The state of democracy in Southeast Asia

CHAYUT SETBOONSARNG

The great philosophical question about the elements of a perfect democracy and their relation to capitalism remains unsettled, and is likely to remain thus.

Yet the recent history of Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand calls for a more practical conversation about the nature and extent of democratic transformation in Southeast Asia.

The demand for democratic institutions is typically associated with the rise of an educated middle class, and the organisers of pro-democracy demonstrations in the streets of Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur certainly fit this demographic. But the evolution of democracy has not necessarily followed the same pattern across the whole of Southeast Asia. This is most notable in Myanmar where there is no middle class and the reformist president, Thein Sein, is acting on geopolitical and economic considerations.

The political processes in Thailand and Malaysia (and indeed in the rest of Southeast Asia) are centred on personalities rather than on ideologies. During elections, the average Thai voter does little to examine the policies put forth by the ruling Pheu Thai Party or the opposition Democrat Party. The left–right debate is non-existent because both parties’ public policies are informed by populism. Instead, voter interest is focused on who operates and supports the political parties. During the July 2011 elections, for instance, it was common knowledge that former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was fully supportive of his sister Yingluck Shinawatra’s taking the helm of the Pheu Thai Party. Yingluck’s familial affiliation also ensured the continued support of Thaksin’s base, whose welfare entitlements would be protected. Across the aisle, the Democrat Party’s known ties with the military and the old guard vouched for the party’s commitment to preserving the interests and status quo of these groups.

In Malaysia’s race-based politics, matters of austerity and taxation are also conspicuously absent from the public debate. The Bersih electoral reform activist movement, the United Malays National Organisation’s (Umno) dwindling hold on power, and the emergence of a clear bipartisan balance, gives the looming general elections more weight. The quality that most distinguishes leader of the opposition Anwar Ibrahim from the incumbent is simply that he is not Prime Minister Najib Razak. Provisions outlined in Buku Jingga, the opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat’s master plan, are not radically different from the government’s Economic Transformation Programme.

Thailand and Malaysia are feeling the growth pains of democracy. The pressures of an uncertain economic climate and social injustice have prompted members of the growing Thai and Malaysian middle classes to spill onto the streets. Yet demonstrators are less concerned with the destination toward which their countries are heading, than with who is in the driver’s seat. This is expected of young democracies, and as long as public discourse, parliamentary censure and debate strengthen democratic institutions, it is welcome. This trajectory of democratic growth could lead to broader participation from constituents and the empowerment of fundamental democratic values, including freedom of speech and due process. Thailand and Malaysia appear to be on the brink of change: the dominance of Umno in Malaysia has not been contested to this extent since 1969, and the progressive movements in Thailand coincide with the twilight of King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 66-year reign.

The other big story of democratic change is Myanmar, where reforms have taken place in rapid succession: political prisoners were released, by-elections were held, and the liberalisation of the market has led to the suspension of Western travel and trade sanctions. Myanmar’s reforms are an example of what Peter Gourevitch called the second image reversed, or the notion that international relations can influence and direct the course of domestic politics. Recent events in Myanmar confirm Gourevitch’s assertion that ‘economic relations and military pressures constrain an entire range of domestic behaviours, from policy decisions to political forms. International relations and domestic politics are therefore so interrelated that they should be analyzed simultaneously, as wholes’.

Thein Sein’s strategy is both a reaction to the US pivot to Asia and a hedge against China’s growing influence. Furthermore, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent visit to Myanmar marked the third entrant to the geopolitical game. Additionally, being part of the ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Chair in 2014 has encouraged Myanmar to get its economy on track through political and market liberalisation. With this comes a greater need for security and stability, which the government has decided is better achieved through reform than through oppression. While credit must be given to the students and monks who have exercised civil resistance, overall Myanmar’s reform agenda is the product of global economic and political design, not the will of its people.

ASEAN governments are not liberal democracies, nor do they claim or desire to be. Stability, an attractive investment climate and economic growth are their priorities. Expecting the ASEAN countries to become free societies may be impractical at this stage, but the current liberal momentum could usher in substantial change.

Dipetik dari - The Malaysian Insider

Mariah Carey and Pamela Anderson make a friendly pair at birthday bash for Brunei prince

Mariah Carey seems to have found a new bosom buddy on her recent jaunt to London - in the form of Pamela Anderson.

The songstress was on hand to celebrate the 30th birthday of Prince Haji Abdul Azim of Brunei on Monday night when she struck up a conversation with the blonde bombshell.

Together the pair won the full attention of the young royal at a star-studded event that saw an celebrities including Faye Dunaway, Jerry Hall, Raquel Welch and Marisa Tomei rubbing shoulders.

Pamela Anderson, Mariah Carey, Prince Azim
and Faye Dunaway enjoy a light-hearted converation

Celebrities clamoured around the second born prince of the billionaire Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah to wish him a happy early birthday at The Dorchester hotel in London.

Prince Azim, as he's known in close circles, will mark his 30th birthday on July 29.

But it was Mariah and Pam who seemed to hold his attention - Pam, handing the Brunei royal what appeared to be a birthday gift, and even standing up for what appeared to be a serenade during the celebration.

Huddled together in the centre of the room, the trio seemed to enjoy each other's company immensely, trading laughs and swapping stories during their glitzy evening out.

Pam, 44, chose a figure-hugging halter dress for the occasion, showcasing her ample cleavage and toned legs.

Mariah, 42, went for a clingy wetlook dress that flattered her curves and her honey-blonde locks.

Prince Azim, who has famously thrown lavish parties with star-studded guest lists, is no stranger to mingling with the rich and famous.

He splashed out on an extravagant party in 2009 for his 27th birthday bash, which boasted a guest list including Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Sophia Loren and Faye Dunaway.

Dipetik dari - Mail Online

Celebrations in Egypt as Mursi announced as president

CAIRO, Jun 24: Egypt's Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) has announced Mohamed Mursi as the new president. He obtained 52%, or 13.2 million of total votes.

The announcement comes amid high tension and strong presence of security forces in Cairo's streets, following the first presidential elections after the revolution that ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak last year. At press time, hundreds of thousands of Egyptians are celebrating in Tahrir Square and other cities.

Mursi stood against against Mubarak's last premier Ahmed Shafiq, who got 48 percent of total votes.

There have been widespread rumours that supporters of the two candidates may clash or react violently to the outcome.

Government institutions, schools and several embassies have either closed entirely or have let their employees return home early before the results are announced.

Thousands of Mursi supporters have been gathered in Tahrir Square over the last week, protesting new changes to the country's constitution and the dissolution of parliament.

Today's results would mean the end of the government of premier Kamal El-Ganzouri, appointed by the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) in December 2011.

According to the constitutional declaration, it will be relieved of responsibility on 30 June.

Mursi served as a Member of Parliament from 2000 to 2005, elected as an independent candidate because the Brotherhood was banned by Mubarak. He was a member of the Guidance Office of the Muslim Brotherhood until the foundation of the Freedom and Justice Party in 2011, when he was appointed its president.

He received his Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of Southern California in 1982, and taught at California State University for the next three years, before returning to Egypt to teach at Zagazig University in 1985.

Dipetik dari - Harakahdaily

Food security and climate change

On a planet with sufficient food for all, today almost half a billion women and children under 5 in the developing world are undernourished –a consequence of persistently limited nutritious food intake.

This number could increase by 20 percent, reaching one in five within a decade, compared to one in seven today, due to the impacts of climate change on global food production, according to a detailed analysis by The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH), the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN System Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN), 1,000 Days, World Vision International and partners.

"Food security is under threat by climate change. The linkages between its impacts on global food production, price volatility, population growth and nutrition need to be addressed in order to tackle undernourishment of these more vulnerable groups," says Julio Frenk, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of the Board of PMNCH and Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health.

