We have to look at the UDD also as a formal structure and organization, with hierarchies, etc.
Sombat is clearly a Red Shirt, but he has consistently refused to be part of the organization of the UDD, since back in 2006/2007.
The argument that came up regarding offices in Imperial Lad Prao – the UDD has their offices there, but many other Red Shirt organizations, some that also have had conflicts with the UDD. So has Jakrapop Penkair’s group also an office there. The also independent 24th of June group has had at least until last year their office in the same location ( i haven’t been for a while there in Imperial Lard Prao).
Naturally, there are overlaps, occasional collaboration, but also lines that separate the different Red Shirt organizations.
Red Shirt does not equal UDD. UDD is the largest mass organization of the Red Shirt movement, but there are many other separate Red Shirt organizations. Many of them because they want to keep their political independence, and also because they do not want to countersign some of the points that the UDD sees as their directive.
As to upcountry – i have been many times upcountry in the past. Right now though i do not see such important developments that justifies the expenditure. It’s my money i spend. I don’t go on somebody else payroll, unless i get hired by a foreign media organization.
If anyone here can point me to such an important development upcountry that i may have overlooked, then please tell me, and i may have a look, if i agree. But just stating that i neglect upcountry and report “Bangkok-centric”, without stating what exactly i neglect is not a valid argument.
This story here was primarily about two issues: the Democrat Party protest stage, and a recent split from the UDD, whose first protest was in Bangkok’s democracy monument. And as i stated, several upcountry groups joined this new group.
Generally speaking – I do not see this huge difference between upcountry and Bangkok in present day Thailand. The “peasantry” is much more mobile today than it was 20 years ago, and what takes place in Bangkok is through modern communication, increased affluency and transport not anymore a secret in the villages. Much of the political ideologies that are around Bangkok and in provinces close to Bangkok, such as Pathum Thani (i linked a story on Pathum Thani Red Shirts here) are quite similar to upcountry. The Red Shirts have a multitude of their own mass communication tools in which they spread their ideology nationwide. Red Shirts from upcountry regularly come to Bangkok, and i talk with them, naturally.
Another thoughtful and info-packed piece from Murray Hunter. His article points to a few of the major obstacles to innovation in the region, including an educational system and cultural norms that do not incubate and often even discourage fresh thinking. The picture obviously varies from country to country and region to region, but most anecdotal accounts that I’ve seen support the general picture that Mr. Hunter lays out, and seem to be corroborated by hard data on Southeast Asia’s innovation track record, which is reflected to some degree by the data table on patent applications that is included in the article.* I’d be curious to look at some further innovation indicators, like R&D as a share of GDP, to see how Southeast Asia’s innovation track record fares on a broader range of metrics.
What’s interesting is that some pundits have made a big to-do of the fact that many Southeast Asian countries have increased their spending on education and even, in some cases, put a larger share of their GDPs towards education than developed countries like the United States. Yet most on-the-ground assessments of education in the region indicate that schools in Southeast Asia tend to emphasize the kind of rote-learning and follow-the-leader values that are great for turning out factory workers but not for producing the next Steve Jobs. More money spent on education does not equal better education, even if it reflects the right priorities. That said, the manufacturing and extraction industries are major growth sectors in Southeast Asia right now, so the dominant educational culture today might at least be sufficient for the needs of most ASEAN countries at this time.
There’s another obstacle to innovation that Mr. Hunter alludes to, but which needs to be stated more clearly. Part of the problem stems from the fact that most Southeast Asian countries are either “emerging” or “frontier” economies, and as such, have made massive economic gains in recent years by simply adopting foreign technology rather than innovating. Because most of these countries still have per capita incomes of less than USD $5000 per year and have not yet hit what economists call the “middle income trap,” chances are that they will continue to see improvements in their standards of living by simply doing the same as they’ve done before. It’s only once they hit higher levels of income and national wealth that they will need to start innovating to see continued gains in GDP, and this might incentivize them to start creating things instead of just producing or adopting things that others have created. For the time being, though, the incentives are weak.
