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There are reasons for thinking that this is at last Indonesia's moment on the world stage. Having successfully negotiated its difficult transition to democracy after 1998, Indonesia has held three popular elections with a low level of violence by the standards of southern Asia. Recently its economic growth rate has been high (above 6 per cent a year) and rising, where China's has been dropping and the developed world has been in crisis. Indonesia's admission in 2009 to the G20 club of the world's most influential states seemed to confirm a status implied by its size, as the world's fourth-largest country by population, and the largest with a Muslim majority. Some international pundits have been declaring that Indonesia is the new star to watch, and that its long-awaited moment in the sun may at last have arrived.Those who know Indonesia well, like the experts writing in this book, are less easy to convince. In this volume they weigh the economic evidence (Ross Garnaut and M. Chatib Basri); the political equation between democracy and the massive obstacles to progress in corruption, inefficiency and legal inadequacies (Rizal Sukma and Donald K. Emmerson); and Indonesia's unrealized potential as a leader in matters environmental (Frank Jotzo) and Islamic (Martin van Bruinessen). The volume is rounded out by Scott Guggenheim's analysis of the potential for better performance in education, and by the longer-term considerations of Anthony Reid and R.E. Elson. Overall, the conclusion is one of cautious optimism, well aware of past disappointments."Perhaps, as the contributors to this eminently readable and thought-provoking volume suggest, Indonesia is finally emerging as the globally significant nation-state that it surely is. A timely and important publication that deserves to be widely read."–Hal Hill, H.W. Arndt Professor of Southeast Asian Economies, The Australian National University
The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) launched its electronic publication ISEAS Perspective in mid-2012.During its first year in existence, 58 internally reviewed issues were produced. These were distributed in steady fashion by email to addresses registered with the Institute. However, ISEAS has deemed it a worthy public service to have selected articles from that first year published in a single printed volume at cost price.Articles herein were chosen according to strict criteria such as analytical strength; continued salience of the subject discussed; referential potential; literary quality in general; et cetera. ISEAS intends to print such annual selections in the coming years. We are certain that you, the reader, will find them informative and stimulating.—Tan Chin Tiong, ISEAS Director
After the fall of President Soeharto, there have been heightened attempts by certain groups of Muslims to have shari'a (Islamic law) implemented by the state. Even though this burning issue is not new, it has further divided Indonesian Muslims. The introduction of Islamic law would also affect the future of multi-cultural and multi-religious Indonesia. So far, however, the introduction of shari'a nationwide has been opposed by the majority of Indonesian Muslims. This book gives an overview of shari'a from post-Independence in 1945 to the most recent developments in Indonesia at the start of the new millennium.
Ethnic/racial relations have been a perennial theme in Southeast Asian studies. Current events have highlighted the tensions among ethnic groups and the need to maintain ethnic/racial harmony for national unity. This book analyses ethnic/race relations in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, with special reference to the roles of ethnic Chinese in nation-building. It brings together a group of established Southeast Asian scholars to critically examine some of the important issues such as ethnic politics, nation-building, state policies, and conflict resolution. These scholars of different ethnic origins present their own ethnic perspectives and hence make the book unique. This is the most up-to-date book on ethnic/racial relations with special reference to the ethnic Chinese in three Southeast Asian countries.
Competitiveness of a country requires continuous upgrading and, sometimes, major transformation. Thailand is at the crossroad. It can no longer pursue a strategy based on low-cost advantages, but its capability achievements are still too low to become an advanced economy. This book points out weaknesses of Thailand's national innovation system or education and suggests how the country should develop new capabilities to survive and prosper in the globalized and fiercely competitive world. It will be useful to researchers and students who want to learn more about Thailand and emerging countries, and also to policy-makers and executives involved in economic and industrial development.
This volume makes an important and unique contribution to scholarly understandings of migration and diversity through its focus on Asian contexts. Current scholarship and literature on processes of migration and the consequences of diversity is heavily concentrated on Western contexts and their concerns with "multiculturalism", "integration", "rights and responsibilities", "social cohesion", "social inclusion", and "cosmopolitanism". In contrast, there has been relatively little attention given to migration and growing diversity in Asian contexts which are constituted by highly distinct and varied histories, cultures, geographies, and political economies.This book fills this significant gap in the literature on migration studies with a concentrated focus on communities, cities and countries in the Asian region that are experiencing increased levels of population mobility and subsequent diversity. Not only does it offer analyses of the policies and processes of migration, it also addresses the outcomes and implications of migration and diversity – these include a focus on multiculturalism and citizenship in the Asian region, the emerging complex forms of governance in response to increased diversity, discussions of different settlement experiences, and the practices of everyday life and encounters in increasingly diverse locales.