According to the analysis, it is this equation of climate change and its impacts on food production plus increased population growth that would result in a deficit of global food production versus demand, which could increase by 100 million the number of undernourished women and children by 2020.

Food security will be one of the main issues to be discussed at both the Group of 20 (G20) and the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) meetings in mid-June.

"World leaders are committing to action and investment to improve nutrition for mothers and children during the critical 1,000 days from pregnancy to age two, when nutrition can have a lifelong impact on a child's future in terms of both health and development," says Carole Presern, Ph.D., Director of PMNCH and a midwife.

This new attention to nutrition is happening at country, regional and global levels. Some 27 countries accounting for 50 million undernourished women and children have committed to a new Scaling Up Nutrition effort, through which stakeholders are working to develop multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral coordination mechanisms and comprehensive national nutrition plans and aligning resources behind these plans.

Additionally, G8 leaders and African leaders reaffirmed their commitment to achieving food security through the launch of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, which will join African governments, private sector institutions and G8 leadership in efforts to increase responsible domestic and foreign private investments in African agriculture, with a focus on smallholder farmers, especially women.

Ministers of Health at the 2012 World Health Assembly adopted a resolution on maternal, infant and young child nutrition that endorsed the WHO Comprehensive Implementation Plan on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition. It calls on member states to develop nutrition policies and to pass legislation to control the marketing of breast milk substitutes.

Chronic hunger will increase

Today, 495 million women and children under 5 in the developing world are undernourished. That is 150 million or one in four in Africa; 315 million or one in seven in Asia; and 30 million or one in 11 in Latin America and the Caribbean.

About 465 million additional women and children under 5 will be living in developing countries by 2020, bringing the total population of this group to 3.6 billion, vastly increasing food demand.

Thus, in 10 years, the compounded impact of climate change and population growth could increase the number of undernourished women and children by 20 percent.

The greatest impact in the tropical region

According to the assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), climate change is expected to affect all aspects of food security.

In particular, the tropical region, already most vulnerable to food insecurity, will be the most adversely affected. It is this climate region where 73 percent, or 360 million, undernourished women and children live.

India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Philippines, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Madagascar and Yemen are the countries in the tropical region with the highest percentages of undernourished women and children under 5.

However, the impacts of climate change on food production vary across and within regions.

For example, India, with 61 million undernourished children, would be at increased risk of additional undernourishment since its food production is estimated to decrease by 30 percent, according to the IPCC.

On the other hand, food production in the Philippines, also in the tropical region, would increase by 20 percent, concludes the IPCC. This will contribute to a reduction of undernourished women and children currently estimated at 16 and 38 percent respectively.

Impact on women and children

In developing countries, about 208 million women of reproductive age (15-44 years old) are undernourished, a major problem during pregnancy.

"Undernutrition is a determinant of poor health and it is women and children who suffer the most," says Dr. Frenk. "Maternal undernutrition can continue in children, extending the cycle for at least three generations.

"Undernutrition is associated with intrauterine growth restriction, leading to low birth weight of newborns and stunting (low height-for-age) –an indicator of chronic restriction of a child's potential for growth."

"These children do not have the opportunity to reach their full potential because of poor nutrition in the earliest months of life," according to Stefan Germann, Director for Partnerships, Innovation & Accountability at World Vision International. "Without proper nutrition, newborns and young children can face irreversible damage to their cognitive development, which impacts educational performance, reducing opportunities over a lifetime for both the children and for the economy they contribute to."

"The long-term damage imposed by nutritional deprivation in the 1,000 days between pregnancy and age two can be prevented. And the good news is that solutions to undernutrition are high impact and exceptionally cost-effective," says Lucy Martinez Sullivan, Executive Director of 1,000 Days.

Malnutrition in the form of overnutrition is also a growing problem in low- and middle- income countries where women and children have increasing access to inexpensive, calorie-rich but nutrient poor foods. Overweight and obesity during pregnancy increase the risk of gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, pregnancy-induced hypertension and large babies. The risk of preterm birth is also heightened, now the second-leading cause of death of children under the age of five.

Increase in food prices and volatility

The impacts of climate change will also affect food prices and volatility. A recent analysis by The World Bank's Food Price Watch estimates that food prices increased by 8 percent in the first quarter of 2012, partly due to extreme cold in Europe which impacted wheat prices, and excessively hot and dry conditions in South America which contributed to price increases for sugar, maize, and soybeans.

Higher food prices lead poor households to buy cheaper and less nutritious food items. For poor families, coping with rising food prices means eating less, cutting the number of meals per day and reducing the quality and variety of foods they consume.

"The impact of high food prices is more severe for the poor who rely on purchased food," says Dr. Presern. "Families in developing countries tend to spend between 50-80 percent of their income on food, compared to less than 10 percent in some developed countries."

Interventions to address food and nutrition security

Mainstreaming climate change adaptation and mitigation measures into health and nutrition policies and interventions will help address food and nutrition security for millions.

Some of these interventions include:

Controlling food prices and volatility

Addressing food price volatility can improve food security. A key area for policy action at the country level is improving agricultural production and productivity of nutritious food, especially for smallholders.

These measures also need to create an enabling environment to encourage public and private investment in agriculture. Investments, in turn, will reduce price volatility and lower production costs, which will reduce food prices.

For example, Mexico implemented "contract agriculture" under which the buyer and the farmer agree a price. This market instrument brings certainty to future transactions, as the farmer has a prospective sale of his crop and the buyer has access to a safe supply source at a competitive and predetermined price.

It is also critical to develop nutrition surveillance at the household and community levels to identify crises before they occur, and develop stronger resilience for communities at risk of food and nutrition insecurity.

Promoting education 

Education has a powerful impact on preventing under nutrition. Combined efforts by all actors at the country level should focus on mainstreaming nutrition in education. Nutrition education efforts should promote knowledge of good nutrition, with a focus on the 1,000 day window from pregnancy to age 2, while encouraging the use of nutritious, climate-resilient food staples, in particular in those countries expected to be hit hardest by climate change. Better nutritional practices would, in turn, mean more effective use of available food.

For example, the Oportunidades program in Mexico, which combined nutritional education, cash transfers and the provision of fortified weaning food supplements, had an effect of over 1 cm in the height of infants who participated in the program during the first 2 years of life.

The Oportunidades program started over a decade ago. Some of its benefits on nutrition and health included a decrease of 11 and 2 percent in maternal deaths and infant mortality, respectively.

The media also plays an important role in education. An assessment of a national mass-media campaign in Honduras reported that it increased exclusive breastfeeding from 48 to 70 percent at 1 month, from 24 to 31 percent at 4 months, and from 7 to 12 percent at 6 months of age.

Mobilizing political leadership to reduce greenhouse gases

Reducing global greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions is a prerequisite to addressing climate change.

The ultimate objective of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is to stabilize GHG concentrations in the atmosphere to ensure that food production is not threatened.

The latest decisions of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC postponed the implementation of emission reductions to 2020, although the IPCC scientific assessment concluded that higher and more immediate emission reductions were needed.

High-level political leadership is needed to mainstream health and nutrition concerns into the UNFCCC discussions.

Promoting nutrition-sensitive and climate-resilient agricultural practices

Successful national nutrition plans should integrate climate change adaptation measures, like breeding crops that are more nutritious and heat-resistant, to address undernutrition.

For example, Mozambique had a very high prevalence of vitamin A deficiency. A new variety of orange sweet potato was introduced and vitamin A intakes increased substantially, leading to a 63 percent increase in vitamin A intakes for children aged 6-35 months, 169 percent for children aged 3-5.5 years and 42 percent among women.

The importance of sweet potato is two-fold. Sweet potato is effective in providing vitamin A (an essential micronutrient) and is a good source of carbohydrates, which account for 55-75 percent of a nutritious diet. It is also a heat-resistant crop requiring less water than other crops and thus adapting to changes in climate.

