to lower the Everest climbing fees from $25,000 to $11,000 just this year, to obviously increase traffic on Everest, and raise their profits. All the while, they conveniently kept the meagre insurance coverage for the Sherpa guides the same. When my uncle died on a mountain in the early '70s, his insurance proceeds were 100,000 rupees, which in today’s terms with inflation adjusted at 10 per cent, should be at least 4.5 million rupees.
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Nepalese rescue team members rescue a survivor of an avalanche on Mt. Everest on April 18, 2014.
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PRAKASHMATHEMA/AFP
Daughter of Mt. Everest avalanche victim Ang Kazi Sherpa light oil lamps at Sherpa Monastery in Kathmandu.
High risk Some have argued that Sherpa guides make a decent living by earning 300,000-500,000 rupees per season. First, these are best of the best climbers in the world, and even the top Western climbers rely on Sherpa climbers when they come
to the Himalayas. Second, this is a profession that is fraught with so much risk that Outside magazine defines it as the most dangerous profession in the world—in fact three and a half times riskier than that of a US infantryman during the first
four years of the war in Iraq. There is simply no other profession in the world that kills or maims its workers at such a high rate. In these Everest climbs, Western professional climbers also join the group, and they perform much safer tasks than
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the Sherpa guides, but make about 5 million rupees each season. Therefore, the combination of risks associated with the profession and the meagre insurance payout of 1.1 million rupees will take a heavy toll on the widows and orphans of the climbers for many years.
End this cycle
It is high time that we have an honest and frank discussion regarding the safety of the Sherpa guides on Everest, and also the insurance proceeds that will support the remaining family members when such tragedies strike. Given the poor track record of the trekking companies, a viable and practical solution would have to come from the government. The government
has to mandate a strict set of rules and regulations to create a safer working environment for the climbing guides to minimise risks. It should then impose a much higher mandatory insurance coverage, which should be set at a minimum of 4.5 million rupees. For their part, the climbing guide community has to create a stronger association that is not influenced by the government, their clients, and above all, the companies who employ them. As long as Everest stands up there, there will always be people aspiring to reach its summit, and that means there will always be Nepali climbing guides toiling on its slopes. Casualties will follow most certainly. Therefore, we just cannot continue pretending that another similar accident will not happen.
We cannot pretend that with the sole bread earners gone, the remaining widows and orphans will be just fine. It is imperative that we all work together, and create something positive out of this tragedy. We should all make this tragedy the turning point, after which Everest becomes safer not only for the paying clients and Western climbers, but also for the local climbing guides. And when the inevitable tragedies do strike, at least the remaining family members are well taken care of financially. We cannot allow anyone to play Russian roulette with Sherpa lives any longer. Sherpa is from Khumbu village in Solukhumbhu and currently works for a private equity fund in Denver, Colorado. ÂŹ
May 2-8, 2014
POLITICS
A giant admired by all PHOTOS FROM THE STAR
The massive outpouring of grief over the demise of Malaysian veteran politician Karpal Singh reflects the people’s reverence for a true champion of the people M. Veera Pandiyan The Star Petaling Jaya Karpal Singh meeting members of his constituency in Bukit Gelugor, Penang
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T
he last time Malaysians felt such a gush of pervasive grief was when Bapa Malaysia (Malaysia’s “Father” and first prime minister) Tunku Abdul Rahman passed on 24 years ago. The demise of Karpal Singh in a horrific highway accident in the wee hours of April 17, has left an indelible void in the hearts of many Malaysians. He was a Malaysian hero admired by friends and rivals, a man who stood up for fairness, freedom and the rule of law. Valiant to the end, he never gave a damn about the consequences of what he said or did in the conviction of his principles. Like many journalists, I have known Karpal as a lawyer, a politician and above that, as a great human being. The last time we spoke was five years ago when my colleague Rashvinjeet S. Bedi and I interviewed him for The Star’s weekend pullout Sunday Star. He was then very much in the headlines over several issues, including the Perak constitutional
crisis, which resulted in a sedition charge against him, his face-off with United Malays National Organisation (Umno) Youth members in parliament and his criticisms against fellow opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat politicians on the issue of party hopping. I had covered his court cases as a rookie reporter but the first interaction was when he asked if I was willing to be subpoenaed to be a witness in a case in 1983. It was a suit filed by then Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) vice-president V. Govindaraj against party president Samy Vellu and to make matters worse, he picked Karpal as his lawyer. Samy Vellu had suspended Govindaraj, for “actions detrimental to the party”, for a year from March 26 that year but he obtained a court injunction in April to keep his positions—Port Klang MP, Selangor MIC chief and chairman of the Batu Caves branch. The injunction was set aside a month later after Samy Vellu appealed but just before the MIC’s 31st
general assembly on June 4, the federal court decided in Govindaraj’s favour, pending the hearing of the suit. Hours after the decision, Govindaraj strutted to the stage of the assembly at the Risda building in Ampang and took his seat at the committee table. There was jeering and a bit of a commotion when officials asked him to provide proof of the court decision. Everything could be heard as the microphones were switched on but there was silence when the sternfaced president walked in and sat down. As Govindaraj proffered his hand, Samy Vellu said: “I am not shaking your hand, why should I shake your hand?” He then stood up, grabbed his jacket that was draped around his chair and walked off the stage. The story of the drama made it to the front page of the Sunday Star, under the heading of “Samy in a huff ”. When the case resumed, I was among the witnesses called by Karpal. I can’t recall the outcome of the
May 2-8, 2014
POLITICS
Karpal Singh with his loyal assistant Michael Cornelius (behind karpal) who was also killed in the accident on April 17.
