Alex Watt piece on China’s mega-casino/golf/beach/sex resort being built in SE Cambodia near Koh Kong touches on the extreme level of impunity, income and social disparity enjoyed by the present rulers & controllers of Cambodia:
I do see a shortcut to the fastest development. That is to build the Internet broadband infrastructure for the entire country, as the top priority. Of course, electricity has to be there first.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi mentioned in Thailand that, in order for democracy to sustain, the country has to reach the critical mass of educated people, and that it doesn’t necessarily mean highly educated, but secondary education is a must.
In order to arrive at that critical mass, the fastest way is to make education accessible. Internet would be the fastest way to allow young people to learn from anywhere, and easier for teachers to provide richer information beyond their own knowledge.
Even farmers can improve their farming knowledge from YouTube.
What’s in the way of making this happen? If the government is truly visionary, they should borrow all the money necessary (or use the drug money) to make this happen.
Having this shortcut is the advantage of developing in the 21st century.
Plans coming out now seems to be how to copy any particular model or how much money country shuld accrue in such and such time using people as commodities.
In people orientated plans like #11 and #13 there is never going to be the richest country or GDP 20 times increased in 5 year or such Soviet claims but people will truly improve their own lives happily and cohesively.
Industry is important. But it has to be with strict environmental regulations and fair rights for the workers. It is inhumane to be rich like Thailand with the blood and sweat and lives of trapped foreigners or any unfortunate people. Human may need to evolve another ten thousand years before they realise exploitation of each other however rich they become is not a cool thing to do.
The sad thing about current situation in Burma is there is immense opportunity to do things right. As most “developed” countries have already a long list of “we wished…”.
Fundamantal need of health and education being a political football in all countries is totally undesirable. They are best served by statutory independent body with full government backing regardless of whoever is in power. Like Jobs’ iPAD, there is no such pre-existing model. But it is going to be far better than those in existance.
Scandinavian and to a degree British/ Canadian model of health care is far more desirable to American system which is effectively what Asian countries are going to by default and Burma will follow that again by default. And thre is the isue of training,licencing and litigation and compensation. Here New Zealand model of Accident Compensatiojn Commenssion is uniquely human and efficient and equitable even though no one could become invalid millioniar like in the States.
It is a sad indictment of the state of disengagement of the people of Burma -in and out of the country- that all these important issues are never put to air or discussed or debated in public arena. There should have been websites dedicated to each of these topics with florid debate and discussion.
For that thank you Ko Aung Myint Myat for the initiation. By the way if the Dam your professor thinks is a good idea does go ahead and come into existance ( which will NOT happen as Irrawaddy is LIFE for people of Burma, not a water stream for exploitation), Myaungmya Aung Myint Myat may become Little Filthy Creek side town Aung Myint Myat.
aiontay @ 12
Very futuristic. “The Pipe” alone will need more military than you can count- hoping you are not a mathematician. It is a constant liability. Chinese and military (Tin Aung Myint Oo) obviously cannot rely on “good will” of the people. Inflammable pipes of any sort anywhere are not so cool in hostile environment. And none of the “peace deal” armed groups are demobilizing. They will use the time to consolidate for future killings or business ventures. Real peace can happen only when the army pulls back. Any chance of it with this astonishing “reform”? People cannot even spell “Federalism” anymore.
I’m totally with Myaungmya Aung Myint Myat over the desirability of a ‘mixed’ economy, big, medium and small enterprises, a conventional mix in state and private, also joint, ventures, an inevitable mix in global and domestic markets.
It’s a balancing job with an eye on self reliance and self sufficiency that can protect us from the buffeting winds of the global economy with its boom and bust cycles. There are certain sectors the state cannot do a virtual cop out and leave the people completely at the mercy of private enterprise such as public transportation, health, education, energy and water supply.
Both agriculture and industry need state support as well as protective measures from the so called free trade onslaught on a far from level playing field against outsiders. All advanced industrialised nations grew from infancy through protectionism still selectively applied to this day.
It would be extremely unwise to let ‘free competition’ unleashed on native agriculturits and manufacturers. Food sufficiency based on small scale mechanised farming has to be the foundation stone of a thriving economy that benefits the majority of the people, not something that can interest a handful of comprador bourgeoisie who would rather go for large scale industrial farming driving people off the land or preferably for a chain of sweat shops, rentier capitalism and property development.