New multi-sectoral strategies 

Multi-sector approaches should be developed at the country level, aimed at developing country nutrition strategies that also integrate adaptation measures to climate change. These strategies should focus on incorporating alternative sources of food while providing the same amount of nutrients.

For example, China successfully implemented multi-sector action to address undernourishment. By combining anti-poverty policies, granting decision-making power to farm households, public investments in agriculture and market and price liberalization, the number of undernourished people fell from 194 million (16 percent of the population) in 1990-92 to 150 million (12 percent of the population) in 2001-03.

"We urge global leaders to prioritize and invest in programs and policies that help improve nutrition, particularly for mothers and children in the 1,000 day window, support the Scaling Up Nutrition movement, and commit to global and country-level targets to reduce malnutrition," says Lucy Sullivan. "Improving nutrition should not just be seen as a development priority for the G-20, but as an economic growth strategy for countries looking to compete globally," say Dr. Presern.

Dipetik dari - Science Codex

Aquino urged to reveal docking deal with US

President accused of paving the way for the virtual return of US military bases in Central Luzon

Manila: Militants called on Congress to urge President Benigno Aquino to reveal the alleged signing of an agreement that gives docking and landing rights to American ships and aircraft at the former US bases in central Luzon, sources said.

President Aquino is “obliged by national interest to reveal the real score about his agreement with General Martin Dempsey, chair of US Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was at Malacanang Palace in early June, prior to Aquino’s official visit to meet US President Barack Obama in Washington D.C. on June 8,” Fernando Hicap, national chairperson of Pamalakaya, an organisation of fisherfolks, told the Star.

Aquino allegedly paved the way “for the virtual return of US military bases in Central Luzon”, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), said in a statement on June 6.

The agreement was to “to give the US military unrestricted prerogative to make use of the naval and airport facilities of its former military bases in Clark, Pampanga and Subic, Zambales [both in central Luzon],” the CCP claimed.

It quoted the alleged agreement as saying that US naval ships and military aircraft can use facilities only with “prior clearance from the Philippine government”.

It is an insignificant caveat to make the government appear to have the right to assert its sovereignty, the CPP said.

The agreement could mean “deployment of large numbers of American troops, naval warships, aircraft, drones and other military facilities on a level unprecedented since the 1946 Military Bases Agreement was rejected [by the Philippine Senate] on September 17, 1991,” the CCP warned.

It could also mean weakening of the “Philippines to exercise an independent foreign policy” and the “Philippines’ sovereign right to choose its friends and enemies”, the CPP added.

This will allow the US “to use the Philippines as a staging platform for its interventionism, power-projection and hegemony-building efforts in the Asia-Pacific region, in outright violation of Philippine sovereignty”, the CPP said.

If the agreement really exists, “the entire country is in danger of becoming an even larger American military base,” Eleanor de Guzman, deputy secretary of Bayan, a leftist political party, told Bulatlat, a militant news website.

In 1991, the Philippine Senate rejected the US-proposed 10-year extension of the now defunct 1946 Philippine-US Military Bases Agreement (MBA), the basis of US presence in the Philippines, which actually began right after the end of the Spanish rule in 1898.

But the Philippine Senate in 1998 ratified the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) that the executive level had signed with US representatives during the time of former President Fidel Ramos.

The VFA became a guideline in the holding of US-Philippine joint war games that resumed in the early 2000.

The war games paved the way for US intelligence assistance to Philippine soldiers who have been tracking down members of the Abu Sayyaf Group, a terror group with links to Jemaah Islamiyah.

It also allowed increased US presence in the Philippines.

These developments were seen as efforts to strengthen the country’s anti-terrorism campaign, and also to rebuff China.

Since last year, the Philippines has been complaining of China’s flexing of military might in the South China Sea; of harassing Filipino seamen, including Philippine vessels engaged in oil drilling activity in the contested sea-lane.

China, Taiwan, and Vietnam claim the whole of the South China Sea based on historical rights.

Brunei, Malaysia, and Philippines claim some parts of the Spratly Archipelago in the South China Sea, based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) which gives nations 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone from their shores.

The Philippines and Thailand are two of US’s formal allies among 10-member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

Dipetik dari - gulnews

Insight - Liechtenstein prince faces vote over veto power

VADUZ (Reuters) – It isn’t easy being a campaigner for more democracy in the tiny principality of Liechtenstein. Everybody knows everybody in this arch-conservative state and the subjects of the last monarchy in Europe with any real power don’t like rocking the boat.

Activists who want to end the monarchy’s right to veto popular referendums say they have received threatening letters and seen far-right vandals deface campaign posters with Nazi slogans like “Heil Fatherland” and “Democrats are the death of the people”.

Given the charged atmosphere in this state of just 36,000, few dare to speak out against billionaire Prince Hans-Adam von und zu Liechtenstein, whose family has ruled the 160-sq-km (62-sq-mile) principality since 1699 and is credited with turning a rural backwater into a wealthy banking centre.

But democracy campaigners still managed to gather just enough signatures to call a referendum on the prince’s veto right – set for July 1 – by canvassing support in private and assuring voters that their names would be kept secret.

“People are worried about being seen as against the prince,” Sigvard Wohlwend, a communications consultant who is a spokesman for the campaign, told Reuters in a cafe in the pedestrianised main street of the sleepy capital Vaduz.

Wohlwend said most people don’t want to reopen deep divisions over the monarchy that were triggered by a constitutional crisis in 2003.

“Today I argue with a politician and tomorrow I play football with him and I’m probably also related to him somehow. That’s village life,” said Wohlwend, who greeted several passersby during the course of the interview.

An attempt to canvas support at his son’s football match did not go down well, he said.

While the prince has far-reaching executive powers beyond the veto right, he rarely has to use them. All he needs to do to strike fear into the hearts of his subjects is to threaten to quit the country which carries his name, undermining stability and affluence for all.

“God, Prince, Fatherland” bumper stickers are popular around Vaduz and 1,200 opponents of the referendum had their names printed in the national newspaper.

“If you speak to young and old it is clear for all that this initiative will be rejected,” said one senior banker, who sported the gold crown lapel pin of the pro-Prince camp but did not want his name used in this article.

“The princely house is a stabilising factor for our country because it thinks for generations and not just for four years.”

It’s an argument that carries particular weight at a time when the country’s powerful financial industry is trying to sell political stability as the main reason to bank in Liechtenstein after it came under pressure to stop sheltering tax dodgers.

MOST POWERFUL MONARCH IN WEST

Wilfried Marxer, director of the Liechtenstein Institute – a largely government-funded research body – said it was hard to have a rational debate about the monarchy.

“It is a very controversial issue. The topic of the position of the monarch in Liechtenstein is not so much rational as emotional. People don’t want conflict,” he said. “If there is a lack of consensus between the people it is difficult for a society as small as Liechtenstein.”

The July vote is only on the prince’s right to veto the results of popular referendums; he would retain the right to veto decisions made by parliament.

The campaign was triggered last year after Crown Prince Alois said he would block the legalisation of abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy if his people approved it in a referendum, held in September after a years-long debate.

Alois has run day-to-day affairs in Europe’s fourth smallest state since Hans-Adam returned to managing his family’s fabulous wealth after winning a referendum to increase the monarchy’s powers with 64 percent of the vote in 2003.

In the end, the father of four, whose wife Sophie runs a charity that supports women who have unwanted pregnancies, did not have to resort to the veto because the proposal was rejected by 52 percent of the largely Catholic population.

“Just by commenting, the prince can move 10 or 20 percent of the population of Liechtenstein in one direction or the other. By threatening his veto, he can avoid having to use it,” said Wohlwend.

