The current protest movement in Thailand is breaking new political ground while acknowledging their predecessors.
If elected the president of the United States, Joe Biden will not necessarily gain traction in Southeast Asia by simply not being Trump. He will have to bring tangible economic and political options to the table, and harness the intrinsic power of America’s network of allies and partners.
Demographic factors are driving Thailand’s current political protests. They will be hard to quell without major political reforms.
The US Department of Defense has asserted that Beijing has “likely considered” logistics and basing infrastructure in five Southeast Asian countries. It is worth noting that such arrangements are predicated on a host nation’s inclination to support such a presence. At the moment, such willingness appears to be in short supply, except in the case of Cambodia.
Under renewed political pressure, Malaysia’s prime minister tells the country a positive story of successful response and recovery from the public health and economic crisis. Unions and NGOs do not paint the same picture.
Anwar Ibrahim claims that he has enough political support to be the country’s next prime minister. The key here is whether he can assure the Malay-Muslim majority that their rights will not be undermined.
Anwar Ibrahim told reporters today that his Pakatan Harapan coalition has the numbers to command a majority in Parliament. If history is any guide, the political manoeuvre could well be a stab in the dark.
Led by the youthful Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, the newly-established Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) might well be able to break the political deadlock that has long dominated Malaysian politics.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs’ planned certification programme for Muslim preachers creates another state-mosque flashpoint.
The recently-concluded peace agreements between Israel and both the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have elicited a delayed and carefully-phrased response from Indonesia and a relatively mild response from Malaysia. Indonesia’s growing relations with the UAE could be a factor in the delayed response. Malaysia’s reaction, however, is more difficult to fathom.
The Anti-Royalist Possibility: Thailand’s 2020 Student Movement
The current protest movement in Thailand is breaking new political ground while acknowledging their predecessors.