PLANS TO BE WORLD'S BREADBASKET

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JAKARTA - Following Brazil's trail, Indonesia is encouraging foreign and local investors to lease huge swathes of fertile countryside and help make the country a major food producer.

"Feed Indonesia, then feed the world," was the recent call from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono after the government announced plans to fast-track development of vast agricultural estates in remote areas like Papua and Borneo.

Between now and 2030, Indonesia expects to become one of the world's biggest producers of rice, maize, sugar, coffee, shrimp, meats and palm oil, senior agriculture ministry official Hilman Manan said.

The world's fourth most populous country, with 235 million people, Indonesia has been self-sufficient in rice since 2008 and is already the top producer of palm oil.

"If everything goes well, Indonesia should be able to be self-sufficient in five years. And then it can start to feed the world," said Mr Sony Heru Priyanto, an expert at Satya Wacana Christian University.

The first area targeted for development is 1.6 million hectares in the south-east of the largely undeveloped province of Papua, around the town of Merauke.

The Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate will, the government hopes, create thousands of jobs and turn an impoverished and neglected corner of the Indonesian archipelago into a hive of activity.

"We chose Merauke because it's the ideal place for food crop cultivation, such as rice, corn, soybean and sugar cane. Merauke district has 4.5 million hectares of land; 2.5 million hectares are ideal for cultivation," Mr Manan said.

"The area is flat and has a good climate. Its soil is appropriate for those crops. Sumatra is already congested with other plantations, such as palm oil, and Kalimantan is already full of mining areas and many plantation areas also."

He said Merauke's population of some 175,000 people could rocket to 800,000 if the plan takes off.

Foreigners will be able to control a maximum of 49 per cent of any investing company, and will be offered incentives like tax breaks and reductions in customs and excise duties.

"In order to avoid any forms of monopolies or land grabbing, we're limiting each company to a maximum of 10,000 hectares of land," Mr Manan said, stressing that the government was selling land use rights, not the land itself.

He said interest had come from Japan, South Korea and the Middle East.

But analysts said the region's biggest advantage - expanses of "empty" land - was also the main obstacle: The project will require up to US$5 billion ($7 billion) in infrastructure investments, from a new port to roads and runways.

And there is opposition from small-scale farmers who say their traditional livelihoods could be threatened by the large-scale commercialisation of agriculture.

"We reject the concept of the food estate. For us, food estates are another kind of land grabbing scheme. It's like going back to the era of feudalism," Indonesian Farmers Union official Kartini Samon said.

Such worries are well known in other countries with similar schemes, such as Brazil and Madagascar, where there is deep suspicion about food and bio-fuel companies monopolising agricultural land.

There are also fears for the rights of indigenous Papuans, who have long complained that their traditional lands are being unjustly exploited by outsiders. AFP

From TODAY, Monday, 22-Feb-2010

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Obama says US "fully prepared" for any NKorea nuke launch

Posted: 22 June 2009 0948 hrs

US President Barack Obama

WASHINGTON: The United States is "fully prepared for any contingencies" with North Korea, including a potential missile launch toward US territory, President Barack Obama said in an interview to be aired Monday.

"This administration - and our military - is fully prepared for any contingencies," Obama told CBS when asked about the possibility that North Korea could fire a missile toward Hawaii in the coming weeks.

Asked if that meant Washington was "warning of a military response," Obama answered: "No. It's just we are prepared for any contingencies.

"I don't want to speculate on hypotheticals. But I do want to give assurances to the American people that the T's are crossed and the I's are dotted in terms of what might happen," he added, according to excerpts released Sunday.

The US military has beefed up its Hawaii defences over fears Pyongyang may launch a missile at the Pacific island chain, and is tracking a North Korean ship possibly carrying banned cargo, Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.

"I would just say I think we are in a good position should it become necessary to protect American territory," the Pentagon chief said, adding that he had approved the deployment to Hawaii of Theatre High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) weaponry for "support" in case of a North Korean launch.