Dr Achim Dobermann is a notorious and controversial advocate of hybrid rice technology. He is very much the face of the “new” IRRI–an IRRI that is content to serve, pathetically, as the farm team for biotech firms with appallingly low levels of understanding of the Asian farmer.
This is not the place in which to speculate about the much feared Dr
Dobermann’s motives or his willingness/unwillingness to engage in good faith in debates over his beloved cause of hybrid rice technology. It is, however, the place to note that Thailand’s rate of adoption of hybrid rice seed has historically been so low in comparative terms as to make it an outlier. One reason for this, perhaps the primary reason, has been the country’s commitment to high-quality, high-value rice.
Of course, current Thai government policy on rice procurement has so distorted the Thai rice economy as to make many “normal” assumptions and considerations irrelevant.
Myaungmya Aung Myint Myat’s reference to ex-soldiers makes me wonder what the effects of the demobilization of all the soldiers in both the Burmese military and the ethnic forces would be if at some point peace were truly achieved.
Ohn, while I am not convinced that Myanmar is yet headed toward Cambodian conditions, you are right to raise the prospect of this happening. It ought to be raised again and again and again. As for the SEZ matter, I do not disagree with you. The one qualifier that I might add is that land costs and the current state of transportation and communications do argue for the creation of an SEZ near Yangon–NOT so that SEZ-style industrialization becomes the driver of the “new” economy, but so that that economy has diverse foundations, including agriculture, small-scale industry, and some large-scale industry.
This is an interesting lecture by Andrew Willford on HINDRAF. Willford captures comprehensively the origins of HINDRAF. Its a useful reminder of the power that collective action can inflict on a hegemonic regime.
The Indian Uprising and the Haunting of Justice in Malaysia Andrew Willford, Department of Anthropology, Cornell University
Presented 10/17/08 Audio
Sorry for late response. My interview with Nath is not in the public domain. We actually moved to a hotel halfway through because the noise of the rain on the roof in S21 became too loud for the tape.
I don’t think the location had any influence on his answers, he seemed to spend a great deal of time there as an unofficial curator and generally assisting the DCC staff anyway. Always a sombre fellow, understandably, the only time I saw him visibly moved was when discussing his children who died during the Pol Pot era. In some respects, I think he actually found it hard to stay away from S21.
Thanks for the reading recommendations, I will definately have a look.
If the farmers are truly supported to do exactly what they want to do with easily available, functional, reasonable rate loan, offer- but not coercion- of mechanical, technical assistance and availability – not coercion- of knowledge of more modern farming techniques, the social system and commercial system will truly evolve with harmony and peace while making the rural youth proud to be farmers rather than half-drugged work/ strike cycle SEZ zombies as planned by all wise people drooling for good looking GDP. (sadly funny that only thing the brightest financial and political minds after centuries of expensive university study and Nobel Prizes can come out is human exploitation to make socks and soap for “economic development”. Mostly helped by ATS. See, GDP and ATS are twins.)
That is why the attitude of the whole society that having those Sky Rails, Boat shaped buildings, etc, etc as something to drool as mentioned by one famous “dissident” ( in reality ex- dissident) after another is so dangerous while seemingly innocuous. One now sees all the Facebook profiles and photo’s of foreign travels and Landmarks.
Greed and desire is how the multinationals make their money from nothing. Sachi and Sachi teaches people effectively how to feel superior to others using their customers’ 3 dollar products on sale for forty.
Peace as you mentioned though is sadly unlikely. Military chauvinism and absolute self-conviction of superiority is such that there will never be devolution of power with or with any real or fake elections 2015, 2020,?… 3000… as people around the world are cheating themselves.
The reason Aung San Suu Kyi is now tolerated is simply because she is effectively working for them. She also shuts up any domestic and international dissenting voices against military atrocities and lawless land grabbing.
KNU may yet be bought well and truly by Aung Min/ Thein Sein to follow the disastrous Kachin social and environmental devastation later while simply postponing their own version of current Kachin tooth and nail struggle.
