Indo Pak Fracas Is Over Trump And Kim Could Not Conclude Too Much Croc Says Hello

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1. Well the Indo-Pak fracas is over. All sorts of news and wild videos came out over the past two days about planes and pilots being shot out of the sky.  
The Pakistanis shot down an ageing Indian MIG21 (get this) in a dogfight. This may perhaps be the last dogfight in jet aviation history. Or unless the Indians and Pakistanis decide to shoot things up again.
The Indian pilot bailed out, was roughed up and then given a cup of chai (hot tea). Finally Pakistan released him and sent him over the Indo-Pak border at Wagah.
The tension is over. 



The question that needs to be asked is after sending up advanced Mirage 2000s, Sukhoi 30s and Embraer AEW planes in the initial attack, why did the Indians send ageing MIG21s (over 30 years old) into a dogfight with Pakistani F16s? Was it a sacrifice?
2.  In less exciting news, in Hanoi Trump met Kim Jong Un for their second summit.  They were supposed to sign some declaration and agree on other things but it did not fall in place. 
N'theless the meeting was amicable and Trump made some positive remarks about Kim Jong Un and North Korea. To me the most significant statement that Trump made was unrelated to their meeting. Trump said North Korea is going to be another economic powerhouse.
The fact that the meeting was held in Vietnam made a few other statements. It was the second visit by  a US president to Vietnam - a country which the Americans once bombed to the stone age and shed the blood of millions of Vietnamese (at least three million people died in the American bloodshed on the people of Indo China). 
Vietnam is now an economic powerhouse. Vietnam is following something like the Chinese model - a benevolent single party political system manages a largely  free market, capitalist economy. The socialism is in providing cheap and efficient infrastructure for the people - like cheap Internet, telecommunications, efficient railways, highways etc. Strong centralised 'discipline' to ensure the people have the freedom to do anything they want in the economy.
Meantime over in the Korean Peninsula, both South and North Korea are making much progress on their own. It is most likely that North and South Korea will achieve a long lasting peace on their own - out of this Kim Jong Un initiative - before the Americans can come around to sitting at the table again.
3. Finally it is By Election day in Semenyih today. No matter who wins (Pakatan atau BN) the fate of the Malay people will not change much.  
“ . . Verily, Allah will not change the  condition of a people as long as they do not change their state themselves  . . .[Sura 13:11].
". . .Sesungguhnya Allah tidak mengubah apa yang ada pada sesuatu kaum sehingga mereka mengubah apa yang ada pada diri mereka sendiri. . ." Surah 13:11.
I dont think the Malay folks are going to effect any positive change any time soon that will really benefit their future.  
Finally we are not at home for the By Election.  Hopped on an early morning flight yesterday and by late afternoon we were talking to the crocodiles. Be back in a few days.
Here is a picture of a saltwater crocodile that I took with my phone yesterday evening. Easily nine or 10 feet long.  In its natural habitat.   The second picture zooms in on the croc. 




Thats an egret and a wader bird that are hanging around near the croc.
The croc was basking in the late afternoon sun.  It is extremely rare to be able to see one of these saltwater crocodiles anywhere. 
Chinese people say it brings plenty good fortune if you can see a crocodile.   Will it do the same for the crocodile to see us humans?  
Have a good weekend folks.Posted by Syed Akbar Ali 

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