Daily News on the Southeast Asian Region
10 April 2015 (pm) - 13 April 2015 (am) |
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Malaysia
| 1. |
GREATEST SHAME: Where is your sense of honour: I am shocked at the justification by the PAS President Datuk Seri Hadi Awang for violating the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Leadership Council decision on Feb. 8, 2015 that any amendment to the 1995 Kelantan Syariah Criminal Enactment and any private member's bill in Parliament on hudud implementation should first be presented at the PR Leadership Council. Both these consensus decisions of the PR Leadership Council meeting of Feb. 8, which was attended by Hadi personally, were violated as the 2015 Kelantan Syariah Criminal Enactment and Hadi's private member's bill motion in Parliament were never presented first to the PR Leadership Council. Lim Kit Siang
Malaysia Chronicle, 13 April 2015
http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=493061:greatest-shame-where-is-your-sense-of-honour-kit-siang-asks-hadi&Itemid=2 - axzz3X9XOFGKr
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| 2. |
Dr Mahathir goes for broke: Many Malaysians gave Dr Mahathir the benefit of the doubt when he declared war on Mr Abdullah. They were appreciative of how he brought Malaysia into the modern era and they wanted to believe he was doing the right thing.But there has been some kind of political fatigue and cynicism surrounding his attempt to pull off the same thing again.People are asking: Haven't we seen this before? How many times is it going to happen? Will he ever accept anyone but himself as prime minister? The general concern is that if Dr Mahathir gets his way and installs someone else whom he approves of, history will be repeated if the new man does not meet his expectations. The thinking out there is that if a prime minister has to make way, it is for the people to decide. Joceline Tan
Straits Times, 13 April 2015
http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/opinion/story/dr-mahathir-goes-broke-20150413
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| 3. |
PAC: Take us seriously or we might as well close shop: "We want details... not general figures. Our job at PAC is to uncover wastage, mismanagement and corruption. If we cannot answer to the people on what action has been taken, then there's no point in having the PAC," Nur Jazlan said.The Pulai MP said transparency in naming and shaming public officials would discourage civil servants from abusing taxpayers' money.He took issue with the ministry, which was recently placed under the spotlight for failing to abide by the Treasury Orders."The ministry has not given a proper explanation as to why it failed to abide by the Treasury Orders. I know ministries tend to take time in answering such questions but if they take too long, then PAC will have to haul up the ministry," he said. The Malay Mail, 13 April 2015
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/pac-take-us-seriously-or-we-might-as-well-close-shop
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| 4. |
Revised Sedition Act will kill hudud debate, observers say: The amendments to the Sedition Act 1948 that now limits criticism of religious issues will shut down public discourse on the hudud law, say analysts and politicians.Wan Saiful Wan Jan, who heads libertarian think-tank Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), said people will engage in self-censorship when discussing the controversial Islamic penal code that PAS wants implemented in Kelantan, even if they have no intention of creating ill-will."And as a result, you get a law that is not debated despite many people wanting to debate it," Wan Saiful told Malay Mail Online."That is exactly the weakness of any step to curtail freedom of expression. It forces people to accept something without talking about it," the political analyst added. The Malay Mail, 13 April 2015
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/revised-sedition-act-will-kill-hudud-debate-observers-say
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| 5. |
Dr M lashes out at Najib for 'kowtowing to S'pore': In four interviews uploaded on a blog just days after Mr Najib's televised interview responding to Dr Mahathir's criticisms, the former Prime Minister hit back and criticised Mr Najib's posture on the high-speed rail link between Malaysia and Singapore, as well as the government's 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) policy, reiterating his stand that Mr Najib was going to cause the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) to lose in the next elections. In a clip, Dr Mahathir said he was disappointed that Mr Najib had broken his promise to construct the "crooked bridge", despite previously telling the media that Malaysia would build the bridge, with or without Singapore's agreement. "He was my hope after (Abdullah) resigned. He said he would build the bridge when he became the prime minister, even if Singapore opposes to it. But he didn't do (it)," he said. "It's not like I would get a contract for the bridge. But my attitude is, I don't want to 'kowtow' to Singapore." Regarding the planned Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail link project, Dr Mahathir also criticised Mr Najib for asking for Singapore's agreement. "Are we independent or are we colonials of Singapore? I'm a little proud lah; I have my national pride. I don't want to bow down to anyone," he said. Today, 13 April 2015
http://www.todayonline.com/world/asia/dr-m-lashes-out-najib-kowtowing-spore
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| 6. |
Dr M: BR1M being spent on ungrateful people: In an interview with blogger Din Turtle, the former prime minister questioned the need to give RM500 to those who earn RM4,000 monthly, claiming that 17,000 Chinese people in Ipoh had rejected the cash handout."I disagree on BR1M because I don't like feeding people with free money," Dr Mahathir said in the interview uploaded on the Din Turtle blog yesterday."I have a picture of a family in Langkawi living in terrible conditions in a hut that doesn't even have a roof...Those people you can give, but you spend seven billion ringgit giving to people who are not even grateful," he added. The Malay Mail, 12 April 2015
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/dr-m-br1m-being-spent-on-ungrateful-people
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| 7. |
Kit Siang tells Hadi to be 'honest', 'honourable' about PAS-Umno partnership: PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang should at least inform Pakatan Rakyat (PR) of his party's interest in working with rival Umno, instead of constantly blaming its disagreements with allies DAP and PKR for the pact's troubles, Lim Kit Siang said today.The veteran politician acknowledged that it is Hadi's prerogative to decide whether PAS should work with Umno, even though it was the late Tok Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat who said the ruling party's leaders can "never be trusted". The Malay Mail, 12 April 2015
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/kit-siang-tells-hadi-to-be-honest-honourable-about-pas-umno-partnership
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| 8. |
Post-GST recession imminent, DAP MP tells 'clumsy propagandist' Ahmad Maslan: Malaysia is heading for an economic recession, a federal DAP lawmaker warned today, blaming the bleak prediction on Putrajaya's rush to impose a new, broad-based tax system on both the country's rich and poor and the alleged lack of sensible leaders in government.Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong singled out Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan as one example, labelling the Umno leader a "clumsy propagandist" who is out of touch with reality. The Malay Mail, 12 April 2015
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/post-gst-recession-imminent-dap-mp-tells-clumsy-propagandist-ahmad-maslan
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| 10. |
Quit if you don't support Najib, Kedah lawmaker tells Mukhriz: "The Menteri Besar's post is appointed by the prime minister with the support of Barisan Nasional assemblymen. If he no longer supports the prime minister, it is best to resign," Ahmad Lebai was quoted as saying in a report on SuaraTV. Ahmad Lebai was interviewed by the news portal after a meeting between state Umno leaders, MPs and state assemblymen called by Mukhriz's officer this morning. Ahmad Lebai claimed that the meeting was supposedly to state their support to the prime minister and party president. The Malaysian Insider, 12 April 2015
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/quit-if-you-dont-support-najib-kedah-lawmaker-tells-mukhriz
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| 11. |
Umno today is about money, Dr M fires back at critics: Although Dr Mahathir has claimed that Najib would bring Umno down, some in Umno have countered that it was his constant attacks against the prime minister that was weakening Umno. "Umno is already split. The Umno that I led was quite powerful. If you looked at the assembly (then) the spirit was there. The Umno now is about money," Dr Mahathir said in response to a question that his calls for Najib to resign were splitting Umno between pro-Najib and pro-Mahathir camps. The Malaysian Insider, 12 April 2015
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/umno-today-is-about-money-dr-m-fires-back-at-critics
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| 12. |
Choosing Malaysia: I think we have all heard such statements as this before: "If you don't like the way things are run here, leave!" Personally, this statement has been hauled at me from many parties, every time I question or try to ask for empathy, or demand professionalism and service. It seems that instead of commenting and offering constructive criticism to improve, I was told that Malaysia is "like that lah" and for me to accept the way things are instead.Why I think this is an oxymoronic statement is simply because all of us are born in Malaysia and are Malaysian citizens. Thus when we voice our dissatisfaction and frustrations with fellow Malaysian drivers, rising cost of living, unethical public service, corruption, and the like - it really comes from our nationalistic spirit as Malaysians.Further, telling us to go elsewhere is meaningless, where would we go? Malaysia is our country. The Star, 12 April 2015
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/04/12/Choosing-Malaysia-Instead-of-turning-our-backs-on-Malaysia-lets-work-towards-rebuilding-the-foundati/
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| 13. |
Dr Mahathir: Najib was my hope, but he broke his promise: In a five-part interview uploaded on a blog, Din Turtle, two days after Najib's television interview, Dr Mahathir responded that the Prime Minister had supported the project when he took over office from Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. "He was my hope after Pak Lah (Abdullah) resigned. He said he would build the bridge when he became the prime minister even if Singapore opposes to it. But he didn't do," claimed the former premier. Dr Mahathir said he was unhappy when Najib broke his promise and appeared to "kowtow" to Singapore for not proceeding with the project. "If Singapore does not agree to this, it is not my fault. It is our sovereign right, it is in our own territorial area, territorial waters. Half of that Causeway belongs to us. I'm not touching Singapore's side. "He (Najib) said he made an agreement with Singapore, where is our independence? Are we part of Singapore?" questioned Dr Mahathir. [news contains 3-minute video clip]
The Star, 12 April 2015
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/04/12/Mahathir-Najib/
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| 14. |
Walk a mile in our shoes: Middle class Malaysians are the worst off. They are truly squeezed in the middle. They can't qualify for BR1M and they are too poor to live the life of the rich and famous of Bangsar.Our leaders can rattle off statistics to convince us how well the Malaysian economy is doing but we are sorry to tell them that the trickle-down effects are not being felt at all. Most of us are not reporting roaring businesses. Try talking to those in the retail business especially.So the last thing we are interested in are squabbling politicians. Wong Chun Wai
The Star, 12 April 2015
http://www.thestar.com.my/Opinion/Columnists/On-The-Beat/Profile/Articles/2015/04/12/Walk-a-mile-in-our-shoes/
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| 15. |
Blame the MPs for causing all our problems: Why must the MPs be bulldozed into passing Bills at short notice and in the wee hours of the morning? Why can't the MPs, both from BN and PR, assert their authority to debate and consider the bills presented at their own time?If a piece of legislation is poorly defined, confers arbitary power, and violates our basic rights, may I know whose fault is it, if not MPs? Is it the parliament that controls the executive branch or is it the executive branch that controls the Parliament?Party line and party whip aside, do MPs have the conscience to know what is right and what is wrong; what is tenable and what is not; what is for the wellbeing of citizens and what is for politicking?MPs are not robots. They must present their arguments with reasons and facts when debating Bills, not blindly support, in the name of toeing the party line, whatever is put on the table by the executive branch. T K Chua
Free Malaysia Today, 11 April 2015
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/comment/2015/04/11/blame-the-mps-for-causing-all-our-problems/
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| 16. |
Mahathir speaks for us, Najib: The nation as a whole must give Prime Minister Najib Razak some credit for discarding his usual silent demeanour to answer some pressing questions raised by his predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad, and on national TV nonetheless. It's an almost uncharacteristic move as Najib has tended to keep his opinion to himself even as various parties appeal to him to deign them with a reply.It truly speaks volumes about how serious the situation truly is for Najib to discuss the matter on national TV, much less attempt to clarify his side of the story. However, as laudable as bravery out of necessity is, Najib failed to recognise one key point about Mahathir's criticism- and that is the fact that he currently speaks for millions of Malaysians who have been asking these questions of the Prime Minister for years. Shahril Ahmad
Free Malaysia Today, 11 April 2015
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2015/04/11/mahathir-speaks-for-us-najib/
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| 17. |