May 2-8, 2014
POLITICS
Karpal Singh with his wife Gurmit Kaur.
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May 2-8, 2014
case but can still remember Samy Vellu’s lawyer, then MIC rising star D.P. Vijandran’s rather intimidating questions. Six years later, Karpal accused Vijandran, who was then deputy speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house of parliament) of being an actor in a pornographic video. Karpal was suspended from parliament for “character assassination” but the tape which he handed over to the house was later used in police investigations. In 1994, Vijandran was charged in a sessions court with fabricating evidence, found guilty and sentenced to a month’s jail and fined 2,000 ringgit (today US$612). He appealed to the high court and later to the court of appeal which acquitted him. As The Star’s correspondent in Malacca for a decade, I met Karpal whenever he had cases there. The impression of him as a gentleman and principled politician was set during a long con-
versation in his car 30 years ago, on the way to Muar from Malacca. Karpal, who was then under a two-year suspension from parliament for contempt, was handling a habeas corpus in the town, 45km away. Concerned that I was planning to ride my Honda Cub there, he offered me a ride. It was a memorable journey to and fro as I gained much insight into the man, including his wry sense of humour. Karpal handled several high profile cases in Malacca, including a few involving then Chief Minister Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik. In the most prominent one in 1989, he defended Lim Guan Eng who was charged under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 and the Sedition Act 1948 for a speech over the non-prosecution of an alleged rape case involving Rahim. After several appeals led by Karpal, Lim was sentenced to 18 months’ jail but released after a year, on Aug 25, 1999. Subsequently, Rahim filed a libel suit against the opposition Demo-
cratic Action Party (DAP) over allegations made against him in a book and on posters. The suit was withdrawn on Oct 21, 2003, after the DAP conceded that it had made a “wholly unfounded” allegation against Rahim. Karpal read out the party’s statement in court. When met on the day that Karpal died, Rahim said: “He contributed much to the country’s democracy, Constitutional rights and the rule of law. We might have had our political differences but I have always admired him.” My old friend Kerk Kim Hock, who was DAP secretary-general between 1999 and 2004, said the massive outpouring of grief reflected the people’s respect and reverence for Karpal, describing him as “a true champion of the people”. He wrote these lines in the condolence book: "A Lion of a man now rests in peace. Thank you for the greatness you left behind. You will remain a legend in Malaysia, in law and politics." ¬
May 2-8, 2014
POLITICS ADEK BERRY/AFP
Indonesian politics a spectator sport From legislative elections to a looming presidential election, Indonesia’s lively political experience holds interesting lessons for the rest of the region
POLITICS
May 2-8, 2014
BAY ISMOYO/AFP
Bunn Nagara The Star Petaling Jaya
PDI-P’s wildly popular candidate Joko Widodo, or Jokowi, pretends to play the air guitar as he travels in Jakarta city. Jokowi who is also Jakarta governor seems to be a favourite among the electorate.
N
early two weeks after legislative elections and almost three months before the presidential poll in July, the shape and colour of Indonesia’s new government are still far from clear.
This is because the presidential office wields considerable prestige, if not also power, such that the make-up of the People’s Consultative Assembly (parliament) is sometimes deemed only a sideshow.
And this despite the balance of assembly seats being read as a barometer for the presidential race to come. Indonesian democracy is still relatively new, and forms of political divination are still to be tried and tested.
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May 2-8, 2014
AFP
Prabowo Subianto, the presidential candidate for the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra), displays his ink-marked finger after casting his ballot during the legislative election in Bogor in western Java island on April 9, 2014.
