The King is dead. Long live the Queen

With his immense wealth, power and influence, the regal Arnold Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller (1913 – 2012) – a gentleman of Christian virtues and old school values, a patriot, royalist and a hard-nosed businessman – was to many Danes the uncrowned King of Denmark.

The Copenhagen Opera House – an ark of Noah’s dimension. The fat lady sang for Mærsk at last.

I don’t understand why people who didn’t even know Mærsk would mourn him. The volume of twitters and outpour of grief over the death of this mysterious ancient mariner whom few had access to and even fewer knew perhaps show the need for some to group hug somewhere and never mind what over.

Get real, he was just a businessman who happened to make a lot of money for himself, a lot of rich people and, of course, the Danes. Yes, he probably kept Denmark afloat and, no doubt about it, he fully deserved the 2.5 billion kroner monster of a monumental ark he built to immortalize himself – the Copenhagen Opera House, which Danish taxpayers must pay millions yearly until eternity to maintain – for his invaluable contribution to the country’s economy but the only people who have a real reason to weep oceans over him are those who will miss him – his family and close friends.

As for the rest of us, any death should be a time of reflection. And this particular death is a reminder that a rich life, whether materially, spiritually or both, is what you make out of it. And most important of all, of all the wealth in the world, life itself is the ultimate wealth – a precious spark given to us only once. Perhaps, Mærsk acquired that twinkle in his eyes in his old age because he knew that all his wealth could not buy him the gem of life.

His foes claim that Mr Mær$k had a darker side – quite like Mr Burn$.

16.04.12. is quite a good day to die – a day after the 100-year anniversary of the Titanic and on the woman he venerated – his Queen’s – birthday.

His friends say Mærsk had earned his star in the sky. His star must be twinkling bright as I heard he treated his Filipino maids well.

You can’t miss Mærsk at any harbour in the world. In fact, he was even better known internationally than the supposedly tourists attracter, the Queen of Denmark herself.

What you vote is what you get

An important day for democracy in Denmark. Photo was taken at 1700, Sept. 15, 2011. There was a crowd as people streamed in from work. Why isn't it a public holiday? It should celebrated like Christmas

Remember when you go out and vote today, the only reason why Denmark didn’t end up like Greece is because we pay humongous income tax. And it’s not a bad thing as the money is distributed back to us in form of high quality social services and infrastructures unlike other countries where they pay very little tax and you can’t even see where the money went – like Greece.

Greece is bankrupt because it borrows to pay for what it should get from taxing its citizens more. For approximately 25% tax more than other countries, we – although not perfect (nothing is) and there is room for improvements – have almost everything!

It is so visible everywhere you go in Denmark. We have a well-functioning country and it is noticed and acknowledged – with a great amount of envy – by the world. Citizens in other countries may pay less tax but none have subsidised daycare centres, subsidised kindergartens, free schools, free universities, free hospitals, exemplary nursing/old folks homes, well-maintained roads, reliable public transport, safe, green and clean environment etc., like ours. Name it, we have it – almost.

We should be very proud to pay our high tax because, with low-tax countries as factual examples, we would get very little in return for our tax if we had paid 25% less. In fact, we have the best deal in the world so don’t let ignorant people convince you that high tax is a bad thing.

Just an afterthought. If the weather had been more Greece-like and if double-standard, right-wing politician Pia Kjærsgaard (Denmark belongs to ethnic Danes only) moved permanently to her property (bought in 2001) on the Greek island of Santorini, Denmark would be Utopia.

Much more to lose

William Buffet the patriot lending a helping hand

Earlier this month, American billionaire and penny pincher William Buffet, probably the richest man in the world (+-US$50 billion), offered to pay more tax which was good news to Obama’s heavily indebted government but pea-brained Republicans out to stop their president at all costs from taxing the very rich even if it meant a bankrupted country – and they call themselves patriots – told Buffet and other mega rich to mind their own business and keep their money to themselves.

Liliane Bettencourt watching her billions dwindle

This week, L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, probably the richest woman in Europe (+-US$23.5 billion) and notorious tax-evader, followed suit by offering “special contribution” to the French government. Both Buffet and Bettencourt appealed to their equals to do the same to save their countries.

So are they patriots? Perhaps but they are also pragmatists. The really wealthy are not stupid. They know it would benefit them in the long run if they helped their governments to stop the worsening financial crisis. Without recovery in sight, they are the ones with the most to lose. When misers are willing to part with their hoard, be VERY afraid.

You can be sure it is because a total world economic collapse is imminent. We can only hope the few (2 percent of the world’s population) who own more than half of the world’s wealth will contribute enough to stop the déroute by staying true to their charitable nature of helping others to help themselves.

F. Scott Fitzgerald once said to Ernest Hemingway “The rich are different from us.” Hemingway dryly replied, “Yes, they have more money.”