South Korea's YTN television news channel, citing an unnamed intelligence source, said the United States suspects that the 2,000-tonne Kang Nam 1 is carrying missiles or related parts, and is heading for Myanmar via Singapore.

US defense officials have said a US Navy destroyer, the USS John S. McCain, is tracking the Kang Nam 1, which has been previously linked to illicit missile-related cargo.

It is the first vessel to be monitored under a United Nations resolution imposed a week ago that bans shipments of arms and nuclear or missile technology to and from North Korea.

US officials have yet to indicate if or when they might ask to search the vessel under the UN Security Council resolution.

In the interview, Obama also said there was strong international consensus against Pyongyang, after it detonated its second nuclear device on May 25 - following the first one in 2006 - and went ahead with what Washington called a disguised test of a long-range missile in April.

"More broadly, I think the international community has spoken," Obama said, noting that the UN Security Council has agreed to tighter cargo inspections, a stricter arms embargo and new targeted financial curbs to choke off revenue for the North's nuclear and missile sectors.

"That sends a signal... of a unity in the international community that we haven't seen in quite some time," Obama told CBS.

"And one of the things that we have been very clear about is that North Korea has a path towards rejoining the international community. And we hope they take that path. What we're not going to do is to reward belligerence and provocation in the way that's been done in the past."

Obama on Tuesday called Pyongyang a "grave threat" and vowed to defend South Korea after talks in Washington with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak.

The North in turn accused Obama and Lee of "trying to ignite a nuclear war."

"The US-touted provision of 'extended deterrence, including a nuclear umbrella' (for South Korea) is nothing but 'a nuclear war plan,'" the North's state-run weekly Tongil Sinbo said.

- AFP/yb

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

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North Korea accuses Obama of nuclear war plot

Posted: 22 June 2009 0202 hrs

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il inspects the command of 7th Infantry Division of the Korean People's Army at an undisclosed location.

SEOUL: North Korea has accused US President Barack Obama of plotting a nuclear war on the communist nation by reaffirming a US assurance of security for South Korea, the North's state media said.

In a first official response to last week's US-South Korean summit, the state-run weekly Tongil Sinbo said in its Saturday edition Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak "are trying to ignite a nuclear war".

"The US-touted provision of 'extended deterrence, including a nuclear umbrella' (for South Korea) is nothing but 'a nuclear war plan,'" Tongil Sinbo said.

It said it wasn't a coincidence that the United States has brought "nuclear equipment into South Korea and its surroundings and staged massive war drills every day to look for a chance to invade North Korea."

Pyongyang has created weeks of tension by conducting a second nuclear test and test-firing missiles.

At a summit with Lee in Washington Wednesday, Obama warned that North Korea is a "grave threat" and vowed to defend South Korea.

A Seoul presidential official told Yonhap news agency Lee would seek a written US commitment to provide a nuclear "umbrella" for Seoul as part of "extended deterrence" against Pyongyang.

North Korea detonated its second nuclear device on May 25, following the first one in 2006. It also went ahead with what Washington said was a disguised test of a long-range missile in April.

The United Nations Security Council in response agreed to tighter cargo inspections, a stricter arms embargo and new targeted financial curbs to choke off revenue for the North's nuclear and missile sectors.

In response Pyongyang has vowed to build more nuclear bombs and start enriching uranium for a new atomic weapons program.

Some analysts say the sabre-rattling is part of an attempt by 67-year-old ailing North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Il, to bolster a succession plan involving his youngest son, Kim Jong-Un. - AFP/de

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

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US boosts Hawaii defense to counter North Korea threat

Image via Wikipedia

06/19/2009 | 10:51 AM

SEOUL, South Korea — The United States has deployed anti-missile defenses around Hawaii amid reports that North Korea may fire its most advanced ballistic missile toward the US islands early next month, adding to already high tensions in the region.