Land ownership though is of utmost importance. The Investment Law seems to say that if you want to make business you can simply come in and evict People from any land you want, employ cheap labour ( the price- one dollar a day) and take all the money out with no tax. One wonders why people used to need to fight wars for such privileges to free rape. Aung San’s disastrous Japan connection is reenacted by Thein Sein here as well. Japs may not believe their luck with this “Yaw- daw – shi” Law.
If there is no land security, Than Shwe / Thein Sein may be underestimating the likely fury of the masses with or without their mojo Aung San Suu Kyi.
Food is essentially no worry traditionally so long as there is no market monopoly or artificial restriction.
While keeping the current unique and beautiful social system, there are ample opportunities to make a prosperous and peaceful living.
But not the way it is heading now. Current course is set headlong rush towards Cambodia.
Moe Aung is right on the mark. Ohn, I have been among too many people in Myanmar who are poor, desititute really, by *any standard*, people without access to land or sufficient water during some months of the year, people trapped in deep, deep debt. These people can become part of a more prosperous rural society . . . If your “U Khin Myint and Daw May Win in Kyaukse” had the wherewithal to meet the desires to attribute to them, well, that would be fine, a big step in the right direction for Myanmar as a whole.
And thanks, Arthurson. Myanmar people now abroad, both professionals and others, have a big role to play, as Prof Dapice suggests. My only hope is that we do not end up with a new division in Myanmar: between those with foreign experience and those without.
phktresident: “.. how much I would appreciate links to information on what can be grown in Thailand, especially better rice and alternatives along with best methodologies. My particlar interest is central Issarn.”
The IRRI “agronomy challenge blog” provides detailed info on rice growing. Sure some of Isan’s conditions are different, like salinity in the soil, I guess. If someone blogged like this in Thailand it might be useful:
“Dr. Achim Dobermann is IRRI’s deputy director general for research. Achim has started blogging about his challenge to personally grow rice following recommended best practices to test them out and see why more farmers might not be adopting them.” (Source: Blog)
I think #3 is a very interesting point. There is a pronounced dicotomy between the urban and rural areas of Myanmar, especially concerning the primacy of the metropoles of Yangon and Mandalay, and particularly as this applies to the diaspora of Burmese in Thailand. Nearly all the educated Burmese I know are from Yangon, and they do not want to be lumped together with those from the poor rural border regions, who make up the vast majority of the laborers and workers in the construction, fishing and canning industries living in Mahachai in Samut Sakhon province.
When Aung San Suu Kyi came to Mahachai early in June, the thousands who turned out to see her chanted “we want to go home!” They were telling her they no longer wanted to be exploited for their cheap labor by their Thai capitalist employers/overlords. She told them to be patient; their time will come. The intellectuals and professionals want to go home, too. However, there are stiffer conditions attached, and when they do go home they want to take their occupations with them. One observation I was told is particularly illuminating. The rector for an American university operating a branch campus in Thailand was approached with an offer to offer a branch campus in Yangon. If you do so, he was told, the source could provide him with a complete faculty of at least 70 Burmese academics from Thailand who want to leave and teach at the university level in their home country.
There is the potential for a mass exodus should the right conditions occur, for both of these groups.
What is more important than ranking is that those working at each institution should keep asking themselves: have I done my best to make my institution the best organization of knowledge?
You know, what we really need is a text of the quality of the King Never Smiles which deals with the Thai military. Why the preoccupation with the palace when the power lies with generals? Who are these generals? Are they related? Are military positions effectively passed on down the family line? What business interests do the generals have? what is their wealth? etc.
Over to you, Mr Handley!
The bottom rungs of the ladder have to be there, sound and sturdy. Small scale farm mechanisation combined with security of land ownership and availability of credit will constitute a very firm foundation to build on.
Electricity and fuel, local workshops and parts for repair and maintenance of power tools/implements, not least good road links, will go a long way in bridging the urban rural divide, and help keep the younger generation in the countryside providing gainful employment on the land and its spin off industry.
Reliable power supply, water supply and sanitation can make life more than just tolerable, in fact arguably make ‘big city bright lights’ not all it’s cracked up to be. Satellite TV, DVDs, cell phones and motorbikes have already made their impact on village life in Burma, however uneven in their distribution.
