Very interesting and useful article. Vietnam’s relations with China, especially over the East Sea aka South China Sea, clearly divide the Communist Party. Most Vietnamese resent China’s claims and actions but unlike Filipinos are less strident both officially and and at a “popular” level (of course Filipinos are far more able to freely express opinions contrary to their Government) although via social media Vietnamese have not been that “shy” or “reserved”.
My guess is that the Party leadership in Vietnam has to be far more realistic than any elected government in the Philippines. As an archipelago, even if dependent on China for trade to a larger extent than it might like to be, it can afford to “huff-and-puff”. Militarily the Philippines poses no threat to China at all. Vietnam by way of contrast, admittedly a long time ago, did teach China a lesson but probably does not think this is possible now. Relying on the US to serve as a counter-weight to China is also probably of very limited utility.
Some of the practical manifestations of Vietnam’s adroitness in the face of adversity is that along with the Philippines it was a foundation signatory to the creation of China’s proposed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank but unlike the Philippines it signed the Articles of Agreement in June of this year. The Philippines are blasted by Chinese officialdom for its alleged “grandstanding” but it can also be noted that Thailand – which is a close ally of China and even closer under the current non-elected military government – also did not sign these Articles of Agreement. There was no hue-and-cry from Beijing on Thailand’s non-signature. Therefore, perhaps not too much should be read into this refusal by the Philippines.
It is almost completely laughable that Gaik Cheng Khoo centers citizenship and civic-duty in the Bersih 4 rally, whether failed or otherwise. It’s also laughable that Gaik Cheng Khoo argues that only the regime perpetuates and practices racism and corruption in Malaysia when even Blind Freddy will tell you that both practices are equally rampant among Malaysians at all levels of that country’s “society” and in every realm of existence. So it becomes questionable if the ideas of citizenship and civic-mindedness really do apply to Malaysia’s past and present politics and their machinations at different levels of analysis. Personally I do not find Arendt useful as an analytical tool for discussions of “Asian” politics, much less Malaysia’s. The key to understanding lies a great deal more in the sources of social power and the interstices in which they arise and recede (but never permanently). Gaik Cheng Khoo should know this better, being in Malaysia and as a professor, rather than posit or usurp theories as old as the modernization school’s that have, like neoclassical economics, been rendered impotent for more than 40 years — at least. Even Samuel Huntington’s thesis wouldn’t work here to effectively explain Malaysia’s gut-wrenchingly deep-seated and society-wide racism and corruption.
Almost two weeks after the Bersih 4 rally, the status quo has been maintained. To be sure, regime maintenance in Malaysia has shown its rigidity and, ipso facto, the Berish 4 rally (or protest) has not made a dent in Umno’s armor. Why not? The answers lie not in the mainstream media, the alternative media or indeed social media. Perhaps Bersih 4 still is a novice at this game and does not fully understand the nature of the structural power of the state (rather than institutions) in Malaysia.
The other huge problem for Bersih 4 is that the glaring absence of Malays in the protest robbed the movement of any political legitimacy this time around but it also reflects confusion among Malays about Bersih 4’s ‘agenda’ in 2015. Might it be different if such a rally or protest is held closer to the 2018 elections? This far out, it’s hard to say.
Another problem is that only the lower middle class of predominantly Chinese Malaysians attended the rally. The upper-crust didn’t show — if the size of crowd, as Meredith Weiss implies, is an important factor in the success or failure of the rally. At this point it’s safe to say the rally failed to stir the regime. Even the regime’s protectors, the police, were relatively unmoved, as highlighted by relative its low-key presence.
There are other possibilities, the biggest of which deals with the general and specific relationship between corruption and society (whatever society is supposed to mean) in Malaysia. In some ways Bersih needs to return to the drawing board, as it were, and rethink its strategy if another rally is to be held ion the eve of the elections in 2018, but first it had better out a few critical issues about itself that have made Malays stay away in droves from Bersih 4.
Without organic Malay support and activism, rallies of this sort simply won’t matter in bringing about socio-political change in Malaysia, especially as the ideological force that has embedded the political and economic systems (one and the same thing, really) in that country is what requires be to ‘uncaged’.
