It’s almost like pro-life v pro-choice. Only here it’s about the lack of choice. Are they letting the middleman off the hook by targeting the ‘source’?
No one is trying to “pin Widodo’s loss of popularity on the western media”.
In response to an article by a western journalist lamenting Widodo’s “fall” from the avatar of SE Asian democracy to an “advocate for batik” I merely pointed out that the “unreal expectations” that were projected onto Widodo were likely more influential in the minds of western media consumers than in those of Indonesian voters.
In the western media’s fairy tale narrative, the evil general faced off with the Capraesque common man and democracy and the common man triumphed.
It was nonsense then and it would be nonsense now to think that this has something to do with Widodo’s own failings.
Western journalists promote the same narrative again and again in SE Asia, but SE Asia remains SE Asia.
I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to pin western media’s lack of honesty and willingness to deal with complexity on western media at all.
Trying to pin Widowos loss of popularity on the western media is a stretch. The contest was between a highly popular mayor and a former general in the dictatorship. The populist mayor won on the basis of anti corruption and a release from the old order but immediately was dragged into a war against his own party that led to the demise of the only effective corruption unit in the country. A lot of people are dissatisfied and now say the general would have been better.
Attempts by westerners to overstate their own influence are amusing. Indonesians are masters at the political game and well capable of inventing their own conspiracy theories.
Nice piece, Aye Thein. What we have to realise (like with the lug thep issue in Thailand) is that ‘people’s voice’ is not always ‘God’s Voice’. Civil society is not liberal, tolerant or what-have-you simply by being civil society. As Thomas pointed out it can have a nasty side to itself. Similarly the churches or religious bodies: they were a force of democracy in Poland earlier, now they indulge in hate speech against refugees. In Germany, parts of civil society (Pegida, AfD) claim to speak for the people and Christian society, but do not do anything of the sort, quite the opposite. Same with the monks in Myanmar: earlier force for democracy, now? I could go on with the monks in Sri Lanka ad libitum. It is important to see that civil society constitutes itself only with and through dialogue, controversy and conflict. If it is stifled or suppressed, we naturally have these nasty excrescences.
Btw: who is it that puts these nice labels on civil society: good or bad monks, good or bad church, good or bad organisation? I think it is often the judgement from the outside. What do the people inside think (Aye Thein, I do not consider you as ‘outside’. You are obviously very much an ‘insider’)?
[…] This troubling trend is not limited to Indonesia. In the Philippines, there has been a growing radicalisation among youth in Mindanao. In Malaysia, the politicisation of Islam has played a role in the growing radicalisation of Malaysian youths. […]
The Soviet Union, especially during the Stalinist reign of terror, was infamous for punishing the closest relatives of dissidents
by proxy. The crimes of the present regime in Thailand should be made public such as in a leading article by Thomas Fuller in the International edition of the New York Times last week.
Yes, Anthony, but at least it is Thai-style fascism. Actually, Thailand has entered an era of the “disappeared” – such as plagued Argentina in the 70’s and 80’s.
If by “wake up” you mean go out into the streets to die for the right to elect yet another lame duck administration that changes nothing fundamental about the corrupt and illiberal operation of the Thai state but hands out subsidies to deflect from that fact, then, no, they will not “finally wake up”.
Mainly, of course, because they are not the ones who need to, being wide awake and beavering away at making a living already.
It’s the dozy ideologues who call for elections elections elections then call whatever results democracy that need to wake up.
But that isn’t likely since their whole take on Thailand is based in fantasy and denial and the pretense of deep satisfying sleep.
[…] ethicist and director of the Campaign Against Sex Robots, Dr. Kathleen Richardson, stated that the very business idea of sex robots is modelled on the already existing businesses of the sex […]
Thailand under the Rule of its Military Dictarship is slipping slowly but steadily into outright Fascism. Will Thais continue to acquiesce, remain for the most part docile and passive. Or will they finally wake up?
This speaker below speaks like a Widodo admirer who said Widodo looks dumb but smart enough to choose his right-hand men such as Luhut and US-educated minister Rizal Ramli. In general, Indonesia’s neighbors like to see this sprawling archipelago backward, corrupted, and easy to cheat because if Indonesia is strong and powerful, its neighbours will suffer and become paranoid. Look at China now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tt_t8Qqlmw
A long list of how foreigners, western companies in particular, plunders the country of its riches with the help of crooked political elites. With the latest one being an Australian company trying to cheat them out of Masella gas deposit off the coast of the Moluccas. At least thats the gist of this debate.
Just to give a background, Indonesia by nature is a feudal society, where the common practice is anyone from anywhere free to take whatever they wish so long as gift being presented to whoever holds the gun at the time. This unlikely to change in foreseeable future. Any commotion now is just transition of power. Will soon be business as usual.
