Daily Lessons from Life 12 December 2010 - What did they say?

"Sun, Dec 12, 2010 AsiaOne - What did they say?

WikiLeaks has released several US State Department cables exclusively to Australia's Fairfax Media group that allegedly carry controversial comments by senior Singapore foreign affairs officials on Malaysia, Thailand and other countries in the region.

Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age carried the content of the cables in their Sunday editions today.

The cables reportedly detail separate meetings in 2008 and last year between senior US officials and their Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) counterparts Peter Ho, Bilahari Kausikan and Tommy Koh.

Mr Ho and Mr Kausikan were both permanent secretaries at the MFA at the time, and the latter still holds that position. Mr Koh is the ministry's ambassador-at-large."

This WikiLeaks thingy is quite interesting. It showed that what were said are better left unpublished sometimes. I mean, everyone (OK. I meant everyone who is matured and are worldly wise) knows that diplomats gathered information about their hosts. This is done from many different angles. Some to be helpful. Some for purposes only to be known to the home country higher ups!

Despite this 'everyone should had known better', it still leaves very sour taste in the mouths of many prominent and powerful people around the region and the world, even if what were discussed are the truth, who were criticized or commented upon!

Lessons for me are:

1. people just need to move on with the knowledge that IF they DID NOT engage or indulge in any of the not-so-nice things being said about them, not a problem!!;

2. BUT if what were said has an element of truth in it, maybe they can get angry and try to rataliate and make things worst for the ones who criticized them. Or to see the light and change for the better. Or to pretend nothing happened. If you don't stir shit, as someone said, the stint will get less distinctive!!;

3. will diplomats guard their words even more jealously after these leaks? You bet!! While what had been said and disclosed cannot be erased or taken back, what had NOT been said still can be safeguarded! Maybe it will be doubly interesting to decipher what does a diplomat means when he or she said: It is better than the best. Does he or she mean: Bad? since all we get will be nicety ONLY!!

LOL!! May the game of deception continued... For the good of the politicians?