Commentaries

2017/14, 5 April 2017

UMNO’s U-Turn on RUU 355: What Makes Coalitions Stick in Malaysia?

Prime Minister Najib Razak’s announcement that the Barisan Nasional (BN) government is not going to table the proposed changes to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355), or RUU 355, came as a surprise to many.

2017/13, 30 March 2017

Youth unemployment, a chronic issue in contemporary Malaysia, has risen to prominence again courtesy of a somewhat unexpected source: Bank Negara. A feature article within the respected central bank’s 2016 Annual Report, published on 23 March 2017, draws attention to some labour market developments and policy concerns. A flurry of media coverage, riding headlines such as “Young and jobless” and “Jobless youth an alarming trend” has conveyed the message quite expeditiously.

Recent news reports highlighting the closure of Forest City showrooms in China led to a flutter of speculation on the survival of Country Garden’s largest international mixed development project in Johor, Malaysia. In actual fact, restrictions on Chinese foreign currency exchange were announced in January 2017. The Xinhua news agency claims that these are not actually capital currency controls and Zhou Xiaochuan, China’s top central banker explained that these were targeted at ‘irrational investments’ in sports, entertainment and clubs that bring no benefit to China.

2017/11, 22 February 2017

The annual ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat held in Boracay on 21 February provided a timely platform to discuss ASEAN’s priorities and challenges as the grouping embraces its 50th anniversary this year.

The theme “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World” was aptly chosen by the Philippines for its chairmanship year, indicating ASEAN’s perseverance in its outward-looking approach amidst rising uncertainty and anxiety over the US’ commitment and engagement in Asia under President Donald Trump. As the region awaits the Trump Administration to sketch out its Asia strategy, ASEAN Foreign Ministers should seek an early interface with their American counterpart to register the voices from Southeast Asia.

2017/10, 9 February 2017 

From the beginning of President Duterte’s single presidential term in July 2016, many expressed fears that the Philippine system of checks and balances of presidential power would prove lacking again.

The Duterte administration quickly claimed super-majorities in both houses of Congress. The Liberal Party, shorn of most of its members, chose not to become the opposition party. President Duterte quickly declared an indefinite nationwide state of emergency and has repeatedly publicly mused about the utility of martial law in his bloody anti-drugs crusade. Questions about the conduct of this campaign from the Chief Justice led to a presidential tirade and more musings about martial law. Criticisms from Catholic priests were also profanely dismissed. President Duterte’s understanding of the presidency is that of a dynastic provincial mayor and is uneasy with the co-equal nature of the office.

 

2017/9, 8 February 2017

US President Donald Trump’s executive order to impose a four-month travel ban on refugees entering the United States has officially halted all refugee admission and resettlement schemes in the US. It is estimated by the UNHCR that this will directly affect 20 000 people. The majority of the 21.3 million refugees worldwide have sought sanctuary in countries such as Turkey, Pakistan, Lebanon, Iran, Ethiopia and Jordan. However, a small group from this region has made its way to Southeast Asia to avoid the hazardous Mediterranean crossing into Europe and with the hopes of being legally recognized as refugees and eventually resettled in the US, Europe or Australia.

2017/8, 6 February 2017

The local governments of the Natuna and Anambas districts recently stated their desire to separate from the Riau Islands Province (known as Kepri), to form a new province. Both districts make up an archipelago of 510 islands, with a total population of 107,000. Together with the districts of Tanjungpinang, Bintan, Batam, Lingga, and Karimun, Natuna and Anambas form Kepri – one of Indonesia’s newest provinces. These islands are Indonesia’s northernmost, and their territorial waters border the disputed South China Sea – where Jakarta has caught Chinese vessels fishing illegally.

2017/7, 3 February 2017

President Donald Trump’s withdrawal of the U.S. from the TPP sparked an active debate in Vietnam among mid-ranking officials and scholars about Vietnam’s trade policy in general and suitable responses to the U.S. withdrawal. This ongoing discussion identifies two major problems and three responses for Vietnam, the TPP’s least developed member.

The development of the Klang Valley’s third port and industrial city in Carey Island will add to the list of Malaysian mega-port developments such as the Malacca Gateway and the Kuala Linggi International Port, many in collaboration with mainland Chinese investors. While some have questioned the political and military implications of such strategic investments encircling the Malaysian Peninsular, Port Klang Authority (PKA) Chairman Tan Sri Kong Cho Ha claims that every port in China is expanding, and Malaysia needs to keep up.