(*Note: most of the data on this table checks out, with the exception of the figures on Korea, which are inaccurate; the real numbers are less than half of what the table states.)
I usually agree with Andrew’s views, and I do like Nick’s posts. This one was very informative. That said, I do think Norm made two good points. How “not UDD” is Sombat. The point regarding developments outside Bkk is also relevant bit maybe not for this post.
Any re litigation the validity of this constitutions delay taking advantages inherently exist within to benefit the citizenry.
Presently enough laws exists to achieve the purposes.
To strengthen none military control will require a judiciary system that favor basic civil rights/Rule of Law. It will take a concerted efforts to bring this institution to be as independent as can be.
As for the Norwegian Nobel Peace: History will clearly show that the useless careless meddling created among others,a delay to the needed cooperation b/t the military and the opposing groups worst then anointing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi/NLD the defacto group.
Will DASSK now be able to deliver as the anointed one or will she together recruit others within Hluttaw as well as else where ready to truly toil and call for available assistance to bring Myanmar out of this eduring quagmire?
[…] Professor R. Rueban Balasubramaniam’s latest article titled “Hobbism and the Problem of Authoritarian Rule in Malaysia“ is available in the Hague Journal on the Rule of Law. Read it HERE! Read his blog post HERE! […]
[…] been taking place for the Asia-Europe Heads of State Summit Meeting that is coming up in November: http://www.newmandala.org/2012/10/17/don-chan-once-were-tomatoes/. Yesterday I got to attend a really cool conference on food security in Laos, and I learned that, […]
“Senior General Than Shwe was the father of Burma’s thriving semi democracy and the Norwegians were seriously thinking of giving him the 2012 Nobel Prize for Peace, but he called them and told them he wasn’t ready to accept a Nobel till the time when the Act allocating the 25% of parliament seats to the Burma military is removed from the 2008 Constitution,” was the joke circulating in Rangoon when I was there recently.
Right off, everyone should immediately recognize that the party that touted this very concept/step has already positioned self to a ‘permanently disadvantaged position’.
Any changes/policies that are proposed diligently through Hlutthaw or otherwise that can so easily be made clearly adhering to #7 value, with clear benefit to the citizenry in mind will invariably be successful.
What Myanmar need now is ANYONE WILLING to step up to the plate to propose such policies.
Anyone willing?
Exclude everyone whose proposed changes are purely meant either to provoke the Power that be (Ptb), or curry favors to promote self.
After her round of accolades around the world, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi stand to be the very leader to format and promote such policies within the Hlutthaw as well as more importantly to assign and promote others as capable as her, but less prominent to the world,to carry on the concept of policy to benefit the citizenry long term.
It takes overall more than 3 decades to arrive at #7 RMTDD Knowing it can easily be revert back to #5, #3 or even further back to SLOR period,if given any reason to the Ptb
Considering there have been people poisoning the reputation of Royals in Asia for nearly 5000 years it is good to have strong laws to protect these chosen people. For 4500 an Chinese Emporer explained he is just God’s chosen caretaker to protect his Kingdom part of the world to ensure his citizen have a happy and peaceful life. He then went on to explain he was not the supreme power of all he is just the chosen caretaker sent by the one God who is the supreme power over everything that exists. Don’t believe poisonous tales about Royals 99.9% are untrue
This is an interesting subject. I’ve just finished reading a chapter in Parnwell and Bryant’s Environmental Change in SEA on Theun Hinboun and ‘appraisal optimism’. I look forward to the next two instalments.
I might sound as if I’m making a virtue of someone else’s necessity, but Nick’s freedom from funding is good for the rest of us. It is at least possible for him to serve only his readers, whose interest is to understand the political situation in Thailand. He is not a professional journalist(a paid agent, keeping his job by shaping the content of his reports to serve the bottom line of a corporation or the political interest of a state). If there is any bias in his reporting, I suspect it comes from distaste for the rhetoric of hatred, and for its partner in crime, gun-point authoritarianism.