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May 2-8, 2014
Nonetheless it is beyond doubt and party spin that the results of the April 9 elections disappointed every party, or at least every party that thought it mattered. Exit polls and pre-election surveys by different organisations returned remarkably similar results between the parties. The main parties—PDI-P, Golkar, Gerindra and the Democratic Party (DP)—won votes in that order as widely anticipated. It was just that each party had overestimated its own popularity, garnering a lower proportion of votes than expected. By law, any party with less than 25 per cent of the total vote may not govern on its own but has to form a coalition. PDI-P expected to net 27 per cent, but even as the most popular party, it had to settle for only 19 per cent. With no party able to govern on its own, an election that might have been a battle between individual parties became one between coalitions. In practice that means hard
bargaining, compromise, backroom deals, some disappointment and perhaps a betrayal or two. Months before the July 9 presidential election, much of that has already begun. The dance of party partners in forming (would-be) coalitions has commenced, as has individual leaders’ swaying, swinging, cavorting, flitting, hustling and hopping between parties. With party loyalties being tradeable, if not downright dispensable things, Indonesian democracy is a lively and fluid sport. The fun is not only for Indonesians in going out to vote, but for everyone in observing the proceedings and the aftermath. PDI-P is the party of former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of founding president Sukarno. Golkar is the grand old party of the New Order regime of former autocratic president Suharto, who had ruled for just over three decades. Gerindra is the party of Suharto’s
former son-in-law Prabowo Subianto, who like many presidential candidates had been a general. DP is the party of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who established it with his senior colleagues as a presidential platform as he rose from being Megawati’s vice-president. As parties gathered to form coalitions up to a week ago, three likely streams of presidential candidature emerged: PDI-P’s Joko Widodo (Jokowi), Gerindra’s Prabowo and Golkar’s Aburizal Bakrie, in that order of popular appeal. The other parties were seen as offering no more than vice-presidential material. At the same time, three candidacy characters developed: the dark horse, the wild card and the favourite. The problem for the other presidential candidates is that all three character tendencies belong to candidate Jokowi. This likeliest presidential candidate is also the unlikeliest in the Indonesian context. As far from big
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May 2-8, 2014
business, the national elite and the military as any candidate can get, and then some, this difference from the other candidates is probably also Jokowi’s biggest asset. His most senior position is as (current) Jakarta governor, having served for less than two years, so that even some of his friends and supporters say he lacks national political experience. Another “item” in his biodata is of having been evicted with his family from their shanty homes four times. Jokowi’s super reputation as a leader and administrator, whether real, exaggerated or imagined, has also been acknowledged abroad. In his previous post as Suriakarta mayor, the City Mayors Foundation named him third-best mayor in the world. Some have compared Jokowi’s improbably probable campaign to former US senator Barack Obama’s: coming from seemingly nowhere, grabbing the popular imagination
with his common touch and differentness from the others, and (as seems likely) propelling himself into the country’s presidency. There is even a Hillary Clinton equivalent in Puan Maharani, daughter of PDI-P matriarch Megawati. Some see Puan as the reason for the party’s delay in nominating Jokowi, since under a veneer of democratic sentiment the president’s job is still often regarded as a family business. The PDI-P may be seen as a “privileged” party in having a choice of nominating a candidate its leadership prefers (Puan), or a candidate that can give the party better chances of victory (Jokowi). Other parties merely select a candidate and hope for the best. Now the choice of Puan as Jokowi’s running mate has come into question, in Hillary-Obama fashion. Recent reports of a rift between them, along with their respective
faction loyalists, has predictably been denied. As PDI-P is seen to fray, Golkar closes ranks and narrows the gap between the parties. Zero-sum games are played out among parties at various levels. To the old guard of the older political traditions, Jokowi’s candidacy evokes anything from mild palpitation to full-scale panic. Besides his personal stand against graft, his inner circle includes a veteran anti-corruption activist. The Jokowi campaign may well be selling itself on “hope” and “change”, or Indonesian slogans to that effect. His opponents would simply hope that he changes. As part of the swirl of events from now until the presidential election, Yudhoyono’s DP has suddenly become something of a spoiler. From a common presumption of offering only a vice-presidential candidate, the party is now switching its
POLITICS
May 2-8, 2014
democracy have yet to grow deep. Such a feudal feature becomes particularly worrying when that society also has flexible party identities and varying personal loyalties. But for the political campaigners in Indonesia today, the one significant outcome of this is that it favours Jokowi’s candidacy. His unique image and character play well with the media, which in turn help to project his campaign further. However, the real test of leadership comes later when an incumbent has to face down a crisis of sorts. Jokowi’s relative inexperience may be an asset in his presidential campaign, but it can quickly turn into a huge liability when the nation is at its most vulnerable. Indonesia remains a most important country in Asean and the region, particularly in terms of bilateral relations with Malaysia. Its political developments naturally merit close scrutiny and sound understanding. ¬
ADEK BERRY/AFP