“There is no other head of state who has these powers. He is the most powerful monarch in the Western hemisphere – and will remain the most powerful monarch after a ‘Yes’ in the popular vote,” he said.

Alois, 44, who lives in a fortified castle that clings to steep forested slopes above Vaduz, has said his family would withdraw from political life if it loses the vote.

“The princely house will not serve as a fig leaf for policies it no longer supports,” Alois said in a speech at the opening of parliament in March. The prince declined to speak to Reuters for this article.

Hans-Adam managed to head off an attempt to limit his powers a decade ago with a similar threat, suggesting his family could move to Vienna where their ancestors lived until 1938 if their subjects no longer wanted them.

“There is a small group of politically ambitious individuals for whom the monarchy has long been a thorn in the side. First they want to weaken the monarchy and then completely abolish it,” Hans-Adam, 67, said in February.

“Unfortunately in the 20th century, there have been enough examples of monarchies being removed by revolutions and replaced by bloody dictators,” he told the Liechtensteiner Vaterland newspaper in his annual birthday interview.

BANKING BEHEMOTH UNDER PRESSURE

Vaduz is an odd mixture of modernity and tradition. The quaint postcard shops and cafes that you would expect in any small Alpine town are interspersed with boxy city office buildings, the largest belonging to banks like LLB and LGT.

In a reminder of the not-too-distant past of this country sandwiched in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland, visitors can also still catch the smell of manure in the centre of Vaduz and see the odd tractor chugging through the streets.

Gesturing up the hill to the 13th-century royal castle, Wohlwend doubted Hans-Adam would ever really quit Vaduz.

“Why should he give up his enormous privileges?” he said. “He can direct policies that benefit the princely family and its interests. He pays no taxes. He saves millions of francs a year in wealth taxes.”

After the Liechtenstein royal family lost vast tracts of land and castles in eastern Europe at the end of World War Two, they reinvented their country as a tax haven, attracting offshore companies and the savings of wealthy foreigners.

That helped LGT, owned by the royal family, become hugely profitable, making the Liechtenstein monarchy the wealthiest in Europe, worth 6-7 billion Swiss francs ($6.25-7.3 billion), according to the 2011 rich list in the Swiss magazine Bilanz.

LGT, the country’s biggest bank with 87 billion francs under management, is run by Alois’ brother Max and offers clients the possibility to invest in a “Princely Portfolio”, using the same broad diversification strategy as the monarchy.

The family also owns several palaces and tracts of forest and vineyards in Austria, as well as a valuable art collection.

The booming financial sector – the tiny nation has 17 banks and 107 wealth management companies – also helped make Liechtenstein’s citizens among the world’s wealthiest, with national output per person seen over $141,000 in 2012.

The dominance of banking has pushed up property prices: there were no houses for sale under 2 million francs in the window of one Vaduz real estate agent, which also advertised a villa near the princely castle for 5.5 million.

But the industry has been in crisis since 2008 when bank data leaked by a former LGT employee revealed hundreds of rich Germans had hidden assets in the country, forcing Liechtenstein to promise to clamp down on tax dodgers from abroad.

The U.S. Department of Justice is also investigating the second biggest bank LLB for allegedly helping rich Americans to avoid paying tax, one of at least 11 banks – mostly Swiss – targeted in the probe.

The Swiss and Liechtenstein governments are trying to get the investigation dropped in return for the likely payment of heavy fines and the transfer of thousands of client names. LLB has said it is working with U.S. authorities to reach a settlement.

The tax issue, compounded by rocky markets and a rise in the Swiss franc – Liechtenstein’s official currency since 1924 – slashed assets managed in the country from a 2007 peak of 153 billion francs to 109 billion at the end of 2011.

‘LIECHTENSTEIN SPRING’ UNLIKELY

As the tide of foreign money has turned, the government has been forced to make unprecedented budget cuts, reinforcing support for a stable status-quo.

“We have never had real revolutionary times. The prince is seen as a protector rather than an exploiter,” said Marxer of the Liechtenstein Institute. “People see more advantages than disadvantages from the princely house to risk it withdrawing from politics or leaving the country.”

In February, ratings agency Standard & Poor’s confirmed its ‘AAA’ rating for Liechtenstein, saying “stable and conservative policies have resulted in a strong history of managing political and economic challenges which we expect to continue.”

Prime Minister Klaus Tschuetscher, who went to school with Prince Alois and meets him every couple of weeks to discuss official business, said the veto dispute could be resolved by limiting when the royals are allowed to speak out on key topics.

“The debate should be around when the princely house should express itself on referendums. I personally believe it should be after the people have expressed their will so that there is really free volition,” he told Reuters.

“The princely house is as integral to Liechtenstein as is the Rhine which makes the border to Switzerland, and the Swiss franc,” he said.

“The people of Liechtenstein know what they get from the princely house and the princely house knows what it gets from Liechtenstein. It is such a symbiotic relationship that nobody will give that up easily.”

Dipetik dari - euronews

Asean Is a House Divided

Member nations' interests are so diverse that a unified response to Beijing's claims in the South China Sea is proving impossible.

By IAN STOREY

Since the tense naval standoff between the Philippines and China over ownership of the Scarborough Shoal erupted on April 10, the lack of support for Manila from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) has been striking. Not only has Asean failed to close ranks behind one of its members, there hasn't been a peep out of the organization on the dispute—one of the most serious in the South China Sea since the mid-1990s.

Asean's deafening silence is disappointing, but not surprising. The member states are divided on how best to deal with the problem due to differing national interests, including the value they place on their relationships with China. The result is a lack of cohesion and inaction.

The central fault line within Asean is between members who have significant economic and strategic interests in the South China Sea and those who do not. The first group, the littoral states, is composed of the four Asean members who make territorial claims in the South China Sea—Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam—as well as Indonesia and Singapore.

Even within the littorals, opinions are divided. For Vietnam and the Philippines, their disputes with China over sovereignty of the Spratly Islands and other atolls have become major national security concerns and have driven their recent military modernization programs. Malaysia and Brunei, on the other hand, enjoy the luxury of distance from China and have tended to downplay the dispute. Moreover, the claims of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei overlap, preventing the four countries from presenting a united front.

Then there are Indonesia and Singapore, who make no territorial claims in the South China Sea, but are alarmed at Beijing's expansive claims. Indonesia has formally challenged China's claims at the United Nations, while Singapore has called on China to clarify them.

The second group, the non-littorals, comprises Cambodia, Laos, Burma and Thailand, and they have been noticeably silent about the South China Sea issue. They do not see themselves as having a direct stake in the dispute and do not consider the Spratlys to be a pressing concern. Plus, over the past two decades China has cultivated close political, economic and security ties with these four countries, which their governments do not want to risk damaging by taking positions against Beijing.

Cambodia has been particularly keen to avoid upsetting China. As chair of Asean, this year it proposed keeping the dispute off the organization's formal agenda. And at a summit meeting in April, Cambodia argued that China should be involved in drafting a binding code of conduct with Asean from the beginning of any conflict resolution management process. Both positions put it firmly at odds with Vietnam and the Philippines.

Asean does at least have a bottom-line consensus on the South China Sea: The dispute should be resolved peacefully in accordance with international law and without recourse to force. The organization has also stated that Also, member states and China should pursue confidence-building measures to lower tensions. But beyond this basic statement, differing national perspectives make agreement on how to deal with China, manage the dispute and seek resolution problematic.

These difficulties were brought into sharp relief last year when the Philippines proposed transforming the South China Sea into a Zone of Peace, Freedom, Friendship and Cooperation, or ZoPFFC. Manila's plan was to "enclave" the Spratlys as a disputed area, demilitarize the atolls and then establish a multilateral development agency to jointly manage maritime resources.

The imaginative initiative, however, was a nonstarter. China flatly rejected it on the familiar grounds that the dispute is a bilateral problem that requires a bilateral solution.