A report in a Japanese newspaper said Pyongyang might test-fire its Taepodong-2 toward Hawaii around the US holiday of Independence Day. North Korea test-fired a similar long-range missile on July 4 three years ago, but it failed seconds after liftoff.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the additional defenses around Hawaii consist of a ground-based mobile missile system and a radar system nearby. Together they could shoot an incoming missile in mid air.

"Without telegraphing what we will do, I would just say ... we are in a good position, should it become necessary, to protect Americans and American territory," Gates told reporters in Washington on Thursday.

A new missile launch — though not expected to reach US territory — would be a brazen slap in the face of the international community, which punished North Korea with new UN sanctions for conducting a second nuclear test on May 25 in defiance of a UN ban.

North Korea spurned the UN Security Council resolution with threats of war and pledges to expand its nuclear bomb-making program.

The Security Council resolution calls on all 192 UN member states to inspect vessels on the high seas — with the owner country's approval — if they believe the cargo contains banned weapons.

In what would be the first test case for the sanctions, the US military has begun tracking a North Korean-flagged ship, Kang Nam, which left a port in North Korea on Wednesday, two US officials said.

The ship, which may be carrying illicit weapons, was in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of China on Thursday, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were discussing intelligence.

It was uncertain what the Kang Nam was carrying, but it has been involved in weapons proliferation before, one of the officials said.

The missile now being readied in the North is believed to be a Taepodong-2 with a range of up to 4,000 miles (6,500 kilometers), and would be launched from North Korea's Dongchang-ni site on the northwestern coast sometime around July 4, the Yomiuri newspaper said.

It cited an analysis by Japan's Defense Ministry and intelligence gathered by US reconnaissance satellites.

It speculated the missile could fly over Japan and toward Hawaii, but would not be able to hit Hawaii's main islands, which are about 4,500 miles (7,200 kilometers) from the Korean peninsula.

A spokesman for the Japanese Defense Ministry declined to comment on the report. South Korea's Defense Ministry and the National Intelligence Service — the country's main spy agency — said they could not confirm it.

Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programs are centerpieces of the regime's catalog of weapons of mass destruction.

But the impoverished nation, which has put most of its scarce resources into boosting its military capabilities under its "army-first" policy, also has a large chemical arsenal, as well as capabilities to produce biological weapons.

On Thursday, an international security think tank warned that North Korea's chemical weapons are no less serious a threat to the region than its nuclear arsenal.

The independent International Crisis Group said the North is believed to have between 2,500 and 5,000 tons of chemical weapons, including mustard gas, phosgene, blood agents and sarin. These weapons can be delivered with ballistic missiles and long-range artillery and are "sufficient to inflict massive civilian casualties on South Korea."

"If progress is made on rolling back Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, there could be opportunities to construct a cooperative diplomatic solution for chemical weapons and the suspected biological weapons program," the think tank said in a report.

It also called on the US to engage the North in dialogue to defuse the nuclear crisis, saying "diplomacy is the least bad option." It said Washington should be prepared to send a high-level special envoy to Pyongyang to resolve the tension. - AP

From GMANews.tv; see the source article here.

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Report: North Korea may fire missile toward Hawaii

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Some display of power, eh? To 'threaten' US, and deter further plans of interfering with other countries' business, internal or external? Whatever, the implication may be far-reaching than planned or expected.

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06/18/2009 | 12:46 PM

TOKYO — North Korea may fire a long-range ballistic missile toward Hawaii in early July, a Japanese newspaper said Thursday, amid escalating tensions between the communist country and the United States over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.

The missile, believed to be a long-range Taepodong-2, would be launched from North Korea's Dongchang-ni site on the northwestern coast, said the Yomiuri daily, Japan's top-selling newspaper. It cited an analysis by the Japanese Defense Ministry and intelligence gathered by US reconnaissance satellites.

The missile launch could come between July 4 and 8, the paper said. It noted North Korea had fired the Taepodong-2 missile on July 4, 1996. Also July 8 is the anniversary of the 1994 death of North Korea founder Kim Il Sung.

