2017/12, 21 March 2017
From the beginning of President Duterte’s single presidential term in July 2016, many expressed fears that the Philippine system of checks and balances of presidential power would prove lacking again.
The Duterte administration quickly claimed super-majorities in both houses of Congress. The Liberal Party, shorn of most of its members, chose not to become the opposition party. President Duterte quickly declared an indefinite nationwide state of emergency and has repeatedly publicly mused about the utility of martial law in his bloody anti-drugs crusade. Questions about the conduct of this campaign from the Chief Justice led to a presidential tirade and more musings about martial law. Criticisms from Catholic priests were also profanely dismissed. President Duterte’s understanding of the presidency is that of a dynastic provincial mayor and is uneasy with the co-equal nature of the office.
US President Donald Trump’s executive order to impose a four-month travel ban on refugees entering the United States has officially halted all refugee admission and resettlement schemes in the US. It is estimated by the UNHCR that this will directly affect 20 000 people. The majority of the 21.3 million refugees worldwide have sought sanctuary in countries such as Turkey, Pakistan, Lebanon, Iran, Ethiopia and Jordan. However, a small group from this region has made its way to Southeast Asia to avoid the hazardous Mediterranean crossing into Europe and with the hopes of being legally recognized as refugees and eventually resettled in the US, Europe or Australia.
The local governments of the Natuna and Anambas districts recently stated their desire to separate from the Riau Islands Province (known as Kepri), to form a new province. Both districts make up an archipelago of 510 islands, with a total population of 107,000. Together with the districts of Tanjungpinang, Bintan, Batam, Lingga, and Karimun, Natuna and Anambas form Kepri – one of Indonesia’s newest provinces. These islands are Indonesia’s northernmost, and their territorial waters border the disputed South China Sea – where Jakarta has caught Chinese vessels fishing illegally.
2017/6, 25 January 2017
“Beyond Jakarta: Indonesian Regions Resisting Muslim Hardliners”, a Commentary by Deasy Simandjuntak
“UMNO’s U-Turn on RUU 355: What Makes Coalitions Stick in Malaysia?”, a Commentary by Nicholas Chan
UMNO’s U-Turn on RUU 355: What Makes Coalitions Stick in Malaysia?