The vibrance and optimism in Southeast Asia during 1993 was palpable. In the wake of the end of the Cold War, the region built upon the development that was already on track. Even so, the pace has been surprising. Not only did the ASEAN economies perform well generally, Vietnam surged ahead in economic development, and Myanmar registered strong sings of economic growth. Politically, the region enjoys dynamic stability even though the South China Sea continues to pose a potential conflict area area, and a North Korean nuclear capability will be destabilizing. The political tranistion in Cambodia proved to be a greater success than anticipated. The major concern remains the question of an emerging power balance in the larger Asia-Pacific region, especially with the new economic weight of China. What will the next year look like? Follow and understand the fast-changing regional scene in Regional Outlook 1994-95.
This book, a project of the ISEAS Malaysia Study Programme, documents the series of important events that have contributed to the warmer relations presently enjoyed by Singapore and Malaysia under Abdullah Badawi. The eight chapters cover background, solving bilateral ties, intensifying official visits, developing people-to-people contacts, deepening public sector economic ties, expanding private sector economic ties, renewing educational and sporting events, and uplifting future relations. Four useful appendices have also been included to provide the opinions of eminent persons on the current state of bilateral relations between the two close neighbours. In an era of rapid globalization and inter-dependence, the two countries have much to gain by maintaining harmonious relations and by strengthening economic cooperation to bring peace and prosperity to their people. The book provides readers, whether businessmen, analysts, politicians, students or policy-makers, with a greater appreciation of recent developments in the bilateral relationship that will have a profound impact on the future direction of the two countries.
Not just another book on ASEAN, this volume reappraises the organization from the inside, through controversial or perplexing issues such as the "ASEAN Way", the accession of the new members, including Myanmar, the principle of "non-interference", regional security, regional economic integration, the haze and SARS, and ASEAN's future.Written by a key player, the former ASEAN Secretary-General, this book will illuminate the inner workings of the key Southeast Asian regional institution. It is a must-read for journalists, policy-makers, political scientists and others who need an insiders' view on how ASEAN has evolved, how it operates and whether it will remain relevant in the evolving Asia Pacific and global order.
Today it is recognized the world over, and especially in Asia that education has not only a social and moral function but it is also an economic necessity. The education system generaly provides limited access to the rural poor and other disadvantaged groups, and to a certain extent contributes to inequalities in society. How does one provide wider access to education to the rural poor, to working adults, to women at home and to disadvantaged groups?
Despite unprecedented levels of global interconnectedness, little academic attention has been paid to how governments actively deal with the challenges globalization poses for national identity. This book investigates the Singapore Government's approach to the construction of national identity and the shifting ways in which Singapore has been imagined in official discourses.The hallmarks of Singapore's nation-building project have been the state's efforts to manage ethnic differences and ensure the economic well-being of its citizenry. Unlike other global cities which are embedded in a larger nation-state, Singapore is both a global city and a nation-state. Singapore embodies a curious contradiction: while global cities are often theorized as transient spaces, contradictorily, the nation-state needs to be bounded in order to remain viable.This book focuses on the global/national nexus: the tensions between the necessity to embrace the global to ensure economic survival, yet needing a committed population to support the perpetuation of the nation-state and its economic success. It critically explores how the government has been responding to the challenges of globalization through policy initiatives and official rhetoric to create a "space" for affective identification with the Singaporean nation-state and how Singaporeans relate to and articulate their sense of identity and belonging to Singapore within the context of globalization.
