While it is frequently said that Jokowi is the first president not to have emerged from the nation’s elite, this is not fair to Sukarno. Though he was admittedly privileged enough to receive a good Dutch education, he emerged from the subjugated native community in a colony, not from a pre-existing nation’s elite.
While, as this author points out, Gus Dur indeed sacked Wiranto, the sacking was of Wiranto as Coordinating Minister, a post to which Gus Dur had himself appointed him three months earlier. Gus Dur sacked him, changed his mind and then changed his mind, all in one day. In any case, Wiranto was just one of 26 ministers whom Gus Dur replaced in less than two years in office. This is a lower number than that of the overseas trips he crammed into his tenure, but it was an impressive number nevertheless. You see, while keen on monopolising presidential power, Gus Dur wanted to give as many Indonesians as possible the experience of being a minister.
(Reply to Nakal): Exodus 8:7-15 tells of the battle between the Jews and the Amalekites; after the battle, God tells Moses that he will “completely blot out the name of Amalek”, and Moses then tells the Jews that God will be “at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.” In other words, God commands the Jews to make endless war against the Amalekites (who were desert-dwelling Arabs).
Deuteronomy 25:17-19 (Deuteronomy is one of the main collections of law in the Torah) to “blot out” the name of Amalek when they reach the Promised Land. This is done in 1 Samuel 15. There, Saul, the elected king of Israel, is commanded by God to exterminate all the Amalekites (“Put to death men and women, children and infants…”). But Saul leaves some alive. He’s confronted by the prophet Samuel and told that the kingship will be taken from him because of his disobedience. (This opens the way for David to become king).
These texts are still read by Jews at the feast of Purim.
The best of Jewish scholars (which is doubtless a majority) are very uneasy about these passages – see, for example, Zev Garber’s “Shoah: The Paradigmatic Genocide”, in which he makes a midrash (interpretation) on psalm 104:35 as an antidote to divinely-sanctioned hatred, changing “may sinners disappear” to”may sinful acts disappear”. (If I might say so, Garber’s version seems very Buddhist!)
i also agree with observerfromwithin, but while we would want lao people to decide for themselves, it is also true that their social hierarchy will never allow them to take arms against their own government. or no one will even dare … anymore. but there are disgruntled talks everywhere, but remains discreet. while the government is indeed slowly selling off its natural resources licitly in lieu of cash to pay-off infrastructure development (4 massive malls in construction + a massive real estate & mall complex), as well as illicitly since no one else has more power and money (luxury cars??) than those who are in the party or in the army. in 2011, laos was considered to still have the highest biodversity in the region, but that is dwindling fast. illegal logging, mining, wildlife trade are ruining it all.
but beyond the NGOs, it is the donors like ADB, WB, EU, JICA, AusAID/DFAT, USAID/US embassy, etc who have the clout to change these … if they want to. NGO money is peanuts, and dwindling, compared to the billions/millions of donor money being flushed into Laos across governance, health and especially the agricultural sector. when Sombat disappeared, who among them has ever threatened to pull out donor input amid a flurry of diplomatic visits and letters? NONE. has there ever been any diplomatic sanction? NONE. in the same way, no ambassador or head of UN would want to lose their cushy lifestyle in Vientiane. (but the UN has no money or clout either)
an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. the lao government (the Party) is money hungry. why are these donors feeding them with more?
Even if you can overthrow the military junta, how are you going to kick out the Chinese. Once you give the greedy Chinese something they like, they will not leave!
Good one, Greg. A good review of what clearly sounds like a good book, about a good country.
My impression of the Singapore government’s critics that most are articulate malcontents: people whose education has concentrated on advocacy skills, and neglected evidence-based study. A plague of these people is destroying the West. Some are on the left, many are on the right, and they are all dangerous. You can’t lock them up, but they need to be better educated, so that they are influenced more by evidence and less by somebody’s crack-pot rhetoric.
