Archive for
October 13th, 2008
Stories
Southeast Asia: Views on U.S. elections and politics
U.S. elections matter to many people in Southeast Asia. Both U.S. presidential candidates – John McCain and Barack Obama – are popular in the region. McCain was a former Navy pilot during the Vietnam War; he spent five years in a Hanoi prison. A very young Obama lived in Jakarta for five years. He studied in two Indonesian schools.
Jennie S. Bev is proud of Obama. She lived in the same district where Obama stayed in Jakarta:
“Both Barack Obama and I once lived and grew up in the Menteng district of Central Jakarta. He went to SD Negeri 1 Menteng, while I went to Saint Theresia. Both schools were within a few minutes drive from each other, but of course unless time was a Mobius strip, we would not have met each other.
“I am proud of him, not just because we shared some commonalities in our upbringing, but because we believe in the promise of the future and that together we have the capacity and the courage to make meaningful changes.”
Asri Wijayanti from Indonesia is now in the U.S., and is wondering why there are few election posters in the streets:
“I was thinking, that the Americans were so fascinated, as much as I was, about this election. I imagined the stacks of posters and banners all the way, as crowded as it is in Indonesia at the campaign phase, but I was wrong.
“It was pretty surprising for me to see NOTHING related to the national election on the way. No photos of the candidates, no posters, no banners, nothing. I walked through the bus stops, campus corridors, downtown area, wondering. Why? Is it because everybody knows Obama and McCain so well? But are the people sure that they are going to vote?”
Then she notes the lack of voters' education in media:
“I then learned that voter education is something rare in national media. I watched news channels, and I hardly see neutral electoral ads, or the ads that merely encourage people to register and cast their vote. Instead, compared to the dynamics in Indonesian election, the voter education activities in United States, in my eyes looks like underground phenomenon, the off-mainstream media programs, as the channels are more interested in the political waves itself then the encouragement to the people to be aware of their political rights.”
Patricio Mangubat from the Philippines is curious about Obama's anti-terror platform in the Asia-Pacific region:
“Obama has yet to address the increasing problems of terrorism in the Asia-Pacific region. We presume that Obama will continue the existing US policy against terror in the region, yet, up to what extent? Yes, anti-terror campaigns will definitely continue under either an Obama or a McCain presidency, but who'll be more vigilant and more vigorous in chasing after these Islamic terrorists? Given the record of Obama, will he be implementing a “softer” approach to this global menace?”
Khoo Kay Peng from Malaysia recognizes the need for politicians to show decisive leadership in times of crisis:
“US and Malaysia are facing the serious problem - but of different magnitude - with their domestic economy. It is probably much worse in the US than here. But there is a stark difference in the way politicians from both sides responded to the problem…We need politicians to show leadership during difficult times. Here in Malaysia, politicians busy jostling for positions.”
Asian Americans comprise a significant number in the United States. Who will win the Asian American vote? Jay encourages Cambodian Americans to actively participate in the election process. Brain Bang advises the Democrats on how to win the Filipino-American vote. Lao Voices highlights the poor economic situation of Lao Americans to argue against another Republican presidency:
“The situation for Lao Americans is far worse. According to the 2000 census, Lao Americans obtained a per capita (per person 25+) income of less than $12,000! Ironically, this is almost one tenth of the threshold where they benefit more from Republicans. Most will never make the Rep honey pot in their lifetime. More than one third of the Lao Americans even live below the poverty line. An estimated 98.5% of all Lao Americans will pay more taxes under McCain than under Obama. Go figure.”
Ridz.sg from Singapore is obviously not a fan of Vice President candidate Sarah Palin:
“Watching Sarah Palin is worrying though because the more I listen to what she has to say, the more of a joke she becomes to me. She evades every damn question. Wrong. She doesn’t even evade. She just talks about some other point and completely ignores the original question.”
On the other hand, CK's Musings is supporting Palin:
“Palin has struggled all her life, so I'm sure she'll understand the struggles the common people are going through when she is in the White House. She also speaks better and I don't feel like she's talking down to me. Biden and Obama are just too elitist, they make me feel like I'm a peon and that they hold all the answers.”
Hanqing values the experience advantage of McCain over Obama:
“Bottom line, the US (and the world) is going through a pretty trying period right now. I don’t think people really need to hear words of empowerment or inspirational sound bites that make them feel warm and fuzzy. They need to be reassured that they have a leader who has enough experience and mental toughness to help a country weather a crisis. And though John McCain may not be nearly as polished as Barack Obama is, his experience seems to make up for it.”
Akomismo from the Philippines compares McCain and Obama:
“Obama and McCain are yin and yang. Of all their contrasts, the assessment I agree with most is that they represent an America at the crossroads of two generations. One is from the America that has always been there: strong, triumphant, and takes pride in longevity and experience. The other is from an America that is just being born: cosmopolitan, global, and takes pride in diversity and change. What makes this election so close is that these two paradigms present equally valid ways of dealing with the present economic crisis, the lingering wars on Iraq and Afghanistan, and the standing of America at home and abroad. Thus, this isn’t about partisanship anymore, it’s about leadership. Who has what it takes to live out the vision of America they present?”
