Democracy in Southeast Asia—An Assessment of Practices, Problems and Prospects 19 Aurel Croissant and Marco Bünte

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Democracy in Southeast Asia—An Assessment of Practices, Problems and Prospects 19 Aurel Croissant and Marco Bünte 02/2010 PANORAMA INSIGHTS INTO ASIAN AND EUROPEAN AFFAIRS A FUTURE FOR DEMOCRACY K o n r a d A d e n a u e r S t i f t u n g Panorama: Insights into Asian and European Affairs is a series of occasional papers published by the Konrad- Adenauer-Stiftung’s “Regional Programme Political Dialogue Asia/Singapore”. © 2011 Copyright by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Singapore All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying or recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. Editor: Dr. Wilhelm Hofmeister Sub-editors: Megha Sarmah Patrick Rüppel Publisher: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung 34/36 Bukit Pasoh Road Singapore 089848 Tel: (65) 6227-2001 Tel: (65) 6227-8343 Email: [email protected] Website: http//:www.kas.de/singapore Manuscript offers, review copies, exchange journals, and requests for subscription are to be sent to the editors. The responsibility for facts and opinions in this publication rests exclusively with the authors and their interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views or the policy of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Design, Layout and Typeset: Select Books Pte Ltd 65A, Jalan Tenteram #02-06, St Michael’s Industrial Estate Singapore 328958 Website: www.selectbooks.com.sg PAnORAMA InsIghTs InTO AsIAn AnD EUROPEAn AFFAIRs A FUTURE FOR DEMOCRACY Contents PREFACE 9 Return of the Dictatorships? 13 Wolfgang Merkel Democracy in Southeast Asia—An Assessment of Practices, Problems and Prospects 19 Aurel Croissant and Marco Bünte Thai Democracy: Recessed, Regressed, Repressed? 41 Pavin Chachavalpongpun Democracy in Cambodia: Progress, Challenges, and Pathway 51 Sopheap Chak Democracy in Indonesia: Staggering towards Consolidation 59 Bob S. Hadiwinata and Ivana Agustin The Future of Democracy in Malaysia 81 James Chin Democratic Deficits in the Philippines 91 Clarita R. Carlos and Dennis M. Lalata with Dianne C. Despi and Portia R. Carlos The Challenges and Prospect of Taiwan’s Democracy 105 Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao and L.C. Russell Hsiao >> click titles to access articles Democracy in Pakistan 117 Hasan Askari Rizvi Russian Confusion About Democracy 137 Fyodor Lukyanov The State of Democracy in South Africa 153 Terence Corrigan, Yarik Turianskyi and Steven Gruzd Democracy in Latin America 179 Wilhelm Hofmeister >> click titles to access articles Preface A car is a car. We don’t need broad discussions about the constituent elements of a “car”, although there are considerable differences between individual types of cars. A limousine is bigger than a small city sprinter; a family sedan is more comfortable than a sports car, which has space for only one or two people but which has a strong and roaring motor. Something that goes on rails, floats in the water or flies in the air may also be a means of transportation but these things are different from a car. The same logic applies to democracy. Democracy is a specific form of govern- ment. Even in those countries where democracy is not “the only game in town”, people are well aware of the essence of democracy. We may summarize it in three elements: a meaningful and extensive competition among individuals and organized groups for all effective positions of government power; a highly inclusive level of political par- ticipation in the selection of leaders and policies, at least through regular free and fair elections; and a high level of civil and political liberties—freedom of expression, free- dom of press, and freedom to form and join organizations. How these elements are organized in an individual country is not so relevant as long as they are recognized and realized in principle. Democracy is democracy, also in its different forms of con- cretization. Obviously, there exist other forms of government that are not democratic, and although these governments may try to present their regimes as a democracy, one cannot sell people a ship for a car. Democracy is a relevant issue. In practically all countries of the globe people are looking for democracy, because there is a natural and widespread wish to participate in decisions which affect them directly. People want to speak openly, associate with others, comment on public affairs, and sometimes even criticize their governments and politicians; they want to act, to participate and to vote freely. This has not only been recognized by opinion polls but also by governments and international organizations. In Asia, for example, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, in Article 1 of its Charter, adopted in November 2007 in Singapore, outlines as one of the purposes of ASEAN to “strengthen democracy, enhance good governance and the rule of law, and to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms”. Hence, we can presume that the promotion and strengthening of democracy is an