Monthly Archives: September 2013

Thailand Opposition Behaving Badly

By admin | September 26, 2013

Written for The Diplomat It seems Thailand’s opposition politicians are getting desperate. Last month, 57 members of parliament belonging to the opposition Democrat Party were evicted from the session hall after they repeatedly protested the ruling of the presiding officer. When parliamentary police officers were called in to escort the MPs out, they forcibly resisted, […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Public space and resistance

By admin | September 18, 2013

Written for Bulatlat When Third Word dictators are ousted, many people celebrate the emergence of a democratic space in society. After years of repression, there is suddenly a micro explosion of multiple freedoms in the streets, in schools, in workplaces, and in the press. Interestingly, it proves that public space is not inherently democratic. It […]

Posted in places | Tagged | Leave a comment

More Religion, Less Science for Indonesian Students

By admin | September 15, 2013

Written for The Diplomat Indonesia has recently pilot tested a new curriculum in over 6,000 schools which instantly drew controversy after it removed science, English, social sciences, and information technology (IT) as separate subjects in favor of Bahasa Indonesia, nationalism and religious studies. The reduction of subject load is meant to give students more time […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Politics of Helping

By admin | September 10, 2013

Written for Bulatlat Aside from being sexual and social animals, we are also ‘helping’ beings. Giving aid to a neighbor in need is considered an ethical duty. Volunteering in charity houses, community shelters, and churches once in a while is equated with doing good. We honor individuals and groups whose mission is to extend assistance […]

Posted in reds | Tagged , | Leave a comment

False Transparency

By admin | September 3, 2013

Written for Bulatlat Beware of politicians who like to insert the keywords ‘transparency’ and ‘good governance’ in their speeches. They are the same people who also use deceptive slogans such as ‘sustainable economy’ and ‘inclusive growth’ to justify the imposition of anti-poor economic policies. These are agreeable political concepts – who would openly oppose them? […]

Posted in media | Tagged | Leave a comment