prospective coalition partners in hopes of putting forward a presidential candidate of its own. When DP was earlier expected to join with Gerindra, it is now seen to be moving with others. It recently received endorsements from the National Democratic Party (Partai Nasdem) and the broader Nadhlatul Ulama movement. For DP to take the lead in forming its own coalition turns the July election into a four-horse race. However, that is more likely to split the non-Jokowi votes and give the PDI-P candidate better chances of victory. Something of the cult of the individual remains, despite Indonesia’s many advances in democratic governance. In virtually every party except Golkar, an individual defines the party and drives its support base. While this can have different consequences in different political cultures, it tends to produce troubling issues where the roots of
Golkar Party presidential candidate Aburizal Bakrie sitting whilst being supported on top of a Javanese traditional "Reog Ponorogo" dancer's costume during a visit in Jakarta
TECHNOLOGY
May 2-8, 2014
Whate v e r happened to the ubiquitous pagers? Miguel R. Camus Philippine Daily Inquirer
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uan Santos, an ophthalmologist at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City, Philippines, fondly recalls the days when paging devices played a key role in the profession, but he does not necessarily miss those times. Pagers, nicknamed beepers for the ubiquitous noise they would make to remind users that they were needed somewhere or by
TECHNOLOGY
May 2-8, 2014
someone, broke down communication barriers for various professionals and businessmen who needed to be “on call” without having to resort to more costly analogue mobile phones. Even at the industry’s peak from the early to mid-1990s, the more popular alphanumeric pagers had severe limitations, some of which may seem alien to many Filipinos of a certain young age today. Pager communication, while mobile, was a oneway affair as earlier models were unable to respond to simple text messages. Users, instead, had to find a landline to contact the sender. For doctors like Santos, a longtime pager user until 1997, inac-
curacies in medical jargon caused by human operators coupled with game-changing technologies like cheaper SMS (short message service)-enabled mobile phones led to the inevitable shift. “Doctors normally wouldn’t have made that change unless the advantages were overwhelming,”
Santos said in an interview. The medical industry, the first to adopt pagers, was not alone in shunning the paging industry. By the time the Gokongwei group’s Digitel Telecommunications Inc. launched its cellular business in 2003 to challenge incumbents Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and Globe Telecom, the Philippines’ two major telecom companies, no major pager players remained. Now, more than a decade since the domestic pager industry’s demise, the Inquirer rounded up various industry stakeholders to explore anew the factors that caused the downfall of the business, the fate of some of its players and the lessons technology companies have learned in this rapidly changing landscape.
TECHNOLOGY
May 2-8, 2014
BEGINNINGS
The commercial pager industry traces its roots to hospitals in New York City in the early 1950s but its story in the Philippines started in the 1970s with PocketBell, operated by Philippine Wireless Inc. The technology then had evolved into personal transistor radios that doctors would carry at all times, with messages delivered in the form of a broadcast. PocketBell predated all other pager players and operated a virtual monopoly until a shareholder struggle allowed the new management led by the Santiago family to take over in the early 1990s, said Brian Santiago, a director of listed Philippine Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (PTT). PTT, which owns Philippine Wireless, is currently undergoing corporate rehabilitation as the business also suffered from the decline of its telephone business
and the effects of the Asian financial crisis in 1997. The shareholder struggle, nevertheless, happened as the political winds swept the Aquino administration, led by Corazon 'Cory' Aquino, into power via popular revolt in 1986, ending the decades-long rule of strongman Ferdinand Marcos. Part of the new government’s policy at the time was to liberalise certain sectors, including telecommunications, allowing several new players to come in. From just one company, the pager industry swelled to as many as 11 competitors at its peak, data from the National Telecommunications Commission showed. Some of the names on that list were Island Country Telecoms (JASPage), Multi-Media Telephony Inc. (Index) Message Systems (Recall 138) and even PLDT’s Smart Communications Inc. (Smartpage). But towering above them were
PocketBell and EasyCall Communications Inc., both of which claimed about 50 to 60 percent of the more than half a million “active subscribers”, Santiago said in an interview. “As long as we had the general amount of scale, paging was profitable,” he said. The business also had lower capital spending requirements, allowing players to start up easily, if not flourish for a time, NTC director for regulations Edgardo Cabrios said. “Many players came in because it was cheaper to set up a paging company,” said Cabarios. He said that, on average, a new player needed less than a handful of base stations to serve a city like Metro Manila, versus the thousands required by cellular companies today, which also have millions of customers. But it wasn’t just the relatively low investment that helped make
TECHNOLOGY
May 2-8, 2014
the pager business feasible. The industry was bringing in new technology via alphanumeric pagers at rates far cheaper than analogue mobile phones. Pager subscribers typically had to pay 200 to 600 pesos (US$4.49 to $$13.47 at current exchange rate) a month, on top of about 6,000 to 20,000 pesos ($134 to $449) for a unit, Santiago said. Those sums might seem steep at that time, however, Santiago pegged the cost of analogue phones at 30,000 pesos ($674) and calls at 8 pesos ($0.18) a minute. “Pagers cost quite a bit of money but that is essentially the postpaid market of today so they were able to afford it,” Santiago said. The major shift came when texting became available with the adoption of the Global System for Mobile Communications standards, or GSM, which now accounts for the bulk of mobile communications globally.