Thanks Mr Greg…
Well as much as I would like to relate, but then again I have second thoughts. Been here for almost 15 years and having friends from all mix made me realised that it’s better to contain my observation. Let’s just look around and try to make this country a better place and the best would be by beginning from home. At times I feel Malaysians just be Malaysians don’t try to change. Plenty of good things here by the way, in simplest of words. Love being longer if my job permits.
On the subject of whether or not Coles’ Bangkok nightlife paintings are “un-reflexive”, readers might find Federico Ferrara’s essay “Thailand for Sale” interesting as there seems to be a strong commonality between what Professor Ferrara (U of HK, PhD Harvard) says explicitly and what is implicit in Coles’ paintings and accompanying text.
Incidentally, on the same site, I noticed that a number of the leading writers/journalists etc. covering SE Asia and Bangkok seem to have quite a few nice things to say about Coles’ work and certainly do not consider it to be “un-reflexive”:
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Here were Men in Black!
Nothing really groundbreaking.
A bit more detailed information on ground that has been covered before.
Same old spin.
All sides play politics.
Here were Men in Black!
We have to look at the UDD also as a formal structure and organization, with hierarchies, etc.
Sombat is clearly a Red Shirt, but he has consistently refused to be part of the organization of the UDD, since back in 2006/2007.
The argument that came up regarding offices in Imperial Lad Prao – the UDD has their offices there, but many other Red Shirt organizations, some that also have had conflicts with the UDD. So has Jakrapop Penkair’s group also an office there. The also independent 24th of June group has had at least until last year their office in the same location ( i haven’t been for a while there in Imperial Lard Prao).
Naturally, there are overlaps, occasional collaboration, but also lines that separate the different Red Shirt organizations.
Red Shirt does not equal UDD. UDD is the largest mass organization of the Red Shirt movement, but there are many other separate Red Shirt organizations. Many of them because they want to keep their political independence, and also because they do not want to countersign some of the points that the UDD sees as their directive.
As to upcountry – i have been many times upcountry in the past. Right now though i do not see such important developments that justifies the expenditure. It’s my money i spend. I don’t go on somebody else payroll, unless i get hired by a foreign media organization.
If anyone here can point me to such an important development upcountry that i may have overlooked, then please tell me, and i may have a look, if i agree. But just stating that i neglect upcountry and report “Bangkok-centric”, without stating what exactly i neglect is not a valid argument.
This story here was primarily about two issues: the Democrat Party protest stage, and a recent split from the UDD, whose first protest was in Bangkok’s democracy monument. And as i stated, several upcountry groups joined this new group.
Generally speaking – I do not see this huge difference between upcountry and Bangkok in present day Thailand. The “peasantry” is much more mobile today than it was 20 years ago, and what takes place in Bangkok is through modern communication, increased affluency and transport not anymore a secret in the villages. Much of the political ideologies that are around Bangkok and in provinces close to Bangkok, such as Pathum Thani (i linked a story on Pathum Thani Red Shirts here) are quite similar to upcountry. The Red Shirts have a multitude of their own mass communication tools in which they spread their ideology nationwide. Red Shirts from upcountry regularly come to Bangkok, and i talk with them, naturally.
The challenge of innovation in ASEAN
Another thoughtful and info-packed piece from Murray Hunter. His article points to a few of the major obstacles to innovation in the region, including an educational system and cultural norms that do not incubate and often even discourage fresh thinking. The picture obviously varies from country to country and region to region, but most anecdotal accounts that I’ve seen support the general picture that Mr. Hunter lays out, and seem to be corroborated by hard data on Southeast Asia’s innovation track record, which is reflected to some degree by the data table on patent applications that is included in the article.* I’d be curious to look at some further innovation indicators, like R&D as a share of GDP, to see how Southeast Asia’s innovation track record fares on a broader range of metrics.