The war declarations are a matter of historical record. That the ambassador didn’t deliver it to the USA is moot. Phibun made the action. He was the leader of Thailand.
So what you are saying, Thailand, in adopting a Vichy-style appeasement and collaboration with Japan does not constitute being on Japan’s side.
It is not like Phibun had no role in Thailand government after the war ended, unlike Vichy.
These kindly suffering Myanrese populace, one and all, also have this sick, sick, sick admiration and “happy to be slave for you, may be I could get something out as well” (nga tae mar) attitude. That is alos why they deserve what they end up with.
You never ever find any one who is “averse” to the military on the street. Every one is always wagging their tail to pealse any military personnel they come across. You see them in so many sickening ceremonies, wedding receptions, airport lounges, so may useless super expensive meetings and conferences, in ngovernment offices and hoispitals, monastaries, everywhere.
Again if the military were to buy drones and rockets able to kill and shoot the Thai’s and all sorts of Kalars and Chinese, people, starving now. will still want it and still cheeer them up. Evidence: : the military budget in the last two years is more than ten years combinde before it. And no one, no highly informed economists or these blcke shirted “Media” people are saying or writhng or talking about it. Then again as for the economists they are busy ttrying to bring in the country wellestablsihed Rothschild Central Bank and Debt base usury sysstem just in case people are not gettign enough debt to lasty a millenium.
So Yes. The military. And again the people themselves who sti;;l cheer up the top brass in Nay-pyi-daw. What is that bloody word Nay-pyi-daw? You msut be sick in your head just to say it.
Whatever China is doing in Myanmar (regardless of location), China is not to be blamed in the first place. But Burmese military leaders are to bear the sole responsibility for destruction caused by Chinese investors.
Because: The Burmese military made bad deals with Chinese. Chinese did not come by force. They came with approval from the military junta. The junta has always been in the deep pocket of Chinese.
End result unfortunately, is that ordinary people of Myanmar suffer. Deforestation cause climate change – its effect is felt mostly by the ordinary people. For the rich! they have air-condition in hot season; heater in cold season; car in rainy season!!!
The military generals and their cronies have been selling the country to China.
It is the interest of all citizen of Myanmar to overthrow the military. Even abolish the entire military if possible. Just improve police force!
Without military, the country would be better off!!!
China is happier now. Laos, Cambodia, Burma and now Thailand is in their pocket. They support the new Thai junta, just like they did with the Burmese junta and maybe that’s why there was a coup, who knows!
American pivoting in Asia is being countered effectively!
Some more predictable and utterly shameless policy news has been announced today. The network monarchy has suddenly relaunched the high speed rail project within two months of officially shelving it indefinitely.
That neat little slight of hand ensured that land prices along the routes have been in dramatic free fall and two months was just enough time for the network monarchy’s minions to whip in and snap up select plots at fire sale prices.
Now things are suddenly back on track again we can rest assured that the recently procured plots will enjoy over night double digit or more likely exponential growth.But the billions made there are mere scraps.
Add these profits to the tender allocation commissions (roughly 30%) of the 4 trillion in infrastructure projects the junta has recently announced, not to mention the ongoing revenues that go with stuffing the boards of all major state enterprises with network monarchy puppets and you have by far the biggest heist in the history of Thailand.
Standard 30% tender allocation commissions on the 4 trillion in infrastructure projects alone are worth roughly 133 billion US$.
I guess the dictators feel there is some catching up to do as their noses have been out of the trough for a while now.
At least they have been quite honest about one of their policies. When they repeatedly announce that they wont waste this coup by missing the opportunity to ‘clean house’ They mean it. Thailand’s coffers are indeed being cleaned out at a totally unprecedented rate.
I guess you haven’t studied British Law. You know they can still sentence you for death if you steal a quid from the off license. There are thousands of such archaic laws in the UK that have never been repealed by Parliament. The difference between Indonesians actually try to enforce those silly laws, while in the UK they just ignore them.
