[…] it leaves between these two countries, many commentators are skipping the meta-picture. Devotees of James Scott will nod their heads in agreement that a discrete-states approach to understanding spaces like […]
i am sad to hear that Pamela Gutman has passed away. Being partly of Arakan descent, I have read her book many times. Very striking pictures! It is interesting to note that Arakan was not only heavily influenced by Indian culture, but also by Persian and Arab traders, not to mention the Portuguese (much later).
“The meaning of being a friend mostly appears when a friend has a problem and needs support from a friend,” Prayut said during a joint press conference after meeting with Medvedev.
“Russia has been long been a friend to Thailand, for almost 120 years.”
Nuat Namman’s modest proposal is most welcome, but I would swiftly add that the Thai regime’s current advertising blitz on international TV media (‘We Thais are different… when we’re bored…. when we’re sad….when the idiots in the north and north east elect a government we don’t like…..’) is an even more hard-hitting satire. Good to see that the ever ethical CNN and Great Aunt Beeb run such witty stuff (and bank the proceeds)
Of course the paternalism is by no means confined to the old colonial masters vis-├а-vis Orientals and the rest. Hidden or overt violent tendencies was the the main thrust of Hla Oo’s series of narrative on Burma in NM here five years ago. The swinish multitude in his country of birth is just as violent as the ruling class was the message. Where he was coming from was pretty transparent if you weren’t simply caught up by his talent for story telling combined with the novelty of the source, a Tatmadaw deserter.
Well, it is closer to the truth to say that the ruling classes, colonial or domestic with authoritarian tendencies, are just as paternalistic as one another.
‘The idea that Cambodians have “hidden violent tendencies” is obviously orientalist, racist,’
Why? So long as you accept, and I do, that all of us have those same hidden tendencies, where’s the racism? We create our problems, mostly. So do Cambodians Timorese Haitians and Greeks. There’s nothing racist or orientalist about apportioning responsibility to individuals and asking them to examine their personal and cultural values, as the author does, reminding the reader of similar Australian tendencies.
In fact, the opposite. By not requiring individuals to take responsibility for their actions we replicate the old colonialist trope of paternalism – treating them as children v us, the adults in the room. By denying them responsibility for their own actions, we make it easier to deny them their rights as well. You’d be amazed, or not, how quickly NGO lefties sank into this thinking in E.Timor.
[…] In an article earlier this year, Dr Poh said that if “the Barisan Sosialis had won in a fair and clean election” and were not unjustly imprisoned, “There would be social justice and economic dignity for the sick and disabled, the old and retired and other vulnerable groups. […]
I think Thaksin’s influence and popularity is very much decreasing now that he has been seen as what he is… merely another rich, strongman who wanted to get power and access to contracts, gifts for his entourage (much like every other politician/ militaryman/ businessman wants to do everywhere- but the law prevents them from doing so). But, it cannot be denied that he had a good strategy- giving to the poor; free healthcare/ rise subsidies.. This is not just a good electoral strategy but a good economic strategy.. the economy improves when the poor are allowed to share in the country’s wealth.. this is a hard principle for those at the top, in positions of power and wealth to accept. Thaksin’s power was too much, without doubt.. he is a bad man, no doubt but that doesn’t mean that the Red Shirts/ poor etc were not fighting for something just and right. It is sad that in this country it seems to achieve anything you need millionaires (like those in the military or media for instance) to do it. There is a grassroots movement independent of Thaksin.. and they are Thai people, real Thais.. they want a decent life, access to proper education and acceptable access to decisions that affect their country. One side is keeping the other down and blaming it on a man who seems to have washed his hands of this country and its people. The slight movement towards democracy (it was never anything more than extremely limited) was good for Thailand.. the problem is that the poor are now being punished because of one man that gained from it. To say no one has been harmed by martial law… it is insane. And where will it end? Will Thailand go back to the Cold-War?
What would have been the basis for transferring sovereignty of the Keeling (Cocos) Islands to Malaya or Malaysia ?
Well, let’s see:
In 1867, the Island’s administration was placed under the Straits Settlements, which included Penang, Malacca and Singapore (but not the Malay Sultanates). Queen Victoria granted the islands in perpetuity to the Clunies-Ross family in 1886.