You need to see off the bullock cart and oxen plough, turn them into museum pieces and funfair/festival items, and eventually make the pickup truck and the small tractor like the Ford Ferguson 40 ubiquitous instead.
One important aspect of Islam in Malaysia (in difference to f.e. Indonesia) is that it plays an important role as both an ethnic marker differentiating the Malay from Indians and Chinese (although several of these are Muslims as well) and an aspect of ethnic, collective political and cultural identity. (In Indonesia ethnic identity is still mainly based on being Javanese, Minangkabau etc. and Islam and addition to this.) This double aspect of Islam leads to two distinct but often confused processes:
1. Islam is used as an instrument to maintain political power. In this case Islam is the dependent variable of elite interests
2. We have a religionization of politics that is, politics are instrumentalized to achieve a state based on religious precepts. This usually is a bottom up process.
Islam certainly was and is an important aspect of everyday life of Malays. Thus, instrumentalizing religion makes sense. This, however, lead to a process in which religion becomes ever more important for the people in general, and gets removed from the elite as sole interpreters of truth. For the common people Islam is no mere instrument, but provides meaning. As a result, a religious discourse evolves, independent from its instrumentalization. In short, religion is taken serious, which provides a new importance for religious leaders. Their demand for politics following religious precepts finds a popular response by many people, not the least because a state that allows to live a religious life connects to a better life in this world, and in addition to reach paradise in the after life.
When UMNO started to instrumentalize Islam, they triggered the “religionization” of politics as a response.
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Noir nights in Phnom Penh
Alex Watt piece on China’s mega-casino/golf/beach/sex resort being built in SE Cambodia near Koh Kong touches on the extreme level of impunity, income and social disparity enjoyed by the present rulers & controllers of Cambodia:
http://www.khmer440.com/k/2012/03/when-will-angkor-wat-be-sold-to-china/
Myanmar’s new political-economic contours
Thanks for the article and impressive comments.
I do see a shortcut to the fastest development. That is to build the Internet broadband infrastructure for the entire country, as the top priority. Of course, electricity has to be there first.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi mentioned in Thailand that, in order for democracy to sustain, the country has to reach the critical mass of educated people, and that it doesn’t necessarily mean highly educated, but secondary education is a must.
In order to arrive at that critical mass, the fastest way is to make education accessible. Internet would be the fastest way to allow young people to learn from anywhere, and easier for teachers to provide richer information beyond their own knowledge.
Even farmers can improve their farming knowledge from YouTube.
What’s in the way of making this happen? If the government is truly visionary, they should borrow all the money necessary (or use the drug money) to make this happen.
Having this shortcut is the advantage of developing in the 21st century.
Myanmar’s new political-economic contours
I am in agreement with both #11 and #13.
Plans coming out now seems to be how to copy any particular model or how much money country shuld accrue in such and such time using people as commodities.
In people orientated plans like #11 and #13 there is never going to be the richest country or GDP 20 times increased in 5 year or such Soviet claims but people will truly improve their own lives happily and cohesively.
Industry is important. But it has to be with strict environmental regulations and fair rights for the workers. It is inhumane to be rich like Thailand with the blood and sweat and lives of trapped foreigners or any unfortunate people. Human may need to evolve another ten thousand years before they realise exploitation of each other however rich they become is not a cool thing to do.
The sad thing about current situation in Burma is there is immense opportunity to do things right. As most “developed” countries have already a long list of “we wished…”.
Fundamantal need of health and education being a political football in all countries is totally undesirable. They are best served by statutory independent body with full government backing regardless of whoever is in power. Like Jobs’ iPAD, there is no such pre-existing model. But it is going to be far better than those in existance.
Scandinavian and to a degree British/ Canadian model of health care is far more desirable to American system which is effectively what Asian countries are going to by default and Burma will follow that again by default. And thre is the isue of training,licencing and litigation and compensation. Here New Zealand model of Accident Compensatiojn Commenssion is uniquely human and efficient and equitable even though no one could become invalid millioniar like in the States.
It is a sad indictment of the state of disengagement of the people of Burma -in and out of the country- that all these important issues are never put to air or discussed or debated in public arena. There should have been websites dedicated to each of these topics with florid debate and discussion.