That would be the usual concept of average Burmese about Thai national characteristics- justified or not.
Burma also did have a “Adipadi” who is supposed to be head of the government, Ba Maw, as if it was really “independent” (East Asia Co-prosperity- a slogan now out again by the same crowd, remember Sasakawa – Kempatei was an offspring of Yoshio Kodama, closest friend of father Sasakawa- is in Burma)and Aung San was a major general with an army under Japanese. Of course Aung San played treachery both ways.
Yet the real sad thing for Burma is so many people now living under internationally over-lauded “reformist” government with parliament and on the way to democracy- no less- would be feeling so much better off under the “Nips”.
Interesting how long these suckers would take to realize a sham. A bit hard as it is well orchestrated by all-just about all “world leaders”, just about all academics, journalists- made in Burma or otherwise- and their own Amy Suu. Sometimes it does take the whole plate to realize what one is eating.
Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein calls it Little Israel of Asia of course. Most definitely most Zionist. But don’t take it personal, they are Zionists so long as being so pays. In Benjamin Franklin we trust, us Singapuras.
this article dressed up staled talking points with quotes from academics and tried to resell it as a worthy contribution to an academic discussion
how did this pass through the editor
oh wait
Incidentally Chinese, brightest minds on earth (check Maths Olympiads- more so than Jews), wanted to squeeze the upstart Filipino’s with their Yankee backing by trying to stop their “lucrative” export of house slaves (nowadays it is called by some other stupid sounding highly polished name with exactly the same job description) by granting the poor little Burmese nubiles the great once in a life time opportunities, a practical fruit of democratization by the reform minded, multi-award winning Mr Presidente.
And it is not entirely sure the most sophisticated- all the killing machines- you name it, they got it- Chinese can “deal” with the Vietnamese. All the last lot who went in to “deal” in 1979 on orders of the other reformist Dang are still there, at least in spirit.
This is old Reagan right wing propaganda. An American dog told the Polish and Russian ones about getting sausages when it barked feeling hungry. The Polish one asked “What is sausage?”. And Russian one asked “What is bark?”.
In human version, replace Russian with Singaporean.
As one informed Indonesian commentator said to me recently, “I want to puke every time I hear anyone singing Jokowi’s praises. The man is a mouse in a den of lions.” (And one might add – lionesses given Megawati and her brat daughter.)
yes, Jokowi might be the best thing for Indonesia at present ( the best of a bad lot?) but nothing – nothing ultimately is going to change in Indonesia until law and order are enforced. And for that to happen, it seems to me that the one thing that needs to be done, which no one seems to notice, is a complet overhaul and reform of Indonesia’s legal code. And Indonesians themselves will need international help to do this. The mess that Indonesia is in is a direct result of the ‘legal’ canyons people can flee down
to escape justice and due process. Until the overlapping and contradictory nature of Indonesia’s laws are reformed and re-codified, the country will continue staggering under the weight of its institutionalised corruption and inefficiency. Jokowi called for a revolution in the way Indonesian’s think. Fine. Then start the long and necessary process of thinking that without just, humane, streamlined and workable laws that are enforced with equity, Indonesia will tragically remain a medieval fiefdom run by an amoral oligarchy where corrupt scum politician get four years for stealing millions and an old lady get’s seven years for taking some bananas hanging over a fence.
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A citizen’s president
While it is frequently said that Jokowi is the first president not to have emerged from the nation’s elite, this is not fair to Sukarno. Though he was admittedly privileged enough to receive a good Dutch education, he emerged from the subjugated native community in a colony, not from a pre-existing nation’s elite.