The Yomiuri report is the latest in mounting media speculation that the communist country could launch a long-range missile soon following its underground nuclear test on May 25.

A spokesman for the Japanese Defense Ministry declined to comment on the report. Officials from South Korea's Defense Ministry and the National Intelligence Service — the country's main spy agency — said they could not confirm it.

While the Yomiuri speculated the Taepodong-2 could fly over Japan and toward Hawaii, it said the missile would not be able to hit the main islands of Hawaii.

In Washington on Tuesday, Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it would take at least three to five years for North Korea to pose a real threat to the West Coast of the United States.

North Korea is believed to have enough weaponized plutonium for at least half a dozen atomic bombs. The regime revealed last week that it is also producing enriched uranium. The two materials are key ingredients for making atomic bombs.

North Korea conducted its second nuclear test on May 25 following its first underground atomic blast in October 2006.

The United Nations last week punished North Korea over the May nuclear test by expanding an arms embargo and authorizing ship searches on the high seas in a bid to derail its nuclear and missile programs.

North Korea has claimed its nuclear bombs are a deterrent against the United States and accuses Washington of plotting with Seoul to topple its secretive regime — led by the unpredictable dictator Kim Jong Il who is reportedly preparing to hand over power to his 26-year-old youngest son, Jong Un. - AP

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A chance to replenish reserves

BUSINESS ANALYSIS

Rosalind Mathieson

THE recent slide in the US dollar against Asian currencies provides central banks in the region with the opportunity to do some quick replenishing of their foreign exchange reserves.

Buying the US dollar now means central banks can put some gas back in the tank for what could be a dollar renewal in the later part of the year — which may require the authorities in Asia to then sell the greenback to protect their local currencies.

And, of course, US dollar buying right now fulfils another aim, namely to keep a lid on emerging market Asian currencies in order to rekindle export demand.

There is the perception that foreign exchange reserves in Asia have been badly run down in the past year or so. Reserves are actually not as low as some people might think, but they have certainly been depleted by the heavy volatility in currency markets and the ongoing presence of a large speculative contingent.

Indeed, HSBC currency strategist Daniel Hui in a recent report estimated that regional reserves, ex-China, have fallen by a fifth in the past year.

Some central banks are already stepping up their US dollar buying, with those in South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand spotted of late. The Monetary Authority of Singapore is also likely to have been keeping a lid on the Singapore dollar in order to maintain the currency's undisclosed price band.

US dollar weakness may persist in the near term for several reasons. One is that concerns have been brought front-and-centre of late about the US fiscal position, and the heavy amount of debt being taken onto the government's books.

Another is that some of the data from Asia have been showing a bit of resilience — though the emphasis there should be on the "bit" — and this, coupled with a rise in stock markets, has stoked a measure of risk appetite. Inflows have risen to emerging markets, pushing up stocks and currencies alike.

But central banks will want to avoid that going too far. Financial markets and economies alike are still very vulnerable, the recovery indicators are patchy and mild, and for some there is still the sense the worst is it not over for Asia or Europe.

So buying the US dollar now has a dual impact. It prevents Asian currencies from rising too quickly, and it allows central banks to put more ammunition in their arsenals should there be further economic or financial headwinds ahead.

Asian central banks are notoriously paranoid about depleting their reserves, having worked so hard to build them up since the previous financial crisis. They are very keen to make sure the coffers don't get whittled down again. That means "smoothing" operations to buy the greenback are likely to continue, and intervention could pick up in the coming months across Asia as a whole.

That should leave traders a little wary about pushing Asian currencies too high in the near term. The gains are momentum-based, not structural. Dow Jones

From TODAYOnline.com, Business – Wednesday, 27-May-2009; see the source article here.