Plucked for doing it their way

Birthe the odd bird in the Venstre Conservative right-wing coalition government is kicked out of their nest of controversies and scandals today.

What kind of bird, old turkey buzzard or phoenix? Can appearance deceive?

Birthe did it her way but did she do it the way the media thought she did?

I could almost hear Birthe’s understandable protest when the prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, after reviewing her report late into the evening yesterday, told her to resign: “I just did what the government had expected of me. If you want me out, you’ll have to fire me!”

After plucking Birthe  – who would even put country above dying husband – of her feathers (warm heart, civility, altruism, integrity and human decency), the government she served apparently as loyal as she could as a minister discard her for doing something they would gladly do themselves but were too chicken to.

Now the nagging question is, did god-fearing and law-abiding Birthe  – who wanted to be a priest before becoming a lawyer – unconsciously subvert the principles she held so dearly to expose a hypocritical government?

Only Birthe knows the answer.

Birthe, who is not only ex-integration but also ex-church minister, will now have time to write her autobiography. I hope she will give us a glimpse of the internal struggle and the battle that must have been fought within her as she appeared to me as someone who had carried out a boxing match with herself in the three years she was minister. It would however come as no great surprise if she concluded that she had no regrets at all.

I will definitely buy this colourful eccentric’s book but as for asking for her autograph if she came to my town to promote it will depend on how I read her because nothing is what it appears to be.

"Don't you feel sometimes that the whole world is against you?" (Cartoonist Roald Als - who works for Politiken - is one of the best - if not the best - political illustrators in Denmark)

Why Birthe?

Birthe Rønn Hornbech was once the most decent person in the Danish right-wing corner and was even admired by left-wingers for her moral courage in subverting her own party’s (Venstre) hard lines against immigrants.

Minister post in exchange for this

That was until they shut her up with an offer she couldn’t refuse. Her descent into the dark pit now ends in deep shit. The Danish integration minister would probably be forced to resign because she had sabotaged a United Nations convention which Denmark had agreed to abide by.

Seduced by the dark side - appointed integration and church minister by the former prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Nov. 3, 2007

Out of professed ignorance (really?) of the convention, the law-educated politician – probably the woman with the most brain in the right-wing – had for years unlawfully denied stateless Danish-born Palestinians of their rightful Danish citizenship.

Poor Birthe. Once so respected and now so despised …. if only she had the moral strength to say NO! to power and perks, she would not have to end her days in disgrace but in our awe. Goodbye Birthe, wish you had not gone over to the dark side!

From the mighty corridor of power to the doghouse

Tøger’s last dance

The editor-in-chief of Politiken, Tøger Seidenfaden, died at 53 yesterday. The formidable and passionate debater – a moderate with a leaning to the left – lost his decade-long battle with cancer.

When I was working for the Straits Times years ago in Singapore, we were often reminded at editorial meetings that nobody is indispensable. There is always someone ready to fill your shoes when you are gone. You are not that important. That we can’t say is true of Tøger.

Politiken will find it hard to replace him. His successor will always find him or herself lacking in every way compared to this giant. I just can’t think of anyone who can fill the gaping hole he left behind.

For Tøger IS Politiken – the only check and balance newspaper in Denmark. It is a newspaper that sets the ball rolling hitting both left and right in its insistence that they maintain a high ethical standard.

Tøger will be greatly missed by all – those who cheered him on in his quest to right the wrong and those who couldn’t stand him for knowing them better than they know themselves. The country has lost its voice of conscience, champion of decency and defender of democratic values and human rights.

The swift blow of death had cut short the life of a brilliant man. If he had lived to 100, he would still be a force to be reckoned with in matters of the country.

According to a journalist and author, Stig Andersen, who’s writing a book about the great humanist, Tøger became very aware of his own mortality after he was diagnosed with cancer and had in a depression thought life as meaningless. Yes, life is not only meaningless but absurd.

We accumulate so much knowledge, experience and wisdom only to die. And the Sisyphus cycle of life goes on – we are born to learn and we die as learned, and ditto as all who came before us and will come after us. The material body is recycled but the immaterial mind is wasted.

It does not make much sense that we spent all our lives improving ourselves to end up as nothing. I would like to believe that our minds are recycled too.

Fortunately, there are books immortalizing great personalities.

If Tøger had written an autobiography, I would want him to sign my copy. His signature would be proof to me that there are still people – few they may be – who won’t give up by saying they can’t save the whole world. One country at a time will do. The question is who is going to save the Danes from themselves now?

Tøger was however not without idiosyncrasies. One of them was being an ardent admirer of the Danish royal family despite knowing that it isn’t very democratic to be a royalist. Tøger will never dance with the Queen again and the question to why he’s a royalist will never be answered.

Stun ‘em with silliness – the extremists’ way to stop immigrants

In Denmark you are not allowed to marry someone you love if he or she didn’t have the right education, language skills and background. By putting a right-wing coalition government into power in 2001, Danes have since then seen their democratic rights slowly being eroded away.