While, as this author points out, Gus Dur indeed sacked Wiranto, the sacking was of Wiranto as Coordinating Minister, a post to which Gus Dur had himself appointed him three months earlier. Gus Dur sacked him, changed his mind and then changed his mind, all in one day. In any case, Wiranto was just one of 26 ministers whom Gus Dur replaced in less than two years in office. This is a lower number than that of the overseas trips he crammed into his tenure, but it was an impressive number nevertheless. You see, while keen on monopolising presidential power, Gus Dur wanted to give as many Indonesians as possible the experience of being a minister.
Causes of intolerance and prejudice in Buddhism
(Reply to Nakal): Exodus 8:7-15 tells of the battle between the Jews and the Amalekites; after the battle, God tells Moses that he will “completely blot out the name of Amalek”, and Moses then tells the Jews that God will be “at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.” In other words, God commands the Jews to make endless war against the Amalekites (who were desert-dwelling Arabs).
Deuteronomy 25:17-19 (Deuteronomy is one of the main collections of law in the Torah) to “blot out” the name of Amalek when they reach the Promised Land. This is done in 1 Samuel 15. There, Saul, the elected king of Israel, is commanded by God to exterminate all the Amalekites (“Put to death men and women, children and infants…”). But Saul leaves some alive. He’s confronted by the prophet Samuel and told that the kingship will be taken from him because of his disobedience. (This opens the way for David to become king).
These texts are still read by Jews at the feast of Purim.
The best of Jewish scholars (which is doubtless a majority) are very uneasy about these passages – see, for example, Zev Garber’s “Shoah: The Paradigmatic Genocide”, in which he makes a midrash (interpretation) on psalm 104:35 as an antidote to divinely-sanctioned hatred, changing “may sinners disappear” to”may sinful acts disappear”. (If I might say so, Garber’s version seems very Buddhist!)
The decline of Lao civil society
i also agree with observerfromwithin, but while we would want lao people to decide for themselves, it is also true that their social hierarchy will never allow them to take arms against their own government. or no one will even dare … anymore. but there are disgruntled talks everywhere, but remains discreet. while the government is indeed slowly selling off its natural resources licitly in lieu of cash to pay-off infrastructure development (4 massive malls in construction + a massive real estate & mall complex), as well as illicitly since no one else has more power and money (luxury cars??) than those who are in the party or in the army. in 2011, laos was considered to still have the highest biodversity in the region, but that is dwindling fast. illegal logging, mining, wildlife trade are ruining it all.
but beyond the NGOs, it is the donors like ADB, WB, EU, JICA, AusAID/DFAT, USAID/US embassy, etc who have the clout to change these … if they want to. NGO money is peanuts, and dwindling, compared to the billions/millions of donor money being flushed into Laos across governance, health and especially the agricultural sector. when Sombat disappeared, who among them has ever threatened to pull out donor input amid a flurry of diplomatic visits and letters? NONE. has there ever been any diplomatic sanction? NONE. in the same way, no ambassador or head of UN would want to lose their cushy lifestyle in Vientiane. (but the UN has no money or clout either)
an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. the lao government (the Party) is money hungry. why are these donors feeding them with more?
A citizen’s president
[…] Gerry van Klinken writes at New Mandala on how Jokowi won’t be the ‘activist president’ some are hoping for. […]
Four questions about the Kachin war
Even if you can overthrow the military junta, how are you going to kick out the Chinese. Once you give the greedy Chinese something they like, they will not leave!
Review of Sensing Singapore
Good one, Greg. A good review of what clearly sounds like a good book, about a good country.
My impression of the Singapore government’s critics that most are articulate malcontents: people whose education has concentrated on advocacy skills, and neglected evidence-based study. A plague of these people is destroying the West. Some are on the left, many are on the right, and they are all dangerous. You can’t lock them up, but they need to be better educated, so that they are influenced more by evidence and less by somebody’s crack-pot rhetoric.
Causes of intolerance and prejudice in Buddhism
The war declarations are a matter of historical record. That the ambassador didn’t deliver it to the USA is moot. Phibun made the action. He was the leader of Thailand.