What’s “mulut masam”? I’m a Chinese-American graduate student in Political Science. It was my room-mate, a Malay-Malaysian, who got me interested in Malaysia. In the last 5 years I’ve been there 3 times to do some studies. Our police don’t pay as well as the private sectors, too, and our soldiers even less. Why are we well represented in American police and arm forces? What “terrifying conditions” are you talking about? Remember we have occasional foreign wars and Malaysia has none at all. Why is UMNO so opposed to drafting? We are represented because the system is open with equal opportunity for promotion. By the way, is there any Chinese-Malaysian general?
Remind me of what CEO of a German airline said after the crash of flight 9525, “When you are responsible for the death of 150 lives, I don’t call it suicide.” In the same way, when your hypocrisy costs lives, I don’t call you hypocrite; I call you mass-murderer. (“You” in general) Sadly, there are countless “mass murderers” in the West who would let Myanmar burn to rise a bit of dopamine activities in their brains. If you are the one, I would recommend you to take drugs rather than using Myanmar as your ego-booster. Your hypocrisy had costed lives in the past and it is costing lives now.
Three years ago, in the aftermath of 2012 riots, I went to Rakhine. There were hostilities but deep down, both communities felt guilty about what they had done. In fact, one Muslim leader who now lives in the US wrote an op-ed in a newspaper that was apologetic in nature and the most neutral piece anyone could expect from them. For Rakhine, as ICG has described, “there were regret and disbelief”. At first, even Western agencies like BBC told the truth and described the conflict as started by Muslims as a revenge for 10 Muslims killed earlier in a reprisal attack for the rape and murder of Ma Thiada Thwe. HRW didn’t take too long to defend their breadwinners who provided them with very good fundraising stories: ” All those years of abuses and neglect are bound to bubble up at some point, and that’s what we are seeing right now”. (Implicit assumption: they *began* the riots because of “abuse” and “neglect”. Well, I don’t hide the facts that Muslims suffered more in Sittwe, because they were minority there, BUT Buddhists suffered more in Maungdaw and Bauthitaung. Apparently, as the situation worsened, Sittwe Muslims couldn’t return.)
Yet there were signs of problems. Western NGO staff openly sided with Muslims and treated government officials and Rakhine residents with contempt as recorded in investigation committee papers. Except by politicians, the Muslims I met didn’t use the word “Rohingya” to describe themselves. They just called themselves “Muslims”. (See ICG papers and e.g. Leider 2012, 13, 14) Yet the word most had never used has become central part of Western campaign for so-called “self-identity”. The West created the problem, because THEY needed to feed their ego. Soon, a climate of hectoring, lecturing, shaming, and scaremongering begins. Writing about Muslim attacks is no longer “politically correct”. Muslims are victims. Rakhine are perpetrators, who, despite over two hundreds of them were imprisoned (Investigation committee papers), –many for life within six months of riots– enjoy “impunity”. Perhaps, entire 2 million should be incarcerated to appease the West. For all these lies and distortion, almost Muslims alone received a hundred million donation and colossal medical and other supplies from NGO and MSF, so much that they sold the “surplus” in the market. Rakhine villages I went, survived by drinking muddy water.
So I wonder is there something called “a right to lie”? Because I have never seen any “human rights defender” speaks or writes without exaggeration, distortion and fabrication, involved. I don’t mean to attack the author but let’s take cited Fortify Rights paper as an example. The documents are neither “leaked” nor “obtained by Fortify Rights”. Countless studies have investigated into similar claims. Derek Tonkin states, the Fortify Rights report served “no useful purpose except to aggravate a complex and difficult situation” (Mizzima, Feb 2015). Because “leaks” attract attention, outright lies were used. I did the same thing when I was a “human rights defender” three years ago. Do you know why? Their brains tell them that “a lie is worth ‘saving’ people”. And they go down all the way along the slippery slope.
Just imagine you’re a Rakhine who lives in Maungdaw, and your village was burned and your family was massacred during the riots, and you read a totally biased article like “The Most Persecuted Minority?” from the Economist which is 90% (literally!) filled with lies. Your blood will boil. Perhaps, you may even organize an attack against American NGOs and journalists. That’s why subsequent attacks against NGOs occurred. That’s why I don’t call these journalists and lobbyists “hypocrites”. I now find truths in the government’s statement that they are “killers in the air waves”.