What’s interesting is that some pundits have made a big to-do of the fact that many Southeast Asian countries have increased their spending on education and even, in some cases, put a larger share of their GDPs towards education than developed countries like the United States. Yet most on-the-ground assessments of education in the region indicate that schools in Southeast Asia tend to emphasize the kind of rote-learning and follow-the-leader values that are great for turning out factory workers but not for producing the next Steve Jobs. More money spent on education does not equal better education, even if it reflects the right priorities. That said, the manufacturing and extraction industries are major growth sectors in Southeast Asia right now, so the dominant educational culture today might at least be sufficient for the needs of most ASEAN countries at this time.
There’s another obstacle to innovation that Mr. Hunter alludes to, but which needs to be stated more clearly. Part of the problem stems from the fact that most Southeast Asian countries are either “emerging” or “frontier” economies, and as such, have made massive economic gains in recent years by simply adopting foreign technology rather than innovating. Because most of these countries still have per capita incomes of less than USD $5000 per year and have not yet hit what economists call the “middle income trap,” chances are that they will continue to see improvements in their standards of living by simply doing the same as they’ve done before. It’s only once they hit higher levels of income and national wealth that they will need to start innovating to see continued gains in GDP, and this might incentivize them to start creating things instead of just producing or adopting things that others have created. For the time being, though, the incentives are weak.
(*Note: most of the data on this table checks out, with the exception of the figures on Korea, which are inaccurate; the real numbers are less than half of what the table states.)
Bob Carr and electoral reforms in Malaysia
I can think of many more individuals whose interpretations I would trust more readily than Greg Sheridan’s…!
Here were Men in Black!
I am interested to know if the Dems provided anything new on MiB at their “rally”? Was it just the usual 2-3 videos and photos?
Here were Men in Black!
I usually agree with Andrew’s views, and I do like Nick’s posts. This one was very informative. That said, I do think Norm made two good points. How “not UDD” is Sombat. The point regarding developments outside Bkk is also relevant bit maybe not for this post.
What next for Myanmar’s reforms?
Any re litigation the validity of this constitutions delay taking advantages inherently exist within to benefit the citizenry.
Presently enough laws exists to achieve the purposes.
To strengthen none military control will require a judiciary system that favor basic civil rights/Rule of Law. It will take a concerted efforts to bring this institution to be as independent as can be.
As for the Norwegian Nobel Peace: History will clearly show that the useless careless meddling created among others,a delay to the needed cooperation b/t the military and the opposing groups worst then anointing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi/NLD the defacto group.
Will DASSK now be able to deliver as the anointed one or will she together recruit others within Hluttaw as well as else where ready to truly toil and call for available assistance to bring Myanmar out of this eduring quagmire?
Hobbism and Malaysia
[…] Professor R. Rueban Balasubramaniam’s latest article titled “Hobbism and the Problem of Authoritarian Rule in Malaysia“ is available in the Hague Journal on the Rule of Law. Read it HERE! Read his blog post HERE! […]
Don Chan: once were tomatoes
[…] been taking place for the Asia-Europe Heads of State Summit Meeting that is coming up in November: http://www.newmandala.org/2012/10/17/don-chan-once-were-tomatoes/. Yesterday I got to attend a really cool conference on food security in Laos, and I learned that, […]
What next for Myanmar’s reforms?
“Senior General Than Shwe was the father of Burma’s thriving semi democracy and the Norwegians were seriously thinking of giving him the 2012 Nobel Prize for Peace, but he called them and told them he wasn’t ready to accept a Nobel till the time when the Act allocating the 25% of parliament seats to the Burma military is removed from the 2008 Constitution,” was the joke circulating in Rangoon when I was there recently.
Review of Memory is Another Country
[…] Source : New Mandala […]
What next for Myanmar’s reforms?
Like it or not presently Myanmar is functioning politically on the #7 of much maligned SG Than Shwe Road Map To Disciplined Democracy (RMTDD):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadmap_to_democracy
Right off, everyone should immediately recognize that the party that touted this very concept/step has already positioned self to a ‘permanently disadvantaged position’.