So what you are saying, Thailand, in adopting a Vichy-style appeasement and collaboration with Japan does not constitute being on Japan’s side.
It is not like Phibun had no role in Thailand government after the war ended, unlike Vichy.
Enjoy the fantasy.
Four questions about the Kachin war
You know what?
These kindly suffering Myanrese populace, one and all, also have this sick, sick, sick admiration and “happy to be slave for you, may be I could get something out as well” (nga tae mar) attitude. That is alos why they deserve what they end up with.
You never ever find any one who is “averse” to the military on the street. Every one is always wagging their tail to pealse any military personnel they come across. You see them in so many sickening ceremonies, wedding receptions, airport lounges, so may useless super expensive meetings and conferences, in ngovernment offices and hoispitals, monastaries, everywhere.
Again if the military were to buy drones and rockets able to kill and shoot the Thai’s and all sorts of Kalars and Chinese, people, starving now. will still want it and still cheeer them up. Evidence: : the military budget in the last two years is more than ten years combinde before it. And no one, no highly informed economists or these blcke shirted “Media” people are saying or writhng or talking about it. Then again as for the economists they are busy ttrying to bring in the country wellestablsihed Rothschild Central Bank and Debt base usury sysstem just in case people are not gettign enough debt to lasty a millenium.
So Yes. The military. And again the people themselves who sti;;l cheer up the top brass in Nay-pyi-daw. What is that bloody word Nay-pyi-daw? You msut be sick in your head just to say it.
Four questions about the Kachin war
Whatever China is doing in Myanmar (regardless of location), China is not to be blamed in the first place. But Burmese military leaders are to bear the sole responsibility for destruction caused by Chinese investors.
Because: The Burmese military made bad deals with Chinese. Chinese did not come by force. They came with approval from the military junta. The junta has always been in the deep pocket of Chinese.
End result unfortunately, is that ordinary people of Myanmar suffer. Deforestation cause climate change – its effect is felt mostly by the ordinary people. For the rich! they have air-condition in hot season; heater in cold season; car in rainy season!!!
The military generals and their cronies have been selling the country to China.
It is the interest of all citizen of Myanmar to overthrow the military. Even abolish the entire military if possible. Just improve police force!
Without military, the country would be better off!!!
Presidential election a page turner
Since 1st February 2004, the death penalty has been banned for all crimes in the UK.
Thailand’s Constitution: An Empty Text
China is happier now. Laos, Cambodia, Burma and now Thailand is in their pocket. They support the new Thai junta, just like they did with the Burmese junta and maybe that’s why there was a coup, who knows!
American pivoting in Asia is being countered effectively!
Thailand’s Constitution: An Empty Text
Some more predictable and utterly shameless policy news has been announced today. The network monarchy has suddenly relaunched the high speed rail project within two months of officially shelving it indefinitely.
That neat little slight of hand ensured that land prices along the routes have been in dramatic free fall and two months was just enough time for the network monarchy’s minions to whip in and snap up select plots at fire sale prices.
Now things are suddenly back on track again we can rest assured that the recently procured plots will enjoy over night double digit or more likely exponential growth.But the billions made there are mere scraps.
Add these profits to the tender allocation commissions (roughly 30%) of the 4 trillion in infrastructure projects the junta has recently announced, not to mention the ongoing revenues that go with stuffing the boards of all major state enterprises with network monarchy puppets and you have by far the biggest heist in the history of Thailand.
Standard 30% tender allocation commissions on the 4 trillion in infrastructure projects alone are worth roughly 133 billion US$.
I guess the dictators feel there is some catching up to do as their noses have been out of the trough for a while now.
At least they have been quite honest about one of their policies. When they repeatedly announce that they wont waste this coup by missing the opportunity to ‘clean house’ They mean it. Thailand’s coffers are indeed being cleaned out at a totally unprecedented rate.