The Clunies-Ross family supported confederation with British Malaya, which meant that independence and federation with
Malaysia, ‘might’ have been possible. However, The Malay population of the Islands themselves were unhappy with Clunies-Ross,
and when Australia claimed domain over the
Islands, the Malay population hardly complained, let alone rebelled (which they
surely could have).
Please also remember that the Islands had
always been roughly 50 % Malay and 50 %
(Home Island) Western and “Mulatto”. Even today, the Cocos Islands are not 100 %
Malay, even if 80 % of the Malays are Sunni
Muslims. Note that 99 % < of Malaysian Malays are Sunni Muslims, which must mean
~ 20 % of the Cocos Malays are something else, probably Christian, which means they
would not be regarded as real Malays in Malaysia. People did "hook up" back then,
quite a bit.
The Cocos Malays, according to Malaysian law, have the "Right of Return". That means
any Cocos Malay can obtain immediate Malaysian citizenship, and there are several
such communities in Sabah, in particular.
I don't see how Clunies-Ross would have convinced the Western inhabitants of the Islands to accept confederation with Malaysia, after the British had already left, considering that Malaysia was already almost entirely Asian, and 70 % Muslim. I know of no such example in history. On the contrary, Rajah Brooke hardly wanted confederation with the Peninsula and Sarawak (what we now call his former territory) was already 85 % non-Western in the early 20th Century. Singapore did have confederation for a while (see above), but why would the PAP and Lee Kuan Yew want a bunch of isolated islands, far away, and half British and half Malay, with very few Chinese ?
I think, after Merdeka, it never even crossed LKY's mind, nor Tunku Abdul Rahman's, except in the context that all overseas Malays (Cocos, "Cham" in Cambodia, South African Malays and Sri Lankan Malays) could return to Malaysia, just as Javanese in (Dutch) Suriname could stay or return to Indonesia. Sukarno never called for Suriname to be accessioned to Indonesia (despite the 30,000 Km distance), though during Konfrontasi, Sukarno didn't hesitate to claim Malaysia as Indonesian territory. Brunei, far richer (and smaller) than Malaysia or Indonesia, preferred to remain a Sultanate, which made the Bolkiahs rich, but did little for indigenous Ibans. Cocos Malays had no such Royal lineages of standing, and the British would have taken them away, anyway. Australia administered Papua New Guinea (which had been German) and despite crude appearance, Sepik River tribes and Australian Aborigines may only be, at most, distantly related and certainly PM Tony Abbott and former PNG PM Michael Somare have little in common, ethnically, but that didn't prevent Australian influence in PNG in years past, and even today.
Thus, it is not at all clear that 100 % of the Malays on the Cocos Islands wanted to be federated with Malaysia, or the Islands would likely be uninhabited today, with few jobs, except fishing. It is not correct that Malaya or British Expatriates were unfamiliar with the Cocos Islands, as I have indicated. At least half, if not more, apparently preferred Commonwealth or Australian status, rather than Malaysian federation. Those that wanted to be "real" Malays left for Malaysia, long ago. Considering the good quality of life on the islands (despite limited economic opportunities), the relatively high literacy rate, and the lack of major political disturbances, despite its isolation, I suspect you will find quite a few Cocos Malays, who are just fine where they are, especially those who are well-familiar with the political free fall, taking place in Malaysia. To put it another way, the Cocos Malays are a gentle lot, and almost all of the ethnic and religious animosity that animates Malaysia, is lacking on the Cocos Islands.
If the Malays of Cocos Islands had opted to join Malaysia, would such an option have been allowed by the British authorities ? I am still wondering why the sovereignty of Christmas Island was transferred to Australia instead of Singapore or Malaya in 1957. Had the people of Malaya and Singapore ever been consulted concerning the loss of such a territory to Australia ? Perhaps only among the expat British colonial officers were informed of such an arrangement!
Please re-read my posting. I am not saying that postcolonial studies are irrelevant.
I said two things.
A) that you were selectively quoting Roberts and not taking into account his full discussion.
B) The idea that Cambodians have “hidden violent tendencies” is obviously orientalist, racist, and fundamentally insulting for Cambodians, and indeed for anyone who is a humanist. And continually going on and on about critiquing this idea is giving the idea way more credence than it deserves, and could even be seen as problematic in itself. But if one considers that such ideas do still hold sway, then one should identify accurately where they are coming from.