For my part, I was simply making the point that the rejection does not necessarily amount to a victory for democracy. This is a view I now hold more strongly than ever.
Did I like the constitution? No I did not. I believe Prayut and his cronies to be a disgrace to Thailand, and we should not be shy about exposing them as such.
One person who does n’t seem fazed at all about the LM laws is the Crown Prince. Despite gross invasions of his privacy – eg. over a certain poolside birthday party – the CP has remained cool, calm and collected.
[…] of judges. Weak campaign-finance laws leave too much scope for political patronage. Parties can spend freely between elections and don’t have to account for contributions. An anonymous $700 million […]
Larry Moy, are you certain your reason for the lack of other races other than Malays in our defence force is correct? I always thought the majority of Chinese do not want to work in terrifying conditions that do not pay well. They would rather work in other occupations that give them better working conditions and high salary. There is very little patriotism in this equation. But your saying this would actually make the authorities think twice about taking in other races. It’s what in Malay is called ‘mulut masam’.
Bersih is not as civic-minded as they try to make out with their brooms and dustpans. They have been slapped with a RM60k fine by the city council. They refuse to pay it and want to be taken to court. A totally irresponsible attitude. At the end of the day it is tax payer’s money. Just as saying that they can do all the marching they want and they expect the police to keep the peace. I enjoy the carnival, please clean up after me. At your cost. And then expect to be accorded respect. That’s why I call it anarchy.
You want reforms but yet accuse others who have different opinion as cyber troopers and shout them down. So much for walking the talk on reforms and democratic principles.
This is the problem with the so-called supporters of the democracy / Opposition in Malaysia. They talk freedom of expression but when someone dare to differ with them, you accuse them of hired guns. Instead of engaging in debates they try to shout them down. This is the classic case of how they behave.
You are an academic and should know the appropriate statistical and research methodologies. Talking to rally goers and getting their feedback and reporting is something reporters do. But from a research point it is wrong. It is like going to a Hare Krishna convention and asking what they think of a beef steak.
An academic is someone who analyse the political situation from various perspectives and strives to keep out sampling and other biases. This is quite different from a reporter.
The Merdeka Center Survey showed that a majority of Malaysians do not support the rally and this is a fact.
I am perplexed regarding your charge of me being selective with truths? I would expect an academic to be a bit more objective and factual when making such statements.
Yes, not all Chinese vote for DAP. But it is also true that 85 to 95% did vote DAP/PR in the last election.
Please do try and get your facts right. The male to female ratio is more or less level pegging everywhere 93:100 (except in Kachin State – 108:100) according to last year’s census. And a ‘monogamy law’ is now on the statute book.
Gerhard, no need to entertain these BN cybertroopers. A waste of brain cells! Wanting real democratic reforms while maintaining support for the currently corrupt regime and political system? Pffttt! Sycophantic at its worst!
What of the Buddhists in theSouth? Malays who identify as Thai and are alienated by Muslim separatist militants? Patani in the past was thought of as neither Buddhist nor Muslim due to its hybrid realities. True Bangkok has colonized the South but also the North and Northeast with its normative notion of Thainess.The key issue, as my own research explores, is Thai racism against “Khaek” which excludes Malay Muslims from being Thai citizens-not that citizenship exists in present day Thailand
Facebook 
Twitter 
Soundcloud 
Youtube 
Rss
Remembering the victims of lese majeste
Cool, calm and collected …. equals clueless?
Name another epithet that nails Thailand’s prince persona perfectly . . . anyone?
Following the leaders in Vietnam
Very interesting and useful article. Vietnam’s relations with China, especially over the East Sea aka South China Sea, clearly divide the Communist Party. Most Vietnamese resent China’s claims and actions but unlike Filipinos are less strident both officially and and at a “popular” level (of course Filipinos are far more able to freely express opinions contrary to their Government) although via social media Vietnamese have not been that “shy” or “reserved”.
My guess is that the Party leadership in Vietnam has to be far more realistic than any elected government in the Philippines. As an archipelago, even if dependent on China for trade to a larger extent than it might like to be, it can afford to “huff-and-puff”. Militarily the Philippines poses no threat to China at all. Vietnam by way of contrast, admittedly a long time ago, did teach China a lesson but probably does not think this is possible now. Relying on the US to serve as a counter-weight to China is also probably of very limited utility.