Presidential election a page turner
I guess you haven’t studied British Law. You know they can still sentence you for death if you steal a quid from the off license. There are thousands of such archaic laws in the UK that have never been repealed by Parliament. The difference between Indonesians actually try to enforce those silly laws, while in the UK they just ignore them.
Causes of intolerance and prejudice in Buddhism
…” weak Thai government”..
That would be the usual concept of average Burmese about Thai national characteristics- justified or not.
Burma also did have a “Adipadi” who is supposed to be head of the government, Ba Maw, as if it was really “independent” (East Asia Co-prosperity- a slogan now out again by the same crowd, remember Sasakawa – Kempatei was an offspring of Yoshio Kodama, closest friend of father Sasakawa- is in Burma)and Aung San was a major general with an army under Japanese. Of course Aung San played treachery both ways.
Yet the real sad thing for Burma is so many people now living under internationally over-lauded “reformist” government with parliament and on the way to democracy- no less- would be feeling so much better off under the “Nips”.
Interesting how long these suckers would take to realize a sham. A bit hard as it is well orchestrated by all-just about all “world leaders”, just about all academics, journalists- made in Burma or otherwise- and their own Amy Suu. Sometimes it does take the whole plate to realize what one is eating.
Review of Sensing Singapore
Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein calls it Little Israel of Asia of course. Most definitely most Zionist. But don’t take it personal, they are Zionists so long as being so pays. In Benjamin Franklin we trust, us Singapuras.
Presidential election a page turner
this article dressed up staled talking points with quotes from academics and tried to resell it as a worthy contribution to an academic discussion
how did this pass through the editor
oh wait
Four questions about the Kachin war
Incidentally Chinese, brightest minds on earth (check Maths Olympiads- more so than Jews), wanted to squeeze the upstart Filipino’s with their Yankee backing by trying to stop their “lucrative” export of house slaves (nowadays it is called by some other stupid sounding highly polished name with exactly the same job description) by granting the poor little Burmese nubiles the great once in a life time opportunities, a practical fruit of democratization by the reform minded, multi-award winning Mr Presidente.
And it is not entirely sure the most sophisticated- all the killing machines- you name it, they got it- Chinese can “deal” with the Vietnamese. All the last lot who went in to “deal” in 1979 on orders of the other reformist Dang are still there, at least in spirit.
Review of Sensing Singapore
They call Singapore Switzerland of Asia, not for no reason.
Review of Sensing Singapore
Joke time?
This is old Reagan right wing propaganda. An American dog told the Polish and Russian ones about getting sausages when it barked feeling hungry. The Polish one asked “What is sausage?”. And Russian one asked “What is bark?”.
In human version, replace Russian with Singaporean.
Presidential election a page turner
As one informed Indonesian commentator said to me recently, “I want to puke every time I hear anyone singing Jokowi’s praises. The man is a mouse in a den of lions.” (And one might add – lionesses given Megawati and her brat daughter.)
yes, Jokowi might be the best thing for Indonesia at present ( the best of a bad lot?) but nothing – nothing ultimately is going to change in Indonesia until law and order are enforced. And for that to happen, it seems to me that the one thing that needs to be done, which no one seems to notice, is a complet overhaul and reform of Indonesia’s legal code. And Indonesians themselves will need international help to do this. The mess that Indonesia is in is a direct result of the ‘legal’ canyons people can flee down
to escape justice and due process. Until the overlapping and contradictory nature of Indonesia’s laws are reformed and re-codified, the country will continue staggering under the weight of its institutionalised corruption and inefficiency. Jokowi called for a revolution in the way Indonesian’s think. Fine. Then start the long and necessary process of thinking that without just, humane, streamlined and workable laws that are enforced with equity, Indonesia will tragically remain a medieval fiefdom run by an amoral oligarchy where corrupt scum politician get four years for stealing millions and an old lady get’s seven years for taking some bananas hanging over a fence.