International community take note – regime change looms in Malaysia
BY LIEW CHIN TONG |30 AUGUST 2012 A very young demographic profile, a high urbanisation rate, ever increasing access to the Internet and extreme longevity in power, among other factors, will be working against the ruling coalition in Malaysia’s coming election. There are many reasons for the international community to be deeply cognisant of this fact, and to prepare for a regime change in that country for the first time since it gained independence in 1957. Soon after the government suffered severe setbacks in elections held on
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Journal
Social Democratic Parties in Southeast Asia Chances and Limits
1. Introduction The people of Southeast Asia, both masses and elites alike, looked for many years foremost up to the United States of America (US) as a role model state. However, the war on terrorism waged by the current US administration linked with cuts in
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Book Review: The Idea of Justice
The Idea of Justice By Amartya Sen London: Allen Lane, 2009 467 pages + xxviii Modern economic theorists have drifted too far from the actual world. In the beginning, economics was predominated with two main themes: ethics and economic rationality. However, later theorists have too
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From The Editors
Greetings from the editors As far as the editors are concerned this is the first Journal on Social Democracy in Asia. Since 2007, Indonesia has its own journal on social democracy. Confidently we hope, the ideas and the ideology of social democracy will flourish in
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International community take note – regime change looms in Malaysia BY LIEW CHIN TONG |30 AUGUST 2012 A very young demographic profile, a high urbanisation rate, ever increasing access to the Internet and extreme longevity in power, among other factors, will be working against the ruling coalition in Malaysia’s coming election. There are many reasons for the international community to be deeply cognisant of this fact, and to prepare for a regime change in that country for the first time since it gained independence in 1957. Soon after the government suffered severe setbacks in elections held on
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We live in strange and heady times. Just over a year ago, the entire world felt the liberating tremors from Tahrir Square to Zucotti Park, New York City. The Arab Spring gave birth to a new generation of anti-authoritarian struggles, making 2011 the iconic year for protest movements everywhere, just as 1968 was to the previous generation of social activists and organisers. Be it clear dictatorships such as Mubarak’s or oppressive and exploitative systems such as capitalism in America, ordinary Egyptians and the Occupy movement
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2011 International Workers’ Day Message In the capitalist system the ever present need for workforce is accompanied by the the ever present oppressions of the workers. While workers everywhere observe this year’s International Workers’ Day, we are aware of the ongoing challenges and new obstacles workers face as the world moves into the second decade of the 21st century. Today, escalating food prices and cost of living made it impossible for many wage earners to live a decent life in their own countries. Many of these workers eventually have to
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