That shift was initiated in the Philippines in 1994 by Isla Communications Co., which was later acquired by the Ayala Group’s Globe. In 1999, PLDT’s Smart also started to ramp up its GSM service.
Competition
But it took several years before the use of SMS became widespread, according to Manny Estrada, who heads network technology strategy at Globe. In an interview, Estrada said SMS started to boom after early efforts to educate people on how to send text messages, which was a free service at the time, and once prepaid services were rolled out in the late 1990s. “We knew then that it was only a matter of time before [texting] would overtake the capabilities of paging,” said Estrada, noting that Globe considered but ultimately
ditched a plan to enter the pager business. “We saw that SMS traffic was higher than voice.” For Smart co-founder Orlando Vea, the move was not aimed at removing the paging business— Smart was also offering paging services—but it proved to be collateral damage given technological innovations at the time. Nevertheless, the development was yet another case of how disruptive technologies can swiftly displace incumbent players. “We were anticipating the threat of text to a certain extent but it is one of those things like the Internet. It came out of nowhere,” said Santiago, noting that the company was then planning to introduce “two-way paging”, allowing the receiver to send a response text message. “But basically cellular moved too quickly and we were on the wrong side of the standard,” he said.
TECHNOLOGY
May 2-8, 2014
The impact on the paging industry accelerated, prompting Pocketbell to end its service.
BUSINESS SHIFT
By 2002, EasyCall, whose officials declined to comment for this article, finally exited the paging business as it shifted to call centres, helping to keep its head above the water unlike several competitors. Cabarios noted that several companies simply ceased to operate while others were bought out. This was the case with Multi-Media Telephony, acquired by the Lopez family and since renamed ABS-CBN Convergence, which launched in November 2013 a mobile phone service using the network infrastructure of Globe. Like EasyCall, the Santiagos have been working to revive their businesses.
With paging gone, Philippine Wireless has since shifted to offering Textwise, a prepaid-based service allowing cheaper rates for Filipinos seeking to communicate with family and friends abroad, according to George Wang, a consultant with the company. As Internet services would eventually dominate, Wang noted they were moving to offering cloud-based services as well. PT&T, meanwhile, has been shifting its focus to offering broadband services mainly to corporate clients and the business continues to grow, Santiago said. This puts them in direct competition with old rivals like Globe and PLDT, but Santiago notes that PT&T is serving a niche market. “We intend to dominate in the niches that we are in,” he said. While the fate of the paging business again proves that tech-
nological shifts are the ultimate equaliser, that does not mean businesses cannot anticipate the future, Estrada said. “The bottom line is that you have to understand user trends and what your customers are doing to see the next wave of technology,” he said. ¬
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Marrying into wealth Men who married into chaebol flex muscles based on in-laws’ wealth The Korea Herald Special Report Team Seoul
I
n the cutthroat business world of chaebol, sons-inlaw were often considered the elephants in the room. While customs have changed so radically in Korea that it is now not uncommon to see men living with their in-laws instead of the other way around, sons-in-law are still considered “guests” and not members of the family. This means they are treated with utmost respect, but it also means they could never hope to take over the family business. Kim Jae-youl and Samsung heiress Seo-hyun
BUSINESS
May 2-8, 2014
In Japan, there are occasional cases where the son-in-law entered his wife’s family register as an adopted son to inherit the rights to a company, but such cases are extremely rare in Korea. These days, there is an increasing trend of more sonsin-law beginning to participate in company management. Most of them remain in supporting roles, but exceptions are rising.
Samsung’s ‘modest’ sons-in-law
In the Samsung family, there are two well-known sons-in-law: Samsung Electro-Mechanics senior vice president Im Woo-jae, husband of Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee’s eldest daughter Boo-jin, and Samsung Engineering corporate planning president Kim Jae-youl, the husband of Lee’s second daughter Seo-hyun.
