No country does personality cults better than North Korea



BEIJING // In shining bronze, one hand on his hip as he gazes into the future, Kim Jong-il is North Korea's benevolent visionary in a vast new statue unveiled in Pyonyang a few days ago. Indeed North Korea's "Dear Leader", who died in December, has been immortalised in many ways as the communist nation gears up to celebrate today's 100th anniversary of the birth of his father, Kim Il-sung , founder of the country.
A rocket, launched on Friday, carrying a satellite, blew up within minutes in what even the north has admitted a failure.
But Kim Jon-il was also declared "eternal general-seceretary" Workers Party of Korea and "eternal chairman" of the national defence commission.
The titles pale alongside Kim Jong-il's officially recorded achievements in life: turning winter to spring when he was born in a log cabin on Korea's legendary Mount Paektu in 1942 (he was actually born in Siberia), scoring 11 holes-in-one during his first round of golf and as fashionistas will attest, becoming a global style icon.
When it comes to personality cults, no country does it better.
To North Koreans, Kim Jong-il is fast catching up with his father when it comes to demigod status.
The country's founder and "Great Leader", Kim Il-sung is the "eternal president" who has lived on since his death in 1994 through hundreds of statues across the country.
To much of the world, he was, like his son after him, a dangerous tyrant. Yet such is the adulation the country demands, when each died members of the public tried to outdo one another in their shows of grief.
Today, a scheduled centennial parade of military hardware and thousands of soldiers is likely to be one of the region's largest such demonstrations since China's October 2009 extravaganza to mark 60 years since the communist takeover.
It is an appropriate link given that the world's most populous nation too is no stranger to personality cults.
Even the fevered worship of the Kims struggles to match the fanaticism of Mao Zedong's Red Guards when they massed in Tiananmen Square during the Cultural Revolution brandishing their leader's "little red book".
Since then, China, while still putting on demonstrations showcasing national strength, has worked hard to prevent Mao-style hero worship. In its current president, Hu Jintao, it has one of the world's most determinedly low-key leaders.
One of the few senior officials of recent times in China to build up a significant public following.Tthe former party leader in Chongqing Bo Xilai, was recently purged and is under investigation for "serious disciplinary violations", His wife has been arrested, suspected of involvement in a British businessman's death.
In Pyongyang, with its tradition of mass rallies, there are of course no qualms about hero worship. Today's celebrations will be presided over by Kim Jong-il's youngest son, Kim Jong-un, who took over on the death of his father. In the past few days he has consolidated his leadership by taking on new party and military positions.
Yesterday, North Korea announced schoolchildren and university students would receive new uniforms as part of today's "Day of Sun" celebrations, all thanks to the "warm love" of the late Kim Jong-il.
According to Park Jin-keol, international coordinator for the NK Network, a South Korean-based organisation opposed to the regime in Pyongyang, "there's no other way" than for the Kim family to encourage adulation.
"Any dictatorship has to have a case for dynastic rule and the military regime's suppression of the population. This is the only thing available to them," he said.
North Korea relies on significant food aid from others, and nearly a million people are believed to have died in famines in the 1990s. But the Kims, stubbornly resistant to economic reforms and surrounded by a loyal cadre of senior civilian and military officials, present themselves as saviours even in the face of evidence to the contrary.
"I think Kim Jong-un will rely on the military to build-up his image. As a military leader, they can [promote the view that] they can protect their country against South Korea and US threats," added Mr Park.
While a rocket launch on Friday, supposedly to launch a but widely viewed as a ballistic missile test, quickly failed, today's parade will bolster the new leader's military credentials. Many expect him to go soon ahead with an underground nuclear test, partly to make up for the rocket failure.
Much of the outside world may be unimpressed, with the rocket launch prompting the United States to cancel plans to provide food aid. Within North Korea however, food shortages or not, the personality cult lives on.
dbardsley@thenational.ae

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Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.

It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.

It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.

It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.

Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.

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The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index

The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index

Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.

The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.

“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.

“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”

Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.

Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.

“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.

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Sector: Water technology 
 
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