Has the real Najib stood up?      

Prime Minister Najib Razak announced a package of political reforms that, if implemented, can fairly be described as historical. Combined with his related efforts in the area of economic liberalization and amending the constitution of the ruling political party, United Malays National Organization (UMNO), Najib could very well be defining his legacy as a reformer. (CogitAsia)

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Beijing’s overemphasis on stability risks damaging government’s legitimacy      

Weiwen policies were often successful when first applied earlier in the Hu-Wen era. Involving carrots as well as stick, weiwen is thought of in public security circles in China as a more nuanced set of policy instruments than the repressive yanda (“strike hard”) measures of the past. (The Jakarta Globe)

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Test awaits Mr. Noda’s Cabinet  
  

New Prime Minister Yoshikiko Noda inaugurated his Cabinet Friday. Its lineup and the composition of the Democratic Party of Japan leadership point to his utmost efforts to ensure unity in the ruling party, which has suffered from conflict between forces supporting former DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa and forces opposing the spread of his influence. The Cabinet lineup does not seem strong enough to give out a clear message as to what kind of nation the new administration would like to build. (The Japan Times)

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May the best Tan win: Singapore’s presidential election     

Singapore will hold its first direct presidential election in 18 years on August 27, setting the stage for the most competitive presidential race in the city-state’s history. This race comes at a crucial juncture in Singapore politics. It is taking place after parliamentary elections in May in which the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) lost an unprecedented six seats to the opposition Workers Party, its poorest election performance since independence in 1965. (CogitAsia)

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DPJ leadership hopefuls must tackle foreign diplomacy, long neglected after disaster     

Since the triple disasters of March 11, Japan has paid little attention to foreign diplomacy. As the administration of Prime Minister Naoto Kan struggled to begin rebuilding the devastated Tohoku region, a political battle was waged by ruling and opposition blocs over whether or not Kan should resign. Bringing an end to the stagnation that such political warfare has created and normalizing the course of Japan’s foreign policy is one of the most important challenges that awaits the next prime minister. (The Mainichi)

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Myanmar: Suu Kyi  and the government      

Is Suu Kyi becoming bold to test the patience of the government? Why did Aung Kyi, the minister fro labour ad social welfare acting as liaison officer for the government, have two meetings with Suu Kyi within two weeks? Is there a thaw in the offing? Will the National League for Democracy (NLD) register itself as a political party? These and many more questions have cropped up as the events unfolded in Myanmar since the beginning of July 2011. (The South Asia Analysis Group)

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Thai diplomacy: Where personal, national affairs can’t mix      

Once again personal ad national agenda clashes head-on once Surapong tohwichachaikul, MP from Chianmai, was named foreign minister last week. Focus has been zeroed in on his perceived role whether he will speak on behalf of the country or Thaksin Shinawatra. Lots of questions were also raised due to his close relationship to the former prime minister, who was sentenced to two-year jail term on conflict of interests. Lingering doubts over the minister’s intention would have dire consequences for Thailand’s external relations and its place in the world. (The Nation)

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Bold Bid for Peace        

Was it improper for President Aquino to have flown all the way to Tokyo to meet secretly with Murad Ebrahim, the leader of the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front? Perhaps. The reactions from certain quarters have the ring of predictable Monday-morning quarterbacking. (The Inquirer)

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Vietnam’s Cabinet: Three Key Ministers Reveal Policy Directions      

A look at three key ministers elected by the Vietnamese National Assembly last week – Phung Quang Thanh at Defense, Vuong Dinh Hue at Finance, and Pham Binh Minh at Foreign Affairs-reveal the pillars of Vietnam’s core policies going forward. (CogitAsia)

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Vietnam’s New Leadership and their immediate Inflation Challenge      

Vietnam’s 500-member National Assembly convened on July 21 to formally select the country’s new leadership team for the next five years. The National Assembly’s role has largely been ceremonial because the country’s leadership was already determined behind closed doors at the Communist Party Congress in January. However, political reforms have empowered the legislative branch of the government, and rumors swirled ahead of their voting that there could be some surprises. In the event, there were no such surprises. (CogitAsia)

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Philippine President Benigno Aquino’s State of the Nation Address  

Investors, foreign policy analysts, and defense planners joined Philippine citizens in listening carefully to President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 25 in Manila. These groups are assessing whether Aquino is a leader who will break the cycle of corruption, get investment flowing, expound and implement a national security strategy, and find a path to peace in Mindanao. (CSIS)

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Thailand’s foreign relations under the new government     

Although Yingluck is yet to substantively comment on her foreign policy agenda, its orientation can be deduced from her ‘Thailand vision 2020’, announced before the election. The Vision 2020 clearly shows that the new government will likely have an outward oriented policy emphasising Thailand’s leading role in the international arena. It reinvigorates Thailand’s desire to be a regional hub for many activities, such as aviation, finance, health services and food production. (East Asia Forum)

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A landslide, yet inconclusive   
      

How will Yingluck Shinawatra rule Thailand after she led her Pheu Thai party to a landslide election victory on Sunday? How much of the decisions she makes as the new prime minister will be dictated by her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, the real power behind the party, who is currently living in exile? How long will the Bangkok political elite tolerate this government-by-proxy, and how long will it be before the Thai military, with the nod of the king, decides to step in again and seize power? (The Jakarta Post)

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The Thinker: Islam in Office   
  
Governance is Indonesia’s greatest challenge. In 1998, after 32 years of authoritarianism, the people demanded a democratic system and got one. In the ensuing 13 years, they have demonstrated a remarkable commitment to democratic values. They have twice directly elected a president and vice president, and directly elected more than 500 regional executives and 17,000 regional representatives. The question now is how well these elected officials are governing.          (The Jakarta Globe)

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Thailand’s General Elections and Fears about Continuing Political Instability  
  

In Thailand’s July 3 general elections, 42 parties will compete for 500 seats in the Parliament’s lower house and vie for the support of 47 million eligible voters. The ruling Democrat Party and the main opposition Puea Thai Party are the primary contenders, but other smaller parties are contesting as well. No party is expected to win a majority of the parliamentary seats, which means that smaller parties will have to join one of the main parties to form a coalition government. (CSIS)

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Thai election results will affect ASEAN    

The upcoming Thai elections are only days away. Pheu Thai Party’s Yingluck Shinawatra is ahead in the polls and the military has just, not so subtly, nudged its support in the direction of the Democratic Party. Whilst a repetition of the 2006 coup d’état is far from imminent, the implications of a recurrence of such an event would not only affect Thailand, who has the second largest economy in the region, but the ASEAN region as a whole. (The Jakarta Post)

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Soul searching Singapore’s 2011 general election  
  
The effects of Singapore's May 7th election are still being felt in this global city state. When the results came in, the incumbent People's Action Party (PAP) had marked its worst performance since independence, losing 39.9% of the popular vote and a record six seats out of 87 in one of the country's most competitive elections. Two weeks after the election, the cabinet was completely transformed, as eleven out of fourteen ministers had been replaced and the PAP's first two premiers, Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong, resigned. (Asia Pacific Bulletin)

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Interview with the Singapore Ambassador to the U.S.

Thai elections and role of powerful military   

Thailand’s powerful army chief, Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, appears determined to carve out a dominant role for the military in the coming weeks, as political parties seek to woo an estimated 45 million voters ahead of the general election on July 3. (The Brunei Times)

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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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