As the forces of globalisation and modernisation buffet Islam and other world religions, Indonesia's 200 million Muslims are expressing their faith in ever more complex ways. Celebrity television preachers, internet fatwa services, mass religious rallies in soccer stadiums, glossy jihadist magazines, Islamic medical treatments, alms giving via mobile phone and electronic sharia banking services are just some of the manifestations of a more consumer-oriented approach to Islam which interact with and sometimes replace other, more traditional expressions of the faith.This book examines some of the myriad ways in which Islam is being expressed in contemporary Indonesian life and politics. Authored by leading authorities on Indonesian Islam, it gives fascinating insights into such topics as the marketisation of Islam, contemporary pilgrimage, the rise of mass preachers, gender and Islamic politics, online fatwa, current trends among Islamist vigilante and criminal groups, and recent developments in Islamic banking and microfinance.
"This is an excellent book which will have a major impact on the current debate about the relationship between Islam and politics in Indonesia. Its greatest strength is its innovative characterization of three Indonesian Muslim models of polity, as opposed to the normal two, Islamic state and secular state. Assyaukanie brilliantly delineates a third model, which he calls the Religious Democratic State, in the process greatly clarifying our understanding of the previous models, which he now proposes to label the Islamic Democratic State and the Liberal Democratic State. Another strength of the book is methodological. Each of its arguments is solidly grounded in the thoughts and actions of particular players, Indonesian Muslim thinkers and activists." - Professor R. William Liddle, Ohio State University, United States of America
This is the most comprehensive account of the internal dynamics of the young intellectual generation of NU advocating for pluralism and democracy within Islam in Indonesia, during Gus Dur's leadership of PBNU. Because of the author's unique vantage point, her sometimes sharp criticism of this movement and its internal dynamics is extremely useful to those who continue to advocate for reform, within NU and in Indonesia generally. - Ahman Suaedy, Executive Director, Wahid Institute, Jakarta"Robin Bush provides an authoritative, insightful and engaging account of the political and intellectual world of Nahdlatul Ulama. She carefully analyses the tumultuous and often tangled dynamics within NU from the 1980s to the post-Soeharto period and unearths deeper historical and cultural resonances in explaining the organisation's outlook and actions. This is a valuable work for anyone seeking to understand contemporary Islamic politics in Indonesia." - Greg Fealy, Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Indonesian Politics, Australian National University, Canberra
This book is a study of the political development of the Malaysian state of Sabah under the administration of Parti Bersatu Rakyat Jelata Sabah (Berjaya – Sabah People's United Party), which controlled the state legislature between 1976 and 1985. It attempts to disentangle the three dominant themes within social scientific studies of Sabah: the issues of federalism, the politics of ethnicity, and the political economy of development. The book argues that the emergence of a developmental discourse under the Berjaya regime in Sabah can largely be traced to its failure to reconcile the localized ethnic politics of Sabah with the demands of a strong central state and thus the need to find an alternative strategy of political support and control. While this strategy proved effective when developmental growth was high during the first Berjaya administration (1976–81), the relative collapse of the state economy from 1982 onwards exposed its ethnic predilections and prefigured declining support for the regime, particularly among the non-Muslim bumiputera groups. Despite the consolidation of federal support for Berjaya under the Mahathir administration, the unravelling of the Berjaya project was by this stage unstoppable. In the final analysis, the attempt to create a more compliant state administration under Berjaya came undone precisely because it failed to take into account the localized dimension of politics in Sabah.
