The picture is not only positive. In Indonesia the rupiah tumbled to a quarter of it's value from 1997 to 1998, and has not recovered in to any great extent in March 2000. The poor people in the cities are probably those hardest hit. People with money can both buy things cheap and foreign interests with production facilities can have very cheap labour and sell their products with huge profit at the international market. So it is not difficult to see who are profiting on this state of affairs. But who was the main mainipulators who created this situation?
Malaysia has also had its upheavals lately with the former vice prime minister being accused for corruptions and some other things. Media are saying that is more a political struggle. So there seems to be a discrepancy between very democratic sounding pronouncement made about democracy and reality. The vice prime minister got 6 years jail sentence if my memory serves me right. Malaysia also proclaim that they will be a model of racial harmony. But how stable is the relationship between the chinese and the malay?
Singapore seems to have a solid economy, but will their economy continue to prosper. One concern which was voiced by several was lack of creativity. Is it enough that the school kids in 4.th grade are the best in the world as far as mathematics goes? A Singaporean I talked to said Singapore was very dependent on how well the surround countries did economically speaking.
Ghana managed to keep their cedi stable in relation to the dollar the in 1998 but it has depreciated about 30% now in March 2000. There seems to have been some improvements in certain areas. Some departments at The University of Ghana has got e-mail and internet access. But there has also are strikes among teachers and physicians.
Japan and South Korea November 1999.
I visited Japan in November 1999 participating
in "7th International Conference on Computers in Education", ICCE'99
and was impressed by how well organized both this conference and the society
was. I could easily get my home page loaded down from Norway when
giving my presentation so I had no need to bring anything.
Trains were running on time, toilets could
easily be found, free of charge and paper always available , and
the level of criminal behaviour is very low so you felt always safe.
But the japanese seems to be fairly selfcontained.
Few spoke English and sign were seldom in English so it was at times difficult
to orient yourself. In train stations you had first to find out the fare
and then use the automatic ticket machine. I found that it was very helpful
to have a map and a compass. Together with Lonely Planet for Japan I managed
quite well.
I travelled to Nagasaki via Kyoto, were I
stayed in a traditional inn sleeping on the floor. Part of the trip from
Kyoto to Nagasaki I went with
Shinkansen, "the bullet train" with
an average speed of 200 km/h with stops. It was floating along. You only
noticed the speed if you looked at cars being left behind very quickly
on the parallel road.
I talked to several foreign students, and
one thing several had noticed was that students often slept during lectures
and almost everybody get through once you get into the university. But
you have to struggle to get in there and the opposition you get afterwards
seems to be closely linked to what university you have attended.
In South Korea I visited Pusan and Seoul. Knowing
how devastated the country was in 1953 after the civil war it is impressive
to see both Pusan and Seoul was modern cities with and excellent subway
system. I also visited a university in Pusan and one in Seoul. Both had
well kept buildings in pleasant surroundings.
Staff and student seemed to speak English
to a greater extent than the japanese. They also seemed to read English
language journals and publish articles internationally to a greater
extent than the japanese.
Why have these Asian countries taken great
strides forwards while Africa is lagging far behind?
Corruption is widespread in both Ghana
and Indonesia, "under control" in Malaysia while Singapore seems free from
corruption as far as public servants go. Strict child rearing practices
make people more compliant, and loyalty to the extended family and
tribe rather than to employer contribute strongly to the maintenance of
corruption.
A sort of "learned helplessness" seems most
pronounced in Ghana. The turmoil in Indonesia in May 1998 can be seen as
a reaction against corrupt leaders that have become rich but also brought
the country forward economically, educationally and with respect to services
like electricity, health and transport. The collapse of the rupiah gave
people a set back which triggered protests and riots. The students
want transparency and political reforms, more democracy, and they have
lately got increased support. May 21 1998 president Suharto had to resign
and vice president Habibie, a technocrat, took over May 22 1998. Corruption
will not disappear with this change, but it may be the beginning of a process
for improvement.
The newly elected president Wahid seems to
be more democratically minded than earlier presidents but the rupiah has
not recovered since 1998. The upheavals in Timor has not helped the situation.
Malaysia and Singapore seem to have clear political
goals and strive towards being self-reliant and independent. These two
countries also seem well organized. Ghana is peaceful, but
poorly organized, and progress is slow. The South Asian countries seem
far more dynamic.
In Japan and South Korea they get things done
and they invest a lot in their kids in terms of stimulation and education.
Ghanian people are nice people with a well developed social intelligence
but with less will and ability to get things done.
I think a lot can be explained out from cultural variables. Gert Hofstedes book "Cultures Consequences" is doing this out from certain variables. Child rearing practices may be another variable to consider. This again should be put into a historical and political context.
Bjarne Fjeldsenden April 26-1999 / April 02.th 2000 Bjarnes MAIN PAGE