But the idea could have still gained some traction had other Asean members supported it, but only Vietnam did. As a matter of policy, Asean does not take a position on the competing claims of its members, nor those of China. To "segregate" the South China Sea into disputed and non-disputed areas, however, Asean would have to come out against China's claims—which is unacceptable to some members. For all intents and purposes, the ZoPFFC is now dead in the water.

This hasn't helped intra-Asean relations. The two members at the pointy end of disputes with China, the Philippines and Vietnam, are invariably disappointed with Asean's wishy-washiness over the South China Sea. Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said that only Cambodia had suggested China play a role from the get go and that this had led to a "big disagreement."

Lack of support from within Asean has then led Hanoi and Manila to pursue additional strategies, including closer defense links with Washington. Debate over the role the U.S. should play in the South China Sea dispute exacerbates the divisions within Asean. Some members are concerned that a more proactive role by Washington will simply antagonize China and complicate the search for a resolution.

The South China Sea dispute has moved to the top of Asia's security agenda. Tensions are likely to increase as competition for oil and gas intensifies and the militarization of the dispute continues apace. Yet the compromises necessary to achieve a negotiated settlement are out of reach, as the claimants have moved to strengthen their jurisdictional claims.

With tensions rising, the weight of expectations on Asean to become proactive and articulate solutions to the dispute will only become heavier. Regrettably, recent events show Asean cannot live up to those expectations and, on current trends, will allow Beijing to pick off individual members.

Dipetik dari - WSJ.com

Downer sniffed a bargain when playboy prince had to offload some boys' toys

Linton Besser
June 18, 2012

Australia's foreign minister had his eye on a luxury car in the vast collection of a sultan's wayward brother.

In early 2007, as Kevin Rudd steamrolled the ALP towards government, Alexander Downer might have known that his years as foreign minister were coming to an end. The polls were telling him that by year's end he would return to suburban life in Adelaide after an extraordinary 11 years of jetting around the globe and mixing it with some of the world's most powerful - and most wealthy - people.

In Brunei, Downer's counterparts were both of these things. Brunei's vast oil reserves made it's Sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah, the world's richest man in the 1980s, worth an estimated $40 billion. During Downer's tenure, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the true extent of the wealth of the Sultan's family was becoming uncomfortably public courtesy of an extraordinary royal scandal.

During a long period as finance minister, the Sultan's younger brother, Prince Jefri Bolkiah, spent $14.8 billion to fund the ultimate playboy existence. A merry-go-round of excess and debauchery, his lifestyle was estimated to cost $50 million a month.

Jefri was a collector. He collected hotels, including the Dorchester in London and the Bel-Air in Los Angeles. He collected executive aircraft, art and jewellery - including five individual diamonds worth a combined $200 million. His palace had a life-size statue of himself at its entrance holding a solid-gold polo mallet.

Sex was a theme. He named one of his yachts Tits (its dinghies were Nipple 1 and Nipple 2) and spent $8 million on 10 bejewelled wristwatches that on each hour depicted a couple fornicating. A former Miss USA, Shannon Marketic, alleged she had been among scores of women recruited to dance in a vast nightclub Jefri had built inside his palace.

These details came to light during the term of Downer's office because the Sultan had finally cracked down on his wayward brother. By 2007, multiple court actions had forced the collapse of Jefri's Amedeo Corporation, and authorities had by then spent several years trying to liquidate his assets.

Downer told the Herald they never met. But they did share one passion: cars. Downer is an unabashed petrolhead. An avid fan of the V8s, he drives a modified racing car that he owns with a friend.

Jefri, of course, indulged the hobby on a much grander scale. Besides racing Ferraris with his brother through the streets of the capital at midnight, the prince also had potentially the world's most extravagant collection of cars. Many of the 2300 Bentleys, Ferraris and Rolls-Royces had ''His Royal Highness Prince Jefri'' inscribed in the panelling along the driver's door.

Downer and his staff were kept abreast of the unfolding scandal by Foreign Affairs staff in Brunei, but he also maintained a personal relationship with Pehin Lim, Brunei's deputy foreign minister.

So, on March 1, 2007, it probably didn't surprise the Brunei high commissioner, Ruth Adler, to hear that Lim and Downer had recently been talking between themselves; but she was surprised to hear what they discussed, notarising the conversation in an email to Downer's senior adviser, Andrew Goledzinowski.

''Further to our conversation of yesterday, Pehin Lim … rang me yesterday to say that he had recently had a conversation with Mr Downer in which the latter reportedly indicated a possible interest in purchasing a sports car. Pehin Lim told the minister he would send him a list of cars that were available for sale.

"The cars originally formed part of the assets of the Amedeo Corporation, which collapsed in the late 1990s and are now available for sale by tender.'' She attached to the email a spreadsheet of 67 Mercedes-Benzes.

The next week was busy for Downer, as he prepared to fly to nearby Indonesia for counterterrorism talks. Then on March 7, Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 crashed at Yogyakarta. Among the 22 killed were several Australian officials and the Australian Financial Review correspondent Morgan Mellish. Mellish, and Cynthia Banham, a reporter with the Herald, were following Downer to the talks. Banham was critically injured but survived.

At 10.45am on March 16, the day it emerged the pilot may have been culpable, Goledzinowski phoned a high commission official in Brunei to issue his boss's instructions regarding the Mercedes.

The official relayed to Adler that Downer "is interested in the 1993 600SL Roadster", a V12 German luxury car. The Bruneian government was selling 21 of them, in black, blue, purple, red or silver, and had valued the vehicles at $BND66,400 each (about $55,540 at the time).

"Minister Downer thought the price was a little high," the email notes. "AG [Goledzinowski] asked if we could contact the Minister here and ask 'how much would it cost to have that car?' AG said that the Minister felt approx. AUD20,000 was a fair price but not to raise that with the Bruneians unless specifically asked.''

Goledzinowski, now a senior DFAT official, also asked that they investigate what it might cost to ship the vehicle to Australia (someone immediately began ringing around for quotes), and ''also asked if we would liaise with Customs Australia''.

But there were concerns among the staff at the high commission about the whole affair.

"In reply to my question re any concerns by Minister Downer about purchasing a vehicle prior to an auction AG advised this was being treated in the same manner as the sale of a house which can be put up for auction but may be sold by private arrangement before hand," the email said.

Later, Adler sent a long email to the department's corporate management division (CMD), alerting them to Downer's activities. It was "the only issue I can think of which CMD should possibly be aware [of]".

"Both Pehin Lim and Dr Amin Liew, the head of the Brunei Investment Agency, have contacted me in relation to Mr Downer's possible interest in purchasing a car, and have sent me several documents in relation to the available cars. As a courtesy, I have forwarded these to Andrew to pass to the minister for his consideration and, at Andrew's request, sourced information on the cost of shipping a vehicle back to Australia."

She wrote that since the flurry of correspondence she had not heard from Downer and had not pursued the matter. "I do not consider that it would be appropriate for me as HOM [Head of Mission] to act on Mr Downer's behalf in relation to the possible private purchase of a vehicle."

Downer answered the Herald's questions via text message. He said he did not follow through with the purchase because Adler was right about her concerns: ''I agreed with that.''

The Herald asked him to clarify. ''You are saying you accept that your actions in having her and her staff act as intermediaries between you and Pehin Lim was inappropriate? Was that why you stopped the process [of buying the car]?''

Downer wrote back a one-word text: ''Yes.''

As it turned out, life after politics was not as mundane as Downer might have feared. He was appointed the United Nations secretary-general's special adviser on Cyprus in July 2008 and he answered the Herald's questions while between meetings in Brussels.

In fact, it is his fellow car-lover Prince Jefri whose life has been more radically changed. He now lives on the royal pension, a mere $20,000 a month. And worst of all, the toys are gone too - even the 600SL Roadster.

