Author Archives: admin

Malaysia’s Election “Tsunami”

By admin | May 28, 2013

Written for The Diplomat The word “tsunami” became politically controversial in the aftermath of Malaysia’s 13th General Election on May 5, which saw the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) receiving a fresh mandate to lead the country, albeit with reduced votes and fewer parliamentary seats. BN has ruled Malaysia since the 1950s, making it one of […]

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Leftists and Politicians

By admin | May 18, 2013

Viewed from the outside, the reactionary state apparatus appears to be a brutal and beastly machine. Viewed from the inside, this juggernaut looks enigmatic. Seductively enigmatic. Nevertheless, it remains a ferocious stinking monster. Its hypnotic stink, however, is camouflaged by trappings, rituals, symbols, and other elegant deodorizers which distort the gaze of everybody, including the […]

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Southeast Asia’s Twittering Heads of State

By admin | May 12, 2013

Written for The Diplomat “Hello, people of Indonesia. I have joined Twitter to exchange greetings, views and inspirations. Nice to meet you.” With these 140 characters, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, or SBY as he is known, joined the Twittersphere on April 13. After two weeks of tweeting, SBY has gained more than 1.7 million […]

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Kabataan Partylist: The Next Generation

By admin | May 8, 2013

Before Kabataan Partylist, there were 17 youth groups which tried (but ultimately failed) to clinch representation in Congress through the partylist system. What is the ‘source code’ of our success? Kabataan was founded by the country’s leading youth organizations: National Union of Students (established in 1957), College Editors Guild (established in 1931 which makes it […]

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The Kingdoms of Southeast Asia

By admin | May 5, 2013

Written for The Diplomat Southeast Asia has four monarchies, each with its own unique traits. Brunei is an absolute monarchy, while Thailand, Malaysia, and Cambodia have the constitutional form. The history of these monarchies, including their future prospects, is discussed in the March 2013 issue of the Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia. The essays in […]

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Somchai, Jonas, Sombath

By admin | May 2, 2013

Written for The Diplomat Thai human rights lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit went missing on March 12, 2004. Filipino activist Jonas Burgos was last seen on April 28, 2007. Lao development economist and educator Sombath Somphone disappeared on December 15, 2012. The search for these missing activists has become a campaign for human rights promotion, not only […]

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New Politics

By admin | April 24, 2013

Politics is about man’s infinite search for the most effective way of organizing societies. It mirrors the imperfections of man and thus it remains an unfinished project, an incomplete thesis. But it stands for a greater ideal. Through politics, man can conquer nature and become the god master of the world. The political man is […]

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Deadly Nationalisms

By admin | April 23, 2013

Nationalism was the powerful and revolutionary idea which inspired and mobilized the people of colonized countries in Southeast Asia to fight for their political independence after World War II. Then, post-colonial governments invoked it to unify their nations against real or imagined foreign aggressors. In the era of globalization, nationalism became appealing once more for […]

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Graduation Speeches

By admin | April 13, 2013

As legislator in the past three years, I delivered 12 graduation speeches in three elementary schools, four high schools, four colleges, and one Tesda institution. They include five public schools and 7 private schools. Graduation and Recognition Day ceremonies are long, formal, but always fun. They are school events which unite students, teachers, administrators, parents, […]

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Sabah and the War of Meanings

By admin | April 11, 2013

Two weeks ago Malaysian armed forces dispersed a group of armed Filipinos who arrived in Lahad Datu on February 9 to assert the ancestral claim of the self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III. According to Malaysian authorities, the clashes have claimed the lives of 63 Sulu rebels. But Abraham Idjirani, spokesman for the Sulu […]

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