If informal surveys are to be believed, it seems Obama is more popular in the region. An Obama victory will be welcomed in Indonesia. Mum's the Word (or Pa) from Singapore believes it is impossible for McCain to win in the elections. Beyond SG discusses the role of social networking sites in today’s politics. A Vietnam non-profit group borrows the soundbytes of US candidates to promote their newsletter.
USA: Homeland Guantanamo
The American dream has turned to nightmare for thousands of documented and undocumented immigrants in the United States, who sit incarcerated for months and years in immigration detention facilities across the country awaiting trials and deportations, often having committed no bigger crime than a traffic violation or misdemeanor.
A new interactive online game by human rights organization Breakthrough uses video to illustrate the injustice many detained immigrants and their families have faced. In Homeland Guantanamo, players assume the role of a journalist trying to get more information on real life detainee who has died in custody.
By navigating around a 3-D model of a detention facility, and watching video interviews with real detainees, players pick up clues while learning important facts about the injustices suffered by immigrants caught up in a judicial system seemingly designed to deport as many people as possible.
One of the videos in the game features a woman from Saint Lucia whose 17 year-old daughter was jailed for 3 years, having once been caught and fined for smoking marijuana.
A New York Times newspaper article about a 54 year-old tailor from Guinea who died in a detention center in New Jersey is the source of inspiration for the Homeland Guantanamo game.
Once the mystery at the end of the game is solved, players are invited to view the “memorial garden” devoted to all those who have died, and can post comments, write their own testimonials or upload photos.
Online voices for the voiceless
Human Rights Watch estimates that more than 300,000 people have been deported from the U.S. for non-violent minor offenses (as compared to 140,000 for violent offenses) since 1996.
There is not much public awareness about this issue in the United States, in spite of the fact that 87 men and women have died in detention centers here since 2003.
Last year, Breakthrough gained access to interview three legal permanent residents inside a detention center for another computer game with a similar goal, called I.C.E.D. (”I Can End Deportation”).
Many other activists campaigning on behalf of immigrants in the United States also turn to online citizen media to spread awareness.
In LaGrange, Georgia Anabaptist Christian activists have created this video of a protest in front of an immigrant detention center with more than 1000 inmates (via Young Anabaptist Radicals).
On the blog for the organization, One America with Justice for All, Pramila Jayapal invites people to read their report on human rights abuses at a detention center in Tacoma, Washington saying:
I believe America is so much better than this. And I believe that most Americans, if they knew what was happening in their name at our detention centers across the country, the would stop this injustice. Most Americans want people to be treated fairly and humanely.
Caribbean: Remembering Alton Ellis
“Alton Ellis”, photo by: Eric Oliviera, used with permission. Visit Eric's flickr photostream.
Alton Ellis, the Jamaican musician who was a major pioneer of rocksteady music in the 1960s, died last Friday, 10 October, after a year's battle with cancer. As the Jamaica Gleaner says , though Ellis never had a big international hit — unlike near contemporaries like Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff — the "godfather of rocksteady" was a major influence on the following generation of Jamaican musicians, and he has long been considered a Jamaican musical legend.
As news of his death spread over the weekend, members of the Jamaican music scene paid tribute to his talent, his voice, and his personality. Tributes appeared in the Caribbean blogosphere as well. "We've lost a great pioneer," wrote literary blogger Geoffrey Philp.
… the sheer innocence and optimism of Ellis's music reminds me of a time when the island was not ruled by fear of the gunman, and you could walk down the street singing, "I'm Just a Guy," or even try singing it to a dawta . For here was a song written in your own idiom and without any apologies for the emotion or delivery.
Philp linked to a YouTube clip of Ellis performing one of his best known songs, "I'm Still in Love". Afrobella also delved into the YouTube archive , for footage of Ellis performing "I'm Just a Guy" and "Girl I've Got a Date" . She commented:
My favorite of his hits is “I’m Just a Guy.” That’s a sentiment you don’t often hear in music now. Humility, romance, and earnest yearning for love. I hope you find it as refreshing as I do.
And Afrobella also sent out a message on Twitter for fansof today's Jamaican music:
For those of you who don't know, Alton Ellis sang the original "I'm Still in Love W U" that Sean-da-Paul covered
Lowrie-Chin Post added , "Alton Ellis flavoured our lives with his rich lyrics and voice." And Antilles , the blog of the Caribbean Review of Books , noted that there was some confusion over Ellis's actual birth date, and linked to an obituary message at the Trojan Records website. YardFlex meanwhile reported a rumour that Ellis would be given a state funeral in Jamaica.