Commedia Indonesiana at its best, with possible bloodbath in the end. And hundreds of millions trampled in poverty, breeding resentment to foreigners with their reference of prosperity is the way of some wealthy middle eastern countries.
It’s no doubt a good thing that so much publicity is generated around the military government’s intimidation of people like Pravit Rojanaphruk and the family of Khun Pavin.
It’s also no doubt a good thing that both of these men are able to generate support from various elements of the “international community” to get enough leverage to mitigate some of the effects of authoritarian abuse of power.
What is open to doubt is whether the highlighting of such abuses as being called a “sonofabitch”, having your sister called at work, or even. as in Pravit’s case, being held in a WINDOWLESS room for 48 hours is effectively obscuring the more widespread and arguably more vicious abuse of redshirts in Isan and the North.
Compared to the coverage of the hundreds, possibly thousands, of reds and their families who are regularly subject to the intimidation of “home visits”, whose “attitude adjustments” are scheduled weekly, and those who are and have been imprisoned on trumped-up charges for years, the coverage of these elite men and their travails seem to serve the purposes of the Junta rather than otherwise.
I suppose it’s only natural for the media and human rights organizations to respond to the squeakiest wheels when those wheels are colleagues from the same kind of class background as themselves.
Whether it effectively threatens or simply reinforces Thailand’s ugly class-based political travesty is another question altogether.
Facebook 
Twitter 
Soundcloud 
Youtube 
Rss
Thailand’s iron fist and an academic’s family
I think North Korea have a similar process.
Myanmar: where civil society and democracy collide
Poppy farmers one, Christians nil?
Perhaps the Pat Jasan vigilantes were barking up the wrong tree?
It’s almost like pro-life v pro-choice. Only here it’s about the lack of choice. Are they letting the middleman off the hook by targeting the ‘source’?
Polishing the plin-plan president
No one is trying to “pin Widodo’s loss of popularity on the western media”.
In response to an article by a western journalist lamenting Widodo’s “fall” from the avatar of SE Asian democracy to an “advocate for batik” I merely pointed out that the “unreal expectations” that were projected onto Widodo were likely more influential in the minds of western media consumers than in those of Indonesian voters.
In the western media’s fairy tale narrative, the evil general faced off with the Capraesque common man and democracy and the common man triumphed.
It was nonsense then and it would be nonsense now to think that this has something to do with Widodo’s own failings.
Western journalists promote the same narrative again and again in SE Asia, but SE Asia remains SE Asia.
I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to pin western media’s lack of honesty and willingness to deal with complexity on western media at all.
Survey of Thai Internet use and restrictions
The survey has been closed. Thank you again, everyone!
Polishing the plin-plan president
Trying to pin Widowos loss of popularity on the western media is a stretch. The contest was between a highly popular mayor and a former general in the dictatorship. The populist mayor won on the basis of anti corruption and a release from the old order but immediately was dragged into a war against his own party that led to the demise of the only effective corruption unit in the country. A lot of people are dissatisfied and now say the general would have been better.
Attempts by westerners to overstate their own influence are amusing. Indonesians are masters at the political game and well capable of inventing their own conspiracy theories.
Myanmar: where civil society and democracy collide
Nice piece, Aye Thein. What we have to realise (like with the lug thep issue in Thailand) is that ‘people’s voice’ is not always ‘God’s Voice’. Civil society is not liberal, tolerant or what-have-you simply by being civil society. As Thomas pointed out it can have a nasty side to itself. Similarly the churches or religious bodies: they were a force of democracy in Poland earlier, now they indulge in hate speech against refugees. In Germany, parts of civil society (Pegida, AfD) claim to speak for the people and Christian society, but do not do anything of the sort, quite the opposite. Same with the monks in Myanmar: earlier force for democracy, now? I could go on with the monks in Sri Lanka ad libitum. It is important to see that civil society constitutes itself only with and through dialogue, controversy and conflict. If it is stifled or suppressed, we naturally have these nasty excrescences.
Btw: who is it that puts these nice labels on civil society: good or bad monks, good or bad church, good or bad organisation? I think it is often the judgement from the outside. What do the people inside think (Aye Thein, I do not consider you as ‘outside’. You are obviously very much an ‘insider’)?
Islam, politics and violence in Malaysia
[…] This troubling trend is not limited to Indonesia. In the Philippines, there has been a growing radicalisation among youth in Mindanao. In Malaysia, the politicisation of Islam has played a role in the growing radicalisation of Malaysian youths. […]
Thailand’s iron fist and an academic’s family
The Soviet Union, especially during the Stalinist reign of terror, was infamous for punishing the closest relatives of dissidents
by proxy. The crimes of the present regime in Thailand should be made public such as in a leading article by Thomas Fuller in the International edition of the New York Times last week.
