Reimagining Chinese Indonesians in Democratic Indonesia   
     

Indonesia's initiation of democratic reforms in May 1998 did not portend well for Chinese Indonesians. Constituting less than 5 percent of Indonesia's 240 million people and concentrated in urban areas, Chinese Indonesians were, at that point, still reeling from the anti-Chinese riots that had occurred just before Suharto's fall. Scarred by years of discrimination and forced assimilation under Suharto, many Chinese Indonesians were uncertain--once again--about what the "new" Indonesia had in store for them.                (Asia Pacific Bulletin)

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Asian financial arrangement: Regionalism vs. multilateralism  

On May 4, 2011, the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO), an independent surveillance and regional monitoring office, was officially established during the 14th ASEAN+3 Finance Ministers’ Meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, which was held during the 44th annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank.  AMRO is crucial to the operation of the Chiang Mai Initiatives Multilateralization (CMIM). This is a positive development after the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis. However, technical coordination with multilateral institutions, especially the IMF, is needed so that regionalism will not be in conflict with nor irrelevant to multilateralism. (The Jakarta Post)

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Indonesian Democracy at Standstill?  

It is hard to argue with Australia-based Marcus Mietzner, one of the most perceptive of scholars, when he contends that democracy in Indonesia has stagnated and that civil society is fighting a rearguard action to fend off attempts by the conservative elite to roll back already implemented reforms. (The Jakarta Globe)

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Geopolitics and its new meaning in ASEAN   
  

Without mentioning any name, Singapore reiterated during the Asean foreign ministerial meeting last week ahead of the summit that accepting any new member now, Asean has to think of geopolitical implications of further expansion. Thus for the first time, the shift was moving away from economic imperatives and regional consolidation to strategic propositions.                        (The Brunei Times)

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Why Singapore’s ruling party suffered historic setback at polls  
       

Singapore’s ruling party suffered its worst-ever election result since independence in 1965 as youthful opposition parties tapped voter anger over high living costs and rising inequality in the wealthy city-state. Unofficial results showed the opposition had garnered around 40 percent of 2 million votes cast in Saturday’s election. But the first-past-the-post parliamentary system – modeled on that of Britain, the former colonial power – ensured that the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) retained firm control, with 81 out of 87 seats.          (The Christian Science Monitor)

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Connectivity key to sustainable ASEAN community   

Last October, ASEAN leaders adopted the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity to further advance ASEAN Community building and integration. The landmark Master Plan is a testament to the astute foresight of the ASEAN leaders to help the region stay focused and on track toward the ASEAN Community by 2015, and to keep the momentum going beyond 2015.                   (The Jakarta Post)

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Asian solidarity   
   

It is a matter of course that prevention is better than cure. But an Asian financial safety net, designed to fight off future financial crises, cannot be relied to prevent them. Instead, it may be used to take action only when a financial crisis is confirmed to have dealt a blow to a country. (The Korea Herald)

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Wen Renewed China Charm Drive in Jakarta 
  
With Premier Wen Jiabao's recent visit to Indonesia, China has resumed its charm offensive, which was disrupted by a series of diplomatic missteps that caused concern in Southeast Asia last year. Combining comforting words with a folksy approach, Wen gave repeated assurances about Beijing's benign intentions, declaring that its priority was development and that it would never bully its smaller neighbors.                        (The Jakarta Globe)

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