For that thank you Ko Aung Myint Myat for the initiation. By the way if the Dam your professor thinks is a good idea does go ahead and come into existance ( which will NOT happen as Irrawaddy is LIFE for people of Burma, not a water stream for exploitation), Myaungmya Aung Myint Myat may become Little Filthy Creek side town Aung Myint Myat.
aiontay @ 12
Very futuristic. “The Pipe” alone will need more military than you can count- hoping you are not a mathematician. It is a constant liability. Chinese and military (Tin Aung Myint Oo) obviously cannot rely on “good will” of the people. Inflammable pipes of any sort anywhere are not so cool in hostile environment. And none of the “peace deal” armed groups are demobilizing. They will use the time to consolidate for future killings or business ventures. Real peace can happen only when the army pulls back. Any chance of it with this astonishing “reform”? People cannot even spell “Federalism” anymore.
Myanmar’s new political-economic contours
I’m totally with Myaungmya Aung Myint Myat over the desirability of a ‘mixed’ economy, big, medium and small enterprises, a conventional mix in state and private, also joint, ventures, an inevitable mix in global and domestic markets.
It’s a balancing job with an eye on self reliance and self sufficiency that can protect us from the buffeting winds of the global economy with its boom and bust cycles. There are certain sectors the state cannot do a virtual cop out and leave the people completely at the mercy of private enterprise such as public transportation, health, education, energy and water supply.
Both agriculture and industry need state support as well as protective measures from the so called free trade onslaught on a far from level playing field against outsiders. All advanced industrialised nations grew from infancy through protectionism still selectively applied to this day.
It would be extremely unwise to let ‘free competition’ unleashed on native agriculturits and manufacturers. Food sufficiency based on small scale mechanised farming has to be the foundation stone of a thriving economy that benefits the majority of the people, not something that can interest a handful of comprador bourgeoisie who would rather go for large scale industrial farming driving people off the land or preferably for a chain of sweat shops, rentier capitalism and property development.
Peasants and the state
VORSICHT!
Dr Achim Dobermann is a notorious and controversial advocate of hybrid rice technology. He is very much the face of the “new” IRRI–an IRRI that is content to serve, pathetically, as the farm team for biotech firms with appallingly low levels of understanding of the Asian farmer.
This is not the place in which to speculate about the much feared Dr
Dobermann’s motives or his willingness/unwillingness to engage in good faith in debates over his beloved cause of hybrid rice technology. It is, however, the place to note that Thailand’s rate of adoption of hybrid rice seed has historically been so low in comparative terms as to make it an outlier. One reason for this, perhaps the primary reason, has been the country’s commitment to high-quality, high-value rice.
Of course, current Thai government policy on rice procurement has so distorted the Thai rice economy as to make many “normal” assumptions and considerations irrelevant.
Myanmar’s new political-economic contours
Myaungmya Aung Myint Myat’s reference to ex-soldiers makes me wonder what the effects of the demobilization of all the soldiers in both the Burmese military and the ethnic forces would be if at some point peace were truly achieved.
Myanmar’s new political-economic contours
Ohn, while I am not convinced that Myanmar is yet headed toward Cambodian conditions, you are right to raise the prospect of this happening. It ought to be raised again and again and again. As for the SEZ matter, I do not disagree with you. The one qualifier that I might add is that land costs and the current state of transportation and communications do argue for the creation of an SEZ near Yangon–NOT so that SEZ-style industrialization becomes the driver of the “new” economy, but so that that economy has diverse foundations, including agriculture, small-scale industry, and some large-scale industry.
Malaysian Indians: A sad story
This is an interesting lecture by Andrew Willford on HINDRAF. Willford captures comprehensively the origins of HINDRAF. Its a useful reminder of the power that collective action can inflict on a hegemonic regime.
How the Khmer Rouge dehumanised their “enemies”
Hi Fionn
Sorry for late response. My interview with Nath is not in the public domain. We actually moved to a hotel halfway through because the noise of the rain on the roof in S21 became too loud for the tape.
I don’t think the location had any influence on his answers, he seemed to spend a great deal of time there as an unofficial curator and generally assisting the DCC staff anyway. Always a sombre fellow, understandably, the only time I saw him visibly moved was when discussing his children who died during the Pol Pot era. In some respects, I think he actually found it hard to stay away from S21.