Dipetik dari - Sydney Morning Herald

Family Day should not be all about fun

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah,
the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam delivers his
titah during the Isra' Mikraj celebrations held at the
International Convention Centre, Berakas.

Syed Rory Malai Hassan and
Anna Abu Bakar
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Monday, June 18, 2012

HM questions absence of religious element

HIS Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam yesterday questioned the absence of a religious element in the celebration of 'Family Day' recently.

Pointing out that "it was slightly odd", His Majesty observed that of all the activities that day, not even a single one was tied to or demonstrated families practising their religious obligations together.

"Was it merely for entertainment and amusement?" asked His Majesty in conclusion of his titah commemorating Isra' Mikraj delivered yesterday at the International Convention Centre, Berakas. In his titah, His Majesty pointed out to families praying together either at home or at the mosque as an example of such activities that could have been highlighted during the first national 'Family Day' celebration which was observed on the first Sunday of May this year.

Questioning the absence of religious element on that day, His Majesty then asked if this was the model for every family in Brunei to follow.

His Majesty stressed that the tendency to opt for the path that offers amusement and entertainment, and possibly, being inattentive to more important matters, is a sign of weakness.

In view of this situation, His Majesty further urged the public "to be more serious in all matters that are related to our family, our nation and our religion".

Dipetik dari - The Brunei Times

Projects to minimise flooding to begin soon

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Thursday, June 14, 2012

SEVERAL national development projects set to minimise the local flooding situation of identified flood-prone areas will begin construction this year.

The Ministry of Development through the Public Works Department together with 10 local developers will commence work soon following the official signing of contracts between the two parties yesterday.

Under the Department of Drainage and Sewerage, two projects for the construction of facilities and infrastructure for Sg Damuan will serve to address the local flooding situation in the area while the other will serve to provide Jln Manggis Satu and Jln Manggis Dua with a proper drainage system and connection to the main drainage and sewerage network.

The Sg Damuan catchment area has been identified as one of the worst affected flood-prone areas in the Brunei-Muara District due to it being a low lying flat area, the rapid development within the catchment, the ingress of high tide from Sg Brunei, the floodwater in-flow from Sg Damuan, the aggravation of obstructions in channels and inadequate drainage network capacity.

With several future and ongoing development sites located between Brunei-Muara District, Tutong District and Sg Damuan snaking through its geography, lack of proper management and handling of the flooding situation will be a damper for these sites and its population.

The project to construct facilities and infrastructure under the Drainage and Sewerage Department for the Sg Damuan Catchment will primarily relieve the population of Kg Kulapis, Kg Pasai and Kg Limau Manis of the flooding situation by providing them with a more manageable flooding system.

With the introduction of a drainage infrastructure within the catchment and a detention pond that will provide immediate release downstream with the discharge of excess water into the Brunei River, the system will help to maintain and mitigate the flooding situation for the area.

The project scope will see to the construction of a detention pond, flap gate and discharge pit, the construction of a seven-metre high Earth Bund, construction of maintenance road, reinforced concrete channel and erection of hydrometric station (Water Telemetry, River and Rainfall Gauging).

The works for this project will be carried out by contractors JYC Sdn Bhd.

The second project to be carried out on Sg Damuan this year will be the works to improve river flow that will be handled by PRO-BUILDER Sdn Bhd.

With the Kg Lugu Housing Scheme project along the line, the flooding situation caused by water from the 546-hectare site within the Lugu catchment area needs to be channeled into the Brunei River through Sg Damuan.

As the capacity to handle excess water at the mouth of Sg Damuan is inadequate, the project will help to regulate the flow from Lugu catchment area to minimise local flooding and downstream flooding via a detention pond to contain excess runoff and regulate discharge downstream into Brunei River.

This will be a huge benefit to the future population of Kg Lugu Housing Scheme with its proposed 2,000 houses as well as residents of nearby villages that frequently experience the floods.

With the development of these projects, the Public Works Department through the Department of Drainage and Sewerage will be able to alleviate the flooding situation for this identified flood prone area.

Dipetik dari - The Brunei Times


Berikut adalah petikan usul di Kongres Agung Tahunan ke-6 NDP, 29-30 Julai 2011

Usul Mengatasi Masalah Banjir Di Ulu Tutong (Perhubungan Daerah Tutong).

Menginsafi bahawa dalam tahun 2008 sahaja daerah Ulu Tutong telah EMPAT (4) KALI dilanda banjir,

Menginsafi bahawa banjir yang melanda ini telah banyak membawa kesulitan dan kesengsaraan kepada penduduk sama ada dari segi fizikal atau emosi,

Menginsafi bahawa banjir yang berulangkali ini sesungguhnya menjejaskan punca pendapatan dan usaha rakyat dan mengakibatkan beban kewangan,

Menginsafi bahawa kejadian banjir yang tidak terkawal menyebabkan rakyat sentiasa hidup dalam kebimbangan dan ketakutan,

Menyedari bahawa pihak-pihak yang berwajib gagal menangani masalah banjir ini dan memberikan perhatian dan bantuan yang sewajarnya,

Demi menjunjung dan menyokong titah Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan dan Yang Di Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam sempena Menyambut Perayaan Jubli Perak Hari Kebangsaan Negara Brunei Darussalam pada 23 Februari, 2009 yang menegaskan, “Seperti kita sedia maklum, baru-baru ini negara mengalami bencana agak luar biasa, di mana sebahagian kawasan dilanda banjir, tanah susur, gangguan bekalan eletrik dan sistem perhubungan. Ini, tidak syak lagi, adalah satu cabaran untuk menjadikan sebagai peringatan dan pembelajaran, bagaimana langkah-langkah perlu diambil serta dipersiapkan, bagi sekurang-kurangnya, mengurangkan kesan-kesan kejadian tersebut. Dasar belajar dan mengenali punca hendaklah dihidupkan terus. Jangan memadai setakat membuat kerja-kerja rutin sahaja, tetapi mesti dicari jawapan-jawapan tepat mengapa ia terjadi, dan kemudian bagaimana mengatasinya? Satu soalan mudah, misalnya: Mengapakah dahulu tidak berlaku dan sekarang berlaku? Dahulu, di kawasan-kawasan tertentu tidak pernah banjir tetapi sekarang banjir besar? Dahulu tidak berbangkit tanah susur tetapi sekarang banyak tempat yang berlaku tanah susur? Ini semua, memerlukan jawapan-jawapan tepat yang berfakta, bukannya setakat teori semata-mata.”,

Menginsafi bahawa masalah banjir ini masih berterusan dan belum ada tindakan penyelesaian bersifat jangka panjang oleh pihak berkuasa bagi mengatasinya,

Menginsafi bahawa perancangan yang komprehensif dan tindakan yang bersepadu adalah perlu dalam usaha mengatasi masalah banjir ini,

1. Mengingati akan usul mengenai Mengatasi Masalah Banjir Di Ulu Tutong yang telah dilulus dan disahkan oleh Kongres Agung Tahunan Ke-3 Parti Pembangunan Bangsa (NDP) yang bersidang pada 16 - 18 Jamadilakhir 1429 bersamaan 20 - 22 Jun 2008;

2 . Mengingati akan usul mengenai Mengatasi Masalah Banjir Di Ulu Tutong yang telah dilulus dan disahkan oleh Kongres Agung Tahunan Ke-4 Parti Pembangunan Bangsa (NDP) yang bersidang pada 25 - 27 Jamadilakhir 1430 bersamaan 19 - 21 Jun 2009;