Singapore had been one of the nations severely affected by the 2008-09 global financial and economic crisis. The city state came under pressure through the financial, trade, and confidence channels. To counter these shocks, Singapore policymakers undertook unprecedented monetary and fiscal policy measures. They subsequently charted a revival strategy that would help the country emerge stronger after the crisis. These all-encompassing policies together with the global economic recovery in 2009 helped the city state bounce back faster and stronger than many other regional economies. This book provides an insight into the events that occurred during the crisis and Singapore's successful navigation to economic recovery."Although much has been written about the global financial crisis of 2008-09, not enough has been said about how it affected Singapore and the policy response. In this highly readable book, Sanchita Basu Das fills this gap, explaining how the crisis rippled through the Singapore economy via trade channels, the financial sector, and asset markets. But the greatest strength of this volume is its comprehensive account of the extraordinary measures Singapore put in place to deal pre-emptively with what could have been huge declines in output and employment in the face of the collapse of trade and credit flows. Singapore's multi-pronged approach, and especially the fiscal support and loan guarantees contained in the 2009 budget, must go down as one of the boldest and most creative policy responses to a crisis. It is a valuable lesson to economics students and practitioners alike. This book gives you the full story."- Vikram Khanna, Associate Editor, The Business Times"Sanchita Basu Das is to be congratulated for providing a fascinating, accessible, and forward-looking analysis of Singapore's response to the global economic crisis of 2008-09. As a highly trade-dependent economy, Singapore was hit hard by these events. But the government was nimble and quick to react. The author describes and evaluates this response, and draws out general lessons for crisis management and mitigation in small open economies. Highly recommended."- Hal Hill, H.W. Arndt Professor of Southeast Asian Economies, Australian National University."This is a comprehensive account of the impact of the global financial crisis on Singapore -- one of the most open economies in the world -- and policy responses by the government and central bank. The book identifies the need to move to a more knowledge-intensive economy as the key policy challenge for post-crisis Singapore."- Masahiro Kawai, Dean and CEO, Asian Development Bank Institute"Singapore was affected disproportionately by the global economic crisis of 2008-09. While it is currently rebounding impressively, government officials and the private sector would do well to learn from the crisis experience in devising future policies. Moreover, the Singapore experience is instructive as to how external economic shocks can be transmitted to open economies and, hence, has great relevance beyond its borders. This book by Sanchita Basu Das gives a comprehensive survey of Singapore in crisis and provides a wealth of information and insightful analysis, using clear, non-technical language. It is extremely useful contribution to scholars, policymakers, and other students of Asian economics."- Michael G. Plummer, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
The history of modern Chinese schools in Peninsular Malaysia is a story of conflicts between Chinese domiciled there and different governments that happened or happen to rule the land. Before the days of the Pacific War, the British found the Chinese schools troublesome because of their pro-China political activities. They established measures to control them. When the Japanese ruled the Malay Peninsula, they closed down all the Chinese schools. After the Pacific War, for a decade, the British sought to convert the Chinese schools into English schools. The Chinese schools decoupled themselves from China and survived. A Malay-dominated government of independent Peninsular Malaysia allowed Chinese primary schools to continue, but finally changed many Chinese secondary schools into National Type Secondary Schools using Malay as the main medium of instruction. Those that remained independent, along with Chinese colleges, continued without government assistance. The Chinese community today continues to safeguard its educational institutions to ensure they survive.
David Marshall (1908-1995) was one of Singapore's most remarkable sons. The eldest son of migrant Sephardic Jews, Marshall's brilliant academic career at Raffles Institution was brought to an abrupt end when he collapsed from tuberculosis. Sent away to recuperate in Switzerland, Marshall not only learnt the French language but also imbibed the French ideals of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity and returned a strong opponent of colonialism. Qualifying as a barrister in half the normal time, he rose to become Singapore's greatest criminal and constitutional lawyer. In 1955, he unexpectedly found himself the leader of the Labour Front and Singapore's first Chief Minister. His fourteen tumultuous months in office led to the eventual withdrawal of the British from Singapore but his emotional personality and impatience made him an unlikely politician. In the twilight of his career, Marshall was appointed Singapore's first ambassador to France. This is the story of this extraordinary man who was, for many, Singapore's "missionary of democracy". Using previously unavailable sources, author Kevin Tan chronicles the remarkable life, times and achievements of the man many regarded as "Singapore's Conscience".
Indonesia is experiencing an historic and dramatic shift in political and economic power from the centre to the local level. The collapse of the highly centralised Soeharto regime allowed long-repressed local aspirations to come to the fore. The new Indonesian Government then began one of the world's most radical decentralisation programmes, under which extensive powers are being devolved to the district level. In every region and province, diverse popular movements and local claimants to state power are challenging the central authorities. This book is the first comprehensive coverage on decentralisation in Indonesia. It contains contributions from leading academics and policy-makers on a wide range of topics relating to democratisation, devolution and the blossoming of local-level politics.
This collection of essays has been prepared as a tribute to Clive S. Kessler, Professor of Sociology at the University of New South Wales for over twenty years and a member of staff of the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, and the Barnard College, Columbia University, New York. Written by colleagues and graduate students, the essays are divided into three sections: Islam, Society and Politics. They focus on Professor Kessler's analyses of Malaysia. Each essay draws on aspects of his published research, taking his insights as points of departure for new studies. Professor Kessler's ideas and observations are thus extended, complemented and updated in ways which emphasize the depth and extent of his influence on contemporary research on Malaysia.