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Plug the gaps and restock

Khaw: How Singapore can learn from the experience so far

by Neo Chai Chin

05:55 AM May 13, 2009

THE Influenza A (H1N1) virus creeps closer to Singapore, with Thailand reporting two cases yesterday. And while no cases have been reported here so far, it will take a full year - as the virus evolves and moves from the northern to southern hemisphere and back again - before Singapore can "decide if we can relax", said Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan.

Yesterday, he unveiled his Ministry's three-part game plan for the coming weeks and months, while stressing the likelihood that "H1N1 is going to be here with us permanently; it may not simply disappear like Sars".

First, the Government is replenishing stocks of personal protective equipment, as well as Tamiflu and Relenza antiviral drugs - and the private sector is strongly urged to follow suit.

General practitioners (GPs) and companies who did not stock up on these essentials and had to scramble, "learnt the hard lesson of being caught unprepared" when Singapore moved to Orange alert two weeks ago, said Mr Khaw.

On the "grumbling" about a shortage of N95 masks and Tamiflu, Mr Khaw said GPs "are supposed to have stocked up during peacetime". They should, for that matter, take advantage of the window of respite now when stocks are more readily available.

Second, the Ministry of Health (MOH) will do a post-mortem and plug holes in its flu plan - particularly, the gaps in the response of the primary healthcare sector that were exposed by the H1N1 alert.

For example, the MOH will tighten its communications system with GPs by ironing out technical problems and getting their updated mobile numbers for SMS updates.

Third, teams of public health experts and scientists will be sent to "battle-scarred" affected countries in North America to study their experiences.

'Don't play with Singaporeans' lives'

What of recent suggestions that Singapore allow the virus to enter in order to build some herd immunity? Or to adopt an all-or-none approach in tackling the virus - quarantining all visitors from affected countries, for example?

The MOH does not consider countries like Spain and South Korea as affected countries because the human-to-human transmissions have not reached a sustained level of community spread, said Dr Lyn James, director of the MOH's communicable diseases division.

The five deaths reported outside Mexico have been of people with underlying medical conditions, she noted.

Mr Khaw said that while it was okay to experiment with immunity as individuals or family units, he could not risk lives when there remains incomplete information about the virus.

"I don't think we should play around with Singaporeans' lives in such a casual manner," he said.

And as the world slowly uncovers more about H1N1, the public's focus "should not be over the number of new cases" but the severity of these cases, he said. "Do the patients develop complications, pneumonia, severe respiratory failure? Who are those that are vulnerable to developing complications, so that we can focus on treating them early?"

Singaporeans should also not be alarmed to see more people down with flu - the seasonal variety kills 600 here yearly - as flu season in Singapore peaks at mid-year and again at year-end. Mr Khaw gave the sombre reminder that we should "expect some deaths due to H1N1 at some stage".

"Last week, I did a house-to-house visit in Sembawang," recounted the Minister. When constituents were asked if H1N1 concerned them, "all said they were not worried" - a response that, in turn, made him "very worried".

"While I appreciate the confidence of my residents, such a high expectation that we can keep out H1N1 is unrealistic," he said, urging Singaporeans to maintain good personal hygiene and, if they are sick, to avoid crowded places and to see a doctor.

Meanwhile, life must go on: Families who are going on holidays abroad in June should avoid affected countries, check the Ministry's website for updates and take the usual "commonsensical precautions".

From TODAY, Singapore – Wednesday, 13-May-2009

Time to calm down

May cooler heads prevail during this Influenza A outbreak

by Simon Tay xtra@mediacorp.com.sg

05:55 AM May 09, 2009

South Koreans eat boned rib of pork during a campaign for its safety and the consumption of pork which prices have nosedived follwoing reports of swine flu at a local meat market in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 7, 2009.

THE Influenza A (H1N1) virus, often called “swine flu”, is in the air.

I was in San Francisco last week just after California declared an emergency to deal with the outbreak. There was a thermal scanner at the airport but no one asked where I had been. I cleared immigration quickly.

At dinner, I ordered an old-style American pork chop. Only when the dish came to the table did I think twice about it.

