Asia - Our Time is NOW

                                    Ecstasy for Japan ; having just won the 2011 Women's World Cup

                                               Captain Homare Sawa and teamates celebrating

        2011 has been THE Coming Out Year for Asia. Since the Western Financial Crisis, from 2008 - 2010, Asia has been relatively unscathed. You do not hear of any Asian countries needing IMF or World Bank money, neither do you hear of Asian countries defaulting on their payments from foreign lenders. Asia has indeed been going from strength to strength since the last Asian Financial Crisis,with many countries putting into place tough austerity measures on borrowings, settling debts, bankrupting unprofitable state owned Government linked companies and, increased their saving as well as boosting their banking infrastructure, financial safety nets and spending to keep their economies growing steadily, to ensure that the current generation of middle class Asians are able to hand over some substantial wealth to their next generation. Most importantly, Asia has been the centre for low corporate taxes, personal income taxes and Asian values, such as reliance on family and NOT on Government welfare.

       On the sporting scene, Asia has been growing from strength, with Asian women leading the way these past few years. Names are hard to remember, but give them enough time and repeat victories, and the names of the winners below in their sports once reserved for typically Western atheletes will be etched in our memories forever :

Golf
So Young Kyu (Korea)   USGA 2011 champion
2nd and 3rd placing were also from Korea

Football
Japan women's team World Champions 2011
Homare Sawa captain

Aye Sameshima  ]

Kanna Maruyama }  Both Fukushima nuclear plant employees in 2011

Tennis
Li Na (China) French Open Champion 2011

Boxing
Manny Pacquiao (Philippines) Middleweight champion for almost 10 years unbeaten.

Badminton
Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) - all England Champion

Squash
Nicol David (Malaysia) - World Champion

Table Tennis
Singapore Women's Team 2010 World Champion

       I wish to encourage my fellow Asians to think deeply. Our womenfolk have shown us the way, that through sheer willpower, positive self belief, excellent team strategy and teamwork and a HIGHER SENSE OF PURPOSE, smaller built Asians CAN and WILL continue to beat their more established Western counterparts in economic development, sports and even leading edge creative entertainment at least for the forseeable future. Granted, we work together with our brethren from the Western countries for the last 20 years, and worked for their organisations 30 - 40 years before that. Now there is a PARADIGM SHIFT. The epicentre of business and commerce will quickly shift to China and India in the next 3 - 5 years and there is nothing the Western companies can do but 'jump on the bandwagon'
going EAST.

     My Dad's generation, people used to look up to the 'Orang Puteh' like they were some superior beings. Some poorly educated and ignorant people in certain parts of Asia still do. QUITE DUMB I must say. Old perceptions die hard, but newer generations of Asians will have an enlightened confidence knowing that they are living in a 'happening place'.

Its  high time people Asian people realise that they are the leading economic,sporting and even cultural power now and for the next 50 years or longer.

      Its time to LOOK EAST. ASIA has arrived.