Some of the practical manifestations of Vietnam’s adroitness in the face of adversity is that along with the Philippines it was a foundation signatory to the creation of China’s proposed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank but unlike the Philippines it signed the Articles of Agreement in June of this year. The Philippines are blasted by Chinese officialdom for its alleged “grandstanding” but it can also be noted that Thailand – which is a close ally of China and even closer under the current non-elected military government – also did not sign these Articles of Agreement. There was no hue-and-cry from Beijing on Thailand’s non-signature. Therefore, perhaps not too much should be read into this refusal by the Philippines.
Bersih 4, citizenship and civics in Malaysia
It is almost completely laughable that Gaik Cheng Khoo centers citizenship and civic-duty in the Bersih 4 rally, whether failed or otherwise. It’s also laughable that Gaik Cheng Khoo argues that only the regime perpetuates and practices racism and corruption in Malaysia when even Blind Freddy will tell you that both practices are equally rampant among Malaysians at all levels of that country’s “society” and in every realm of existence. So it becomes questionable if the ideas of citizenship and civic-mindedness really do apply to Malaysia’s past and present politics and their machinations at different levels of analysis. Personally I do not find Arendt useful as an analytical tool for discussions of “Asian” politics, much less Malaysia’s. The key to understanding lies a great deal more in the sources of social power and the interstices in which they arise and recede (but never permanently). Gaik Cheng Khoo should know this better, being in Malaysia and as a professor, rather than posit or usurp theories as old as the modernization school’s that have, like neoclassical economics, been rendered impotent for more than 40 years — at least. Even Samuel Huntington’s thesis wouldn’t work here to effectively explain Malaysia’s gut-wrenchingly deep-seated and society-wide racism and corruption.
Bersih 4 from both sides of the barricades
Almost two weeks after the Bersih 4 rally, the status quo has been maintained. To be sure, regime maintenance in Malaysia has shown its rigidity and, ipso facto, the Berish 4 rally (or protest) has not made a dent in Umno’s armor. Why not? The answers lie not in the mainstream media, the alternative media or indeed social media. Perhaps Bersih 4 still is a novice at this game and does not fully understand the nature of the structural power of the state (rather than institutions) in Malaysia.
The other huge problem for Bersih 4 is that the glaring absence of Malays in the protest robbed the movement of any political legitimacy this time around but it also reflects confusion among Malays about Bersih 4’s ‘agenda’ in 2015. Might it be different if such a rally or protest is held closer to the 2018 elections? This far out, it’s hard to say.
Another problem is that only the lower middle class of predominantly Chinese Malaysians attended the rally. The upper-crust didn’t show — if the size of crowd, as Meredith Weiss implies, is an important factor in the success or failure of the rally. At this point it’s safe to say the rally failed to stir the regime. Even the regime’s protectors, the police, were relatively unmoved, as highlighted by relative its low-key presence.
There are other possibilities, the biggest of which deals with the general and specific relationship between corruption and society (whatever society is supposed to mean) in Malaysia. In some ways Bersih needs to return to the drawing board, as it were, and rethink its strategy if another rally is to be held ion the eve of the elections in 2018, but first it had better out a few critical issues about itself that have made Malays stay away in droves from Bersih 4.
Without organic Malay support and activism, rallies of this sort simply won’t matter in bringing about socio-political change in Malaysia, especially as the ideological force that has embedded the political and economic systems (one and the same thing, really) in that country is what requires be to ‘uncaged’.
The medium of people power
What’s “mulut masam”? I’m a Chinese-American graduate student in Political Science. It was my room-mate, a Malay-Malaysian, who got me interested in Malaysia. In the last 5 years I’ve been there 3 times to do some studies. Our police don’t pay as well as the private sectors, too, and our soldiers even less. Why are we well represented in American police and arm forces? What “terrifying conditions” are you talking about? Remember we have occasional foreign wars and Malaysia has none at all. Why is UMNO so opposed to drafting? We are represented because the system is open with equal opportunity for promotion. By the way, is there any Chinese-Malaysian general?