important objective for the states in this part of the world. However, one should really mean democracy in its essence when referring to this concept in documents and declarations. The ASEAN Charter underlines the relevance of democracy. Nevertheless, since a few years ago, there has been an international discussion about a certain kind of retreat Preface in the development of democracy, or a “democratic recession”. The scepticism has been harboured for instance by conflicts as in the case of Thailand in May 2010, which has 9 been documented by our cover photo. The optimism that accompanied the processes of regime transformation during the 1990s has given way to some more sceptical percep- tions or even frustration with regard to the perspectives to establish democracies all over the world that are characterized by the same basic principles. The end of history is not in sight. Freedom House, a New York-based organization, summarized in its annual survey of global political rights and civil liberties that 2010 was the fifth consecutive year in which global freedom suffered a decline—the longest period of setbacks for freedom in the nearly 40-year history of its report (see: www.freedomhouse.org). This is a worrying trend; at least for those who are convinced that democracy as a form of government corresponds best with the basic needs and interests of human nature. Or to put it in Winston Churchill’s famous dictum: “Democracy is the worst form of govern- ment, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” We took the current discussion on democracy and a supposed “democratic reces- sion” as the pretext to ask a number of authors to analyze the democratic development of different countries and regions. According to the character of our journal, we put the main emphasis on Asia. As demonstrated by these articles, several countries seem to lack substantial requisites for sustainable democracy. Among these problematic factors are: the lack of effective checks and balances between the executive and legislative powers, weak parliaments with low levels of representativeness, and political parties without real roots in their societies and poor developed capacities to articulate the social interests. A judicial system which is not independent from political actors and the general weakness of the state of laws are other institutional debilities one can eas- ily discover in weak democracies. Not to mention endemic corruption, which in some countries seriously undermines the state of law and by this also the consolidation of democracy. Besides these institutional factors, an organized civil society, and particularly a strong, politically self-confident and well-organized industrial working class, can also be identified as a key force in processes of democratization. In Asia, the middle classes seem to be not very keenly in favour of democracy. As Aurel Croissant and Marco Bünte, two authors from Germany represented in this volume, point out with regard to Southeast Asia: “In general, the bourgeoisie and the middle classes have supported their own political inclusion, but at the same time, have favoured political stability, economic development, and secure property rights over the inclusion of subordinate groups and their demand for meaningful political participation, economic redistribu- tion, and social justice.” This did not help exactly the development and consolidation of democracy in this region. A Future for Democracy A 10 Despite those constraints, we are convinced that in general terms, fears of a dem- ocratic rollback are unfounded. Democracy is and will be the purpose for political development; as has been underlined by the ASEAN Charter. But we should be honest with the concept. One should not talk about ships or trains when chatting about cars. And when we say democracy we should mean democracy. Dr. Wilhelm Hofmeister Regional Director Return of the Dictatorships? Wolfgang Merkel The optimism that accompanied the 1990s’ wave of democratization has faded. Many autocratic regimes are likely to persevere. However, fears of a democratic rollback are unfounded. There will be no concerted swing back to an era of dictatorship—but nor can we expect another burst of democratization. Only two decades after Eastern Europe rebelled and “real existing socialism” imploded, prognoses for the spread of democracy are increasingly pessimistic. The Washington-based Freedom House titled its 2007 report, “Freedom in Retreat: Is the Tide Turning?” Journal of Democracy’s founding co-editor Larry Diamond called it “The Democratic Rollback.” Yet a look at two decades of democratization research does not deserve the current pessimism. Since the 1980s shifts in the zeitgeist have influenced theoretical paradigms and thus the results of social science research. Two and three decades ago, waves of democratization led to overly optimistic visions and measurements of global democratization. Perhaps the current pessimism regarding au- tocracy’s rise is an overreaction. Vote “Yes” for Democracy In the 1980s, attention was focused on political and civil society actors who were seen as critical to democratic transformations.
