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NEW THREAT TO MALAYSIA’S NATIONAL SECURITY: AL GAYDA!
That Effing Show is a satirical news show that laughs, pokes fun and points out the (often) obvious and not-so-obvious absurdities of Malaysian socio-political life. The show is an offshoot of PopTeeVee (www.popteevee.net) - a web TV network developed by Popfolio Sdn Bhd. whose primary objective is "to engage with young Malaysians to help create a far more democratic media space." PopTeeVee was established in June 2008 and is operated by a dynamic group of young Malaysians involved in music, theatre, publishing and social activism. Catch their latest spoof on the anti-LGBT strategy adopted by the incumbent Barisan Nasional party to combat the growing threats of political reform and social justice: http://www.magickriver.org/2012/04/hasan-ali-unveils-new-threat-to-nation.htmlOCCUPY 2012!
A special message to the new generation waiting in the wings to reclaim the planet from the deathly grip of dark lords... http://www.magickriver.org/2011/12/dedicated-to-all-those-who-arrived-in.html
Resource War in Burma
By: Zach Goldman
Burma has always been a source for bad news, and unfortunately this year is no different. In June of 2011 fighting between the KIA (Kachin Independence Army) and the Burmese Military erupted after 17 years of an unsteady ceasefire. Fighting within Kachin state has since increased into a full scale cross border guerrilla war with (reportedly) the KIA having the upper hand and the Burmese Military using more and more desperate means to dislodge them from their border region hideouts.
The reasons for the fighting are many including everything from opportunities in government positions to recognition of Christianity as the state religion, perhaps the most prominent reason is the plan for a dam to be built at the headwaters of the Irrawaddy river.
Bali sets the stage for ASEAN
By: Ed Caffin
From November 19-21, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will have it’s 19th summit. In several meetings on Bali, the ten memberstates and 5 gueststates discuss the regions economic and cultural issues. As the chair of ASEAN in 2011, Indonesia also hosted a summit last May in Jakarta. Now, for the third time in ASEAN-history, Bali sets the stage for a giant logistic operation.
It isn’t easy to organize a summit with 15 heads of state. Especially not when the president of the United States is one of them. Logistic material required for president Obama’s vist only, required no less than 40 U.S. government flights (!) arriving on Ngurah Rai international airport this week. With the arrival of these planes and these of other heads of state, delays of commercial flights are expected.
Malaysia’s Hibiscus Revolution
By: Antares
July 9th, 2011, marked a massive shift in the evolution of political awareness in Malaysia. On that day, between 50,000 to 100,000 people of all races and ages defied the despotism of a jackbooted police state and gathered in the streets of Kuala Lumpur, demanding electoral reforms.
In the wake of what has been dubbed the Arab Spring and China’s Jasmine Revolution (quickly suppressed but still simmering), Malaysia’s facebook and twitter generation moved the battle against old-style authoritarianism from cyberspace to civil space, in a peaceful rally called Bersih 2.0.
Social Media and the 2011 Singapore General Elections
By: Shaz Hassan
As a 26 year old Singaporean who has spent most of her life being mildly offended at the political apathy that Singapore’s vaguely totalitarian regime (i.e. the People’s Action Party or the PAP) has managed to instil in its citizens, I was pretty disappointed at the 2011 Singapore General Elections. Not because it was one of those standard ‘walkovers’, to use a Singaporean term, where the PAP basically walks over everyone else (bar maybe one opposition party member) to take their parliamentary seats, but because it wasn’t. The Workers’ Party managed to steal away more than one or two seats (six at a go, in fact), the opposition managed to garner 40% of the vote and the people behind the quaint titles of Senior Minister and Minister Mentor resigned. In regimented Singapore, this was equal to PURE AND UTTER CHAOS. The only reason I was disappointed was because I wasn't in the country to experience it first-hand!
Win+ weblog I
Dear Win + Friends,
Welcome to the Win+ weblog.
Latitudes,nu has been online now for a few months and I'd like to introduce myself properly, although I contacted most of you individually.10 years ago I visited Indonesia for the first time, together with Peter van Riel. Since then I’m a regular visitor of Indonesia and I have been involved in Latitudes the last 5 years. Latitudes.nu is a webportal that focuses on everything Southeast Asian. We hope to bring East and West together with articles, discussions and images on culture, travel, economy, news and more. My special interests are the Win+ projects.
ALLAH: Another case of much ado about nothing
Many years ago I met a Sufi master whose profound understanding of Islam truly impressed me. But before I continue with this story, let me state that almost all the Muslims with whom I have had close friendships have either been Sufis - or were gravitating towards a mystical interpretation of Islam. The mystical approach is experiential and private; whereas ritualistic religion is regulated by public behavior and therefore tends to be tribalistic in nature. I find it impossible to have an intelligent conversation with fundamentalists of any persuasion - whether Muslim, Christian or whatever. This is because fundamentalism is antagonistic to intelligence. Wherever violence erupts over religious differences, fundamentalism is invariably the root cause. Brawn and brute force override brain and heart when independent thinking is suppressed. Looking up the word "fundamentalism" in my trusty digital dictionary, I found this concise summary: "Islamic fundamentalism appeared in the 18th and 19th centuries as a reaction to the disintegration of Islamic political and economic power, asserting that Islam is central to both state and society and advocating strict adherence to the Koran (Qur'an) and to Islamic law (sharia), supported if need be by jihad or holy war." There you have it. Fundamentalism is basically an outward manifestation of ego insecurity. An entire tribe or nation can suffer from ego insecurity and seek refuge in hardline dogmatism and fanaticism. You could say it's a pathological condition and, as such, can be quite easily cured - once the hidden hand behind the reactionary forces is revealed and surgically amputated. In every case you will find that the chief puppetmaster isn't even a believer. He cynically exploits the gullibility of the mindless mob and manipulates its collective pain-body through control of the mass media and law enforcement. Coming back to my Sufi friend who enlightened me about the essence o
A brighter future
Saw a report of Michel Maas the other day on Dutch television. Despite Japan's disaster, Indonesia is firm on plans to build a nuclear powerplant in Java. Michel Maas concluded that 'in a country where nothing works' this idea is crazy. I was hoping for a better future for Indonesia, not a brighter.Indonesia
Indonesia Travel Guide
With 17,508 islands Indonesia has it all: bustling cities, green rice paddies & glorious beaches. Read all about it in our Indonesia travel guide.
Malaysia
Malaysia Travel Guide
Malaysia, truly Asia! Read about multicultural Malaysia, the people, the culture & the food in our Malaysia travel guide.
Singapore
Singapore Travel Guide
The city state of Singapore is an eclectic metropolis. Get to know the hot spots & explore the urban jungle with our Singapore travel guide.
