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Can Asians think? THE provocative title of this book refers to one of the 17 essays in this book. The answer and subsequent explanation is just as provocative. No, yes and maybe are the three answers that Mahbubani provides, leaving the reader to take her pick. His contention is that if Asians want to get ahead in the world, become part of the new world order that is based on peace, harmony and prosperity. They will have to actively consider the reasons for their failures and successes, introspect about their philosophical moorings and consider modifications that will enable them to be more democratic, aligned to prosperity and facilitate the well-being of both their citizens and their states. The other essays are just as provocative. There is one about the West and the Rest, another which dwells upon the rather enigmatic theme of "What the rest can teach the West". In such essays the decadence marking contemporary western civilisation comes in for special notice and a warning is given out that unless the west learns to modulate its cravings for the good things it is going to go down the same way, as one believes the Roman Empire collapsed while reaching greater heights of conquest and glory. Being a senior diplomat from the island country of Singapore, places Mahbubani in an advantageous situation from where he can see the moral dilemmas that face the people of East Asia and South East Asia while coping with the aftermath of colonialism. The growth of the Pacific Rim countries and their constant looking towards the US for security comes in for special comment. The internal contradictions of countries like Cambodia where the western powers allowed a mass murderer like Pol Pot to continue in the name of non-intervention are evaluated with great feeling while bringing out the huge human costs of inaction. My favourite essay in this book was the one on Singapore. Singapore gained independence in 1965. With no hinterland, a population of 2 million, surrounded by great, powerful and warlike nations of Asia, it was a nation destined to fail. Instead, it succeeded. It became one of the most sought after place of residence and work in the world. How did this miracle come about in a nation which had human capital as its only resource and that too was, to begin with, of not too high a quality? Most analysts of the Singapore phenomenon have largely avoided such questions. Mahbubani gives us a brief glimpse of how a pro-active administration supported by visionary political leaders solved existing problems, pre-empted difficulties that might have the power to destroy growth and ensured the cooperation of the people in maintaining a decent, growth oriented and just society. Something as simple as car ownership caught the attention of Singaporean leaders early. If there are too many of these contraptions they have the potential to destroy the environment and create hurdles in urban living. So much before car ownership could become a problem on Singapore roads the matter was sorted out. Large extended families were encouraged, ethnic harmony was rigorously encouraged. No racial ghettoes were allowed to emerge, only community centers that were open to all citizens were allowed and a dense network of citizens group enables the normal public to participate on a realtime basis in the every day decision making of the local community. If only for reading this single essay, I would strongly recommend this book to Indian readers. |