Recommended publications
  • Hier Steht Später Die Headline
    S OUTH AFRICA : COUNTRY PROFILE Konrad Adenauer Foundation Last Update: April 2019 ww.kas.de/Südafrika COUNTRY OFFICE SOUTH AFRICA Country Profile South Africa Konrad Adenauer Foundation Contents 1 General Information: Republic of South Africa ......................................................................................... 2 2 History ............................................................................................................................................... 3 3 The Political System of South Africa ....................................................................................................... 4 3.1 Executive Power .............................................................................................................................. 4 3.1.1 National Level ................................................................................................................................. 4 3.1.2 Provincial Level ............................................................................................................................... 5 3.2 Judicial Power ................................................................................................................................. 5 3.3 Legislative Power ............................................................................................................................. 6 3.3.1 National Level ................................................................................................................................. 6 4 Economy .........................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Why Labour Can't Get ANC to Work
    Why labour can ’t get ANC to work - Sunday Independent | IOL.co.za Page 1 of 2 IOL Newsletters Sign up now Sponsored Links: IOL Travel Personal Finance IOL Lifestyle Motoring SciTech Tonight All Channels 6 Search Advanced Search Home News Life Analysis International SA Time: 19 July 2011 11:00:48 AM Why labour can ’t get ANC to work 5.1 Surround Speakers Explosive 5.1 surround sound for PC July 11 2011 at 09:48am Creative Speakers for under R100 By Mcebisi Ndletyana WantItCheap.co.za Cheap Car Insurance It’s true. History does repeat itself. Perhaps with even Submit Your Details & We Call You With more frequency in our case than is usual. Yet, the Cheap Car Insurance Quotes! ANC-led tripartite alliance partners greet every www.get -insured.co.za recurrence with an even louder expression of shock Save on Car Insurance and deep disappointment at unmet expectations. Get Up To 9 Insurance Quotes. Save Money Then, they recommit, professing even more sincerity Guaranteed! and vigour to realise their objectives. The structure of www.youinsure.co.za/ the alliance, however, remains as before. But, they somehow manage to bring themselves to believing that the outcome will be different this time around. It’s a dance that the tripartite alliance has come to master. The outcome of Cosatu’s recent gathering was déjà Sunday Independent vu. Zwelinzima Vavi’s Secretariat’s Report decried the moribund state of the South African Communist SundayIndy Party. Rather than assume the vanguard role that history has accorded it vis-à-vis the working people, the party, Vavi writes, is largely inactive awakening only when deployments are discussed.
    [Show full text]
  • Political Development, the People's Party of Pakistan and the Elections of 1970
    University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 1973 Political development, the People's Party of Pakistan and the elections of 1970. Meenakshi Gopinath University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses Gopinath, Meenakshi, "Political development, the People's Party of Pakistan and the elections of 1970." (1973). Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014. 2461. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses/2461 This thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FIVE COLLEGE DEPOSITORY POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT, THE PEOPLE'S PARTY OF PAKISTAN AND THE ELECTIONS OF 1970 A Thesis Presented By Meenakshi Gopinath Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS June 1973 Political Science POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT, THE PEOPLE'S PARTY OF PAKISTAN AND THE ELECTIONS OF 1970 A Thesis Presented By Meenakshi Gopinath Approved as to style and content hy: Prof. Anwar Syed (Chairman of Committee) f. Glen Gordon (Head of Department) Prof. Fred A. Kramer (Member) June 1973 ACKNOWLEDGMENT My deepest gratitude is extended to my adviser, Professor Anwar Syed, who initiated in me an interest in Pakistani poli- tics. Working with such a dedicated educator and academician was, for me, a totally enriching experience. I wish to ex- press my sincere appreciation for his invaluable suggestions, understanding and encouragement and for synthesizing so beautifully the roles of Friend, Philosopher and Guide.
