Growth and democracy are dual tasks of ASEAN   
   

The political tsunami in Singapore in recent weeks serves as a sounding board for the future political landscape in Southeast Asia. The evolution from a tightly controlled society with the region's highest income per capita to a more open one — less government's surveillance and widen democratic space — is going to be an inevitable trend. Changes, albeit small and at a snail pace, as it may be in the island republic, sends a strong signal to similar kinds of governments in Asean that they either take up reform or soon be challenged by their own people. (The Brunei Times)

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Tiananmen 2.0? Freedom is coming to China one way or another      
   

China's fierce crackdown of sporadic protests in recent weeks shows that Communist leaders there are watching the Arab uprisings with great anxiety. China would be wise to stay ahead of events by rolling out political reforms. (The Christian Science Monitor)

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Jasmine Revolution and Social Stability in China   

The ‘Jasmine Revolution’ (JR) that began in Tunisia and spread like a prairie fire to Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Algeria, Jordan and  Oman etc. middle east dictatorial regimes has also made its reverberations felt in China and made the authorities jittery and nervous. The organizers of the JR are primarily overseas Chinese inciting the Chinese people to follow the JR suit in China, and demand freedom and democracy, political reforms and an end to the one party rule. (South Asia Analysis Group)

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China shown empty chair but Chinese show...

The Communist Party believes in achieving high growth rates through a market economy while relying on one party political institution to ensure social justice and peace. Political scientists are likely to point out that the system put in place by the Party has resulted in rising inequality in Chinese society and also social unrest. There is also rise in corruption not only in the Party but in the country as well. These have also triggered loss of human rights of the people. (The Brunei Times)

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Time to Think Anew and Act Anew on Myanmar (Burma) 
Myanmar (Burma) is in the news again -- thanks to Wikileaks, the recent release from house arrest of Nobel Peace Prize opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi and fallout from the November 7 controlled election billed as a step in moving toward nominal civilian rule. (Asia Pacific Bulletin)

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