09 November 2019
Good morning from Thailand. It is raining a lot and I have decided to cancel my outdoors walk this morning. It is the monsoon season here, and it rains in many short bursts.
The human rights conference is progressing well and the networking is slightly different this year. This year, we have seen an increase in younger ASEAN MPs participating, and they bring a different buzz to the conference.
It is a sight to have the younger generation MPs (below 35) having tea breaks, lunches and dinners with older political doyens (above 60). Being 50, going 51 next month, I suppose I fall into the middle to older category, somewhat bridging the two groups.
Overall, I am somewhat amused by how the next generation MPs measure their political contributions by clicks. There is a substance deficit, an addiction to form, a disdain of experience and a fixation to please the public. I understand why the next generation, who feels deeply let down (inequality, climate change), half listens to the doyens. Doyens in turn, are alarmed by the frenetic search for populism with the fickleness of policy positions.
Anyhow, the conference is expected to end this late evening. I will catch a flight back to KL tomorrow morning and be in Parliament around lunch noon.
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