    [Show full text]
  • Jacob Zuma: the Man of the Moment Or the Man for the Moment? Alex Michael & James Montagu
    Research & Assessment Branch African Series Jacob Zuma: The Man of the Moment or the Man for the Moment? Alex Michael & James Montagu 09/08 Jacob Zuma: The Man of the Moment or the Man for the Moment? Alex Michael & James Montagu Key Findings • Zuma is a pragmatist, forging alliances based on necessity rather than ideology. His enlarged but inclusive cabinet, rewards key allies with significant positions, giving minor roles to the leftist SACP and COSATU. • Long-term ANC allies now hold key Justice, Police and State Security ministerial positions, reducing the likelihood of legal charges against him resurfacing. • The blurring of party and state to the detriment of public institutions, which began under Mbeki, looks set to continue under Zuma. • Zuma realises that South Africa relies too heavily on foreign investment, but no real change in economic policy could well alienate much of his populist support base and be decisive in the longer term. 09/08 Jacob Zuma: The Man of the Moment or the Man for the Moment? Alex Michael & James Montagu INTRODUCTION Jacob Zuma, the new President of the Republic of South Africa and the African National Congress (ANC), is a man who divides opinion. He has been described by different groups as the next Mandela and the next Mugabe. He is a former goatherd from what is now called KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) with no formal education and a long career in the ANC, which included a 10 year spell at Robben Island and 14 years of exile in Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia. Like most ANC leaders, his record is not a clean one and his role in identifying and eliminating government spies within the ranks of the ANC is well documented.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ongoing Insurgency in Southern Thailand: Trends in Violence, Counterinsurgency Operations, and the Impact of National Politics by Zachary Abuza
    STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVES 6 The Ongoing Insurgency in Southern Thailand: Trends in Violence, Counterinsurgency Operations, and the Impact of National Politics by Zachary Abuza Center for Strategic Research Institute for National Strategic Studies National Defense University Institute for National Strategic Studies National Defense University The Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) is National Defense University’s (NDU’s) dedicated research arm. INSS includes the Center for Strategic Research, Center for Technology and National Security Policy, Center for Complex Operations, and Center for Strategic Conferencing. The military and civilian analysts and staff who comprise INSS and its subcomponents execute their mission by conducting research and analysis, and publishing, and participating in conferences, policy support, and outreach. The mission of INSS is to conduct strategic studies for the Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Unified Combatant Commands in support of the academic programs at NDU and to perform outreach to other U.S. Government agencies and the broader national security community. Cover: Thai and U.S. Army Soldiers participate in Cobra Gold 2006, a combined annual joint training exercise involving the United States, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, and Indonesia. Photo by Efren Lopez, U.S. Air Force The Ongoing Insurgency in Southern Thailand: Trends in Violence, Counterinsurgency Operations, and the Impact of National Politics The Ongoing Insurgency in Southern Thailand: Trends in Violence, Counterinsurgency Operations, and the Impact of National Politics By Zachary Abuza Institute for National Strategic Studies Strategic Perspectives, No. 6 Series Editors: C. Nicholas Rostow and Phillip C. Saunders National Defense University Press Washington, D.C.
    [Show full text]
  • The King's Nation: a Study of the Emergence and Development of Nation and Nationalism in Thailand
    THE KING’S NATION: A STUDY OF THE EMERGENCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF NATION AND NATIONALISM IN THAILAND Andreas Sturm Presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of London (London School of Economics and Political Science) 2006 UMI Number: U215429 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U215429 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 I Declaration I hereby declare that the thesis, submitted in partial fulfillment o f the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and entitled ‘The King’s Nation: A Study of the Emergence and Development of Nation and Nationalism in Thailand’, represents my own work and has not been previously submitted to this or any other institution for any degree, diploma or other qualification. Andreas Sturm 2 VV Abstract This thesis presents an overview over the history of the concepts ofnation and nationalism in Thailand. Based on the ethno-symbolist approach to the study of nationalism, this thesis proposes to see the Thai nation as a result of a long process, reflecting the three-phases-model (ethnie , pre-modem and modem nation) for the potential development of a nation as outlined by Anthony Smith.
