Stories about Governance from October, 2010
Brazil: Dilma Rousseff elected president
Winning 55.7% of the total votes, Dilma Rousseff today became Brazil's first female president [pt]. Voter turnout was also high, with estimates lying between 92 and 96%. We will bring you views from the Brazilian blogosphere as they come in.
India: Free Speech Or Sedition?
Indian novelist, essayist and activist Arundhati Roy's recent statement on Kashmir stirred a debate across India. Along-with Indian media, the Indian blogosphere and social networking sites have exploded with reactions for and against her statement.
Malaysia: Universal Service Provision fund
Bloggers from Malaysia demand an accounting of the Universal Service Provision fund which is being collected from telecommunication companies in order to improve internet connectivity in the rural areas.
Malaysia: Questionable overseas trips of tourism minister
Wee Choo Keong, a blogger-parliamentarian from Malaysia questions the cost of the 16 overseas trips made by the tourism minister last year.
Iran:Palin, Crowley in Twitter Duel
According to several news sites “a tongue-in-cheek US birthday message to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over Twitter [by PJ Crowley State Department spokesman] may not have reached the intended recipient, but triggered a rebuke from someone else — Sarah Palin.”
CEE: IKEA
Czechmatediary, 20 east, Robert Amsterdam, and The Russia Monitor – on IKEA.
Brazil: citizen coverage of election runoff
As Brazil gears up for the second round of presidential elections, 48 Horas Democracia [pt] will again provide citizen-produced videos, news reports and bulletins of the event to offer non-mainstream coverage.
South Africa: Dear Government
Controversial South Africa radio personality Gareth Cliff writes a letter to the South African government: “OK, I get it, the President isn't the only one in charge. The ANC believes in “collective responsibility” (So that nobody has to get blamed when things get screwed up), so I address this to...
Kenya: Will New Constitution Improve Governance?
Will Kenya's new constitution improve governance in the country?: “There are many people who seem to believe that it will not. A prominent journalist was recently quoted in Nairobi's Daily Nation as saying that the constitution is just a piece of paper, and “a piece of paper can't transform society”....
Bahamas: Set a Better Example
The last time Weblog Bahamas‘ Jerome Pinder checked, things were “pretty grim” in the Bahamas: “If the behavior of our Parliamentarians is any reflection on us as a people, then you don't have to wonder why social values are crumbling around us.”
Brazil: Dilma, Cristina and machismo in the media
Rodrigo Vianna at Escrevinhador [pt] draws parallels between the rise and leadership of Argentinian president Cristina Fernandez and Brazilian presidential candidate Dilma Rousseff, and slams the often sexist media both women face.
Cape Verde: draft law passed to regulate Council of Communities
Olhofuturo [pt] reports that a draft law regulating the Council of Communities has been approved by Cape Verde's national assembly, with the aim [pt] of better tackling issues of migration and diaspora. One result looks to be improved efficiency of administrative consular tasks for Cape Verde citizens living abroad, according...
“United Russia” Ideologist Calls to Forbid Official Blogs
Alexey Chadaev, a leading ideologist of “United Russia,” calls [RUS] to ban blogs and microblogs of senior Russian officials. Chadaev explains that blogging threatens the authority of the Russian political leadership since it has been always based on “three whales: miracle, secret and power,” in other words, exclusivity and distance from...
China: The social and political implication of “Car Accident Gate”
ESWN translates a blog post explaining the social and political implications of the public rage instigated by the catchphrase: “My father is Li Gang” in the recent “Car Accident Gate”.
Myanmar: “Boycott elections” campaign
The Myanmar elections will push through on November 7 despite the non-participation of opposition parties. Global Voices translates the statement of Myanmar citizens who will boycott the coming elections
Russia: Blogger Navalny Tries to Prove That Fighting Regime is Fun
One of the most prominent Russian bloggers that use the Internet for fighting corruption in Russia, Alexey Navalny, gives interview to "RuNet Echo" He contemplates if the blogosphere can have a real political impact in Russia and share his further plans for using information technologies in the struggle against injustice.
Caribbean: Perception of Corruption
Repeating Islands re-posts the results of Transparency International's latest Corruption Perception Index, and reports that Caribbean nations have not fared so well.
Haiti: Upcoming Elections
“Fanmi Lavalas (FL) is widely seen as the Haiti’s largest and most popular political party”, yet it is being excluded from the upcoming elections. Wadner Pierre reposts an article he wrote, suggesting that “the uncertainty that plagues over these elections can comprise the legitimacy” of the elected representatives.
Bermuda: Ahoy There!
Elaborate plans are afoot for the development of “a pirate-themed waterpark”; New Onion asks: “Who has deep pockets and is that bad of a businessperson other than the Bermuda Government?”, while Vexed Bermoothes says: “There has not been a well thought out business plan…there should be limited development on this...
China: A Mistress Denounced The Maoming Vice-Mayor
The Internet provides new space for citizen to uncover corruption. The latest case is a mistress denouncing the vice-mayor of Maoming city for corruption and debauchery by posting his nude photos online. (ESWN has translated the story.)
India: Ayodhya Verdict And Secular Conscience
The six-decade-old Ayodhya dispute has been “acknowledged as one of India’s most divisive and contentious issues which have flared up repeatedly to polarize the country along religious lines by instilling a stream of dangerous ideas deep inside a devout Indian society, ” comments Words From Solitude.