Any changes/policies that are proposed diligently through Hlutthaw or otherwise that can so easily be made clearly adhering to #7 value, with clear benefit to the citizenry in mind will invariably be successful.
What Myanmar need now is ANYONE WILLING to step up to the plate to propose such policies.
Anyone willing?
Exclude everyone whose proposed changes are purely meant either to provoke the Power that be (Ptb), or curry favors to promote self.
After her round of accolades around the world, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi stand to be the very leader to format and promote such policies within the Hlutthaw as well as more importantly to assign and promote others as capable as her, but less prominent to the world,to carry on the concept of policy to benefit the citizenry long term.
It takes overall more than 3 decades to arrive at #7 RMTDD Knowing it can easily be revert back to #5, #3 or even further back to SLOR period,if given any reason to the Ptb
Human rights and lese majeste
Considering there have been people poisoning the reputation of Royals in Asia for nearly 5000 years it is good to have strong laws to protect these chosen people. For 4500 an Chinese Emporer explained he is just God’s chosen caretaker to protect his Kingdom part of the world to ensure his citizen have a happy and peaceful life. He then went on to explain he was not the supreme power of all he is just the chosen caretaker sent by the one God who is the supreme power over everything that exists. Don’t believe poisonous tales about Royals 99.9% are untrue
Anthropology and the Lao hydropower industry
This is an interesting subject. I’ve just finished reading a chapter in Parnwell and Bryant’s Environmental Change in SEA on Theun Hinboun and ‘appraisal optimism’. I look forward to the next two instalments.
Here were Men in Black!
I might sound as if I’m making a virtue of someone else’s necessity, but Nick’s freedom from funding is good for the rest of us. It is at least possible for him to serve only his readers, whose interest is to understand the political situation in Thailand. He is not a professional journalist(a paid agent, keeping his job by shaping the content of his reports to serve the bottom line of a corporation or the political interest of a state). If there is any bias in his reporting, I suspect it comes from distaste for the rhetoric of hatred, and for its partner in crime, gun-point authoritarianism.
Malaysia after regime change – Kikue Hamayotsu
Thanks Mr Greg…
Well as much as I would like to relate, but then again I have second thoughts. Been here for almost 15 years and having friends from all mix made me realised that it’s better to contain my observation. Let’s just look around and try to make this country a better place and the best would be by beginning from home. At times I feel Malaysians just be Malaysians don’t try to change. Plenty of good things here by the way, in simplest of words. Love being longer if my job permits.
German expressionism and the Bangkok night
On the subject of whether or not Coles’ Bangkok nightlife paintings are “un-reflexive”, readers might find Federico Ferrara’s essay “Thailand for Sale” interesting as there seems to be a strong commonality between what Professor Ferrara (U of HK, PhD Harvard) says explicitly and what is implicit in Coles’ paintings and accompanying text.
Link to “Thailand for Sale”:
http://www.khikwai.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Thailand4Sale.pdf
Link to one of Coles’ Nana Plaza Bangkok nightlife paintings:
http://navigating-the-bangkok-noir.blogspot.com/2012/06/closing-time-nana-plaza.html
Incidentally, on the same site, I noticed that a number of the leading writers/journalists etc. covering SE Asia and Bangkok seem to have quite a few nice things to say about Coles’ work and certainly do not consider it to be “un-reflexive”:
http://navigating-the-bangkok-noir.blogspot.com/2012/06/blurbs-quotes-from-writers-critics.html
Here were Men in Black!
I didn’t come up with the term crownfunding. And it’s open to anyone, so there is no eligible or not.
Here were Men in Black!
I have no idea what crownfunding is. I am not really good – or better: rather hopeless – with all those money and business things.
Here were Men in Black!
While there is abundant “crownfunding” available for political and social commentary in Thailand, I doubt Nick would be eligible.
I do think you may have coined a term though.