Old Long Since

 It’s now a matter of hours before 2022 comes to a close and we start on a New Year. Everyone is going to be singing Auld Lang Syne and making all sorts of New Year resolutions that will probably not be kept:

 

 Auld Lang Syne – Copyright Classic FM

After the singing and partying to welcome the new year, many people around the world are going to be worrying about the issues that came up in 2022 and are likely to carry on into 2023. Things like the rising cost of living and inflation are going to be issues that all of us need to deal with in addition to the fact that Covid has not gone.

Since I work in the insolvency business, these pains that everyone else is facing, look like positive signs. Business should boom for us in the “scavenger” section of the global economy as government support for the global economy during the pandemic period dries up. In a way, this is what you call a necessary cleansing where you find out which companies were actually run properly and which ones were engaging in “interesting” practices to keep afloat.

So, how would someone like me look at 2023 based on what happened in 2022? For me, the most hopeful signs for anything were from the world of sport, specifically the retirement of Roger Federer and the death of Pele. Both Mr. Federer and Pele were living examples of what greatness should be about. They were great artist in their fields and at the same time decent people who earned the admiration of competitors. They were honoured as people who made other people better.

Why is this significant? The thing is, the years before 2022 were about “anger,” and people wanting to stick the proverbial middle finger at the world. We had leaders like Trump in the USA and Bolsonaro in Brazil who thrived on the politics of divisiveness. It was “cool” to blame someone else for your problems and wanting to put other people in their place had been a growing fashion. I think of people in Asia who actually liked Trump for being “tough on those black people” for rioting but being perfectly happy with the January 6 sacking of Capital Hill as the people wanting to stand up for their country.

Well, while there’s plenty to be angry about, the politics of divisiveness have been not very good at solving problems and people do want to approach the future with some sense of optimism. Sure, there are signs of despair in the world. The Russians don’t seem likely to leave the Ukraine anytime soon. A right-wing government bent on stealing land has come to power in Israel.

However, there are signs of optimism. In America, the “red wave” turned out to be a “red puddle” and many of the more extreme Maga candidates were rejected at the polls. The most optimistic sign was perhaps in Malaysia, where long time opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim finally became Malaysia’s Prime Minister. Whilst these are early days, Mr. Anwar has made man of the right noises about leading with honesty and integrity.

As a Singaporean, I am actually praying for Malaysia to enter a good phase under Anwar. Call me naïve if you like but I’ve always believed that you can only achieve peace and stability when your neighbours achieve the same. A prosperous Malaysia governed by decency can only be good for Singapore. I grew up in the 1990s in Europe, where nobody was able to imagine a war breaking out in Western Europe and Western Europe had the highest standard of living in the world. However, a generation ago, nobody could conceive of peace in Western Europe. Sure, Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has shocked many Europeans out of the complacency that comfort and success brings. However, getting the French and Germans to work together for greater prosperity has ensured that any future world war will not start in the heart of Europe.

So, if the Europeans can work together, why can’t we in Asia do the same. If Singapore can play a pivotal role in making Malaysia succeed, we will too will succeed.

On an individual level, I look forward to looking for new horizons. I was fortunate enough to rekindle trying to build new connections that were placed on hold because of the pandemic. There are possibilities to play a small and insignificant role in making life for those who touch my life, a little better, which I believe can only be good for me.