Biggest show is still a no-show

In what seems like a cross between Waiting for Godot and the Second Coming, this year's Apec summit is fast becoming the Barack Obama Show.

Obamamania is starting to grip Singapore, with one restaurant putting an "Obama burger" on its menu and the Straits Times newspaper running a stack of stories with Obama-related headlines.

Obama's show is the only show in town even though he has yet to arrive.

No matter that the United States President will be on the ground in Singapore for less than 24 hours when he lands tomorrow night. No matter that he has thrown months of careful planning by the hosts into chaos. No matter that he left the 20 other Asia-Pacific leaders unsure whom they were seeing in the round of one-to-one bilateral meetings that traditionally precede the actual leaders' summit.

Until they knew whom Obama was seeing, they could not organise their own meetings, such is the delicate and intricate scheduling of such bilaterals according to Apec's pecking order.

Not only is Obama the Boss, the most powerful man in the world is also a new broom making his first appearance at an annual international gathering which is in need of a spruce-up. Thus the anticipation.

Even the timing of the photo of the Asia-Pacific leaders in some rendition of the national costume of the host country has had to be rescheduled so he does not miss out.

Obama had to curtail his time at Apec to attend a memorial service after last week's shootings at the Texas military base of Fort Hood.

Perversely, it now seems his key meeting will be with leaders from Asean, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, on the fringe of the conference.

He will stress the US wants to be in the calculations should there be any moves towards a European Union-style economic community in the region.

Washington is wary of China increasingly calling the free-trade shots and wants a foot in the door.

However, Asean also includes Myanmar, which is not a member of Apec. Obama is breaking the diplomatic ice by attending a meeting with a representative at which he will call for the junta to end the house arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

He may have other initiatives up his sleeve. But regardless of what he says or does, the main thing for Apec is that he gets here, finally.