    [Show full text]
  • Malaysia: the 2020 Putsch for Malay Islam Supremacy James Chin School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania
    Malaysia: the 2020 putsch for Malay Islam supremacy James Chin School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania ABSTRACT Many people were surprised by the sudden fall of Mahathir Mohamad and the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government on 21 February 2020, barely two years after winning the historic May 2018 general elections. This article argues that the fall was largely due to the following factors: the ideology of Ketuanan Melayu Islam (Malay Islam Supremacy); the Mahathir-Anwar dispute; Mahathir’s own role in trying to reduce the role of the non-Malays in the government; and the manufactured fear among the Malay polity that the Malays and Islam were under threat. It concludes that the majority of the Malay population, and the Malay establishment, are not ready to share political power with the non- Malays. Introduction Many people were shocked when the Barisan National (BN or National Front) govern- ment lost its majority in the May 2018 general elections. After all, BN had been in power since independence in 1957 and the Federation of Malaysia was generally regarded as a stable, one-party regime. What was even more remarkable was that the person responsible for Malaysia’s first regime change, Mahathir Mohammad, was also Malaysia’s erstwhile longest serving prime minister. He had headed the BN from 1981 to 2003 and was widely regarded as Malaysia’s strongman. In 2017, he assumed leader- ship of the then-opposition Pakatan Harapan (PH or Alliance of Hope) coalition and led the coalition to victory on 9 May 2018. He is remarkable as well for the fact that he became, at the age of 93, the world’s oldest elected leader.1 The was great hope that Malaysia would join the global club of democracy but less than two years on, the PH government fell apart on 21 February 2020.
    [Show full text]
  • 243 the Ongoing Conflict in Southern Thailand and Its
    243 THE ONGOING CONFLICT IN SOUTHERN THAILAND AND ITS INTERNATIONAL IMPLICATIONS BAJUNID, Omar Farouk JAPONYA/JAPAN/ЯПОНИЯ ABSTRACT The military coup that was launched on September 19, 2006 in Thailand to bring down the government of Thaksin Shinawatra for its alleged failure to resolve the on-going crisis of confidence in the Thai capital as well as the escalating political violence in the deep south, demonstrated in no uncertain terms that Thai democracy itself was in crisis. The fact that the political quagmire in Thailand’s southernmost periphery was affecting the power configuration at the centre in Bangkok is also unprecedented. Probably, this is one reason why there is no shortage of attempts to try to analyse what has gone wrong in Thailand and its southernmost region. As the southernmost part of Thailand, comprising the provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and to a lesser extent, Songkhla and Satun, are overwhelmingly Malay and Islamic, departing from the the rest of Thailand which is distinctively Thai in respect of culture and Buddhist in terms of religion, the politics of ethnicity is assumed to be the principal cause of the problem. However, no matter how the problem is analysed, what seems to emerge is that the on-going conflict in Southern Thailand is actually a function of a complex interplay of factors. This paper intends to focus on the nature and dimensions of the unresolved conflict in Southern Thailand and its actual and prospective international implications. It begins by re-capitulating the different ways in which the problem has been viewed before exploring the various external factors that have contributed to its persistence.