Myanmar and the world’s next mass atrocity
Remind me of what CEO of a German airline said after the crash of flight 9525, “When you are responsible for the death of 150 lives, I don’t call it suicide.” In the same way, when your hypocrisy costs lives, I don’t call you hypocrite; I call you mass-murderer. (“You” in general) Sadly, there are countless “mass murderers” in the West who would let Myanmar burn to rise a bit of dopamine activities in their brains. If you are the one, I would recommend you to take drugs rather than using Myanmar as your ego-booster. Your hypocrisy had costed lives in the past and it is costing lives now.
Three years ago, in the aftermath of 2012 riots, I went to Rakhine. There were hostilities but deep down, both communities felt guilty about what they had done. In fact, one Muslim leader who now lives in the US wrote an op-ed in a newspaper that was apologetic in nature and the most neutral piece anyone could expect from them. For Rakhine, as ICG has described, “there were regret and disbelief”. At first, even Western agencies like BBC told the truth and described the conflict as started by Muslims as a revenge for 10 Muslims killed earlier in a reprisal attack for the rape and murder of Ma Thiada Thwe. HRW didn’t take too long to defend their breadwinners who provided them with very good fundraising stories: ” All those years of abuses and neglect are bound to bubble up at some point, and that’s what we are seeing right now”. (Implicit assumption: they *began* the riots because of “abuse” and “neglect”. Well, I don’t hide the facts that Muslims suffered more in Sittwe, because they were minority there, BUT Buddhists suffered more in Maungdaw and Bauthitaung. Apparently, as the situation worsened, Sittwe Muslims couldn’t return.)
Yet there were signs of problems. Western NGO staff openly sided with Muslims and treated government officials and Rakhine residents with contempt as recorded in investigation committee papers. Except by politicians, the Muslims I met didn’t use the word “Rohingya” to describe themselves. They just called themselves “Muslims”. (See ICG papers and e.g. Leider 2012, 13, 14) Yet the word most had never used has become central part of Western campaign for so-called “self-identity”. The West created the problem, because THEY needed to feed their ego. Soon, a climate of hectoring, lecturing, shaming, and scaremongering begins. Writing about Muslim attacks is no longer “politically correct”. Muslims are victims. Rakhine are perpetrators, who, despite over two hundreds of them were imprisoned (Investigation committee papers), –many for life within six months of riots– enjoy “impunity”. Perhaps, entire 2 million should be incarcerated to appease the West. For all these lies and distortion, almost Muslims alone received a hundred million donation and colossal medical and other supplies from NGO and MSF, so much that they sold the “surplus” in the market. Rakhine villages I went, survived by drinking muddy water.
So I wonder is there something called “a right to lie”? Because I have never seen any “human rights defender” speaks or writes without exaggeration, distortion and fabrication, involved. I don’t mean to attack the author but let’s take cited Fortify Rights paper as an example. The documents are neither “leaked” nor “obtained by Fortify Rights”. Countless studies have investigated into similar claims. Derek Tonkin states, the Fortify Rights report served “no useful purpose except to aggravate a complex and difficult situation” (Mizzima, Feb 2015). Because “leaks” attract attention, outright lies were used. I did the same thing when I was a “human rights defender” three years ago. Do you know why? Their brains tell them that “a lie is worth ‘saving’ people”. And they go down all the way along the slippery slope.
Just imagine you’re a Rakhine who lives in Maungdaw, and your village was burned and your family was massacred during the riots, and you read a totally biased article like “The Most Persecuted Minority?” from the Economist which is 90% (literally!) filled with lies. Your blood will boil. Perhaps, you may even organize an attack against American NGOs and journalists. That’s why subsequent attacks against NGOs occurred. That’s why I don’t call these journalists and lobbyists “hypocrites”. I now find truths in the government’s statement that they are “killers in the air waves”.
“Peaceful” community’s response to arrest of a rapist (according to an officer). You can see men, women and children wielding swords and throwing rocks at the police. I have seen worse videos which show them throwing fire lances. The videos can no longer be found.
https://www.facebook.com/waiyan.ko.946/videos/o.904987886211034/116591378691293/?type=2&theater
Coups and constitutions
For my part, I was simply making the point that the rejection does not necessarily amount to a victory for democracy. This is a view I now hold more strongly than ever.