Govt spent over RM1bil for flood recovery programmes: DPM: He said the amount was channeled through several ministries and agencies such as Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usaha Niaga (Tekun), Bank Negara and Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry. "This is a continuous effort taken by the federal government to ensure all the flood victims get proper assistance. The government wants to ensure their welfare are being well-taken care. The funds are also to assist small and medium entrepreneurs, and farmers to revive their source of economy which were affected by the disaster," he said in his speech before presenting a mock cheque amounting RM27.2 million to representatives from various sectors at SMK Tanah Merah 1 here today. New Straits Times, 11 April 2015
http://www.nst.com.my/node/80217
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| 18. |
PM launches UiTM RM1b Education Fund: Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) campuses will soon be declared as autonomous campuses, with greater authority and power given to each campus' respective rectors, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced today. Najib said the decision had been made to improve the institution's ability to manage itself, given that the number of students had grown to 177,051 as of October last year. The number of students, he said, was set to grow even further to 224,000 by 2020. New Straits Times, 11 April 2015
http://www.nst.com.my/node/80226
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| 19. |
Repression in Malaysia: Disconnect: A thuggish government is playing racial politics. Najib Razak should be dressed down MALAYSIA'S prime minister, Najib Razak, paints his country as a model of moderate Islam-a multicultural democracy and a beacon of tolerance. He has spoken of scrapping oppressive British-era laws and nurturing a creative economy. Meanwhile, his spin-doctors explain that their liberal master is the man to vanquish the reactionary forces in his political party, UMNO, which has never been out of power and which is prone to cronyism and political thuggery. Barack Obama, for one, buys this story. He is the first American president since 1966 to have visited Malaysia. And late last year in Hawaii he enjoyed a round on the golf links with Mr Najib. The two men are said to click. The White House gushes about a "growing and warming relationship" between America and Malaysia. The Economist, 11 April 2015
http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21647972-thuggish-government-playing-racial-politics-najib-razak-should-be-dressed-down-disconnect
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| 20. |
Najib: Malaysia on track to achieve balanced budget: Malaysia is on track to achieve a balanced budget and become an advance economy by 2020, said the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.Asserting that Malaysia is a great story to tell, the Najib said on Saturday that despite mounting challenges, the country's economic fundamentals remain strong."We do have our challenges but if look at the fundamentals and macro pictures...a 47.7% growth in gross national income (GNI) from 2009 until 2014, a market capitalisation of Bursa Malaysia which rose 140 per cent during the same period, and a gross domestic product (GDP) that grew six per cent last year," he said when launching Bloomberg TV Malaysia at Kota Damansara here. The Star, 11 April 2015
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/04/11/Najib-Malaysia-on-Track/
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| 21. |
Zahid: Sedition Act amendments necessary, especially against threats on social media: Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi stressed that there were four main reasons as to why the amendments were made, listing social media threats as among the grounds."The offences used to only be done through mainstream channels like print and electronic media or ceramah but nowadays, all that can be done on social media," he said at a press conference at Johor police headquarters here on Saturday."Yes there are other laws in the Penal Code that can handle all that but not much can be done if the offences were committed on social media and that is what the Sedition Act is for," Dr Ahmad Zahid said. The Star, 11 April 2015
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/04/11/Zahid-Sedition-Act-amendments/
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| 22. |
Tame TV, Malaysian-Style, Goes Easy on Najib: The interview, aired on July 9 but taped rather than live apparently to avoid any embarrassments, can only be regarded as a disappointment, not only with Najib's answers but with Hamdan's questions, which were a series of softballs lobbed to the prime minister to give him a platform to make a case for his non-involvement. To questions raised by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad over Najib's possible involvement, Hamdan asked this: "...We all concur that the court had decided in this case ... it is past. But a criticism has surfaced from Tun Mahathir who asked who had ordered the police officers involved to kill Altantuya. It is weird because the case is over. Were you involved in this?" Asia Sentinel, 10 April 2015
http://www.asiasentinel.com/politics/tame-tv-malaysia-style-goes-easy-najib/
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| 23. |
Najib-Mahathir feud in the international eye: In short, Mahathir is not going to let go and although nearing 90, his political acumen and clout cannot be ruled out. Najib must concede, and the sooner, the better for him. There are no threats at this stage. But he did stress, albeit late in the day, that he wants no dynastic politics. Najib's father, Abdul Razak, was Malaysia's second Prime Minister after a virtual coup d'état against Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman in the wake of the searing race riots of 13 May 1969.Mahathir has also explained simply that Najib has allowed too many scandals, financial and otherwise, to bog down his administration. The wily old man's reading is that unless Najib makes way, and soon, the Opposition will seize the reins of power in Putrajaya by default. Joe Fernandez
Free Malaysia Today, 10 April 2015
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2015/04/10/najib-mahathir-feud-in-the-international-eye/
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| 24. |
What's happened to the Syiah threat? The 60-or-so Malaysians who have ended up in Syria might not have taken up the Sunni cause if the government and the religious elite had not carried out the witch hunt and thereby encouraged the paranoid conspiracy theories about Malaysian Syiah Muslims being in cahoots with Bashar Assad. It is reasonable to assume that this ridiculous allegation contributed to the zeal that has pushed some Malaysians to Syria.What was once headline news has now been reduced to postings on fringe conspiracy blogs and Facebook pages. Imams and preachers who used to scream out warnings against the so-called Syiah threat are now avoiding the issue in their sermons. T Vole
Free Malaysia Today, 10 April 2015
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2015/04/10/whats-happened-to-the-syiah-threat/
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| 25. |
Who's to guarantee that POTA won't be abused? Today, the new colonial power, Umno-Baru, will use POTA to protect its economic interests. It can only do that by maintaining political supremacy. POTA is the only way it can silence its critics.There is one significant difference between the British use of the ISA and Umno-Baru's likely use of POTA as a revised ISA. Britain needed money to pay off debts incurred in defeating the Axis powers, whereas Umno-Baru will use POTA to maintain the political power which it has usurped from the rakyat and the opposition parties. Mariam Mokhtar
Free Malaysia Today, 10 April 2015
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2015/04/10/whos-to-guarantee-that-pota-wont-be-abused/
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| 26. |
Mahathir versus Najib: The charges and the retort: "What we in the party feel is that the success of Umno and the BN depends on our strength. Our strength will only translate into success if we are united in the party. If we are united and do not fight one another, there is no element of sabotage and so on, I am confident that we will win in the coming GE14."He also says the support within the ruling party "has been very good"."So I see that the party is with me, behind me to continue to lead the party and the country. But, as I said, I can accept criticisms. But, ultimately, I am not responsible to any individual, I am responsible to Malaysians and the party. Straits Times, 10 April 2015
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/mahathir-versus-najib-the-charges-and-the-retort-20150410
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| 27. |
When a university invades a student's privacy... to save her soul: While I commend the university's pursuit in spreading Islamic knowledge, I do not think it is right for them to restrict their students to learning only about Islam. Keep that in your campus. However a student chooses to gain his/her knowledge outside of campus is not for you to dictate.The excuse the university gave for prying into her personal life was that they are "mothers" to her on campus, thus they will be answerable for her sins when The End comes. They feel responsible for how she practises her faith. Shafiqah Othman Hamzah
The Malay Mail, 10 April 2015
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/opinion/shafiqah-othman-hamzah/article/when-a-university-invades-a-students-privacy...-to-save-her-soul
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| 28. |
百格大家講: 我們真的比不上新加坡？新加坡真的比我們好？大馬是否有我們值得驕傲的地方？新加坡建國總理李光耀逝世之後，網絡上可看到不少民眾表達哀悼、敬意、批判，亦有人提及其成就，引發網民對馬新兩國的政治、經濟情況進行對比。究竟是甚麼原因令到我們羨慕或妒忌新加坡呢？人在新山，擁有35年媒體經驗的資深媒體人林明華說："他們在李光耀身上看到一種希望所在，似乎有一種恨鐵不成鋼的感覺，自然投射在李光耀身上。覺得為何新加坡可以做得這麼好，反之我國卻陷入經濟危機。" 潘永強說，新加坡的成就發展其實付出很多代價，包括言論自由、民主、人權、社會開放等。 "一個政府不能只是照顧人民溫飽，就以為可以滿足他們的需要。當一個社會比較穩定進步，受教育程度提高後，人民會有其他需求，包括對言論自由、公民參與、文化發展、自我實現，甚至是人民的創造能力，這些都需要逐步滿足。" [news contains 8-minute video clip]
星洲日報, 4 April 2015
http://opinions.sinchew.com.my/node/36067
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Indonesia
| 29. |
Jokowi belongs to public, not PDI-P: Philips J. Vermonte, a political analyst at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said that Megawati's demand that Jokowi obey party orders because he was "a party official" was out of step with the country's political system. In a country that follows a presidential system, he said, an elected president served all the citizens, regardless of his political affiliation. Philips said that a leader struggling for the party's interests only occurred in a parliamentarian political system. "The logic behind [the notion that the president is a party official] is something that former president Sukarno [also Megawati's father] opposed for a long time. Our political system is presidential, therefore the supreme authority is in the hands of a president," he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday. Jakarta Post, 13 April 2015
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/04/13/jokowi-belongs-public-not-pdi-p.html
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| 31. |
Megawati's children have five years to prove political mettle: While the appointments of Ms Puan and Mr Prananda to the party hierarchy were met with mostly enthusiastic support from PDI-P cadres, there were some who felt that continuing Mr Sukarno's ideals can still be done without the need for his clan.As Ms Megawati is party chairman, the political path for the two half-siblings within the party is sealed, according to analysts.Only their performance will set them apart and determine who has the potential to be groomed for the country's top job."Puan has the ambition but is not strong on ideology. Prananda has the ideological drive that PDI-P cadres cling to but not the drive for bigger posts, so these five years will tell how they stack up," said Dr Muradi, chairman of the Politics and Security Studies Centre in Bandung's Padjadjaran University. Straits Times, 13 April 2015
http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/asia/story/megawatis-children-have-five-years-prove-political-mettle-20150413
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| 32. |
Strained party relations may hinder Jokowi: Dr Ali Nurdin, political analyst at the Mathla'ul Anwar University in Banten, Java, said Mr Joko needs to improve political communications with the PDI-P to avoid misunderstanding, while the party has to understand that since he was elected President, he has no longer been a servant of the PDI-P.Professor Maswadi Rauf, who teaches political science at the University of Indonesia, said quitting the PDI-P is a bad idea."All political parties are working partners of the President. Mr Joko must try to make all political parties support his programme," he said.Mr Joko's predecessor, Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is chairman of the Democratic Party, said he has called on all party cadres elected as governor, regent or mayor to follow the policy line of the President."If Mr Joko does not succeed, we will all get into trouble," Dr Yudhoyono told The Straits Times yesterday. Straits Times, 13 April 2015
http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/asia/story/strained-party-relations-may-hinder-jokowi-20150413
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| 33. |
In Golkar Rift, a PDI-P Bid to Control Joko: Dominating the House will give the ruling coalition countervailing powers against a runaway president: A faction of Indonesia's oldest political party affiliated with the opposition claims the rift tearing it apart is being engineered by the pro-government coalition to tighten its control over an increasingly independent president. Bambang Soesatyo, a Golkar Party legislator and outspoken supporter of the faction chaired by tycoon Aburizal Bakrie, said on Sunday that it was clear that the Awesome Indonesia Coalition (KIH), led by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), was growing increasingly frustrated with President Joko Widodo's growing refusal to toe its line, and was thus seeking to pry Golkar from the opposition to countervail Joko's executive powers with its own control of the House of Representatives. The Jakarta Globe, 13 April 2015
http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/golkar-rift-pdi-p-bid-control-joko/
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| 34. |