Although the two have built up quite the careers for themselves, they are rarely at the forefront of matters, upholding the Samsung family’s core philosophy of keeping a low profile. Im is in charge of corporate planning at Samsung Electro-Mechanics, a leading parts maker and innovation provider for Samsung Electronics. Born in 1968, he joined Samsung C&T in 1995 and met Lee Boo-jin in May of that year while performing extension work on chairman Lee’s home in Hannam-dong, Seoul. The two married in 1999. Im is said to be an easygoing and sincere character devoted to his job. Seo-hyun’s husband Kim is the second son of former Dong-A Ilbo honorary president Kim Byung-kwan. Soon after their marriage in 2000, Kim joined Cheil Worldwide. In 2011, he
was promoted to president, just two months after being appointed vice president. Kim, who studied international politics in the US and worked for consulting firms there, is known as the most international figure in the Samsung family. He has recently taken up roles in sports diplomacy and may one day succeed Lee Kun-hee on the International Olympics Committee, those close to him say. For the time being, it appears that both Im and Kim are content playing second fiddle to their wives, rather than becoming more involved in management.
Hyundai’s distinctive sons-in-law
Hyundai Motor Group chairman Chung Mong-koo has three sons-in-law: Daejeon Sun Medical Center chairman Sun Doo-hoon, Hyundai Card chief executive
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May 2-8, 2014
Chung Tae-young and Hyundai Hysco CEO Shin Sung-jae. Sun is the husband of Chung’s eldest daughter Sung-yi, who is an adviser for Innocean Worldwide, an ad agency under Hyundai. Sun is not involved in any of Hyundai’s operations. Instead, he followed in the footsteps of his own father, the former chairman of Sun Medical Centre. Sun also runs Corentec, an artificial-joint implant developer. He owns 17.2 billion won ($16.6 million) in stocks, but all in Corentec. In contrast, Chung Tae-young, husband of Hyundai Commercial adviser Chung Myung-yi, is a celebrity CEO who is heavily involved in Hyundai’s business matters. He is also well known in the industry for spearheading new trends and for his good communication skills. College students and younger employees are said to look up to him as the “it” business guru.
Chung heads not only Hyundai Card, but also Hyundai Commercial, Hyundai Capital and other Hyundai financial affiliates. He is most noted for putting Hyundai Card into the black just two years after he became CEO in 2003. He possesses roughly 18 billion won in stock assets of Hyundai Commercial. Shin, chairman Chung’s third and last son-in-law, is the husband of Haevichi Hotel & Resort managing director Chung Yoon-yi. He joined Hyundai Precision & Engineering in 1995. Then, after his marriage, he took up several posts at Hyundai Hysco before becoming CEO. He is also a figure who most befits the Hyundai image. He holds shares in all of the group’s major subsidiaries, the only one in the family to do so other than the chairman’s son.
Unsuccessful executive sons-in-law
Tong Yang Group and its subsidiary Orion are among the rare cases in corporate Korea where the sons-in-law have gained management rights. This is because the late founder Lee Yang-gu had two daughters, but no sons. Group chairman Hyun Jaehyun is married to group vice chairwoman Lee Hye-kyung, the eldest daughter, and Orion chairman Tam Chul-kon to Orion vice chairwoman Lee Hwa-kyung. Due to recent scandals surrounding the group, however, they have stepped down from their respective positions. Hyun met Lee Hye-kyung through an arranged marriage in 1976 before joining Tong Yang Cement & Energy in 1977. He led the cement company
BUSINESS
May 2-8, 2014
in 1983 after the founder died of health issues, and became group chairman by 1988. Tam joined Tong Yang Cement & Energy in 1980 and built his career in the group’s confectionery sector before becoming chief executive of Orion in 1989 and vice chairman of the group in 1993. Although he led Orion to tremendous success in China, he resigned after being mired in embezzlement charges last year.
Sons-in-law at other companies
Moon Sung-wook, vice chairman of E-Mart, Shinsegae’s discount retail arm, married Chung Yoo-kyung, vice president of Shinsegae and also the group chairwoman Lee Myung-hee’s daughter, in 2001.
After a stint at SoftBank Korea, Moon joined Shinsegae in 2004, which is when he officially assumed the role of a chaebol son-in-law.
