I'll have to look up the details of that case. I can't comment on the specifics, but one of the points that I learned during my time in Asia—not just in Singapore but in the region—is that a lot gets done through informal channels, whether in terms of politics or of discussions with colleagues. There's a lot that can be said and done behind closed doors through unofficial ways, rather than writing to the newspapers, by having private discussions or having private, influential conversations.
In those contexts, there is a lot that can be done by Canadian academic—