3. Maka dengan ini, Kongres Agung Tahunan Parti Pembangunan Bangsa (NDP) Ke-5 yang bersidang pada hari ini 05 Jun 2010 di Dewan Utama, Bangunan Persekutuan Guru-Guru Melayu Brunei (PGGMB), Bandar Seri Begawan, mengambil maklum dan memperakui semula usul mengenai Mengatasi Masalah Banjir Di Ulu Tutong yang telah dilulus dan disahkan oleh Kongres Agung Tahunan Ke-3 Parti Pembangunan Bangsa (NDP) yang bersidang pada 16 - 18 Jamadilakhir 1429 bersamaan 20 - 22 Jun 2008 dan Kongres Agung Tahunan Ke-4 Parti Pembangunan Bangsa (NDP) yang bersidang pada 25 - 27 Jamadilakhir 1430 bersamaan 19 - 21 Jun 2009 yang mengambil persetujuan dan ketetapan menggesa pihak-pihak yang berkenaan terutamanya Kementerian-Kementerian yang berkaitan supaya melaksanakan tugas dan tanggungjawab mereka dengan adil dan saksama, khususnya Kementerian Pembangunan, dan Kerajaan Kebawah DYMM Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan dan Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam perlu mengambil tindakan segera dalam melaksanakan projek pendalaman dan pembersihan Sungai Tutong dengan tujuan dan matlamat untuk mempastikan kejadian banjir tidak berulang lagi; dan bahawa Kongres Agung Tahunan Ke-4 ini mengambil persetujuan dan ketetapan menggesa Kerajaan Kebawah DYMM supaya mengambil langkah-langkah segera dan drastik dalam usaha mengatasi masalah banjir yang berulang dan melaksanakan penyelesaian jangka panjang demi menjamin keselamatan dan kebajikan penduduk setempat.

Maka dengan ini, Kongres Agung Tahunan ke-6 Parti Pembangunan Bangsa (NDP) yang bersidang di Dewan Serbaguna, Bangunan Persekutuan Pengakap Kebangsaan pada 28 Syaaban 1432H bersamaan 30 Julai 2011M, menerima dan mengesahkan Usul Mengatasi Masalah Banjir di Ulu Tutong seperti di atas dengan sebulat suara.

Public invited for drafting of Asean Human Rights Declaration on Saturday

By SHAILA KOSHY

KUALA LUMPUR: Members of the public and national civil society organisations are invited to a consultation on the draft Asean Human Rights Declaration on Saturday.

The three-hour long national consultation at the Institute of Diplomacy & Foreign Relations along Jalan Wisma Putra here commences at 10am.

Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Malaysia's representative to the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), will chair the consultation, said Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.

Interested participants should register and confirm their participation via phone or e-mail the Asean-Malaysia National Secretariat by June 15 at: (03) 8887 4632 / 4552 / 4117 or aichr@kln.gov.my

As places are limited, registration will be accorded on a first come first served basis.

The Star had previously reported the unhappiness of various groups over the secrecy in the drafting of the document.

In January, Amnesty International had called for the draft to be made public, saying human rights concerned every woman, man and child in the region.

It lamented the “secrecy surrounding the drafting process so far”.

Later, 137 Asean civil society organisations and networks issued a statement to AICHR and its country representatives on April 8 to release the draft to the peoples of Asean member countries.

In response, Shafee had argued that effective consultation was possible even without a draft as everyone knew what would be included in any human rights declaration.

“I have consulted local NGOs and the Bar Council representative in this manner and I found no impediment whatsoever.”

He had added AICHR would consult with various selected and accredited civil societies this month.

Dipetik dari - The Star Online

Rights groups accuse AICHR of lacking transparency

Human rights groups have expressed concerns over the drafting process of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) led by the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), accusing it of lacking transparency and ignoring activists’ voices.

Yuyun Wahyuningrum of the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), an umbrella organization for dozens of Indonesia’s human rights NGOs, said that the AICHR had refused activists’ requests to share the latest draft of the AHRD.

“Their lack of transparency leads us to be suspicious, what points are actually in the draft? They should have involved civil society and discussed the draft with human rights groups,” Yuyun said in a discussion with The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

“It is a pity that they have blocked access to information relating to the draft of the AHRD which is so important and which will affect millions of people in the Southeast Asia region,” she added.

According to Yuyun, the AICHR has finalized the AHRD draft and was set to deliver it at the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on July 8.

After ASEAN foreign ministers give their endorsements to the AHRD draft, Southeast Asian state leaders are expected to sign the AHRD at the ASEAN Summit on November in Phnom Penh.

Yuyun said that she had heard that there were tensions in the drafting process after state representatives in the AICHR focused more on protecting their own states’ interests.

“Some countries may have seen the AHRD as threatening. Vietnam, for example, may think that the declaration could work in the interests of the West and threaten communism which it adopts,” Yuyun said.

She said she had also heard that the point about forced disappearance was ruled out in the final draft. “Malaysia has its Internal Security Acts [ISA] which provide legal basis to authorities to arrest those considered a danger to national security without trials. Singapore, as well as Brunei Darussalam, also have their own forms of ISAs,” Yuyun said, alleging that those countries might have been against the inclusion of forced disappearance in the AHRD.

Another point that activists have been afraid would not be included in the declaration is protection of migrant workers. “Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei also have great interests in this issue,” she added.

Dipetik dari - The Jakarta Post

US, China woo India for control over Asia-Pacific

NEW DELHI: With the Asia-Pacific region emerging as the theatre of escalating US-China rivalry, India on Wednesday found itself in a rare and enviable situation: of being wooed by the competing giants.

Visiting US defence secretary Leon Panetta said India would be "a linchpin" in America's unfolding new defence strategy that revolves around "re-balancing" its forces "towards" Asia-Pacific, while Chinese vice premier Li Keqiang told foreign minister SM Krishna that Sino-Indian ties would be the most important bilateral relationship in the 21st Century.

Li's remark to Krishna, on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Beijing, is significant not just because he is slated to take over as China's premier from Wen Jiabao after the transition process starting July this year is over. But also since it virtually echoed US President Barack Obama's statement earlier to Indian Parliament terming the ties between the two democracies as the "defining partnership of 21st century".

Panetta said, "America is at a turning point. After a decade of war, we are developing the new defence strategy. In particular, we will expand our military partnerships and our presence in the arc extending from the Western Pacific and East Asia into the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and South Asia. Defence cooperation with India is a linchpin in this strategy."

China, which after the over 5,000-km Agni-V missile's test had sniggered at India for harbouring super-power ambitions, seems to have switched to a conciliatory tone and, suddenly, respectful of New Delhi's strategic autonomy.

The tactic found expression in the People's Daily which gushingly proclaimed that India with an independent foreign policy could not be manipulated, even as it slammed the new US strategy that includes progressively shifting 60% of the formidable American naval combat fleet to Asia-Pacific.

Recognizing Asia-Pacific's emergence as the new economic hub, the US has decided to focus on the region as part of what they call the pivot towards Asia. The new strategic posture has been welcomed by the countries in the region which have been at the receiving end of the muscle flexing by China that claims the entire South China Sea as its exclusive domain.

Caught between?

The unfolding rivalry creates problems for India. It is uneasy about China's aggrandizement and wants unhindered access to and through the South China Sea. Yet, it does not want to be seen as being part of any American grand design to contain China, already miffed with the new strategy being enunciated by the US.

India wants to further step up its defence cooperation with the US on a bilateral basis but clearly does not want additional naval forces in an already-militarized IOR and surrounding regions.

Defence minister AK Antony indirectly conveyed to Panetta that the US needed to recalibrate or rethink the policy. He emphasized there was a "need to strengthen the multilateral security architecture" in the Asia Pacific and that it must "move at a pace comfortable to all countries concerned".

Antony, however, did say India fully supported "unhindered freedom of navigation in international waters for all", given its own bitter experience of being needled by China in the contentious South China Sea.

But in another indication of India not being supportive of US actively jumping into the fray in South China Sea, where China is jostling with countries like the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore on territorial claims, Antony said it was "desirable" that the "parties concerned themselves should settle contentious matters in accordance with international laws".