Thanks for the reading recommendations, I will definately have a look.
Peasants and the state
Thanks jonfernquest — I’ll check it out shortly.
Myanmar’s new political-economic contours
U Moe Aung, #7
That is absolutely right.
If the farmers are truly supported to do exactly what they want to do with easily available, functional, reasonable rate loan, offer- but not coercion- of mechanical, technical assistance and availability – not coercion- of knowledge of more modern farming techniques, the social system and commercial system will truly evolve with harmony and peace while making the rural youth proud to be farmers rather than half-drugged work/ strike cycle SEZ zombies as planned by all wise people drooling for good looking GDP. (sadly funny that only thing the brightest financial and political minds after centuries of expensive university study and Nobel Prizes can come out is human exploitation to make socks and soap for “economic development”. Mostly helped by ATS. See, GDP and ATS are twins.)
That is why the attitude of the whole society that having those Sky Rails, Boat shaped buildings, etc, etc as something to drool as mentioned by one famous “dissident” ( in reality ex- dissident) after another is so dangerous while seemingly innocuous. One now sees all the Facebook profiles and photo’s of foreign travels and Landmarks.
Greed and desire is how the multinationals make their money from nothing. Sachi and Sachi teaches people effectively how to feel superior to others using their customers’ 3 dollar products on sale for forty.
Peace as you mentioned though is sadly unlikely. Military chauvinism and absolute self-conviction of superiority is such that there will never be devolution of power with or with any real or fake elections 2015, 2020,?… 3000… as people around the world are cheating themselves.
The reason Aung San Suu Kyi is now tolerated is simply because she is effectively working for them. She also shuts up any domestic and international dissenting voices against military atrocities and lawless land grabbing.
KNU may yet be bought well and truly by Aung Min/ Thein Sein to follow the disastrous Kachin social and environmental devastation later while simply postponing their own version of current Kachin tooth and nail struggle.
Land ownership though is of utmost importance. The Investment Law seems to say that if you want to make business you can simply come in and evict People from any land you want, employ cheap labour ( the price- one dollar a day) and take all the money out with no tax. One wonders why people used to need to fight wars for such privileges to free rape. Aung San’s disastrous Japan connection is reenacted by Thein Sein here as well. Japs may not believe their luck with this “Yaw- daw – shi” Law.
If there is no land security, Than Shwe / Thein Sein may be underestimating the likely fury of the masses with or without their mojo Aung San Suu Kyi.
Food is essentially no worry traditionally so long as there is no market monopoly or artificial restriction.
While keeping the current unique and beautiful social system, there are ample opportunities to make a prosperous and peaceful living.
But not the way it is heading now. Current course is set headlong rush towards Cambodia.
Myanmar’s new political-economic contours
Moe Aung is right on the mark. Ohn, I have been among too many people in Myanmar who are poor, desititute really, by *any standard*, people without access to land or sufficient water during some months of the year, people trapped in deep, deep debt. These people can become part of a more prosperous rural society . . . If your “U Khin Myint and Daw May Win in Kyaukse” had the wherewithal to meet the desires to attribute to them, well, that would be fine, a big step in the right direction for Myanmar as a whole.
And thanks, Arthurson. Myanmar people now abroad, both professionals and others, have a big role to play, as Prof Dapice suggests. My only hope is that we do not end up with a new division in Myanmar: between those with foreign experience and those without.
Peasants and the state
phktresident: “.. how much I would appreciate links to information on what can be grown in Thailand, especially better rice and alternatives along with best methodologies. My particlar interest is central Issarn.”
The IRRI “agronomy challenge blog” provides detailed info on rice growing. Sure some of Isan’s conditions are different, like salinity in the soil, I guess. If someone blogged like this in Thailand it might be useful:
“Dr. Achim Dobermann is IRRI’s deputy director general for research. Achim has started blogging about his challenge to personally grow rice following recommended best practices to test them out and see why more farmers might not be adopting them.” (Source: Blog)
Thailand’s benevolent army
Mariner – Paul Chambers presents a much more accurate analysis of the Thai military, and their actions, than Handley’s very flawed account.