I suggested it may be time to wrap up discussion of this idea of violent orientalism (not the entire field of post-colonial studies) and move on to more productive conversations. However, I also said that this was just my impression, and that I was open to other views (e.g. if people thought that this was still an important debate to be having).
Edward Said, whom I knew at Columbia, was a liar. He was born in Cairo and certainly not in “Palestine”. There were innumerable irregularities in his writings and several plagiarisms. Therefore, the Doyen of Anti-Orientalism, or the bogus term Postcolonial Studies, was not credible and all the useless work based on his fallacies lack credibility. Said did not build the trains in India, the British did…
Interesting to place recent goings on in a historical context!
Though I’d be wary of saying the Association Registration Law has ‘fundamentally altered people’s right to freely associate’. This law doesn’t stand in isolation. And the devil will be in the detailed by-laws.
Plus many (most?) international actors are only supporting registered groups, effectively meaning that only civil society groups sanctioned by Home Affairs can receive foreign support – even though registration is voluntary under the law.
There was a prophecy before Mandalay fell to the industrial might and globalization onslaught of the British Empire – Happy days’ll be here again when the Kalar (meaning Europeans here) and the mosquitoes have to be pictured. Imagine the intrigues going on both inside the palace and among the Europeans at Yadanabon Naypyidaw at the time, particularly the Anglo-French rivalry with their own designs on the Kingdom of Ava.
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Review of The Art of Not Being Governed
[…] it leaves between these two countries, many commentators are skipping the meta-picture. Devotees of James Scott will nod their heads in agreement that a discrete-states approach to understanding spaces like […]
Vale Pamela Gutman
i am sad to hear that Pamela Gutman has passed away. Being partly of Arakan descent, I have read her book many times. Very striking pictures! It is interesting to note that Arakan was not only heavily influenced by Indian culture, but also by Persian and Arab traders, not to mention the Portuguese (much later).
America needs Thai style democracy
This just in:
“The meaning of being a friend mostly appears when a friend has a problem and needs support from a friend,” Prayut said during a joint press conference after meeting with Medvedev.
“Russia has been long been a friend to Thailand, for almost 120 years.”
America needs Thai style democracy
Nuat Namman’s modest proposal is most welcome, but I would swiftly add that the Thai regime’s current advertising blitz on international TV media (‘We Thais are different… when we’re bored…. when we’re sad….when the idiots in the north and north east elect a government we don’t like…..’) is an even more hard-hitting satire. Good to see that the ever ethical CNN and Great Aunt Beeb run such witty stuff (and bank the proceeds)
ANU Thai Studies Conference
Any thought to a webcast?
Malaysia after Hudud: Prospects for democracy and moderation
A video recording of the seminar is available on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbpRd1lFgn4
Fascist assemblages in Cambodia and Myanmar
Of course the paternalism is by no means confined to the old colonial masters vis-├а-vis Orientals and the rest. Hidden or overt violent tendencies was the the main thrust of Hla Oo’s series of narrative on Burma in NM here five years ago. The swinish multitude in his country of birth is just as violent as the ruling class was the message. Where he was coming from was pretty transparent if you weren’t simply caught up by his talent for story telling combined with the novelty of the source, a Tatmadaw deserter.
Well, it is closer to the truth to say that the ruling classes, colonial or domestic with authoritarian tendencies, are just as paternalistic as one another.
Fascist assemblages in Cambodia and Myanmar
‘The idea that Cambodians have “hidden violent tendencies” is obviously orientalist, racist,’
Why? So long as you accept, and I do, that all of us have those same hidden tendencies, where’s the racism? We create our problems, mostly. So do Cambodians Timorese Haitians and Greeks. There’s nothing racist or orientalist about apportioning responsibility to individuals and asking them to examine their personal and cultural values, as the author does, reminding the reader of similar Australian tendencies.
In fact, the opposite. By not requiring individuals to take responsibility for their actions we replicate the old colonialist trope of paternalism – treating them as children v us, the adults in the room. By denying them responsibility for their own actions, we make it easier to deny them their rights as well. You’d be amazed, or not, how quickly NGO lefties sank into this thinking in E.Timor.
America needs Thai style democracy
Well Nuat, tell us; would Thai-style American democrazy have a happy ending?
