Give a special prize for spade-calling to Singapore's S. Jayakumar. The Singaporeans can afford to be candid. We may question whether it is justified. But they are political facts.
Perceptions can define political reality.
While some ministers in Bangkok are determined to prove the naysayers wrong, meeting chairman Surin Pitsuwan must surely merit special mention. He rocked the boat and now, as the outgoing skipper, wants to stabilize it. We opened up. We were candid. We were extremely honest towards each other.