Stunner's Afflictions posted a simple message of tribute . "Alton Ellis had the power to sway his audience both young and old to his soothing music," he wrote. "He was one of the crowd favorites…. This great Jamaican music icon will be dearly missed."
Angola: Little reaction so far to the “Angolagate” scandal trial
The infamous “Angolate” case hits the tribunals in France this month, involving top figures of that country and supposedly influential Angolans, starting with the country's president José Eduardo dos Santos. Angola has tried at all costs to prevent public debate, claiming to “respect the confidentiality laws” of the foreign nation.
We should recall that the term “Angolagate”, also known as the Mitterrand-Pasqua affair, refers to a political scandal that dates back to 1992, when José Eduardo dos Santos realised his military disadvantage against Jonas Savimbi's UNITA, which at the time had gained more than 80% of Angolan territory. Facing this situation, the Angolan president chose to break the United Nations sanctions prohibiting arms trading to which Angola was subject, and acquired more than 400 tanks, around 150,000 shells, more than 100,000 anti-personnel mines, around a dozen helicopters, a handful of warships and other weapons originally from the former Soviet Union.
The arms sales cost around $790m, and were made through a Paris-based consortium of companies named Brenco International. Its head, Pierre Falcone, and Israeli politician Arkadi Gaydamak were major players in facilitating this whole mission and are now in the dock. Altogether, 40 other defendants, some of whom are high profile members of France’s political establishment, are to go on trial and face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
The trial began last Monday, October 6th, and investigations should last until March 4th next year. In this first week, there has been very little reaction on the Angolan blogosphere, and the media is also quiet.
One of the few bloggers to comment on the issue, Roberto Ivens from Nos Cus de Judas blog [pt] reveals an unusual fact regarding the absence of Angolan defendants in this process:
“Não haver neste processo um único arguido angolano não deixa de ser curioso. Que todo o material de guerra, tanques, navios, helicópteros, obuzes, minas, tivesse entrado em Angola sem que ninguém o houvesse solicitado faz pensar que, afinal, poderá ter havido uma..invasão estrangeira?!”
The French justice also accuses Jean-Christophe Miterrand, son of the former late president Miterrand, former French Socialist Party Southern Africa expert Jean-Bernard Curial and Charles Pasqua, the former Interior Minister, among others. Moçambique para Todos [pt] blog also joins the “Angolate” talks with an article by Angolan Eugénio Costa Almeida:
“Pois então não é que a justiça francesa, sem tomar em linha de conta os superiores interesses da República Francesa, decidiu iniciar o julgamento deste processo, com acusações que vão desde tráfico de armas, abuso de confiança, fraude fiscal e tráfico de influências. Tudo por causa de uns míseros 420 carros de combate, 150 mil obuses, 170 minas anti-pessoais, 12 helicópetros e 6 navios de guerra, eventualmente comprados por Angola e para os quais uns quantos auferiram umas míseras dezenas de milhares de dólares em “luvas”. Gingubas ou peanuts, como diriam os nossos amigos norte-americanos, eventualmente depositadas em contas obscuras em empresas, cidades francesas, suíças ou israelitas, antes de seguir para as de companhias e empresas financeiras sedeads em paraísos fiscais onde o dinheiro “adormece” por uns tempos antes de voltar a circular…é que parar é morrer, e há tantas quintas e palácios na Europa para serem comprados”.
As expected, Angola denies wrongdoing and rejects the accusations of illegal arms trafficking and tax evasion, saying that the material was legal, was not of French origin and did not pass through France. The Angolan authorities threaten to retaliate against France on the country's oil interests.
This trial comes at a bad time for the country, as France has tried to forge closer relations with the Angolan government since the beginning of the year. Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to Angola five months ago being evidence of this.
Links for Mon, 2008-10
FP's Passport writes about the inadequate domestic coverage of the financial crisis in Russia: “When TV channels have mentioned the crisis, it has been in the context of American and European financial woes […].” Oleg Kozlovsky has more on the Russian media reaction to the crisis.
Photos from St. Petersburg, Vyborg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Kazan and Ulyanovsk - at Eagle and the Bear.
Petro's Jotter - on Vitaly Klitschko's victory over Samuel Peter.
Chernobyl and Eastern Europe posts a Stern.de's 2006 video from inside the Chernobyl Sarcophagus.
Chernobyl and Eastern Europe writes about plans to keep Lithuania's nuclear reactor open, despite an agreement with the EU to shut it down in 2009: “The reactor currently supplies 70% of Lithuania’s electricity, as well as power to Latvia and Estonia. Many Lithuanian leaders and citizens want to renege on the agreement, fearing the closure will cause a problematic reliance on Russia for the country’s electricity needs.”
Dr. Sean's Diary comments on Lithuania's parliamentary elections and the tendency towards populism in Baltic politics, whereas The 8th Cricle adds a discussion on the concurrent referendum, approving a prolongation of the Ignalina nuclear power plant. Lituanica posts the full results of both the parliamentary elections and the referendum.
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