Panetta, after earlier ruffling the prickly Chinese feathers, on Wednesday also struck a conciliatory note. Delivering a lecture, he said that even as India and the US "deepen" their bilateral defence partnership, the two would also seek to strengthen their ties with China.

"We recognise China has a critical role to play in advancing security and prosperity in this region. The US welcomes the rise of a strong, prosperous and a successful China that plays a greater role in global affairs - and respects and enforces the international norms that have governed this region for six decades," he said.

India was pleased with the outcome of the Krishna-Li meeting, making the Indian foreign minister one of the first leaders to have any substantial interaction with next generation of Chinese leaders.

Xi Jinping, who has been anointed successor to President Hu Jintao, was scheduled to visit India last year but it never materialized. Many described it as a missed opportunity for India in engaging the leader who would be president.

But on Wednesday, India had reason to be happy. "Repeatedly emphasizing how important ties were between the two countries, Li told the foreign minister that he looked upon the ties between the two nations as the most significant bilateral relationship of the 21st century," said an official.

Krishna, who will also meet Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi on Thursday, had on his way to Beijing said there were no contentious issues between the two countries apart from the border dispute.

Dipetik dari - The Times of India

UK media black out public outrage over royal wastage

LONDON, Jun 7: Britain’s mainstream media coverage of the Queen’s diamond jubilee celebrations focused on the picturesque extravaganza of the event, while there were other aspects to that.

First comes the huge costs the event imposed on the public purse, which the government estimates showed that the cost to the taxpayer would be as much as £3 billion.

The cost estimates exposed as The Guardian revealed on Monday June 4 that coach-loads of long-term unemployed jobseekers had been taken to London to work as unpaid stewards during celebrations marking the Queen’s 60th year on the throne.

Second came the news blackout of the protests the anti-monarchy and republican groups held to denounce such an outdated extravaganza.

The protesters gathered on the banks of the Thames River to censure “the hereditary system” in Britain, which they considered as an offence to “all democratic values”.

They used to say that it is increasingly difficult to see why, with 60 percent of the population not interested in such an outdated mechanism, the taxpayer has to pay for it.

However, their voices were left unheard by the mainstream media outlets, which only showed interest to the 1000-flotilla of boats accompanying the queen and the music concert that was held on her honor.

Britain’s unhealthy habit of dwelling on past glories has blinded those in power as well as many ordinary people to the fact that the country is now largely insignificant in the world.

The country’s outdated ideals and policies are failing to recognize the evolution of modern society and consequently enslaving the UK into a way of life that most other countries regard as either ‘quaint’ or primitive.

Dipetik dari - Harakahdaily

Panetta: Pentagon to shift warships to Pacific

SINGAPORE: The Pentagon will shift more Navy warships to the Asia-Pacific region over the next several years, and by 2020, about 60 percent of the fleet will be assigned there as part of a new strategy to increase U.S. presence in Asia, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Saturday.

While noting it may take years to complete the transition, Panetta assured his audience at a security conference in Singapore that U.S. budget problems and cutbacks would not get in the way of changes. He said the Defense Department has money in the five-year budget plan to meet those goals.

Speaking at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue conference, Panetta provided some of the first real details of the Pentagon’s impending pivot to the Pacific.

“It will take years for these concepts, and many of the investments that I just detailed, but we are making those investment in order that they be fully realized,” Panetta said in a speech opening the conference. “Make no mistake, in a steady, deliberate and sustainable way, the United States military is rebalancing and is bringing an enhanced capability development to this vital region.”

His promises, however, are likely to be met with skepticism from some nations that are aware of the coming budget cuts and have watched the U.S. send the bulk of its military might to Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade. The boost in ship presence could increase tensions with China, where leaders have said they are unhappy with any larger U.S. presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

A key area of dispute is the South China Sea, which China claims almost entirely as its own. But Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines also have territorial claims there. The U.S. has pressed for a diplomatic solution to the disagreements but has also made it clear that freedom of navigation is critical in the region.

Overall, however, Panetta tamped down his criticism of China, choosing instead to issue broad warnings about the use of force in the South China Sea to block access. He praised China and Taiwan for working to improve their relationship across the Taiwan Strait.

He said he is looking forward to visiting China later this year, adding that he wants to see the U.S. and China deepen their military ties, including on counterdrug programs and humanitarian aid.

Panetta acknowledged that some see the increased presence of the U.S. in the region as a direct challenge to China. But he rejected that view, saying that a greater U.S. presence in the Asia-Pacific will benefit China and improve regional security.

The increased U.S. naval presence in the Pacific will allow the U.S. to boost the number and size of the military exercises in the region in the next few years and to plan for more port visits over a wider area, including the Indian Ocean. Last year, the U.S. military participated in 172 exercises in the region involving 24 counties.

Currently, the Navy has about 285 ships, with roughly half assigned to each coast, but that total may decline a bit as some ships are retired in the coming years and may not be replaced.

The current fleet includes 11 aircraft carriers, with six assigned to the Pacific. But those numbers are slated to go down later this year, dipping to 10 carriers, with five assigned to Pacific ports in San Diego, Washington state and Japan.

Panetta, however, said he intends to go back to having six carriers in the Pacific in the coming years. And he said the Pacific will also eventually host a majority of the Navy’s cruisers, destroyers, submarines and littoral combat ships, which operate in close to shore.

Numbers, however, aren’t everything. So Panetta assured the conference that the region will also get ships that have greater technological capabilities. He did not elaborate on what those might be, but he noted that the U.S. expects to deploy more enhanced and high-tech submarines and fighter aircraft, along with new electronic warfare and communications systems.

Panetta is on a nine-day trip across Asia, with planned stops in Vietnam and India. -- AP

Dipetik dari - New Straits Times

Mindanao Peace Initiatives Get Big Boost

MANILA, June 2 (Bernama) -- The Philippine Government's peace initiatives with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) received a big boost when the indigenous peoples (IPs) and Muslim groups in Mindanao threw their support behind the ongoing peace talks to find a genuine and lasting solution to end the long-drawn armed conflict in southern Philippines.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) said on Saturday, the two groups manifested their all-out support at the just-concluded First National Muslims and Indigenous People's Cooperative Summit 2012 held in Davao City, according to the Philippines News Agency (PNA).

The peace panels of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the MILF had just completed their 28th exploratory talks in Kuala Lumpur where they discussed substantive issues, particularly wealth and power sharing.

The participants highlighted peace-related issues as among their concerns which they said could be resolved through peace negotiations between the government and MILF, the PNA reported.

During the discussion, Muslim and IP delegates cited the importance of resolving the decades-old armed conflict in southern Philippines as it would help improve their cooperative efforts and usher in development in Mindanao.

The Cooperative Summit aimed to enable the Muslim and IP cooperatives to be positive forces in bringing economic stimulus in their specific areas and thereby, strengthen the dividend for peace.

OPAPP said the Davao Summit was held in coordination with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and centred on President Benigno S. Aquino III's "straight path" policy.

At the same time, PNA quoted ARMM-CDA Administrator and Department of Agriculture Assistant Regional Secretary Pendatun Disimban as saying that Muslim and IP cooperatives must continue supporting the GPH-MILF negotiations as it would bring genuine peace and development in their areas.

"Let us join the administration's quest for peace. Let us support the GPH-MILF peace negotiations that will truly help develop our cooperatives," he said during his presentation entitled, 'Determining the Muslims and Indigenous Peoples Priorities for Improving Cooperative Management and Development'.

Among those who attended the summit were Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao governor Mujiv Hataman, National Commission on Muslim Filipinos secretary Mehol Sadain, CDA Chair Emmanuel Santiaguel and CDA acting executive director Orlando Ravanera.

Dipetik dari - BERNAMA