Did I like the constitution? No I did not. I believe Prayut and his cronies to be a disgrace to Thailand, and we should not be shy about exposing them as such.
Remembering the victims of lese majeste
One person who does n’t seem fazed at all about the LM laws is the Crown Prince. Despite gross invasions of his privacy – eg. over a certain poolside birthday party – the CP has remained cool, calm and collected.
Bersih 4, citizenship and civics in Malaysia
BERSIH 4 was the common folks participation in fighting against the “banality of evil”. Pity you did not connect Hannah Arendt thoughts to this.
Reading the tea leaves of 1MDB
[…] of judges. Weak campaign-finance laws leave too much scope for political patronage. Parties can spend freely between elections and don’t have to account for contributions. An anonymous $700 million […]
Remembering the victims of lese majeste
Thanks for these sad memories. Everyday that these innocent people are wrongly confined in jail, it means the end of Thai monarchy is near.
The medium of people power
Larry Moy, are you certain your reason for the lack of other races other than Malays in our defence force is correct? I always thought the majority of Chinese do not want to work in terrifying conditions that do not pay well. They would rather work in other occupations that give them better working conditions and high salary. There is very little patriotism in this equation. But your saying this would actually make the authorities think twice about taking in other races. It’s what in Malay is called ‘mulut masam’.
Bersih 4, citizenship and civics in Malaysia
Bersih is not as civic-minded as they try to make out with their brooms and dustpans. They have been slapped with a RM60k fine by the city council. They refuse to pay it and want to be taken to court. A totally irresponsible attitude. At the end of the day it is tax payer’s money. Just as saying that they can do all the marching they want and they expect the police to keep the peace. I enjoy the carnival, please clean up after me. At your cost. And then expect to be accorded respect. That’s why I call it anarchy.
Bersih 4.0 takes over Kuala Lumpur
You want reforms but yet accuse others who have different opinion as cyber troopers and shout them down. So much for walking the talk on reforms and democratic principles.
Bersih 4.0 takes over Kuala Lumpur
This is the problem with the so-called supporters of the democracy / Opposition in Malaysia. They talk freedom of expression but when someone dare to differ with them, you accuse them of hired guns. Instead of engaging in debates they try to shout them down. This is the classic case of how they behave.
Bersih 4.0 takes over Kuala Lumpur
Gerhard,
You are an academic and should know the appropriate statistical and research methodologies. Talking to rally goers and getting their feedback and reporting is something reporters do. But from a research point it is wrong. It is like going to a Hare Krishna convention and asking what they think of a beef steak.
An academic is someone who analyse the political situation from various perspectives and strives to keep out sampling and other biases. This is quite different from a reporter.
The Merdeka Center Survey showed that a majority of Malaysians do not support the rally and this is a fact.
I am perplexed regarding your charge of me being selective with truths? I would expect an academic to be a bit more objective and factual when making such statements.
Yes, not all Chinese vote for DAP. But it is also true that 85 to 95% did vote DAP/PR in the last election.
Women crucial to Myanmar’s democratic transition
Please do try and get your facts right. The male to female ratio is more or less level pegging everywhere 93:100 (except in Kachin State – 108:100) according to last year’s census. And a ‘monogamy law’ is now on the statute book.
Bersih 4.0 takes over Kuala Lumpur
Gerhard, no need to entertain these BN cybertroopers. A waste of brain cells! Wanting real democratic reforms while maintaining support for the currently corrupt regime and political system? Pffttt! Sycophantic at its worst!
Small steps towards democracy in Singapore
[…] http://www.newmandala.org/2015/09/10/small-steps-towards-democracy-in-singapore/ […]
“Independence or martyrdom” in Thailand’s Deep South
What of the Buddhists in theSouth? Malays who identify as Thai and are alienated by Muslim separatist militants? Patani in the past was thought of as neither Buddhist nor Muslim due to its hybrid realities. True Bangkok has colonized the South but also the North and Northeast with its normative notion of Thainess.The key issue, as my own research explores, is Thai racism against “Khaek” which excludes Malay Muslims from being Thai citizens-not that citizenship exists in present day Thailand