Thailand’s iron fist and an academic’s family
Yes, Anthony, but at least it is Thai-style fascism. Actually, Thailand has entered an era of the “disappeared” – such as plagued Argentina in the 70’s and 80’s.
Thailand’s iron fist and an academic’s family
If by “wake up” you mean go out into the streets to die for the right to elect yet another lame duck administration that changes nothing fundamental about the corrupt and illiberal operation of the Thai state but hands out subsidies to deflect from that fact, then, no, they will not “finally wake up”.
Mainly, of course, because they are not the ones who need to, being wide awake and beavering away at making a living already.
It’s the dozy ideologues who call for elections elections elections then call whatever results democracy that need to wake up.
But that isn’t likely since their whole take on Thailand is based in fantasy and denial and the pretense of deep satisfying sleep.
Set your alarm, dude.
Sex robots and the sex trade
[…] ethicist and director of the Campaign Against Sex Robots, Dr. Kathleen Richardson, stated that the very business idea of sex robots is modelled on the already existing businesses of the sex […]
Myanmar: where civil society and democracy collide
Precious reference. Thank you.
Thailand’s iron fist and an academic’s family
Thailand under the Rule of its Military Dictarship is slipping slowly but steadily into outright Fascism. Will Thais continue to acquiesce, remain for the most part docile and passive. Or will they finally wake up?
Myanmar: where civil society and democracy collide
And then some. This time it’s government officials one, lawmakers nil. Go figure.
The future lies in real civil society, not their proxies and minions, exercising people power.
Myanmar: where civil society and democracy collide
If this kind of action by the authorities does not indicate what their real agenda is, I don’t know what does.
Reconciliation but not as you know it, be it race, ethnicity or religion.
Double standards certainly prevail in their ‘rule of law’ – one law for Ma Ba Tha, another law for the rest… you can go on and on.
Myanmar: where civil society and democracy collide
Christian vigilantes drew fire. Pat Jasan bloodied but unbowed. Hundreds took part in a protest in Myitkyina.
Polishing the plin-plan president
This speaker below speaks like a Widodo admirer who said Widodo looks dumb but smart enough to choose his right-hand men such as Luhut and US-educated minister Rizal Ramli. In general, Indonesia’s neighbors like to see this sprawling archipelago backward, corrupted, and easy to cheat because if Indonesia is strong and powerful, its neighbours will suffer and become paranoid. Look at China now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tt_t8Qqlmw
The Thai princess and her loo by the lake
The Privy Council reportedly approved its construction.
Polishing the plin-plan president
A long list of how foreigners, western companies in particular, plunders the country of its riches with the help of crooked political elites. With the latest one being an Australian company trying to cheat them out of Masella gas deposit off the coast of the Moluccas. At least thats the gist of this debate.
Just to give a background, Indonesia by nature is a feudal society, where the common practice is anyone from anywhere free to take whatever they wish so long as gift being presented to whoever holds the gun at the time. This unlikely to change in foreseeable future. Any commotion now is just transition of power. Will soon be business as usual.
Commedia Indonesiana at its best, with possible bloodbath in the end. And hundreds of millions trampled in poverty, breeding resentment to foreigners with their reference of prosperity is the way of some wealthy middle eastern countries.
Nothing about Widodo though. Nil.
Thailand’s iron fist and an academic’s family
It’s no doubt a good thing that so much publicity is generated around the military government’s intimidation of people like Pravit Rojanaphruk and the family of Khun Pavin.
It’s also no doubt a good thing that both of these men are able to generate support from various elements of the “international community” to get enough leverage to mitigate some of the effects of authoritarian abuse of power.
What is open to doubt is whether the highlighting of such abuses as being called a “sonofabitch”, having your sister called at work, or even. as in Pravit’s case, being held in a WINDOWLESS room for 48 hours is effectively obscuring the more widespread and arguably more vicious abuse of redshirts in Isan and the North.
Compared to the coverage of the hundreds, possibly thousands, of reds and their families who are regularly subject to the intimidation of “home visits”, whose “attitude adjustments” are scheduled weekly, and those who are and have been imprisoned on trumped-up charges for years, the coverage of these elite men and their travails seem to serve the purposes of the Junta rather than otherwise.
I suppose it’s only natural for the media and human rights organizations to respond to the squeakiest wheels when those wheels are colleagues from the same kind of class background as themselves.
Whether it effectively threatens or simply reinforces Thailand’s ugly class-based political travesty is another question altogether.