FOURTH PDIP CONGRESS 2015: RECONCILING THE PRESIDENT AND HIS PARTY - ANALYSIS: It is, however, not unthinkable for the rift between Jokowi and PDIP to widen. While he may benefit from attaching himself to PDIP, Jokowi must also prepare himself should he fail to firm up his tenuous affinity with the party. A prolonged disagreement may produce political consequences, such as clogged policy-making and the president's weakened political influence. Furthermore, a continued rift between Jokowi and PDIP could end up in a cabinet reshuffle, particularly if the political configuration changed dramatically. If PDIP and Jokowi manage to improve their relations, it is probable for Jokowi to accommodate his party's interests, such as adding more PDIP cadres into the cabinet. On the other hand, a shaky relationship between PDIP and Jokowi may force him to find another power grouping that he could accommodate with cabinet positions or other concessions. Adhi Priamarizki is an Associate Research Fellow with the Indonesia Programme, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Eurasia Review, 12 April 2015
http://www.eurasiareview.com/12042015-fourth-pdip-congress-2015-reconciling-the-president-and-his-party-analysis/
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| 35. |
350 Years of Colonialism the Reason for 'Indonesian Laziness', Says PDI-P Chair Megawati Soekarnoputri: Being upset by the perceived image that Indonesia is a lazy nation, Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle (PDI-P) Chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri had on Saturday (11/4) gave the reason why Indonesian people had received such stigma. The utmost reason is the 350 years of colonialism in Indonesia, said Megawati, the eldest daughter of the country's independence proclamator, Soekarno. She was delivering a speech to close the three-day PDI-P congress in Sanur, Bali, in which she was reelected for another five-year term as the party's leader. Megawati said that during the colonial era, Indonesian mothers lived under constant psychological pressures. As such, their children became 'fearful generations', and fear caused laziness, she noted. Leo Jegho
Global Indonesian Voices, 12 April 2015
http://www.globalindonesianvoices.com/20163/350-years-of-colonialism-the-reason-for-indonesian-laziness-says-pdi-p-chair-megawati-soekarnoputri/
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| 36. |
PPP's Romahurmuzziy camp seeks reconciliation with rivals: The Romahurmuzziy camp elected in the United Development Party's (PPP) Surabaya congress has said it is hoping to reconcile with the Djan Faridz-led camp elected in the Jakarta congress, ahead of this year's simultaneous local elections. "We are seeking to reconcile with those that participated in the Jakarta congress ahead of the elections," Romahurmuzziy camp secretary-general Qoyyum Abdul Jabbar said here on Sunday. He, however, said that although his camp was seeking reconciliation, it would depend on the Djan Faridz camp. Jakarta Post, 12 April 2015
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/04/12/ppp-s-romahurmuzziy-camp-seeks-reconciliation-with-rivals.html
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| 37. |
View point: 'Aklamasi' politics: Back to New Order era: The word aklamasi may have been corrupted from the English word, "acclamation", which the online Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as "a vote to accept or approve someone or something that is done by cheers, shouts, or applause". But in the Indonesian context, the dictionary's definition sounds euphemistic. In order for any political party chief to be elected by way of aklamasi, they have to exert formidable political and financial resources for backroom lobbying ahead of a national party congress. The politics of aklamasi proves that oligarchies give rise to political corruption, cronyism and dynasties. Public trust is wearing thin as political parties are failing to prepare future national leaders and to promote democracy. Jakarta Post, 12 April 2015
http://www.thejakartapost.com/View point: %E2%80%98Aklamasi%E2%80%99 politics: Back to New Order era
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| 38. |
Editorial: Legal Infrastructure Needs Fixing First: Indonesia has a rare opportunity next week, when more than 700 chief executives of multinational companies will gather in Jakarta for the World Economic Forum, or WEF, from April 19-21. How can we capitalize such a golden opportunity? Can we convince these captains of commerce to invest in Indonesia? The Jakarta Globe, 12 April 2015
http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/opinion/editorial-legal-infrastructure-needs-fixing-first/
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| 39. |
Observers: Megawati's PDI-P Ranks Leave a Lot to Be Desired: Observers have questioned the future quality of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, after its national congress last week saw members deemed qualified sacked from the executive board while those whose credibility has been questioned now hold senior leadership positions. Petrus Selestinus, the coordinator of non-governmental organization the Indonesian Democracy Defenders Team, listed Maruarar Sirait, Pramono Anung, Rieke Diah Pitaloka and Eva Kusuma Sundari as among the PDI-P politicians with good and clean track records who had not been appointed to any position in the party's executive board for the entire 2015-20 period. The Jakarta Globe, 12 April 2015
http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/observers-says-megawatis-pdi-p-ranks-leave-a-lot-to-be-desired/
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| 40. |
Editorial: Impeaching Ahok, for what? Even if the councilors could agree that Ahok violated the law, it is hard to see how this would widely affect public interest, as required by the law for the councilors in exercising the right of inquiry and right of opinion. Therefore, it is better that the councilors find an amicable solution to end their dispute with the governor. Ahok also needs to end his habit of spurting allegations in public, adding to political tension. Without sacrificing his idealism, Ahok sometimes needs to become a "political artist" to deal with his problems with the councilors. It is important because what is at stake in the endless dispute is not only his position as governor - which he said he would step down immediately if councilors could prove his wrongdoings - but also the interests of Jakarta residents. Jakarta Post, 11 April 2015
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/04/11/editorial-impeaching-ahok-what.html
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| 41. |
Analyst: Mega to Establish Political Dynasty by Recruiting Puan: According to Feri, PDI-P chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri should have appointed non-minister official for the party, despite a decision to deactivate Puan as the party's head of political and security division. Feri argued that the decision reflected PDI-P's attempt to establish a political dynasty since the party's regeneration was based on family line instead of performance. Feri called on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to stick on his policy banning his staff from having a double role as ministers and party officials. "If the president did not take a firm action, he would be considered as a low level official of the party who could not do anything against his supporting parties," Feri added. Tempo, 11 April 2015
http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2015/04/11/055656999/Analyst-Mega-to-Establish-Political-Dynasty-by-Recruiting-Puan
|
| 42. |
Jokowi Must Confront a Weakening Rupiah: Today, the ailing Indonesian rupiah is unlikely to find much assistance from the global economy, as the US recovery reduces the investment appeal of emerging markets, and ongoing weaknesses in Japan, China, and Europe damage the market for exports. Consequently, the economic community must look to Widodo and Bank Indonesia (BI), the country's central bank, to stabilize the situation in response to both foreign and domestic factors. Internationally, the dollar continues to strengthen as the United States economy recovers and the U.S. Federal Reserve indicates it may shortly raise interest rates, pulling capital away from emerging markets and weakening regional currencies. However, while the rise of the dollar has had implications for the entire region, the rupiah's fall has been the steepest in Southeast Asia because of domestic considerations. The Jokowi administration's decision to sharply reduce the Indonesian fuel subsidy at the end of 2014 and general dollar/rupiah illiquidity within the domestic foreign exchange market both exacerbated market volatility. Matthew Prusak
The Diplomat, 11 April 2015
http://thediplomat.com/2015/04/jokowi-must-confront-a-weakening-rupiah/
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| 43. |
The State and the Ulama: Comparing Indonesia and Malaysia - Part 2: In the 1980s, the relationship between Suharto and the traditionalists improved after NU accepted Pancasila as its ideology and it ceased to be a political party. This, however, did not alter his preference for modernists over traditionalists. Besides restricting traditionalist influence Suharto also developed neo-modernist thinking among young Muslim activists. He encouraged them to study in Western Universities. These included personalities such as Nurcholis Madjid and Amien Rais, both of whom studied under prominent Muslim thinker Fazlur Rahman, who was a professor based in Chicago. Progressive thinkers such as Dawam Raharjo, Bachtiar Effendy, Azmumardi Azra, and Abdurrahman Wahid not only developed pluralist values in Indonesia, but also spurred democratization of the country during the post-New Order period. Norshahril Saat is a Research Officer at ISEAS, currently completing his PhD degree at Australian National University (ANU).
The Establishment Post, 11 April 2015
http://www.establishmentpost.com/state-ulama-comparing-indonesia-malaysia-part-2/
|
| 44. |
Did Widodo Government Flip Flop On Subsidies? Finance Minister Says No: "Pertamina isn't subsidizing," he said, and as a corporation it would still have to profit over the long term. Over a months-long period, "we can find a way to compensate Pertamina, [without reintroducing a] subsidy into our system," he said. He declined to provide details of that compensation, but said Pertamina's bill might not last long, predicting declining global fuel prices with Iran's announcement that it will increase oil exports. President Joko Widodo made headlines soon after his election last year when he ended a decades-long policy of costly but politically popular fuel subsidies that made fuel here some of the cheapest in the region. Economists hailed the move, pointing to the billions of dollars it would free for spending on badly needed ports and roads. That led to head scratching when, after the rupiah weakened, the government raised fuel prices just part way to market price late last month. Ben Otto
Wall Street Journal, 11 April 2015
http://blogs.wsj.com/indonesiarealtime/2015/04/11/did-widodo-government-flip-flop-on-subsidies-finance-minister-says-no/?mod=WSJBlog&mod=WSJ_SEA_Blog
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| 45. |
Mega's Message to Jokowi: I'm the Boss: Dressed in party colors, the president listened to the speech from the front row. Afterward, he told reporters that Ms. Sukarnoputri's message was simply that "a good leader is a leader that's willing to serve the people." Political analysts saw it differently. "Basically it was her 'I am the boss speech'," said Yohanes Sulaiman, a political science lecturer at the Indonesian Defense University. "She went out of her way to humiliate him." Hendri Satrio, a political communication analyst from Jakarta's Paramadina University, said it was significant that a standing president wasn't even invited to speak. It sent a message that, "he's just the same with everybody else, a party official," Mr. Satrio said. Anita Rachman and Ben Otto
Wall Street Journal, 11 April 2015
http://blogs.wsj.com/indonesiarealtime/2015/04/11/megas-message-to-jokowi-im-the-boss/?mod=WSJBlog&mod=WSJ_SEA_Blog
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| 46. |
Japan wants to increase investment in Indonesia: Many Japanese investors have expressed great interest in investing in Indonesia following a visit to Japan by President Joko Widodo and Vice-President Jusuf Kalla in March 2015. That Japanese investors are serious about investing in Indonesia became clear when several delegates from the Japanese Business Association (Keidanren) arrived in Jakarta earlier this week to follow up on matters discussed during their meeting with Indonesia's president and vice-president in Tokyo. Antara News, 10 April 2015
http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/98448/japan-wants-to-increase-investment-in-indonesia
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| 47. |
Editorial: Is This a Return to Legendary Corruption? Remember that old chestnut about how power corrupts? Indonesia seems to be a laboratory for testing out that theory, with each successive change of government delivering a fresh-faced party whose members inevitably become mired in the muck of graft. When the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, broke Golkar's political dominance for the first time in the 1999 elections, there was a sense of hope, of positive changes to come. Instead, what we saw was a horde of politicians who had been kept away from the trough for so long now stuffing themselves to bursting. Megawati's late husband, Taufieq Kiemas, was described in a leaked US Embassy cable as engaging in "legendary corruption" during his wife's three years as president. The Jakarta Globe, 10 April 2015
http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/opinion/return-legendary-corruption/
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| 48. |
KPK Arrests PDI-P Politician on Graft Charges: Red-Faced: The party of Megawati and Joko extends its record for the most number of members arrested by antigraft officials: A politician from President Joko Widodo's party became the first sitting legislator to be arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission less than a year since the current batch of members of the House of Representatives were sworn into office. Adriansyah, 60, a member of House Commission IV, which oversees forestry, fisheries and agricultural affairs, was arrested in a sting operation at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday at a hotel in Sanur, Bali, where the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) held its national leadership congress this week. The Jakarta Globe, 10 April 2015
http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/kpk-arrests-pdi-p-politician-graft-charges/
|
| 49. |
Two Golkar Members Charged With Forgery Over Contested Ancol Congress: The National Police have charged two Golkar Party politicians for document forgery in relation to an ongoing rift tearing apart the country's oldest political party. Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto identified the pair on Friday as Hasbi Sani and Dayat Hidayat - both supporters of Agung Laksono, who was elected chairman at a congress in Ancol, North Jakarta, last December of a faction of Golkar hostile to the leadership of Aburizal Bakrie. The Jakarta Globe, 10 April 2015
