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“The tension between north and south in China’s history” – Edited excerpt of Prof Wang Gungwu’s speech at Singapore Perspectives 2019 conference

 

This article was published by The Straits Times on 31 January 2019.

Prof Wang Gungwu is Chairman, Board of Trustees, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.

To read the article, click here.

Lee Hwok-Aun quoted by Malaysiakini: “Economist calls for review of ‘nonsensical’ near-zero poverty line”

 

This article was published by Malaysiakini on 31 January 2019.

Dr Lee Hwok-Aun is Senior Fellow with ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.

 

“Who Set the Parameters of Monastic Politics in Myanmar?” by Nyi Nyi Kyaw

 

2019/13, 31 January 2019

Monastic politics — Theravada Buddhist monks’ and by extension nuns’ participation in the electoral realm as voters, founders and members of political parties, or professional politicians — has been banned in Myanmar since the country’s independence in 1948. Each of its three constitutions has prohibited monks and nuns from voting and being elected to political office. The same restrictions also apply in Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. Sri Lanka is the only Theravada-majority country in the world that is an exception, by allowing these activities.

 

“The Election Rallies to Come in Thailand” by Michael J. Montesano

 

2019/12, 30 January 2019

January 23 brought publication of the long-awaited royal decree making it possible for Thailand’s Election Commission to set a date for parliamentary polls. The following day, wasting no time in launching their campaign, supporters of the Democrat Party appeared in a market in the major Southern Thai centre of Hat Yai to distribute leaflets to traders and shoppers. One trader welcomed them by shouting loudly, “Now that there will be an election, you come to see us. Once we have voted, you disappear completely!” He was not alone among those present in feeling such disdain for the Democrats.

 

Serina Abdul Rahman on BFM: “Speaking To Rural Voters”

 

This programme was broadcast by BFM 89.9 The Business Station on 29 January 2019.

Dr Serina Abdul Rahman is Visiting Fellow with ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.

 

“印尼总统选举的交易主义” – An Op-Ed by Max Lane in Lianhe Zaobao

 

This article was first published as ISEAS Perspective 2018/75 An Empty Start to the 2019 Election Campaign by Max Lane and translated for publication by Lianhe Zaobao on 28 January 2019. 

Dr Max Lane is Visiting Senior Fellow with ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. 

 

Wang Gungwu quoted by TODAY: “‘Cold war’ and ‘cold peace’ between US and China could continue for decades, says George Yeo”

 

This article was published by TODAY on 28 January 2019.

Prof Wang Gungwu is Chairman, Board of Trustees, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.

 

“The Perils of an Unrestrained Trump” by Daljit Singh

 

2019/11, 28 January 2019
President Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from Syria and General Mattis’s resignation as Defence Secretary were greeted with dismay and unease by America’s allies and friends in the Middle East.  The President’s stated rationale for the withdrawal — that the Islamic State (IS)  had been defeated — had disconcerting echoes of President George W Bush’s 2003 declaration of ‘’Mission Accomplished’’ in the Iraq war on board an American aircraft carrier  when soon afterwards a vicious  insurgency would engulf the US army.

 

Lim Chen Sian interviewed by Mediacorp: “Becoming Singapore”

 

This special programme explores Singapore’s forgotten past, was released by Mediacorp online on 22 January and broadcast on 28 January 2019.

Mr Lim Chen Sian is Associate Fellow with the Archaeology Unit of Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. 

 

“China: Growing Engagement, Growing Risk” by Malcolm Cook

 

2019/10, 28 January 2019

The Philippines is in campaign mode for the May mid-term elections. Campaign periods bring into sharper relief points of perceived vulnerability for the incumbent government. In the past week, three points of vulnerability related to the President Duterte’s close embrace of China have come to the fore:

(1) The Senate version of the delayed 2019 budget blocks government payments for a major China-funded public surveillance program on the basis that the awarding of this contract was incorrect. Leading senators not aligned with the president have also called for a Senate inquiry into the national security implications of this project.