Within the group, Moon is depicted as the quiet assistant or hands-on staff member, unlike the group’s vice chairman Chung Yong-jin or his wife, who deal with much larger management tasks. ¬
9 trillion won Kim Jae-youl
8 trillion won Im Woo-jae
Lee Kun-hee's second son-in-law
Lee Kun-hee's first son-in-law
Samsung Engineering president of corporate planning ∫ Samsung Engineering sales in 2013: US$9.45 billion
Samsung Electro-Mechanics senior vice president ∫ Samsung Electro-Mechanics sales in 2013: $8 billion
∫
∫
BUSINESS
May 2-8, 2014
17.2 billion won
18 billion won
18.5 billion won
(Stock assets)
(Stock assets)
Sun Doo-hoon
Chung Tae-young
Shin Sung-jae
Chung Mong-koo's first son-in-law
Chung Mong-koo's second son-in-law
Chung Mong-koo's third son-in-law
∫
Daejeon Sun Medical Centre chairman
∫
Assets unknown
600 billion won
Hyun Jae-hyun
Tam Chul-kon
Late Lee Yang-gu's first son-in-law
Late Lee Yang-gu's second son-in-law
(Stock assets)
(Group under legal supervision)
∫
Tong Yang Group chairman
Hyundai Card chief executive
(Stock assets)
∫
Orion chairman
∫
Hyundai Hysco chief executive
FASHION
May 2-8, 2014
Photo courtesy of Flashy
Icha Rahmanti The Jakarta Post Bandung
In good times or otherwise, Bandung 'distros' thrive
Flashy interior: Quirky and unique created by a local designer.
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May 2-8, 2014
Photo by Icha Rahmanti
D
istribution stores, or "distros", started to emerge in Bandung in the late 1990s— a silver lining of the financial crisis at that time which made all imported brands unaffordable. Although the economic situation has since improved, distros didn’t go away. Instead, they continued to thrive after successfully establishing a strong foothold in the market. Markets in Indonesia and, even overseas, have embraced them, their styles and fashion sense. The strong entrepreneurial spirit of the people behind these distros kept the industry very much alive. Here are some of the pioneering distros that are now enjoying a strong following here and overseas:
Accordion Bag: Windy Wulandry of Flashy with her most favourite bag design.
Flashy
Windy Wulandry of Flashy got the idea of putting up her own business in mid-1998 after witnessing how a group of college students started a business in a room rented at the house of her mother at Jl. Dago 347 (now known as brand UNKL347, but that is another story to tell in this article). Windy thought of making expensive fur bags she saw in fashion magazines affordable by producing them herself. She received lots of custom orders from friends. Word about her products spread quickly and she found herself overwhelmed by orders. In 2000, she officially opened her own store -
FASHION
May 2-8, 2014
Photo courtesy of Flashy
Fashionably affordable: Flashy always keep their design in fashion, comfortable and very affordable.
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May 2-8, 2014
Flashy—a word she felt really strong about after doing some research. She stopped taking custom orders and set up a design and production team to create her own collection. At first, Flashy was all about bags but over the years, it has evolved and it now produces and sells wallets,
cell phone pouches, luggage organisers, hair bands, clutches, clothes and even scarves that can be worn as head scarves too. Head scarves was added to the list in anticipation of the fast-growing demand for chic and trendy hijabs, a veil that covers the head and chest that is particularly worn by Muslim
Photo courtesy of Ouval Research
Catchy interior: Ouval Research interior caters to the young market.
women in the presence of adult males outside their immediate family. Windy, now a mother of three, later added a new line, Owlee Kids, to cater to the requirements of toddlers and kids up to nine years old. Sixteen years after she started, Flashy’s products can be found in several cities in Indonesia and even in Malaysia. “Our design is simple and elegant. We give our bags attention to detail, like on the lining, the inside and the tailoring, but we keep the price affordable to many,” said Windy. “For clothing, our first priority is comfort. The material must be comfortable and of good quality,” she says. To keep her costs down and prices affordable, she buys all her materials
FASHION
May 2-8, 2014
Photo courtesy of UNKL374
Passionate Design: Fired by the love and passion for design, UNKL347 believes it will prevail despite tight competition.
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May 2-8, 2014
directly from suppliers. Flashy bags’ prices start from 125,000 rupiah (US$13), clothes start from 90,000 rupiah and hair bands, 5,000 rupiah. The main Flashy shop at Jl. Dipatiukur No. 1 in Bandung opens daily from 9am to 9pm.