http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/two-golkar-members-charged-forgery-contested-ancol-congress/
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| 50. |
Indonesia Takes Steps to Stem Flight of Foreign Cash: Indonesia will start offering foreign investors a lower tax bill if they reinvest profits here, a measure that could stem capital flight as the U.S. prepares to raise interest rates and buffer the economy from "uncomfortable" rupiah weakness, the finance minister says. The tax incentives would be aimed at keeping foreign capital within Indonesia's borders, a move Mr. Brodjonegoro hopes will stem an exodus of hot money if the U.S. Federal Reserve raises interest rates, as expected later this year. Foreign capital dominates markets in Southeast Asia's largest economy, and hints of rising rates in 2013 sent both the rupiah and the local stark market into a nose dive. Ben Otto
Wall Street Journal, 10 April 2015
http://www.wsj.com/articles/indonesia-takes-steps-to-stem-flight-of-foreign-cash-1428650185
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| 51. |
Indonesia's Policy to Take on Cyberspace: The ministry of information and communication currently defines negative content as pornography and "other illegal activities," which include radical content, according to Henri Subiakto, a ministry adviser.The counterterrorism agency, on the other hand, defines radical content as that which spreads anarchy or racism; interprets jihad as an act of suicide bombing or murder; encourages people to declare those with a different religion infidels; or propagates terrorist teachings by, among other things, inviting people to conduct violence, said Mr. Nasution.In the wake of the recent questions about blocking, ministry spokesman Ismail Cawidu, said officials were working to devise a more detailed definition. Wall Street Journal, 10 April 2015
http://blogs.wsj.com/briefly/2015/04/10/indonesias-policy-to-take-on-cyberspace-the-short-answer/
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| 52. |
President Widodo Enjoys More Support From Opposition: "For the past few months, it is the Red and White Coalition that has been most supportive" to the president in Parliament, said former Gen. Subianto, referring the opposition coalition he leads that controls the majority of seats in the 560-seat legislature.Support for the president within his own party, which some described as weak to begin with, has wavered in the wake of several moves the party has not perceived favorably. Most recently, it was his decision to revoke the nomination for police chief of a senior general and former aide to PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Sukarnoputri. Joshua Gantan
Wall Street Journal, 10 April 2015
http://blogs.wsj.com/indonesiarealtime/2015/04/10/president-widodo-enjoys-more-support-from-opposition-subianto/
|
Singapore
| 53. |
The S$ and the big MAS policy debate: Economists are split on how MAS will tweak its Singapore dollar policy or whether it will even change its stance FEW monetary policy statements in recent years have so vexed economists. Just one day before the central bank releases its policy decision on Tuesday, the market remains divided on how the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) will move. Economists are split on how MAS will tweak its Singapore dollar policy - or whether it will even change its stance at all. They say any of three options is possible: a downward recentring; widening; or no change to the S$NEER (Singapore dollar nominal effective exchange rate) band. Kelly Tay
Business Times, 13 April 2015
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/the-s-and-the-big-mas-policy-debate
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| 54. |
Aviation museum better way to honour Mr Lee? Other sceptics argue that naming an airport, or any other prominent landmark, after a person could lose its significance over time. In particular, tourists might be less familiar than residents with the history behind the move.Perhaps the petitioners could reconsider how they want Mr Lee to be honoured.A better way to acknowledge his legacy might be to record - for future generations of Singaporeans, residents and travellers - his contributions to the Singapore aviation industry in an aviation museum.The museum could chronicle and showcase - through videos, photographs and essays - Mr Lee's work and achievements, which include not just what he did for Changi Airport but national carrier Singapore Airlines as well.Establishing a museum that would chronicle and highlight the key role Mr Lee played in the aviation industry would be a more meaningful way to remember him - and it would also inform and enrich travellers coming through Singapore. Straits Times, 13 April 2015
http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/singapore/story/aviation-museum-better-way-honour-mr-lee-20150413
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| 55. |
Many personal stories, one S'pore identity: In the next 50 years - the Singapore after Mr Lee Kuan Yew - the line between leader and follower will start to blur; we will not just be disciplined and unquestioning followers. Our leaders will walk among and not ahead of us; they will be part of, and not simply lead, the national conversation. Other people may march to their own drumbeat and at their own pace. We may look, from the outside, to be less orderly and consensual than in the past.After all, civil society is not a disciplined army; it is not an organised orchestra producing the soothing melodies of a lovely symphony. It is a loud cacophony of voices, of disorganised aspirations, of an exciting marketplace of ideas. This essay is based on Ho Kwon Ping's fifth and final lecture on Singapore: The Next 50 Years - Society And Identity.
Straits Times, 13 April 2015
http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/opinion/story/many-personal-stories-one-spore-identity-20150413
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| 56. |
Seeing Cabinet change in perspective: The pragmatism underlying the ministerial reshuffle here deserves to be noted as the change is endogenous - prompted by self-renewal and merit considerations - rather than one that is exogenously induced, for example, when coalition partners or party heavyweights make demands to serve their own political interests. Going forward, managing both leadership continuity and change, in ways that safeguard Singapore's critical interests, cannot be taken for granted as the polity develops. Yet some things unlikely to change are time-tested hallmarks of political leadership, like result-based performance and a people-based approach. Straits Times, 13 April 2015
http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/opinion/story/seeing-cabinet-change-perspective-20150413
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| 59. |
当全民运动内化成自然: 至于一些政策或者运动，是不是管得太多、管得太严，这种尺度、分寸的问题，我们大概可以进入一个永无止境的辩论，而那也是文明社会的必要。社会大众一起做一件事，在塑造一种集体的文明行为方面作用极大，即使在短时间内不能彻底改变全体的行为，那种通过活动、宣导潜移默化地构成一种集体记忆，当大家建立起一种情感联系时，慢慢会形成整个国家和人民共同的价值观。 新加坡在国丧那一周展现的一致性和让人惊讶的守法、互助、团结、礼让的文明精神，追根究底和那些广泛的社会运动不无关系，否则怎么在短短的50年里，把不同文化背景的人民融合在一起？ 韩咏梅是早报副总编辑兼采访主任
Zaobao, 12 April 2015
http://www.zaobao.com.sg/forum/opinion/story20150412-467732
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| 60. |
心中有个李光耀: 许多人心中都有一个李光耀，这个李光耀是人民心中为政清廉、重视法制建设、让世界认识蕞尔小国的政治领导人；是老战友心中唯才是用的领袖；是在公开对话会上提问者心中，一贯询问背景然后"催婚"，严肃却慈祥的长者；是教师心中孜孜不倦的好学生，更是大自然爱好者心中最重视绿化的"首席园丁"。 至于我，我是丹戎巴葛集选区选民，李光耀除了是许多媒体从业员面对时会感到战战兢兢的新闻人物，更是即使行动不便仍坚持出席国会会议、出席社区活动，甚至站在台上演讲的人民代议士。这些印象，都深深地烙印在我的记忆里。 何惜薇是早报记者
Zaobao, 12 April 2015
http://www.zaobao.com.sg/forum/opinion/story20150412-467734
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| 61. |
The beginning of the end of Lee Kuan Yew's dynasty? On March 23, Singapore lost its first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew. The good news for the small island is that he was a great founding father. The bad news is that he was their only founding father. This could mean that the departure of Lee will be the beginning of the end for the tropical miracle in 20th-century Southeast Asia. Kunihiko Miyake
Bangkok Post, 11 April 2015
http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/525391/the-beginning-of-the-end-of-lee-kuan-yew-s-dynasty
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| 62. |
SPEECH BY PROF. DR. SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO THE 6TH PRESIDENT OF INDONESIA AT THE SINGAPORE FORUM: Closely connected to the rise of the middle-class is the SECOND force that I believe will sweep Asia : the rapid spread of entrepreneurship, throughout countries, and throughout the region.I know Singaporeans have always been accustomed to entrepreneurship. You had no choice. Your geography, your history, your circum-stances as immigrant society -- all these forced you to be entrepreneurial from the beginning of your nationhood.But in many countries in Asia, including Indonesia, entrepreneurship was, for a long time, an alien concept. Indeed, some of our cultures were hostile to the growth of entrepreneurship. In some parts of Asia, entrepreneurs were even seen as the scourge of society. Besides, for many generations, the glorious thing was to be a politician, or a warrior soldier, or a civil servant, or a cleric. Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono The 6th President Of Indonesia
Singapore Forum, 11 April 2015
http://www.thesingaporeforum.sg/speech_item.aspx?sid=130
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| 63. |
Building the Singapore cathedral: The most beautiful window pane we have built for the Singapore nation is the garden city we have created. Few cities can boast an environment as green as that of Singapore. Indeed, few cities have retained botanic gardens on land that is as expensive as the land next to Tanglin Road. Certainly, no other city has built a new garden as beautiful as Gardens by the Bay on new and extremely expensive reclaimed land. A lot of this is the result of the amazing commitment of Mr Lee Kuan Yew to build a green city. This is the most shining aspect of the metaphorical Singapore cathedral.Yet, we have also destroyed window panes. The most precious window pane we destroyed was the old National Library in Stamford Road, as the souls of many Singaporeans were deeply attached to that building. We destroyed it then because we worshipped roads more than cultural icons. To save the average Singapore motorist a few minutes of driving time, we tore down a valuable piece of Singapore history. Kishore Mahbubani
Straits Times, 11 April 2015
http://www.singapolitics.sg/views/building-singapore-cathedral
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| 64. |
Engage terror detainees to minimise relapse': In the past, we helped Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand and Bangladesh build their own programmes. We are also helping Indonesia enhance its ad hoc rehabilitation programme.Singapore's approach is a full-spectrum response. We integrate hard power with soft power and produce what you call "smart power". We are engaging communities, preventing radicalisation, and for those who are radicalised, we de-radicalise them through rehabilitation.Singapore is sharing its soft-power capabilities with others. This is in contrast to the Western approach to fighting terrorism using hard power - meaning to catch and kill terrorists, and to disrupt terrorist operations. Straits Times, 11 April 2015
http://www.singapolitics.sg/supperclub/engage-terror-detainees-minimise-relapse
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| 65. |
Revisiting Operation Coldstore: THE ongoing debate over revisionist accounts of Coldstore has given rise to calls for more official documents from the period to be opened up for historians to get a fuller picture of the crackdown, although some say this will take time.These calls have been made by those behind alternative accounts of the period, and the issue was also raised by several members of the audience at Dr Kumar's book launch earlier this month, even as classified material has been made available by the Government on a case-by-case basis.Nominated MP and historian Tan Tai Yong tells Insight that the Government should widen access to the archives, and such access should not hinge on who is asking for them. Lim Yan Liang
Straits Times, 11 April 2015
http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/insight/story/revisiting-operation-coldstore-20150411
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| 66. |
Singapore has strong chance of thriving in the next 50 years, says academic Chan Heng Chee: Singapore has a strong chance of surviving, and indeed thriving, well into the future even with the passing of its founding father Lee Kuan Yew, but bold policies are needed to tackle increasingly complex realities, according to Singapore academic and diplomat Chan Heng Chee."We have as strong a chance as any country after the departure of the giant of a leader, of continuing into the future," said Ms Chan at the 22nd Singapore General Hospital Lecture and Gala Dinner on Saturday. Straits Times, 11 April 2015
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/singapore-has-strong-chance-thriving-the-next-50-years-s
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| 67. |
Ways to forge national consensus and unity must evolve: DPM Teo Chee Hean: AS SINGAPORE marks its 50th birthday and enters a new stage of development, its ways to build national consensus and unity must also evolve by fostering public participation and a sense of shared ownership in tackling issues, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean. Doing so will help Singapore better address new challenges such as income inequality and ageing society, said Mr Teo on Friday morning at a bilateral leadership development forum in central Jiangxi province's Jinggangshan city.It will also prevent opportunists from exploiting real, deep-seated issues such as race, language and religion, he added."We continue to abide by principles that have worked well for us, including meritocracy, self-reliance and a strong sense of community. But we have steadily evolved our policies and programmes to meet our new challenges, and cater to the needs of our changing population profile," said Mr Teo. Straits Times, 10 April 2015
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/ways-forge-national-consensus-and-unity-must-evolve-dpm-
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| 68. |