On the one hand, the World Health Organization (WHO) says pork will not be a source of infection. On the other, dozens of countries have suspended trade in pigs and pork. I ate my pork chop. It was delicious.

Experts are still uncertain how dangerous the new virus will be. To date, the WHO has reported 1,490 confirmed cases in 23 countries - about half in Mexico.

They include 38 of the 50 states in the United States, 12 European Union countries, Hong Kong and South Korea.

WHO officials have already declared a level 5 situation and believe a full pandemic is likely.

When humans face an unknown danger and demand urgent action, panic usually results.

It is true that past influenza pandemics were lethal, like the Asian flu of 1958 that killed two million people. But the early mortality figures of the current H1N1 outbreak are moderate and the virus responds to existing drugs.

We should not be complacent, but panic too is contagious and dangerous. Witness 2003’s Sars outbreak. Cities became ghost towns, hotels were empty and economies suffered. Today, when the global economy is already in crisis, a repeat of that situation is the last thing we need.

Silliness and misinformation spread. US Vice-President Joe Biden remarked he would avoid all future air travel and then had to recant under pressure. Indonesia’s Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari is reported to believe, without any medical basis, that H1N1 may be more compatible with people of Spanish origin than Indonesians.

Tough action is already being taken by some governments.

Mexico shut down for five days, taking advantage of a holiday spell to try to break the circle of contagion. Hong Kong responded to its first case by sealing off Metropark Hotel where the flu victim stayed, locking in some 300 guests and staff for seven days.

China quarantined some 70 visitors from Mexico, even though they did not show symptoms. It also announced tighter visa measures for all US visitors.

Tough measures indeed. But what seems tough to one man can be interpreted as draconian, misguided and unfair by another. Mexico for example, has complained about China’s actions and Singapore’s new visa requirements. Pig farmers in Egypt protested when their animals were culled.

Stay cool, keep calm

We have to accept that only so much can be done to isolate the flu and police borders. Even if pigs can’t fly, the swine flu can in our globalised world.

This is especially if the flu spreads through the United States, a major business and travel hub. Isolation is not a long-term option. But countries can and should do more to prepare. After experiences with Sars and avian flu, Asian states are better prepared than most.

In each country, hospitals will need to deal with quarantined people and confirmed cases. For confirmed cases, officials have to be ready to track down the transmission trail, as they did during Sars. Ramping up public hygiene, as seen in the reviving of the Singapore’s OK campaign, is another plus.

Regional efforts can also help. Asean health officials have already teleconferenced to exchange information and coordinate their efforts.

An Asean stockpile of anti-viral drugs, currently stored in Singapore, is being earmarked by its health ministers and their counterparts from China, Japan and South Korea.

If the problem spreads through the US and North America, perhaps the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) process will need to respond, as it did during Sars.

Sars’ scars

But even if Sars prepared Asia to cope better, it has also left scars.

Then, some countries were judged as acting too slowly or ineffectively. In Hong Kong, Sars was one more nail in the political coffin for then Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa.

Governments will now want to show more vigilance, and some of this will border on jumpiness.

The other issue was the panic that led to the needless shutdown of society and economic catastrophe. Watchful but calm heads, rational decisions and solid preparation must instead be our response.

In the coming weeks, I must travel from New York to Cambodia, Japan, Singapore, Geneva, and maybe Manila and Bangkok. If I change my plans, it will not be out of fear of H1N1, but more to avoid the inconveniences that have resulted from the countermeasures.

As I go along, I plan to eat a special pork dish in each place, like tonkatsu in Japan and bak kut teh in Singapore. And I will try to remember not to sneeze in front of any immigration officer.

WEEKEND XTRA

The writer is chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs and the 2009 Schwartz Fellow at the Asia Society in New York. He was chairman of the National Environment Agency during the Sars crisis.

