Commentaries

2018/82, 10 August 2018

After weeks of intrigue and speculation, Indonesia’s presidential nominations are finally known. As expected, Jokowi will face his old adversary Prabowo Subianto, who resisted pressure from his coalition parties to select Deputy Governor of Jakarta Sandiaga Uno as his running mate. Sandi is a prominent businessman and a senior member of Prabowo’s Gerindra party.

2018/81, 6 August 2018

In the recent Sungai Kandis by-election held on 4 August, Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Zawawi Ahmad Mughni managed to retain the seat for the ruling coalition. The by-election was held following the passing of PKR assemblyman Mat Suhaimi on 2 July.

2018/80, 23 July 2018

Supporters of federalism in the Philippines have long argued that revisions to the 1987 Constitution would not be limited to replacing the current unitary state system with a federal one. Instead revisions would extend to relaxing the 1987 Constitution’s articles and sections limiting foreign participation in utilities and key services, and introducing articles constraining political dynasties.

2018/79, 6 July 2018

On Monday, the Consultative Committee to review the 1987 Constitution is scheduled to submit a draft constitution to President Duterte that would transform the Philippines from a unitary to a federal system. The next two steps on the road to a federal Philippines are for the President (who appointed the Committee) to approve the draft constitution and then submit it to Congress for their consideration. The final step is a plebiscite to vote on the new constitution.

2018/78, 6 July 2018

Indonesian voters in 171 regions have voted for governors, district-heads and mayors on 27 June 2018. With 152 million eligible voters and a voter-turnout of 73.24% based on quick count results thus far, not only was this years’ elections among the largest in the world, but also estimated of having a higher participation rate compared to the previous elections.

On 30 June 2018, the Inspectorate Commission of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) announced that it had expelled former chairman of the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) Tran Bac Ha and former chairman of state-owned mobile carrier MobiFone Le Nam Tra from the Party for their “serious violations”. While Mr Ha is responsible for violations at BIDV linked to a massive fraud case at Vietnam Construction Bank (VNCB), Mr Tra is held accountable for a shadowy acquisition deal of MobiFone which allegedly caused loss to state capital. In relation to the MobiFone scandal, the Commission also proposed the relevant Party authorities to consider disciplinary actions against Minister of Information and Communication Truong  Minh Tuan and his predecessor Nguyen Bac Son.

2018/76, 4 July 2018

Southeast Asia’s presence at the US-led Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises off Hawaii is the largest since the biennial naval drills began in 1971.

The world’s largest multilateral naval exercises began on 27 June and will end on 2 August. RIMPAC 2018 involves 26 countries, over 50 warships, 200 aircraft and 25,000 military personnel. RIMPAC is designed to enhance interoperability among the participating navies and includes activities ranging from non-sensitive disaster relief and counter-piracy training to more complex warfighting exercises such as anti-submarine warfare, air defence and amphibious operations.

2018/74, 22 June 2018

On the surface, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s visit to Japan from 9-12 June 2018 should not have raised any eyebrows. After all, he was in Tokyo at the invitation of Nikkei Shimbun to speak at the 24th Nikkei Conference on the Future of Asia, a high-level international conference that he has strongly supported since its inauguration in 1995. Notwithstanding the fact that this was Mahathir’s first overseas visit since assuming the premiership, the four-day working visit, which included a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was full of political and strategic significance.