Are Foreign PMETs displacing Singaporean PMETs? Some may say that even with low unemployment, Singaporeans have to settle for lower paying jobs due to the competition from foreigners. But if this is widespread, the incomes of Singaporean PMETs must have remained stagnant or even declined over time. That did not happen. In fact, the real median income (adjusted for inflation) of Singaporean PMETs grew by about 2% per annum between 2009 and 2014 while those of median Singaporean workers grew by 2.1% per annum over the same period. So the PMET job market is not a zero-sum game. With the economy continuing to grow, there will be more jobs for Singaporeans if firms are able to get the talent they need to invest or expand their operations here. Tan Chuan-Jin, Minister for Manpower and Minister for Social and Family Development
The Manpower Blog, 10 April 2015
http://momsingapore.blogspot.sg/2015/04/are-foreign-pmets-displacing.html
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| 69. |
Revisiting Lee Kuan Yew and PAP in our early years: During Lee Kuan Yew's tenure as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1990, dissent was almost alien to him. His iron-fisted rule made people reluctant to speak up or express themselves freely. All media outlets were consolidated and competition was limited - if you can consider two state-owned media houses as having competition. Articles and broadcasts critical of the ruling party have not been allowed to be seen by audiences, and foreign journalists and publications have been sued for defamation. A number of opposition politicians have also been bankrupted as a result of defamation lawsuits filed by Lee and his associates. Many observers see it as yet another powerful tool to maintain the status quo. In short, while Lee Kuan Yew deserves accolades for what he achieved as Singapore's inaugural prime minister, the social costs of his achievements should be taken into consideration. For what does it profit a man who gains the whole world but loses his soul in the process? Was his sacrifice just his own, or borne on the backs of Singaporeans who were essentially no less patriotic than Lee himself? Andrew Situ
The Online Citizen, 10 April 2015
http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2015/04/revisiting-lee-kuan-yew-and-pap-in-our-early-years/
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| 70. |
The Harder Truth: In 1978, I saw Dad handcuffed and led into our home by a team of officers from the Internal Security Department. I was 8 years old. And the entire episode unfolded before me like an extremely bad B-grade movie that did not seem to have a proper beginning or an ending. The sketchy storyline went like this for an 8 year old. Dad was involved in "political discussions" with a group of lawyers who took a pro-Communist stand. He had to be punished for having an opinion that was not aligned to our government's stand. He then spent months incarcerated behind that famous big blue gate at Thomson Road which was where my Dad and his bunch of friends were detained under the Internal Security Act. Joanna Ash
TR Emeritus, 10 April 2015
http://www.tremeritus.com/2015/04/10/the-harder-truth/
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Myanmar
| 71. |
History Lessons: Once again, Myanmar has been rocked by student demonstrations and, once again, the authorities have reacted with force, to the extent of using hired thugs in Yangon to beat and drag protesters away. The brutality on the part of the police, who injured dozens during a violent crackdown on student protestors in Letpadan, Bago Region, in March, was condemned by local civil society organizations. Thet Ko Ko, Wei Yan Aung, Paul Vrieze
The Irrawaddy, 13 April 2015
http://www.irrawaddy.org/magazine/history-lessons.html
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| 72. |
Interview: Dalny Vostok survivors: It is difficult for us. We spent a lot of money [to get work on the trawler] and would like to speak to the officials what can be done about it - about whether we can be compensated. We also lost our documents in the disaster. I had only been working on the trawler for a couple of months before it sank. Peter Aung (Journalist) & Htet Ko Ko (Interviewee)
Democratic Voice of Burma, 12 April 2015
http://www.dvb.no/interview/interview-dalny-vostok-survivors-burma-myanmar/49972
|
| 73. |
Grains of hope: Rice production as poverty alleviation: For much of the early 20th century Burma was Asia's rice bowl. But after a nominally socialist junta seized power in 1962, decades of mismanagement shattered the agriculture industry in a nation where 70 percent of inhabitants still live in the countryside. The quasi-civilian reformist government, which took over from the military in 2011, is determined to resurrect the country's reputation as a rice producer. But rotting stocks, creaking infrastructure, heavily indebted farmers and minimal foreign investment are among the hurdles it faces. Democratic Voice of Burma, 11 April 2015
http://www.dvb.no/news/grains-of-hope-rice-production-as-poverty-alleviation-burma-myanmar/49938
|
| 74. |
Interview: After the draft, what now for the NCA? This signing was attended by the president himself, so both we and the Tatmadaw [Burmese military] representatives had to shelve certain issues that we planned to have some debate about, and just sign the agreement, following the president's lead.From our perspective as ethnic armed groups, there can be no harm in signing that. The majority of our demands and propositions have been included in the draft, and we believe that this is as far as we can push. But still, the final decision to sign the NCA has to be made by our top leadership - and they may suggest removing or adding certain clauses - but I believe that there won't be any backtracking on the development achieved for far. Aye Nai (Journalist) & Khun Okkar, Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team and the United Nationalities Federation Council (Interviewee)
Democratic Voice of Burma, 11 April 2015
http://www.dvb.no/interview/interview-after-the-draft-what-now-for-the-nca/49945
|
| 77. |
New Year satirists censored, told to steer clear of political issues: Groups preparing to welcome the Buddhist new year in Burma with the traditional art of Thangyat, a combination of humorous and satirical poetry, music and dance, have been warned off sensitive issues around the National Education Law by the Rangoon Division's Thangyat Scrutiny Committee.Though the government lifted a two-decade ban on Thangyat in recent years, authorities are still censoring the lyrics that touch on controversial issues.Khant Min Htet, leader of the Thangyat group Blue's Red, said that their verses which approached education issues had been disapproved by the scrutiny board. Democratic Voice of Burma, 10 April 2015
http://www.dvb.no/news/water-festival-satirists-censored-told-to-steer-clear-of-political-issues-burma-myanmar/49907
|
| 79. |
A dangerous path for Myanmar: This week in Myanmar the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw passed a law that gives regional governments the right to restrict how many children a woman has, legally enshrining a human rights breach found in few other countries in the world - with the notable exception of China. Myanmar Times, 10 April 2015
http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/opinion/14023-a-dangerous-path-for-myanmar.html
|
| 81. |
Myanmar election talks close without resolution: A second round of talks between the key players in Myanmar's looming election, including Aung San Suu Kyi, finished without resolution, a minister said on Friday, though he described the discussion as "successful."Polls, slated for November, are being keenly watched as a litmus test for the veracity of reforms since 2011 when the military shed outright rule after decades of iron-fisted control.Opposition leader Suu Kyi on Thursday refused to rule out a boycott of landmark polls, which her party is expected to win. Straits Times, 10 April 2015
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/myanmars-government-military-leaders-hold-rare-talks-suu-kyi-2015041
|
| 82. |
Myanmar's Political Elite Gathers, but Questions Unresolved for Suu Kyi: Minister of Information Ye Htut, in a news conference after the roughly two hours of talks, described the conversation as "friendly, as though it was between brothers and sisters." He labeled the talks a success and said steps toward guaranteeing a free and fair election and a change to the constitution were discussed, without giving specifics.But Aye Maung, the ethnic representative at the talks, said no specifics on a timeline for amending the constitution were raised, nor was there any agreement on what should be changed. The specific clause that prevents Ms. Suu Kyi from becoming president-clause 59f-was also not discussed, the ethnic representative said. Shibani Mahtani & Myo Myo
Wall Street Journal, 10 April 2015
http://www.wsj.com/articles/myanmars-political-elite-gathers-but-questions-unresolved-for-suu-kyi-1428673921
|
| 83. |
Salary increases confirmed for civil servants, govt heads: Burma's Finance Minister Win Shein has confirmed a plan to increase the salaries of government workers from April this year. Speaking in the union parliament on Thursday, he said the lowest paid civil servant, who currently earns 70,000 kyat (US$70) per month, will have their salary raised to 120,000 kyat, while those in the highest pay grade, senior officials taking home 250,000 kyat, will see their monthly salary double to 500,000 kyat. Democratic Voice of Burma, 27 March 2015
http://www.dvb.no/news/salary-increases-confirmed-for-civil-servants-govt-heads-myanmar-burma/49597
|
Vietnam
| 84. |
Co-operatives come under review: By the end of the year, provincial party cells and communes must review all agricultural co-operatives in their areas that volunteer to develop new co-operative model, Professor Nguyen Thien Nhan, President of Viet Nam Fatherland Front (VFF), told a meeting involving concerned agencies in Ha Noi last Saturday. Nhan said that until the end of August, ministries and agencies concerned with the Viet Nam Co-operatives Alliance and Viet Nam Farmers' Union have to focus on finding and promoting top co-operative models so that when provinces prepare for their upcoming Party congresses, these good practices can be incorporated into documents. Viet Nam News, 13 April 2015
http://vietnamnews.vn/society/268968/co-operatives-come-under-review.html
|
| 86. |
Officials talk promising developments in Vietnam-China relations: The outcomes of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's official China visit from April 7th-10th generated an important prerequisite for healthy and sustainable bilateral relations for each country's benefits as well as regional and global peace, stability, cooperation, and development, said senior officials escorting the Party chief during the tour. Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh said through meetings, the two sides were resolved to grow together for mutual benefits, through the signing of important cooperation agreements, especially in economics, transport connection, and people-to-people exchange, including an agreement on the United Nations peacekeeping cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence and its Chinese counterpart. Communist Party of Vietnam Online Newspaper, 12 April 2015
http://dangcongsan.vn/cpv/Modules/News_English/News_Detail_E.aspx?CN_ID=708382&CO_ID=30180
|
| 87. |
Many foreign investors are evading taxes, polluting Vietnam: Several experts and officials with the Ministry of Planning and Investment pointed out at a recent conference in Hanoi that while foreign direct investment plays an important role in the local economy, there are still many problems that need to be fixed. Nguyen Huy Hoang, an expert with the ministry's National Center for Socio-economic Information and Forecast (NCIF), told the meeting on Thursday that up to 30 percent of FDI businesses reported losses for two or three consecutive years or even five years straight, attributing them to higher costs, in order to evade taxes. He said that despite their promises, many companies barely bring in new technologies. The number of businesses violating environmental laws is rising, signaling a trend of developed countries moving polluting industries to developing economies. Ha Nguyen
Thanh Nien News, 12 April 2015
http://www.thanhniennews.com/business/many-foreign-investors-are-evading-taxes-polluting-vietnam-experts-41012.html
|
| 89. |
State President welcomes Japan's Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary: President Truong Tan Sang received Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan Seko Hiroshige during his working visit to Vietnam for the Vietnam-Japan University project in Ho Chi Minh City on April 12. The university will help Vietnam gain direct access to Japan's education methods as well as narrow gaps in scientific and technological standards between the two countries. Voice of Vietnam, 12 April 2015
http://english.vov.vn/Politics/State-President-welcomes-Japans-Deputy-Chief-Cabinet-Secretary/290633.vov
|
| 90. |
Prime Minister Dung approves Mekong plan to develop more flood-proof housing: Speaking at a conference to review the implementation of the programme in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang yesterday, Dung said that although the second phase had finished this year, there were still more than 8,400 households in need of help. Meanwhile, the need for resettling people living in flood and erosion prone areas was still urgent as new erosion spots kept appearing. Viet Nam News, 11 April 2015
http://vietnamnews.vn/society/268945/prime-minister-dung-approves-mekong-plan-to-develop-more-flood-proof-housing.html
|
| 92. |
越南推行务实平衡外交: 面对严峻的国际局势，面对大国间的明争暗斗，越南的"平衡战略"也不可能一帆风顺，棘手的问题有时会逼得它难以"平衡"。例如，在金兰湾问题上，美国就因越南让俄罗斯军舰加油添水而怒不可遏。这还不用谈及越南与美国在意识形态、价值观、自由、民主和人权方面的巨大分歧。美国在世界其他地方鼓动"颜色革命"更是让越共难以入眠。 如何在中美俄三大国之间周旋，在越南内部可能有这样或那样的不同主张和意见。但是，通过越南今年春季的外交活动，人们清楚地看到：越南在积极推行务实平衡策略。这既可以为自己扩大生存空间，又可获取最大利益，显然这已成为越南的一项国策。 李永明是退休报人
Zaobao, 11 April 2015
http://www.zaobao.com.sg/forum/views/world/story20150411-467401
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| 93. |
Vietnam restricts takeover of farmlands for other purposes: The government has issued a resolution that limits the acquisition of farmlands for other purposes and contains other provisions supporting agriculture. It constrains local authorities from taking over land from farmers, an act that often triggers conflicts and sometimes even violence. In Vietnam, all land is owned by the state and people are given land-use rights. Laws allow the government to revoke these rights at any time, normally by paying compensation. Many provinces have taken over farmers' lands to build factories and the like, which usually leave older farmers out of the employment loop. Thanh Nien News, 10 April 2015
http://www.thanhniennews.com/politics/vietnam-restricts-takeover-of-farmlands-for-other-purposes-40983.html
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| 95. |