UNKL347
Remember the group of college students renting a room at Jl Dago 347 for a small display store? They are the people behind the now popular clothing company that bears the UNKL347 brand. Passionate about transforming a DIY (do-it-yourself) spirit into action, the group led by founder Dendy Darman converted the rented room into a small display store. Ten years later, in 2006, they formally established their brand, UNKL347, which adopted the address of their very first display store. Darman, the founder, says UNK347 continues to cater to the
youth market, particularly teenagers, although members of his group have grown older and are now referred to as “uncles” by customers and the community. He believes that despite the tough competition in the market, UNK347 will always be the customers’ preferred brand. “It’s because we started with love and passion for design, not the business itself. This is what makes us move forward,” he said. UNKL347 has diversify by offering home interior products under the brand U&KL—Us and Kind of Life. UNKL347 is located at Jl. Trunojoyo No. 4 in Bandung.
Ouval Research
According to Ouval Research founder and owner, Mochamad Rizki Yanuar, his brand started during the 1997 financial crisis, when imported clothing favoured by the skater community from Taman Lalu-Lintas Bandung was very expensive.
He took advantage of that opportunity and with only 250,000 rupiah as a starting capital, he created Ouval Research, a clothing line catering to the skater community in Bandung. “We aimed at making good quality clothing for skaters but at an affordable price,” said Rizki. Ouval Research started making trousers, jackets and bags. It now has diversified into shoes, T-shirts and accessories aimed at the teenage market. It plans to expand, opening several stores in several big cities in Indonesia and building a distribution network in smaller cities to strengthen its distribution line. Rizki said his brand was born to cater to the needs of those who used to wear imported products. He says Ouval focuses on continuing innovation to keep its products at par with the best in the world and keep his brand ahead of competition. Ouval Research can be found at Jl.Sultan Agung No. 3A in Bandung. It opens daily from 9am to 9pm. ¬
DATEBOOK
May 2-8, 2014
ÂŹ Manlia, Philippines Earl Klugh in Manila American smooth jazz/crossover jazz fusion guitarist Earl Klugh is coming back to Manila for another major concert.
When: May 6, 2014, 8pm Where: PICC Plenary Hall CCP Complex, Pasay City Info: www.concertmanila.com
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May 2-8, 2014
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¬ Bangkok, Thailand Comic-Con Thailand After a long wait, Thailand's very own Comic-Con is making its debut next month. Organiser Milk Studio says the event will be the first pop culture event to be held in the Land of Smiles. Given this country’s love for pop culture, it is surprising that this is the first time Thailand is playing host to a comics convention.
When: May 9-11, 10.30am-8pm Where: Royal Paragon Hall 5th Flr, Siam Paragon
May 2-8, 2014
DATEBOOK
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DATEBOOK
May 2-8, 2014
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¬ Bangkok 2014 CNBLUE Live—Can't Stop in Bangkok There's no stopping Korean band CNBLUE as they bring their new tour, Can't Stop, to the Thai capital. Bangkok is the first overseas stop in the tour and is named after their latest mini album, which features a new sound from the band that their fans have never heard before. Known for their highenergy performance, CNBLUE is undoubtedly one of the most prominent band in Korea’s music
industry. Comprised of lead vocalist and guitarist, Jung Yong Hwa, lead guitarist and vocalist, Lee Jong Hyun, bassist Lee Jung Shin and drummer Kang Min Hyuk, they debuted in 2010 with the EP "Bluetory". Since then, they have won countless music awards on South Korea’s music chart shows. When: May 4, 2014, 6pm Where: Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani
DATEBOOK
May 2-8, 2014
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¬ Tokyo, Japan SHU-I in Tokyo SHU-I (So Hot Union Idols), the five-member South Korean boy band, will be holding a concert in Tokyo. The boy band debuted on Sept 11, 2009 with its digital single “Bomb Bomb Bomb”. The band’s name when translated into Mandarin means handsome.
When: May 3 and 4 Where: Harajuku Quest Hall
DATEBOOK
May 2-8, 2014
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¬ Asia Taylor Swift-The Red Tour Live Seven-time Grammy winner Taylor Smith is bringing her The Red Tour in Asia in June and Jakarta will host the first of her five-country tour. The Southeast Asia portion of The RED Tour is presented by Cornetto and promoted by AEG Live. The general public on-sale dates will vary by market, and pre-sale
tickets will be available. General ticketing information will be available at www.taylorswift.com. Taylor’s The RED Tour performance features two stages, elaborate costumes, dancers, and changing sets. Taylor moves around the venue, giving every audience member a
great seat. Taylor plays electric guitar, banjo, piano and acoustic guitar and changes costumes multiple times over the course of the evening. Her set features several songs from her recordbreaking RED album, as well as new takes on other fan favourites.
DATE CITY VENUE June 4 Jakarta, Indonesia MEIS (Mata Elang International Stadium) June 6 Manila, Philippines Mall of Asia Arena June 9 Bangkok, Thailand Impact Arena June 11 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Putra Indoor Stadium June 12 Singapore Singapore Indoor Stadium