With a weak opposition, the totalitarian government – that can be compared to pre-Nazi Germany’s – does as it pleases. It is not held responsible for any wrongdoing and has now come out with a selecting system consisting of points for immigrants according to their education, language skills and background. Like the tattooed Jews in Nazi Germany, it won’t be too long before immigrants will be zip-coded as well.

And how silly can DF, the Danish People’s Party – an extreme right-wing Danish political party that supports the ruling coalition government (the liberal right Venstre and the Conservative), be when its foreign policy spokesman, Peter Skaarup, insists that religious fanatics (he mentioned Pakistanis) should be forced to look at breasts  following a similar foreigners-stay-out campaign held by the Dutch. The problem is that’s exactly what foreigners – without being forced to – come here to do.

A warning to extremists thinking of migrating west - beware the slapping breasts of Pia Kjærsgaard. (Caricature from Politiken)

One of the places I was taken to when I first came to Denmark was to the beaches to see breasts. I was told it is a tourist attraction. In other countries, you’ve to pay to see breasts. Here, it’s free. And frustrated male foreigners living in restrictive and conservative countries (particularly Pakistan) probably chose Holland (legal hash) and Denmark (legal promiscuity) to migrate to because of these countries’ permissiveness.

Now that the Dutch too have voted in a right-wing coalition government, you can expect more silliness from them. Giving what they are capable of doing, it’s not unthinkable that the two countries next immigration deterrent campaign will be a joint “We-f@*k-everything-so-stay-away-you-religious-fanatics!” one. In the name of liberalism, these xenophobic countries abused the meaning of “freedom” and “open-mindedness” with their stunning silliness.

Besides, these two countries are the last places true religious extremists would want to live in. Like Osama bin Laden, these proud warriors would rather live frugally in the cold and bare caves of the high mountains in Afghanistan than to live like religious moderates in relative comfort and be subjected to the humiliation of ridiculous rules and numerous regulations imposed on immigrants by the two godforsaken low countries.

What’s wrong with these right-wingers? Are the synapses in their brains short-circuited? We  laugh at Monty Python’s because we believe sane people are incapable of doing the crazy things that they do but not even Monty Python’s sick imagination can beat the extreme silliness of these “Palinese” people. And one recent and clear illustration – Pia Kjærsgaard (the leader of DF) claimed that gluttonous immigrants are taking “fruit drinks and cakes” from the Danes in the waiting room of clinics. ??? I rest my case.

From treating immigrants inhumanly
to kicking the down and out

The above sums up the deflecting manoeuvre (Hitler’s was to make scapegoats of the Jews) of an impotent  government that is in deep shit with a rising unemployment statistic and its inability to do anything about it except hire bullies – employment agents who behave like Hitler’s Sturmabteilung (stormtroopers or brownshirts) – to harass and threaten the unemployed.

By treating the adult unemployed like irresponsible idlers and making it obligatory that they are available for work  24/7, report to employment agents when called up and take meaningless courses like building towers with spaghetti and creating animal figures with Lego, the government’s strategy is to reduce the unemployment statistic by tyrannizing the unemployed and forcing those with rights to unemployment benefits and welfare aid out of the social security system.

The dream of social equality becomes a nightmare when managed by right-wingers as their road to hell is always paved with good intentions. In 2006 when Hungarian philosopher Ágnes Heller was in Denmark to receive the Sonning Prize, she expressed her fear of tyranny when social welfare is used as a weapon to control its citizens.

That is precisely what happened to Denmark after the right-wing coalition took over. Only a totalitarian government would threaten its citizens, treat them with suspicion and strip them of their dignity and self-respect. It made itself God with control over life and death.

What prompted me write this blog is a very touching article I read in NordJyske (an Aalborg newspaper). It was written by a son who lost his mother to cancer last week. He told of the stress and strain his sick mother had to undergo. Her intimidating employment agent in Rebild Kommune (Rebild Municipality) rang her up twice weekly with threats of cutting off her unemployment benefits.

The poor woman was told to get a job even though she was due for an early retirement at 60. She was looking forward to it so she could be free of her harasser but tragically she died a day before her birthday. On the very week, the municipality’s health chief was voted the best municipality leader in Denmark for 2010 and received a monetary reward. So do I believe in a God? Hell no. If people couldn’t treat others decently just because it’s their job to implement rules objectively, I do hope those inhuman aliens out there will come pay us a visit soon.

For balance, I’ll take on the cowardly and paralysed Danish left-wingers next – a passive and indecisive opposition with tattered principles, no vision and a political agenda to gain power at all costs – even if it meant sacrificing the fundamental social democratic values so endearing to the Danes. To be in government justifies their pragmatic approach and it makes them even more populist than the cynical, arrogant and thuggish ruling coalition.