From TODAY, World – Weekend, 09/10-May-2009

Singapore: A Service gem in the making

NEWS COMMENT

Professor Robert Johnston

THE recent reports that Singapore organisations are providing "less than sparkling service" must be a source of concern to a country that prides itself on its service standards.

It must be of even greater concern to the Government which has poured vast amounts of money into service provision over the past few years.

Yet, Singapore is home to many world-class organisations that deliver excellent service. They include Singapore Airlines (SIA), the National Library Board (NLB), the Singapore Zoo and even the Singapore Police Force (SPF).

Data from my ongoing international service reputation study, which began in 2000, shows that SIA is, year on year, the top-rated international organisation for excellent service.

The NLB has a world-leading reputation for its innovative approaches to service design and world-beating service provision. Singapore Zoo is a leading zoo renowned for its top-rated Night Safari, conservation efforts and public education.

Even the SPF provides outstanding service as it comes out tops in global benchmarking studies. Compared to the police forces in many other countries, it provides a proactive and caring approach.

Singapore residents who are used to their neighbourhood police stations should try the "service" in the United Kingdom, where many neighbourhood stations have been closed and those that are open operate for very limited hours.

If you are lucky enough to get inside a station to report a crime, the public areas often resemble cells with bare walls and bars.

Members of the public also have to endure less than sympathetic service. One person recently reporting that some hoodlums were smashing up equipment in a children's play park not far from the police station, was met with the following reply: "Well, at least they're not on the streets".

WHY THE 7TH PLACE?

So why does Singapore find itself in 7^th place, alongside Denmark — not a country renowned for its provision of outstanding service — in the Customer Satisfaction Index, and below other countries like South Korea, Hong Kong and the UK?

Several reasons have been cited, including the global downturn and increasing customer expectations. There are two other more important reasons, both of which can be dealt with.

First, my experience in more than 20 years of working in Singapore (and comparing it to other many countries) is that Singaporeans are particularly hard on themselves.

I am often taken out to sample the wonderful food here. As a self-confessed "foodie", this is always a delight, yet frequently at the end of a meal when I express my admiration for the quality of the food, my local colleagues manage, to find some fault: Too salty, fish not fresh enough...

The Singapore Management University's Satisfaction Index this year was based on questioning of slightly more than 30,000 residents and 4,000 tourists.

I suspect the ratings given by the tourists would greatly exceed those of the "hard-on-themselves" locals. A comparative analysis may provide some support for this view.

However, one would need to be careful since the services used by tourists are not always those used by residents on a day-to-day basis.

The second reason is that service training to date in Singapore has focused on the front-line (Go the Extra Mile for Service — Gems) and the Government has, quite rightly, pumped money into improving the service delivered by frontline staff.

However, this has only solved part the problem. The other areas more critical to the delivery of excellent service are the quality of management and the organisation's systems, procedures and policies.

Without great service leadership, good and easy-to-use systems and customer-focused policies, no amount of effort put into frontline training will be enough to deliver great service.

Indeed training frontline staff without having good leadership and service-focused systems could even make service worse as frontline staff, encouraged to deliver great service, become frustrated as their efforts are thwarted, or at least made difficult, by the organisation's systems, procedures and policies.

This issue has now been recognised by the Government and its latest Gems Phase II is becoming focused on service leadership and culture.

In support of this, the Workforce Development Agency has recently stepped up its support through Spur for managers taking the Graduate Diploma in Service Leadership at the Singapore Institute of Management (in conjunction with Warwick Business School) to the tune of 90 per cent of their fees.

By "educating" the population to recognise the high levels of service that are provided in Singapore and by training organisations' managers to ensure their leadership, culture and systems are aligned to excellent service, Singapore will soon rise to its deserved position in the Customer Satisfaction Index.

Professor Robert (Bob) Johnston is a specialist in Service Excellence at Warwick Business School, UK and Academic Director of the SIM-University of Warwick Diploma in Service Leadership Programme at the Singapore Institute of Management.

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From TODAY, News – Thursday, 07-May-2009