Prisoner writes to Amnesty International
OK, it has been over three weeks. Any response yet from Amnesty International?
Myanmar’s new political-economic contours
I think #3 is a very interesting point. There is a pronounced dicotomy between the urban and rural areas of Myanmar, especially concerning the primacy of the metropoles of Yangon and Mandalay, and particularly as this applies to the diaspora of Burmese in Thailand. Nearly all the educated Burmese I know are from Yangon, and they do not want to be lumped together with those from the poor rural border regions, who make up the vast majority of the laborers and workers in the construction, fishing and canning industries living in Mahachai in Samut Sakhon province.
When Aung San Suu Kyi came to Mahachai early in June, the thousands who turned out to see her chanted “we want to go home!” They were telling her they no longer wanted to be exploited for their cheap labor by their Thai capitalist employers/overlords. She told them to be patient; their time will come. The intellectuals and professionals want to go home, too. However, there are stiffer conditions attached, and when they do go home they want to take their occupations with them. One observation I was told is particularly illuminating. The rector for an American university operating a branch campus in Thailand was approached with an offer to offer a branch campus in Yangon. If you do so, he was told, the source could provide him with a complete faculty of at least 70 Burmese academics from Thailand who want to leave and teach at the university level in their home country.
There is the potential for a mass exodus should the right conditions occur, for both of these groups.
University rankings from Chula’s perspective
What is more important than ranking is that those working at each institution should keep asking themselves: have I done my best to make my institution the best organization of knowledge?
Thailand’s benevolent army
You know, what we really need is a text of the quality of the King Never Smiles which deals with the Thai military. Why the preoccupation with the palace when the power lies with generals? Who are these generals? Are they related? Are military positions effectively passed on down the family line? What business interests do the generals have? what is their wealth? etc.
Over to you, Mr Handley!
Myanmar’s new political-economic contours
The bottom rungs of the ladder have to be there, sound and sturdy. Small scale farm mechanisation combined with security of land ownership and availability of credit will constitute a very firm foundation to build on.
Electricity and fuel, local workshops and parts for repair and maintenance of power tools/implements, not least good road links, will go a long way in bridging the urban rural divide, and help keep the younger generation in the countryside providing gainful employment on the land and its spin off industry.
Reliable power supply, water supply and sanitation can make life more than just tolerable, in fact arguably make ‘big city bright lights’ not all it’s cracked up to be. Satellite TV, DVDs, cell phones and motorbikes have already made their impact on village life in Burma, however uneven in their distribution.
You need to see off the bullock cart and oxen plough, turn them into museum pieces and funfair/festival items, and eventually make the pickup truck and the small tractor like the Ford Ferguson 40 ubiquitous instead.
Small is Beautiful, keep it simple and easy to start with.
PEACE, LAND and FOOD! The rest will follow.
BEWARE of the New World Order and its nasty traps.
Is there a need for more interfaith dialogue in Malaysia? Part 1
One important aspect of Islam in Malaysia (in difference to f.e. Indonesia) is that it plays an important role as both an ethnic marker differentiating the Malay from Indians and Chinese (although several of these are Muslims as well) and an aspect of ethnic, collective political and cultural identity. (In Indonesia ethnic identity is still mainly based on being Javanese, Minangkabau etc. and Islam and addition to this.) This double aspect of Islam leads to two distinct but often confused processes:
1. Islam is used as an instrument to maintain political power. In this case Islam is the dependent variable of elite interests
2. We have a religionization of politics that is, politics are instrumentalized to achieve a state based on religious precepts. This usually is a bottom up process.
Islam certainly was and is an important aspect of everyday life of Malays. Thus, instrumentalizing religion makes sense. This, however, lead to a process in which religion becomes ever more important for the people in general, and gets removed from the elite as sole interpreters of truth. For the common people Islam is no mere instrument, but provides meaning. As a result, a religious discourse evolves, independent from its instrumentalization. In short, religion is taken serious, which provides a new importance for religious leaders. Their demand for politics following religious precepts finds a popular response by many people, not the least because a state that allows to live a religious life connects to a better life in this world, and in addition to reach paradise in the after life.
When UMNO started to instrumentalize Islam, they triggered the “religionization” of politics as a response.