Section 44 a failure: Exploding a bomb in a prime tourist location is a matter of serious concern. Late on Friday night, a home-made device hidden in a stolen pickup truck was placed in the parking garage of Central Festival on Koh Samui, a major shopping mall. The blast wounded six Thai bystanders and an Italian girl, just 12 years old. Within 12 hours, security forces claimed they knew who was responsible. So the obvious question is, what are they doing about it? Bangkok Post, 13 April 2015
http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/526515/section-44-a-failure
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| 96. |
Junta failing in economic rescue mission: The end of martial law on April 1 has raised expectations of recovery for the nation's tourism industry, which accounts for 10% of GDP. That prompted investors to buy stocks in companies in the tourism sector, such as hotel chains, boosting the Stock Exchange of Thailand Composite Index for about a week. However, foreign investors have been turned off by the new security powers acquired by the military government and remain cautious about buying Thai stocks. Yoji Kotani, Nikkei staff writer
Nikkei Asian Review, 12 April 2015
http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/International-Relations/Junta-failing-in-economic-rescue-mission
|
| 97. |
Root causes of bitter long-running conflict should not be forgotten: Malay Muslims need a sense of ownership in their historical homeland in the far South. Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda seems to have missed the point when it comes to the conflict in the Malay-speaking far South. If the conflict and insurgency in Thailand's Malay-speaking provinces is that simple, where authorities could just snap their fingers and bring back a proper understanding of things, then we wouldn't have this ongoing problem that has no end in sight. The Nation, 12 April 2015
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Root-causes-of-bitter-long-running-conflict-should-30257916.html
|
| 98. |
Forging unity will take time: Forging reconciliation in a country that has been torn apart by more than a decade of violent political conflicts is a formidable, if not impossible, task. It is therefore laudable that the 30-plus charter drafters took up the mission on no matter how difficult it may seem. Bangkok Post, 11 April 2015
http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/525379/forging-unity-will-take-time
|
| 99. |
IMF warns of risks to recovery Growth forecast lifted marginally to 3.7%: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slightly raised its economic growth forecast for Thailand to 3.7% this year but continues to warn of risks. Domestic risks come from possible delays in public spending, weaker-than-expected private demand and political uncertainty, the IMF said in a conclusion report of the 2015 Article IV Consultation. Oranan Paweewun
Bangkok Post, 11 April 2015
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/525255/imf-warns-of-risks-to-recovery
|
| 100. |
Russian premier visits Thailand: More rubles rolling into Prayuth's regime? While Russian-Thai relations go back to when Tsar Nicholas II welcomed King Chulalongkorn in 1897 (more can be read here and here), ties between the two countries have not been a priority for either party over the years, especially because of the Cold War and the United States being Thailand's long-standing ally. And despite a rather turbulent episode with the extradition of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to the US, which left Russia fuming at the then-administration of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Russian ruble has been steadily rolling into Thailand since the fall of the Soviet Union. That is mostly thanks to an influx of Russian tourists and expats, who are now ranked third as the country with the most tourists to Thailand, behind Malaysia and China. However, in 2014 the number has dropped to 1.6m tourists - a decrease of 8.6 per cent (source). But that has less to do with the Thai political crisis and more to do with Russia's own economic woes and its tumbling ruble (partly as a consequence of international sanctions for its meddling in the Ukrainian conflict). The fall in Russian visitors has had a significant economic impact, especially in the Russian stronghold of Pattaya. Saksith Saiyasombut & Siam Voices
Asian Correspondent, 10 April 2015
http://asiancorrespondent.com/132001/russia-thailand-medvedev/
|
| 101. |
The Fast Lane: It's enough to get you dancing in the aisles: For those who haven't experienced Thailand's approach to upscale mixed-use development, it's worth seeing how its cinemas, grocery stores, food halls and public toilets all leave the rest of the world looking under-developed and not terribly innovative. Fuelled by a healthy competitive environment in which the Mall Group, Central Group and Siam Piwat all vie for the deep pockets of Thailand's upper classes and expats on fat pay packets, every new retail project pulls in bigger-name architects, curators, chefs and landscape talent. Indeed, one of the showpiece items of the new EmQuartier complex is a 100-metre green chandelier that cascades down the middle of an atrium that will soon be home to 45 restaurants. Tyler Brûlé
Financial Times, 10 April 2015
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/608dda3c-de9f-11e4-b9ec-00144feab7de.html
|
| 102. |
IMF Executive Board Completes 2015 Article IV Consultation with Thailand: After a sharp contraction in the first quarter of 2014, Thailand's economy experienced a modest recovery in subsequent quarters, to expand by 0.7 percent in the year as a whole. Inflation decelerated toward the end of 2014 and became negative in January 2015 due to a sharp decline in oil prices. Core inflation has remained stable at near 1.7 percent in the past six months. The exchange rate stayed broadly stable against the U.S. dollar over the course of 2014 but appreciated noticeably in nominal and real effective terms. Lower oil prices and an import contraction triggered by weak domestic demand boosted the current account to 3.8 percent of GDP in 2014 from a -0.6 percent deficit the previous year. IMF, 9 April 2015
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2015/pr15166.htm
|
Philippines
| 103. |
Palace undeterred by BBL 'bad publicity': Malacañang is "reasonably confident" Congress will pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in June as it aims to complete the peace process despite the many challenges that have come up, including what the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) calls "bad publicity." Jerry E. Esplanada
Philippine Daily Inquirer, 13 April 2015
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/685060/palace-undeterred-by-bbl-bad-publicity
|
| 104. |
Butch Abad: Mar Roxas still LP's 2016 bet: A Liberal Party (LP) stalwart on Saturday said Interior Secretary Mar Roxas remains the ruling party's presidential candidate, even as he dispelled rumors that President Benigno Aquino III is having second thoughts about endorsing his former running mate to be his successor in 2016. Budget Secretary Butch Abad, an LP stalwart, said the report about the President telling Roxas in a meeting that he should do something to improve his survey ratings appeared to have been "a bit overblown," particularly because of the implied tone of Mr. Aquino in the news story. Nikko Dizon and Niña Calleja
Philippine Daily Inquirer, 12 April 2015
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/684922/butch-abad-mar-roxas-still-lps-2016-bet
|
| 105. |
Initial harvest: The government's Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is celebrating an initial harvest: The graduation of its first batch of high school student-beneficiaries-333,673 of them, 21,844 from Metro Manila alone. Not bad for a program that has been criticized as fostering the culture of mendicancy among impoverished Filipinos. A Social Weather Stations survey showed that 54 percent of Filipinos (11.4 million households) described themselves as poor in 2014, the highest ever incidence of poverty self-rating. Philippine Daily Inquirer, 11 April 2015
http://opinion.inquirer.net/84022/initial-harvest
|
| 106. |
Philippines Faces a Lame Duck Political Year: Politics in the Philippines is known for being chaotic, a mixture of bare-knuckle democracy, deep corruption, theatrics--by real movie actors in some cases - and the country's own dramatic ethos. There is often hope that things will settle down but they rarely do for long. Today, despite four years of economic growth, political stability and relative prosperity, with gross domestic product rising at better than six percent annually over the past two years, the country appears about to lurch back into crisis. Coffee shop muttering and political tongue-wagging has it that President Benigno S. Aquino III may not fill out his term, which ends in 2016. The common wisdom is that despite his own uncle, political godfather Jose "Peping" Cojuangco Jr., joining those asking that the president step down, Aquino is in little real danger of being forced out. Nonetheless, forces are coalescing around the attempt to oust him. Asia Sentinel, 10 April 2015
http://www.asiasentinel.com/politics/philippines-faces-lame-duck-political-year/
|
Cambodia
| 107. |
With Election Talks Over, Jailed Activists Freed: Speaking by telephone Sunday, Ms. Vanny said the sequence of events since the CPP and CNRP ended their eight months of contentious negotiations on electoral reform on Thursday made clear that her arrest was political in nature."The Cambodian government is weak and cheap, as [Mr. Hun Sen] has no capability or power to compete with his competitor in a legitimate way, so he uses the cheapest tricks to hurt innocent people," Ms. Vanny said. "We have been used as a political tool and put behind bars unjustly." Cambodia Daily, 13 April 2015
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/with-election-talks-over-jailed-activists-freed-81931/
|
| 108. |
World Bank Expecting Economic Slowdown to Persist: The World Bank is forecasting a continued slowdown of Cambodia's economy over the next three years because of rising local production costs, sluggish global rice prices and other headwinds. The prediction is a gloomy counterpoint to the coming rebound the Asian Development Bank (ADB) forecast just last month. In its East Asia and Pacific Economic Update, released Monday, the World Bank said the year-on-year growth rate of Cambodia's gross domestic product (GDP) would drop to 6.9 percent in both 2015 and 2016 and to 6.8 percent in 2017. According to the Bank, GDP growth already fell from 7.4 percent to 7 percent between 2013 and 2014. Cambodia Daily, 13 April 2015
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/business/world-bank-expecting-economic-slowdown-to-persist-81956/
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| 109. |
Cambodian Activists Released: Speaking from Boeung Kak Lake upon her release from prison, Tep Vanny, one of the imprisoned activists and one of the most prominent land rights activists in Cambodia, said "I have two feelings right now: I am happy that I am free and that I can be with my family, but I am also hurt because I am innocent and politicians have used us for political ends. I will keep protesting in the future." The news of their release was also welcomed by human rights organizations, who have been campaigning for the activists' release and who had criticized their initial conviction. Rupert Abbott, Amnesty International's Research Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said in an email that the organization was "very pleased to learn this news. [They] should never have been arrested in the first place. That they have had to endure imprisonment since November 2014 only for exercising their right to freedom of peaceful assembly is appalling. Juliette Rousselot is a freelance journalist & human rights/development researcher currently based in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The Diplomat, 13 April 2015
http://thediplomat.com/2015/04/cambodian-activists-released/
|
| 110. |
Remembering 'Operation Eagle Pull' 40 Years On: For those living in Phnom Penh on April 12, 1975, the U.S. Embassy helicopters that took off on a one-way journey that day, carrying a few hundred foreigners and Cambodians to safety, signaled the end of civil war and the victory of the Khmer Rouge.Phnom Penh had been cut off from the rest of the country for some time. The only means of supply were planes landing at the city's Pochentong Airport, which was under intense shelling. Food was scarce and prices were so exorbitant that, according to historian Michael Vickery, 8,000 people in the capital city were believed to have died of starvation in March 1975 alone. Michelle Vachon
Cambodia Daily, 11 April 2015
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/remembering-operation-eagle-pull-40-years-on-81890/
|
| 111. |
Development driving demand for guards: Phnom Penh's private security sector is witnessing a mini-boom as new mall and office developments boost demand for security guards. And with the entry threshold low - firms need a licence to operate but security guards themselves do not need to pass a test or have any professional training - businesses have been aggressively hiring personnel. Phnom Penh Post, 11 April 2015
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/post-weekend/development-driving-demand-guards
|
| 112. |
Gov't rolls to grow by 5,000:Thousands of people will be recruited into the civil service this year, according to a government notice released this week, drawing criticism from observers who say dealing with low salaries and a plethora of so-called "ghost workers" should be the top priority. In a letter of notification sent to the heads of ministries and other government institutions on Tuesday, and released to the public on Wednesday evening, Minister of Public Function Pich Bunthin says the government has, "in principle", given the green light for 5,001 new civil servants to be employed. Phnom Penh Post, 11 April 2015
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/govt-rolls-grow-5000
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| 113. |
'Don't Think I've Forgotten,' a Documentary, Revives Cambodia's Silenced Sounds: For proof of the universality of rock 'n' roll, look no further than Cambodia in the 1960s and '70s. Even there, young people picked up electric guitars and studied Mick Jagger's moves, melding Eastern melody with Western groove in ways that are still strikingly fresh.Yet in one of the 20th century's most extreme examples of the effects of politics on popular culture, Cambodia's pop scene - along with virtually every other manifestation of modern society there - was brutally stamped out with the 1975 arrival of the Khmer Rouge, whose nearly four-year reign led to the deaths of 1.7 million people. The development of Cambodia's pop mirrored its postwar political situation. After almost a century under French control, the country became independent in 1953, and its music took shape with French, American and Latin influences; Sinn Sisamouth, Cambodia's most revered star, emerged in this era as a cosmopolitan crooner in the Khmer language. [A trailer to "Don't think I've forgotten" is currently available on http://www.dtifcambodia.com/]
