What is funding Telecom Malaysias current round of rather aggressive investment in the Asian region?
In Ghana, the government nationalized the asset. In South Africa our partner in SBC, at the time (Southern Bell), wanted to sell. Telecom Malaysia decided to sell as well. Once we got out of Ghana and South Africa, there was no real sense in staying in Malawi and Guinea. We started to exit in 2004, and it should complete this year. We have taken the proceeds from those investments and repopulated ourselves in Asia. We used it in Indonesia, Singapore, and Cambodia, where we bought 100%; we bought into Spice; and went to Pakistan. We have moved our concentration from Africa to Asia. What problems did you face in Africa? When you go to Africa, your DNA of that relationship is a government relationship, and the government keeps on changing. So it is very difficult to operate in that environment. The DNA in Asia is a commercial transaction where we can buy and we build, develop and so forth, and then we can decide what to do with the asset. From my perspective, it is always easier to be on