    [Show full text]
  • National Library,’ 1905-1925
    DISCRIMINATING TASTES: EDITING SIAM’S PATRIMONY AND THE BIRTH OF THE ‘NATIONAL LIBRARY,’ 1905-1925 A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I AT MĀNOA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE DECEMBER 2012 By Joshua Christopher Mika Thesis Committee: Diane Nahl, Chairperson Rebecca Knuth Rohayati Paseng TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................2 2. Literature Review........................................................................................................12 3. Methodologies.............................................................................................................25 4. Siamese Colonial Pursuits: Institutional Development in Siam in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries ........................................................................................................29 5. Early Libraries, Pre-Colonial Literary Culture, Monastic Education, and the Introduction of the Printing Press in Siam ......................................................................39 6. The Birth and Evolution of the Royal Library for the Capital ....................................43 7. Siam’s ‘National Library’: A Postscript .....................................................................57 Bibliography ...................................................................................................................62
    [Show full text]
  • Interrogating National Identity Ethnicity, Language and History in K.S
    Dashini Jeyathurai Interrogating National Identity Ethnicity, Language and History in K.S. Maniam's The Return and Shirley Geok-lin Lim's Joss and Gold DASHINI JEYATHURAI University of Michigan at Ann Arbor AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY Dashini Jeyathurai is from Malaysia and received a B.A. in English from Carleton College in Minnesota. Jeyathurai is a first year student in the Joint Ph.D. for English and Women's Studies at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Introduction organization believes that the Malay ethnic majority are In this paper, I examine how two Malaysian authors, the rightful citizens of Malaysia and deserve to be given ethnically Chinese Shirley Geok-lin Lim and ethnically special political, economic and educational privileges. Indian K.S. Maniam, challenge the Malay identity that Then Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, a Malay the government has crafted and presented as the himself, created this concept as well as the practice of national identity for all Malaysians. In their novels in giving special privileges to Malays. He also coined the English Joss & Gold (2001) and The Return (1981) term bumiputera (sons/princes of the soil) to refer to respectively, Lim and Maniam interrogate this Malays. Both the term and practice came into official construct through the lenses of ethnicity, history and use in 1965 and are still in existence today. Two years language. In critiquing the government’s troubling later, the predominantly Malay government established construction of a monoethnic and monolingual Malay as the national language of the country. In 1970, national identity, Lim and Maniam present both the the government made Islam the state religion.
    [Show full text]
  • Open Letter to ANC Secretary General Comrade Gwede Mantashe
    Open letter to ANC Secretary General Comrade Gwede Mantashe Dear Comrade Secretary General I have decided to take the unusual step to write you an open letter because the unusual situation that has now arisen in the ANC and the tripartite alliance requires extraordinary steps. I write to place on record the concerns I see as gnawing away at the ANC, with the hope that the leadership might wake up to the dangers our movement faces. When I joined the ANC, I was attracted by its policies, political culture, values, history and its commitment to the interests of our people - black and white. I am still as fervently committed to this cause as when I first joined the organisation. However, for some time now, I have lived with the growing sense that our leadership has veered the organisation away from the established policy priorities and customary democratic norms of the ANC. (i) For instance, those who express views that are contrary to popular opinion in meetings and conferences of the organisation are later hounded out and purged from organisation and state structures. This is contrary to the ANC's democratic culture. (ii) Sectoral and individual interests other than those flowing from the people's interests expressed in the Freedom Charter are elevated to levels of national priority. Thus we are expected to show up at criminal court cases or carry shoulder high individuals convicted of crimes unrelated to the demands in the Freedom Charter. (iii) Instead of instilling respect for institutions of democracy, our leaders issue threats that if judicial proceedings do not result in outcomes they prefer, the country will be brought to a standstill.
    [Show full text]
  • PRINT CULTURE and LEFT-WING RADICALISM in LAHORE, PAKISTAN, C.1947-1971
    PRINT CULTURE AND LEFT-WING RADICALISM IN LAHORE, PAKISTAN, c.1947-1971 Irfan Waheed Usmani (M.Phil, History, University of Punjab, Lahore) A THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES PROGRAMME NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE 2016 DECLARATION I hereby declare that this thesis is my original work and it has been written by me in its entirety. I have duly acknowledged all the sources of information which have been used in the thesis. This thesis has also not been submitted for any degree in any university previously. _________________________________ Irfan Waheed Usmani 21 August 2015 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First I would like to thank God Almighty for enabling me to pursue my higher education and enabling me to finish this project. At the very outset I would like to express deepest gratitude and thanks to my supervisor, Dr. Gyanesh Kudaisya, who provided constant support and guidance to this doctoral project. His depth of knowledge on history and related concepts guided me in appropriate direction. His interventions were both timely and meaningful, contributing towards my own understanding of interrelated issues and the subject on one hand, and on the other hand, injecting my doctoral journey with immense vigour and spirit. Without his valuable guidance, support, understanding approach, wisdom and encouragement this thesis would not have been possible. His role as a guide has brought real improvements in my approach as researcher and I cannot measure his contributions in words. I must acknowledge that I owe all the responsibility of gaps and mistakes in my work. I am thankful to his wife Prof.
    [Show full text]