The New York Times, 9 April 2015
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/12/movies/dont-think-ive-forgotten-a-documentary-revives-cambodias-silenced-sounds.html
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Laos
| 114. |
An opening in Laos the US cannot miss: A remarkable yet little-noticed development in the US rebalance to the Asia Pacific has been Washington's overtures to Laos, a country long isolated and often overlooked by US officials. Shifts in geopolitical and regional economic trends in recent years have led the Lao government, which traditionally turned to Beijing or Hanoi for support, to explore opportunities to engage new partners and tap into the United States' renewed attention to the region. Phuong Nguyen
Bangkok Post, 11 April 2015
http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/525387/an-opening-in-laos-the-us-cannot-miss
|
ASEAN/Southeast Asia
| 115. |
AEC will strengthen from growth in service sector: World Bank tells ASEAN to step up service sector liberalisation efforts: ASEAN currently falls short in the implementation of commitments to liberalise service sector as part of regional integration, according to a report by the World Bank. The World Bank East Asia and Pacific Economic Update (April 2015), which was released today, said that while ASEAN countries have committed to services integration as part of the ASEAN Economic Community, actual liberalisation (of the service sector) has been modest in the last few years, and even instances where liberalisation has been reversed. Koo Jin Shen
Brunei Times, 13 April 2015
http://www.bt.com.bn/business-national/2015/04/13/aec-will-strengthen-growth-service-sector
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| 116. |
東盟的3大路徑:2015年是東盟共同體概念即將實現的年份。相關的討論都集中在三大支柱，即政治--安全、經濟及社會文化。 然而，我要從另一個角度看，即目前至少有3大路徑在進行中，目的都是為了實現真正以人民為中心的東盟。全球中庸運動直接或間接地參與了所有3大路徑。第一個路徑是東盟國家政府嘗試進行轉型... 賽夫丁, 全球中庸運動基金會CEO
星洲日報, 12 April 2015
http://opinions.sinchew.com.my/node/36146?tid=38
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| 117. |
Why India needs to 'act' East: Since the 1990s, India has moved from being a sectoral partner of ASEAN to being a dialogue partner. Trade between India and ASEAN is tipped at US$76 billion (as of 2013-2014), which - while far below its potential - is up more than 20 per cent compared to a decade ago. This has been facilitated by the India-ASEAN free trade agreement (FTA) in goods. Bilateral trade is likely to increase further, with both sides setting a target of US$100 billion by this year. Indian cities that share a common history and heritage with countries in ASEAN can deepen relations on the basis of religious history. For instance, the Buddhist site of Sarnath near Varanasi receives a large number of tourists, many from Thailand. There are a number of sites in Madhya Pradesh such as Mahurijhari that can similarly be linked with ASEAN countries. Links between cities in states such as Kerala, which were part of the Spice route, can also be built. Already, UNESCO and the government of Kerala signed an agreement in 2014 to revive the Spice Route Project. Tridivesh Singh Maini is a Senior Research Associate with the Jindal School of International Affairs, Sonepat, India.
East Asia Forum, 11 April 2015
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2015/04/11/why-india-needs-to-act-east/
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| 118. |
Asean to Fail. Must Try Harder At Financial Integration: The countdown to the Asean Economic Community (AEC) and the establishment of the seventh largest economy in the world draws ever closer. A meeting of Asean central bank governors in Kuala Lumpur has been told that while Asean has made good initial progress towards achieving financial integration more needs to be done. Noting that banks in Asean "are small compared to their global peers, despite their dominance in the financial sector", Mr Nakao said "creation of a large integrated banking market across Asean makes a lot of sense. However, Asean financial integration "also brings risks" due to greater cross-border capital flows, and "could make countries more vulnerable to financial crisis through contagion. "Closer coordination of monetary policies among Asean members" may become necessary, he said, while "Asean may also wish to make arrangements for cross-border resolution of distressed banks, including a well-defined role for deposit insurance". John Le Fevre
The Establishment Post, 11 April 2015
http://www.establishmentpost.com/effort-need-achieve-full-asean-financial-integration-ahead-aec/
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| 121. |
Opportunity Knocks at Asia-Africa Summit: Asia and Africa need to improve relations so they can better draw on the opportunities each regions offers, said a senior Indonesian official highlighting the upcoming summit between them. "Africa is an opportunity," said Yuri Thamrin, the directorate general of Asia-Africa relations at the Indonesian Foreign Ministry. Like Asia, it is home to many of the world's fastest growing economies and a rising middle class, he said, pointing to growth in two-way trade between the regions that jumped from $2.8 billion in 1990 to $270 billion by 2012. Africa also faces many of the same challenges as Indonesia - limited infrastructure and political corruption - putting Indonesia in a prime position to take advantage of any enhanced engagement, said Mr. Thamrin. To do so, however, he said Southeast Asia's largest economy could learn from China's and India's success in building bilateral relations. Sara Schonhardt
Wall Street Journal, 12 April 2015
http://blogs.wsj.com/indonesiarealtime/2015/04/12/opportunity-knocks-at-asia-africa-summit/?mod=WSJBlog&mod=WSJ_SEA_Blog
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| 122. |
The Great Chinese Lie About Taiwan: Many of the people who buy into the great Chinese lie about Taiwan do so for a variety of reasons. Some regard Taiwan and its democracy as inconvenient; others benefit financially from supporting Beijing's line or would see their investments suffer if they did otherwise; others yet would lose access to universities and officials in China if they stated their support for the defense of this fragile democracy caught in the powerful currents of history. Whatever the merits of their arguments, I beg them to at least give those of us who are committed to the defense of Taiwan so that its people can chart their own future the respect that is our due. J. Michael Cole
The Diplomat, 11 April 2015
http://thediplomat.com/2015/04/the-great-chinese-lie-about-taiwan/
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| 123. |
Asian economies doing well, but continued prosperity depends on other factors: PM Lee: The growing strength of nationalist sentiments are a response to globalisation and uncertainty, and can have positive outcomes such as giving people pride and pushing them to do well, he said to about 250 political and business leaders at a dinner to kick off the forum.But taken to an extreme, such sentiments could also cause people to turn inwards and reignite historical conflicts between nations, Mr Lee warned.He also said territorial issues, such as disputes over islands in the South China Sea, could cause friction between countries. While these disputes have not escalated into wars, they produce tensions that will not just disappear, he added.The third area of concern that Mr Lee flagged was extremist terrorism and the security threat that it poses. Straits Times, 10 April 2015
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/asian-economies-doing-well-continued-prosperity-depends-
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| 124. |
What China's rise means for South-east Asia and overseas Chinese: The ideas Professor Wang expounds in this book cut to the core of some of the most important issues of our time. China's re-emergence as a major power has changed everything. Countries across East Asia, and indeed throughout the world, are struggling to understand what it means for their own national interests and to position themselves accordingly. How we position ourselves vis-a-vis the United States and China, and position ourselves across a variety of policy domains and not just foreign policy, is not only the central strategic issue for Singapore, but also a question that will preoccupy all of East Asia for many decades to come. [The book "The Eurasian Core and Its Edges : Dialogues with Wang Gungwu on the History of the World" is available in ISEAS Library] Bilahari Kausikan
Today, 9 April 2015
http://www.todayonline.com/chinaindia/china/what-chinas-rise-means-south-east-asia-and-overseas-chinese
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| 125. |
China: Projections of power: Double-digit increases in defence spending alarm China's neighbours but budgets and troop levels only tell half the story: Beijing's purge on graft has ensnared a number of top generals in the People's Liberation Army and raised uncomfortable questions about the relationship between the military and its superiors in the Communist party. Technically the party controls the military, but insiders say that one of the motivations for the graft probes, which have so far taken down Xu Caihou, formerly the top-ranked military officer in China who died of cancer last month, was to reassert party control, as well as smooth the way for reforms. Political analysts say the campaign was launched by President Xi Jinping after he saw the disrespect with which the PLA treated his predecessor, Hu Jintao. The problem is not one of insubordination but mismanagement, some analysts say. For decades the army has been a private fiefdom which runs on bribery and patronage. Charles Clover
Financial Times, 8 April 2015
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/12424108-da0b-11e4-9b1c-00144feab7de.html
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| 126. |
Why Japan's Textbook Controversy Is Getting Worse: Teachers' unions, which have more left-leaning political tendencies, used to act as a break on overreach by the central government, but they are slowly losing their influence. Neither does the Japanese textbook market provide any answers, as private textbook publishers must comply with government requests or risk losing the approval required to sell textbooks to local school boards. With a declining fertility rate already shrinking the existing market for textbooks, a decision to go against the government could impose an impossibly heavy toll on the publisher. It is hard, even for an optimist, to find positive signs in these recent developments. One can only hope that the ripples do not extend beyond South Korea and China, and that the impact on bilateral relations will be relatively superficial. Mina Pollmann
The Diplomat, 8 April 2015
http://thediplomat.com/2015/04/why-japans-textbook-controversy-is-getting-worse/
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East/South China Sea
| 127. |
South China Sea disputes could escalate: report: One analyst cites talk of war between Vietnam and China last year following incidents over territorial claims. THE most dangerous "flash point" for possible security incidents between and among Asian powers has shifted from the East China Sea to the South China Sea, a Japanese defence analyst suggested at the unveiling on Friday of Japan's latest East Asia Strategic Review. Anthony Rowley
Business Times, 13 April 2015
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/south-china-sea-disputes-could-escalate-report
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| 128. |
China's 'great wall of sand': The Philippine government claimed on Saturday its diplomatic initiative to resolve its maritime dispute with China in the South China Sea had received wider international support, especially from US President Barack Obama. The Philippines, a long-time American ally in the Asia-Pacific region, was bolstered by the strong US reaction last week to China's massive land reclamation in the South China Sea. Speaking at a town hall event in Kingston, Jamaica, ahead of the Summit of the Americas in Panama, Obama said, "Where we get concerned with China is where it is not necessarily abiding by international norms and rules, and is using its sheer size and muscle to force countries into subordinate positions." Amando Doronila
Philippine Daily Inquirer, 13 April 2015
http://opinion.inquirer.net/84048/chinas-great-wall-of-sand
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| 129. |
PH gains int'l support: Strongest US reaction vs China buildup in PH sea: Malacañang on Saturday said it was the Philippines' peaceful approach to dealing with its maritime dispute with China that drew support from the international community, including from US President Barack Obama, who reacted strongly on Thursday to China's massive land reclamation in the South China Sea. "Where we get concerned with China is where it is not necessarily abiding by international norms and rules, and is using its sheer size and muscle to force countries into subordinate positions," Obama told a town hall event in Kingston, Jamaica, ahead of the Summit of the Americas in Panama. Nikko Dizon
Philippine Daily Inquirer, 12 April 2015
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/120630/ph-gains-intl-support/
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| 130. |
Relax, China's Island-Building in the South China Sea Is No Threat: Does China harbor offensive intentions toward other countries? The answer is no. Two main reasons support this answer. First, it is unwise and even stupid for China to go around conquering other smaller nations like it is still the 19th century. In today's globalized world, the benefits of war have significantly decreased as countries find better and more effective ways, such as trade and investment, to enhance their national power. The United States is the best example. In the last 14 years, the U.S. has fought two very costly and yet unnecessary wars in Iraq and Afghanistan despite reaping limited strategic benefits from its military undertakings. This is mainly why the U.S. has relatively declined compared to other rising powers. If the world's only superpower cannot benefit from wars, why should China, still a rising power, get into military adventures and misadventures abroad? Dingding Chen
The Diplomat, 11 April 2015
http://thediplomat.com/2015/04/relax-chinas-island-building-in-the-south-china-sea-is-no-threat/
