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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

€conomic$! Culturally.

Mark's status on his MSN is currently "Temasek only down S$40 billion". Hahaha. Yeah, Mr. Goodyear finally decided to leave the Singapore's state-owned investment fund -- just four months after his appointment to the board and two-and-a-half months before the American businessman was appointed as its CEO. PN Balji commented on this in his article, titled "Did Somebody Forget This Thing Called Culture?" Well, I think he's right,
Temasek is no ordinary company. To run it, having good business acumen is not enough. You need to understand not just the dynamics of the company, but that of its associate companies, the Ministry of Finance, the Cabinet and the people of Singapore. It is a jewel in Singapore's crown and the person protecting and growing it must have the clout to push through his initiatives. If not the clout, then at least the savvy to win over its stakeholders.
We've been discussing Darrow Miller's book in our meetings. I kinda see how "culture" interferes economics. Haha. Arief posted the following on his FB wall today -- his b'day!

"Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, suffering, and injustice when He could do something about it." "Well, why don't you ask Him?" "Because I'm afraid He would ask me the same question."

(The Hole in Our Gospel)

But, as a revelation from Miller's book, understanding the cause and the root of poverty is not that simple:
Development is more than working, even working hard. It is about thinking, and about what we think. The attitudes of our hearts inevitably show up sooner or later in our behavior, speech, writing, and handiwork. .... When it comes to helping the poor, therefore, good intentions are not enough. All people and cultures have a particular model of the universe, or worldview. Their worldview does more to shape their development, their prosperity or poverty, than does their physical environment or other circumstances.

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