Singapore’s “Battle for Merger” revisited – Part II
[…] In an article earlier this year, Dr Poh said that if “the Barisan Sosialis had won in a fair and clean election” and were not unjustly imprisoned, “There would be social justice and economic dignity for the sick and disabled, the old and retired and other vulnerable groups. […]
America needs Thai style democracy
I think Thaksin’s influence and popularity is very much decreasing now that he has been seen as what he is… merely another rich, strongman who wanted to get power and access to contracts, gifts for his entourage (much like every other politician/ militaryman/ businessman wants to do everywhere- but the law prevents them from doing so). But, it cannot be denied that he had a good strategy- giving to the poor; free healthcare/ rise subsidies.. This is not just a good electoral strategy but a good economic strategy.. the economy improves when the poor are allowed to share in the country’s wealth.. this is a hard principle for those at the top, in positions of power and wealth to accept. Thaksin’s power was too much, without doubt.. he is a bad man, no doubt but that doesn’t mean that the Red Shirts/ poor etc were not fighting for something just and right. It is sad that in this country it seems to achieve anything you need millionaires (like those in the military or media for instance) to do it. There is a grassroots movement independent of Thaksin.. and they are Thai people, real Thais.. they want a decent life, access to proper education and acceptable access to decisions that affect their country. One side is keeping the other down and blaming it on a man who seems to have washed his hands of this country and its people. The slight movement towards democracy (it was never anything more than extremely limited) was good for Thailand.. the problem is that the poor are now being punished because of one man that gained from it. To say no one has been harmed by martial law… it is insane. And where will it end? Will Thailand go back to the Cold-War?
Australia’s Malay population
What would have been the basis for transferring sovereignty of the Keeling (Cocos) Islands to Malaya or Malaysia ?
Well, let’s see:
In 1867, the Island’s administration was placed under the Straits Settlements, which included Penang, Malacca and Singapore (but not the Malay Sultanates). Queen Victoria granted the islands in perpetuity to the Clunies-Ross family in 1886.
The Clunies-Ross family supported confederation with British Malaya, which meant that independence and federation with
Malaysia, ‘might’ have been possible. However, The Malay population of the Islands themselves were unhappy with Clunies-Ross,
and when Australia claimed domain over the
Islands, the Malay population hardly complained, let alone rebelled (which they
surely could have).
Please also remember that the Islands had
always been roughly 50 % Malay and 50 %
(Home Island) Western and “Mulatto”. Even today, the Cocos Islands are not 100 %
Malay, even if 80 % of the Malays are Sunni
Muslims. Note that 99 % < of Malaysian Malays are Sunni Muslims, which must mean
~ 20 % of the Cocos Malays are something else, probably Christian, which means they
would not be regarded as real Malays in Malaysia. People did "hook up" back then,
quite a bit.
The Cocos Malays, according to Malaysian law, have the "Right of Return". That means
any Cocos Malay can obtain immediate Malaysian citizenship, and there are several
such communities in Sabah, in particular.
I don't see how Clunies-Ross would have convinced the Western inhabitants of the Islands to accept confederation with Malaysia, after the British had already left, considering that Malaysia was already almost entirely Asian, and 70 % Muslim. I know of no such example in history. On the contrary, Rajah Brooke hardly wanted confederation with the Peninsula and Sarawak (what we now call his former territory) was already 85 % non-Western in the early 20th Century. Singapore did have confederation for a while (see above), but why would the PAP and Lee Kuan Yew want a bunch of isolated islands, far away, and half British and half Malay, with very few Chinese ?
I think, after Merdeka, it never even crossed LKY's mind, nor Tunku Abdul Rahman's, except in the context that all overseas Malays (Cocos, "Cham" in Cambodia, South African Malays and Sri Lankan Malays) could return to Malaysia, just as Javanese in (Dutch) Suriname could stay or return to Indonesia. Sukarno never called for Suriname to be accessioned to Indonesia (despite the 30,000 Km distance), though during Konfrontasi, Sukarno didn't hesitate to claim Malaysia as Indonesian territory. Brunei, far richer (and smaller) than Malaysia or Indonesia, preferred to remain a Sultanate, which made the Bolkiahs rich, but did little for indigenous Ibans. Cocos Malays had no such Royal lineages of standing, and the British would have taken them away, anyway. Australia administered Papua New Guinea (which had been German) and despite crude appearance, Sepik River tribes and Australian Aborigines may only be, at most, distantly related and certainly PM Tony Abbott and former PNG PM Michael Somare have little in common, ethnically, but that didn't prevent Australian influence in PNG in years past, and even today.