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| 131. |
US, Indonesian Navies Conduct Air Patrol Exercise in South China Sea: Formally, Indonesia is not a claimant to disputed waters in the South China Sea but there are concerns among officials there that China's capacious dashed-line claim, which claims a huge swath of the South China Sea, could be interpreted to encompass waters considered part of Indonesia's exclusive economic zone off the Natuna archipelago. To this end, Indonesia pursues a cautious diplomatic approach to the Natuna issue, ever careful to avoid granting any legitimacy to the notion of a formal maritime territorial dispute with China. Last month, The Diplomat outlined the Indonesian government's position on the South China Sea issue in detail. The Natuna archipelago is composed of 157 islands spread across 262,000 square kilometers, of which 27 are inhabited. Ankit Panda
The Diplomat, 11 April 2015
http://thediplomat.com/2015/04/us-indonesian-navies-conduct-air-patrol-exercise-in-south-china-sea/
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| 132. |
Editorial: Chinese Mischief at Mischief Reef: The result is that most Asian countries have sought to build closer relations with the United States, which remains the dominant naval power in the region. No one, including the United States, is expected to push China off the disputed areas, but sea-based confrontations must be avoided. One possible approach is through joint development of oil and gas, as well as a legally binding code of conduct to govern navigation and prevent territorial grabs. The other claimant nations should also support the arbitration case brought by the Philippines against China under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea treaty. The New York Times, 11 April 2015
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/12/opinion/sunday/chinese-mischief-at-mischief-reef.html
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| 133. |
A New Way to Resolve South China Sea Disputes? At a recent conference at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, former director of national intelligence and commander-in-chief of the U.S. Pacific Command Admiral Dennis Blair suggested one such idea. In essence, Blair proposed that an 'International Conference on the South China Sea' be convened to work out an international solution to conflicting claims in the South China Sea, and that the results of that conference then be used by these actors as the new reality on the ground. The logic of such an approach, Blair said, would be to establish clarity on how these disputes are handled, something that is absent today. He argued that similar disputes in East Asia have tended to be handled in one of three ways: treaty agreements of some sort (eg. the 1979 agreement between Malaysia and Thailand); tacit agreements to work toward a diplomatic resolution (eg. the Kurils, Dokdo/Takeshima); and military standoffs (eg. Taiwan, Senkaku/Diaoyu, the two Koreas). In the South China Sea, however, Blair said the actors have yet to all work out exactly which method to use, with the declaration of conduct on the South China Sea virtually ignored and China using non-military, gray-zone actions to advance its controversial nine-dash line claim. Prashanth Parameswaran
The Diplomat, 10 April 2015
http://thediplomat.com/2015/04/one-new-way-to-resolve-the-south-china-sea-disputes/
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| 134. |
Revealed: China's Reasons for Island-Building in the South China Sea: For the first time, China's Foreign Ministry has explained in detail the purpose and rationale for large-scale land reclamation activities taking place in disputed areas of the South China Sea. China's dredging and construction activities have caused fellow disputants, as well as the U.S., to criticize China for raising tensions by seeking to change the status quo. Another point worth emphasizing is that China is attempting to frame its newly expanded garrisons as providers of the public good. Yes, they will be used (likely primarily) for "better safeguarding territorial sovereignty," but Hua also provides a laundry list of anodyne uses for the new islands: maritime search and rescue, disaster prevention, marine research, even weather observation. As Hua emphasized later in her remarks, "After the construction, the islands and reefs will be able to provide all-round and comprehensive services to meet various civilian demands besides satisfying the need of necessary military defense." Shannon Tiezzi
The Diplomat, 10 April 2015
http://thediplomat.com/2015/04/revealed-chinas-reasons-for-island-building-in-the-south-china-sea/
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| 135. |
China mounts detailed defence of South China Sea reclamation: Western and Asian naval officials privately say that China could feel emboldened to try to limit air and sea navigation once the reclaimed islands are fully established. Jin Crannog, associate dean of the School of International Studies at Beijing's Renaming University, said that China probably felt it needed to give its side of the story following growing criticism from Washington over the reclamation. CNBC, 9 April 2015
http://www.cnbc.com/id/102575103
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AIIB
| 136. |
New China-led bank pledges to fend off graft: China's new development bank will strive to be corruption-free, maintain environmentally sound policies and work with a streamlined bureaucracy, said Mr Jin Liqun, the interim head of the institution, who indicated that the door has been left open for the United States' participation. "We are committed to building a lean, clean and green bank," Mr Jin told the Singapore Forum, a gathering of Asian business and political leaders over the weekend. Today, 13 April 2015
http://www.todayonline.com/chinaindia/china/new-china-led-bank-pledges-fend-graft
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| 137. |
AIIB accepts 5 more prospective founding members: The Netherlands, Brazil, Finland, Georgia and Denmark have been approved as prospective founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Ministry of Finance said on Sunday. This brings the total number of prospective founders to 46, the ministry said in a statement on its website. Global Times, 12 April 2015
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/916429.shtml
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| 140. |
Shifting centre of gravity to Asia: Militarily, the US far exceeds China in the amount of money spent and in technological sophistication. Politically, what China can at present offer cannot match the global impact of values associated with the US such as democracy and human rights. Even in the economic sphere, the Chinese Gross Domestic Product is only equal in size to the US in purchasing power terms, and not in dollar terms where the US GDP is more than one and the half times that of China.In per capita terms, US GDP is at least four times more. And the US is still far more advanced in the sophistication of its financial market and industrial structures. The significance of this AIIB development is not a demonstration of raw Chinese economic power. It is unlikely to do away with the WB or the IMF.It is really another symptom, this time in Europe and in the financial arena, of the global centre of gravity shifting to Asia. Dr Lee Poh Ping is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of China Studies in the University of Malaya
The Star, 11 April 2015
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/04/11/Shifting-centre-of-gravity-to-Asia-Many-see-the-rush-to-join-the-Asian-Infrastructure-Investment-Ban/
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| 141. |
Tokyo hesitant to join AIIB, although some ruling lawmakers call for membership: The government explained its hesitation in joining a China-led financial institution, citing its intent to use possible membership as a political bargaining chip, but some ruling party members say the nation has no choice but to participate. The Abe administration recently presented a report to executives of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party that weighed the costs of Japan's participation in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Asahi Shimbun (AJW), 10 April 2015
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/china/AJ201504100066
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| 142. |
AIIB: Who's a Revisionist Anyway? And so how should we think about this in context of the development of the AIIB? In the starkest terms, the AIIB doesn't rise to the level of the Empty Chair Crisis, and even the construction of the Great Wall of Sand suggests a restrained approach to international competition, an approach that pushes the existing rule-set, and that carefully bends or breaks part of that rule-set, but that in the end is recognizably restrained by the existing norms of international behavior. Competition within a given system is still competition, and the United States should worry about increases in Chinese military capabilities. Similarly, states invested in the South and East China Sea disputes should view the growth of Chinese power and assertiveness with wariness. But we should also take care not to overstate the degree to which China is challenging the global international order. We have plenty of examples from the 20th century of what revisionist states really look like. Robert Farley
The Diplomat, 10 April 2015
http://thediplomat.com/2015/04/aiib-whos-a-revisionist-anyway/
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| 143. |
China-Led Bank to Focus on Big-Ticket Projects, Indonesia Says: Mr. Brodjonegoro said voting rights will likely be determined by gross domestic product, so China will have the highest share of votes, "but that's not strange.""In the World Bank, who can be the president other than a U.S. citizen, right? Same with ADB: who can be president other than a Japanese citizen? IMF, European," Mr. Brodjonegoro said, referring to the regions from which the heads of these institutions are generally chosen.A GDP ranking system would give Indonesia, and its nearly $900 billion economy-the largest in Southeast Asia--with the third-most voting rights. Ben Otto
Wall Street Journal, 10 April 2015
http://www.wsj.com/articles/china-led-aiib-to-focus-on-big-ticket-projects-indonesia-says-1428647276
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Climate change
| 144. |
Climate change: Good news on the solar front: Regular readers may have noticed that I oscillate between optimism and pessimism when it comes to climate change and energy. So let's call this a glass-half-full day, in which I highlight two related pieces from the FT's energy writer, Nick Butler, who writes that 'Almost all the major oil and gas companies I know are undertaking substantial reviews of their policies on climate change.' He lists several reasons why (including 'because the industry takes climate change seriously'), but I found this one particularly noteworthy... Sam Roggeveen Interpreter, 10 April 2015
http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/2015/04/10/Climate-change-Good-news-on-the-solar-front.aspx?COLLCC=68305450&COLLCC=3874348841&
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Economic Models
| 145. |
Macroeconomists need new tools to challenge consensus: For the moment, the traditionalists still rule. They managed to go beyond the ideological turf wars of the 20th century, by taking a leap towards a new generation of economic models that were technically complex - in the sense of 19th century mathematics. The models integrated what economists had learned about various markets with knowledge about the economy as a whole. The so-called dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models were even designed to cope with some unforeseeable disturbances like a technology shock. They were just not able to deal with the shocks we eventually got - a financial crisis, default and deflation. Wolfgang Münchau
Financial Times, 12 April 2015
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a43c47e0-df8b-11e4-a6c4-00144feab7de.html - axzz3X8sGYD1q
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Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
| 147. |
TPP deal urgent with US election year nearing: PM: Talks could run into trouble if congressmen, senators aren't sold on partnership's merits THE 12 countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) have a duty to convince their respective populations that this proposed free trade agreement (FTA) is beneficial to them, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday. Lee U-Wen
Business Times, 11 April 2015
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/tpp-deal-urgent-with-us-election-year-nearing-pm
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US Pivot
| 148. |
SYSTEMIC TENSION BETWEEN CHINA AND US - ANALYSIS: Despite a mutual desire for cooperation, relations between Washington and Beijing will remain tense for the foreseeable future. Today, Denny Roy cites two reasons why - 1) Beijing doesn't appreciate how the existing East Asian order has contributed to its prosperity, and 2) its historical fear of encirclement has decreased. Beijing was especially dismayed at the Obama Administration's announcement of a strategic 'pivot' to Asia (later called the 're-balance') in the midst of a financial crisis that Chinese hoped would finally undermine the United States' superpower status and bring about a multipolar world. Denny Roy is a Senior Fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu.
Eurasia Review, 12 April 2015
http://www.eurasiareview.com/12042015-systemic-tension-between-china-and-us-analysis/
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WWII
| 149. |
Keeping the memory of war alive: It is clearly the Emperor's strong desire that the experiences of war are correctly handed down to future generations so that Japan will not repeat its mistake of treading the path to war. He expressed his sentiments clearly when he issued his "New Year's thoughts" on Jan. 1. He said, "I think it is most important for us to take this opportunity to study and learn from the history of this war, starting with the Manchurian Incident of 1931, as we consider the future direction of our country." His visit to Palau should be understood against the background of this statement. Japan controlled Palau, formerly a German overseas territory, from October 1914 to August 1945. After World War I, the League of Nations awarded Palau to Japan as part of a mandate. During the Pacific War, Palau became a target of Allied forces since the Imperial Japanese Navy had a key base on Koror Island. Japan Times, 9 April 2015
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2015/04/09/editorials/keeping-memory-war-alive/ - .VSsJp9yUe1c
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