Tag Archives: PAP

Singapore’s Intolerance of Dissent in the Spotlight as Police Take on a ‘Recalcitrant’ Activist

By admin | March 11, 2019

Written for The Diplomat Singapore’s intolerance of dissent was put into the spotlight this month when authorities briefly detained a prominent activist for organizing “illegal assemblies.” According to the police, activist Jolovan Wham committed seven offenses for participating in a candle lighting vigil outside a prison complex, organizing a silent protest inside a train, and […]

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What ASEAN Can Learn from Thailand’s Student Massacre

By admin | November 26, 2016

Forty years ago on October 6, more than 40 student protesters were killed inside the Tha Prajan campus of Thammasat University. The identity of the killers is unknown to this day but the attack was led by state forces and an anti-communist mob. The casualties could be higher because no official probe has been made […]

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Singapore’s New Political Reforms: What You Need to Know

By admin | September 2, 2016

Written for The Diplomat This week, in an address to Parliament, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong identified key reforms in the electoral system which he believes would lead to greater political stability. In summary, he proposed to raise the minimum number of opposition members of parliament (MPs), grant voting power to non-constituency MPs, reduce […]

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A Tough Year for Southeast Asia’s Opposition Parties

By admin | July 31, 2015

Written for The Diplomat If protests and minor election setbacks hounded the ruling parties across Southeast Asia in the past two years, their situation this year has already improved somewhat as opposition leaders in the region run into varying difficulties. In Myanmar, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi still cannot run for the presidency because […]

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Myanmar Insists Reforms Are Working

By admin | October 19, 2014

Written for The Diplomat Myanmar is changing and changing in the right direction. These were the exact words used by Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin when he spoke at the United Nations General Assembly of world leaders in New York on September 29, 2014. He declared that “positive changes” and “winds of change” have […]

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Obama in Philippines: ‘Our Goal Is Not to Contain China’

By admin | May 30, 2014

Written for The Diplomat The Philippines and the United States have signed a new defense agreement that would boost the presence of U.S. troops in the Philippines. But President Barack Obama, who arrived in Manila yesterday on a state visit, claims that the new accord is not meant to contain China. After eight rounds of […]

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Thailand Election by the Numbers

By admin | February 18, 2014

Written for The Diplomat Thailand conducted a “peaceful” election yesterday amid worsening political tension in the country. Let us first review some essential numbers: Thailand has 48 million eligible voters out of a population of 65 million. According to the Election Commission, voting took place in 89 percent of 93,952 polling stations nationwide. But the […]

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Singapore’s 2013 “Robin Hood” Budget

By admin | March 27, 2013

With its 2013 budget, the Singaporean government has devised a series of programs and incentives to promote quality growth and build a more inclusive society, especially for its children, low-income workers and the elderly. Presented to the public on February 25, the budget aims to tighten policies on foreign workers, provide a three-year transition support […]

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Malaysia’s January Spring

By admin | January 21, 2013

Written last January 14 So far, it has been an awful beginning for the year 2013 in Southeast Asia: Myanmar’s military launched airstrikes against Kachin rebels which dimmed hopes of a peaceful settlement of the civil war; prominent Laos activist Sombath Somphone has remained missing and has probably become a victim of state-sanctioned enforced disappearance; […]

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Singapore’s Populist Budget

By admin | April 8, 2012

Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party, which has been in power since the 1950s, has been accused of populism by its critics following the presentation of the 2012 state budget. According to the opposition, the budget contains several expenditure items that reflect the desperation of the PAP to regain the trust of voters and party supporters […]

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