Thus, it is not at all clear that 100 % of the Malays on the Cocos Islands wanted to be federated with Malaysia, or the Islands would likely be uninhabited today, with few jobs, except fishing. It is not correct that Malaya or British Expatriates were unfamiliar with the Cocos Islands, as I have indicated. At least half, if not more, apparently preferred Commonwealth or Australian status, rather than Malaysian federation. Those that wanted to be "real" Malays left for Malaysia, long ago. Considering the good quality of life on the islands (despite limited economic opportunities), the relatively high literacy rate, and the lack of major political disturbances, despite its isolation, I suspect you will find quite a few Cocos Malays, who are just fine where they are, especially those who are well-familiar with the political free fall, taking place in Malaysia. To put it another way, the Cocos Malays are a gentle lot, and almost all of the ethnic and religious animosity that animates Malaysia, is lacking on the Cocos Islands.
Australia’s Malay population
If the Malays of Cocos Islands had opted to join Malaysia, would such an option have been allowed by the British authorities ? I am still wondering why the sovereignty of Christmas Island was transferred to Australia instead of Singapore or Malaya in 1957. Had the people of Malaya and Singapore ever been consulted concerning the loss of such a territory to Australia ? Perhaps only among the expat British colonial officers were informed of such an arrangement!
Reading Myanmar politics in 2015
One object lesson some people failed to learn here.
The Burmese expression is – Mi Aye twice bitten. The tragedy is when she happens to be no ordinary Mi Aye but the peerless opposition leader.
The election year is fraught with uncertainty, risk and above all danger.
But rejoice. Yet another white elephant has been captured. Talk about white elephants.
Fascist assemblages in Cambodia and Myanmar
Hi Simon:
Please re-read my posting. I am not saying that postcolonial studies are irrelevant.
I said two things.
A) that you were selectively quoting Roberts and not taking into account his full discussion.
B) The idea that Cambodians have “hidden violent tendencies” is obviously orientalist, racist, and fundamentally insulting for Cambodians, and indeed for anyone who is a humanist. And continually going on and on about critiquing this idea is giving the idea way more credence than it deserves, and could even be seen as problematic in itself. But if one considers that such ideas do still hold sway, then one should identify accurately where they are coming from.
I suggested it may be time to wrap up discussion of this idea of violent orientalism (not the entire field of post-colonial studies) and move on to more productive conversations. However, I also said that this was just my impression, and that I was open to other views (e.g. if people thought that this was still an important debate to be having).
– Keith
Fascist assemblages in Cambodia and Myanmar
Edward Said, whom I knew at Columbia, was a liar. He was born in Cairo and certainly not in “Palestine”. There were innumerable irregularities in his writings and several plagiarisms. Therefore, the Doyen of Anti-Orientalism, or the bogus term Postcolonial Studies, was not credible and all the useless work based on his fallacies lack credibility. Said did not build the trains in India, the British did…
Australia’s Malay population
Have you not heard of a computer or public library ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocos_(Keeling)_Islands
Australia’s Malay population
A map of the these islands would be helpful.
A hopeful moment for civil society in Myanmar
Interesting to place recent goings on in a historical context!
Though I’d be wary of saying the Association Registration Law has ‘fundamentally altered people’s right to freely associate’. This law doesn’t stand in isolation. And the devil will be in the detailed by-laws.
Plus many (most?) international actors are only supporting registered groups, effectively meaning that only civil society groups sanctioned by Home Affairs can receive foreign support – even though registration is voluntary under the law.
Burma and the Kipling mystique
There were a fair few tourists I saw BY THE old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin’ lazy at the sea last Christmas, the first time I’ve been to those parts. I guess the myth endures.
There was a prophecy before Mandalay fell to the industrial might and globalization onslaught of the British Empire – Happy days’ll be here again when the Kalar (meaning Europeans here) and the mosquitoes have to be pictured. Imagine the intrigues going on both inside the palace and among the Europeans at Yadanabon Naypyidaw at the time, particularly the Anglo-French rivalry with their own designs on the Kingdom of Ava.