SINGAPORE (AFP) - Singapore has inflicted enormous damage to its reputation because of its reluctance to admit 27 activists accredited for the World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings, bank president Paul Wolfowitz has said.
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"Enormous damage has been done... A lot of that damage has been to Singapore and it's self-inflicted," Wolfowitz said at a meeting with non-governmental organizations.
Singapore said it had security concerns about 27 of the hundreds of activists whom the World Bank and International Monetary Fund had already accredited to attend the institutions' meetings in Singapore as part of a formal dialogue.
"I would certainly argue that at the stage of success they've reached they'd be much better for themselves if they (took) a more visionary approach to the process," Wolfowitz said, adding that he raised the issue in a Thursday night meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong .
"Last night the prime minister said that based on Bank and Fund vouching for these people that they would look at each case individually and open the door to let them in. I hope that will happen expeditiously and completely and we're waiting for further developments," Wolfowitz told an earlier news conference.
Since independence in 1965, Singapore has grown from a Third World country to an Asian economic powerhouse.
While I was wikipedia-ing away at all the Pritzker award winners,
I was amazed to know that Hwa Chong Instuition Boarding School and NTU are designed by the renown Japanese architect Kenzo Tange.
I.M. Pei (American) designed OCBC Building and Raffles City.
Zaha Hadid (Iraqi British) designed the One-North Masterplan.
Norman Foster (British) design the Expo MRT Station.
What's more... Some famous graduates from NTU include:
Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono - Son of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of Indonesia Da Silva Horta Maubere Lorosae - Son of José Ramos Horta, Prime Minister of Timor-Leste Kay Kay Pei - Partner of Lam Fung Hong, Lam Foundation Nguyen Minh An - Son of Nguyễn Minh Triết, President of Vietnam
Wow! The two richest men are combining their fortunes to create the biggest private charity of all time.... 60 billion USD, Incredible. That's what I like about rich people. When you are rich, you can really give a lot more back to the society, much more than anyone of us.
Critics love to make these rich people look like really bad people. I actually think that these rich people are at least a million times more contributing than critics. Way to go, Mr Gates and Mr Buffett. I respect you.
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xixxix's journal
grateful
