· September, 2011

Stories about Governance from September, 2011

Trinidad & Tobago: Expenditure & Accountability

  30 September 2011

“Discussion is revolving around the country’s earnings from our energy resources and the likely size of the next year’s budget, expected to be delivered in early October”: Afra Raymond warns that “without proper control over expenditure, we will continue to lurch from crisis to crisis.”

Cuba: Inequitable Party

  30 September 2011

Generation Y compares the official distribution of “rental properties, cars, businesses [and] houses” to a pinata at a children's party, saying: “What is most worrying is [that] the…existence of such a mechanism will undoubtedly feed corruption, ‘socialism,’ and put into the hands of government sympathizers the fattest strings for when...

Brazil: Citizens Blame Governor for Police Charge on Teachers

  30 September 2011

Brazilian citizens used the hashtag #CidEspancaProfessores (Cid beats teachers) in solidarity with public school teachers who were beaten by the police on September 29. That day, a proposal of the governor Cid Gomes for changes in the career development of teachers was passed in the Legislative Assembly of Ceará. After...

Laos According to WikiLeaks

  30 September 2011

WikiLeaks has released a set of Laos files that confirmed the country’s underdevelopment, endemic corruption in the bureaucracy, and the fragile state of its environment. Here are some online reactions and excerpts of the Laos cables.

Afghanistan: Donor dependence

  30 September 2011

Nick Fielding writes that the US and other donors have provided 90 per cent of Afghanistan's public expenditures in 2006-2010. With the 2014 target date for the withdrawal of US troops, the question is how the government in Kabul would fund its security forces, who use up the lion's share...

Why don’t South Asians talk to each other?

  29 September 2011

South Asians consist of one fifth of the planet’s population and they have similar cultures. And yet some kind of loose confederation between South Asian countries looks like an unattainable dream. Dheera Sujan at South Asia Wired wonders why South Asians usually do not talk to each other.

Global: Key Quotes and Tweets from the Internet Governance Forum

  29 September 2011

As the Internet Governance Forum is a truly epic event both online and offline, it's hard to do justice to the complexity of the discussions and debates that are currently taking place in Nairobi, Kenya. Discover with Global Voices some key tweets and quotes from participants, accompanied by short commentaries.

Cameroon: Calm Before the Storm?

  29 September 2011

Cameroon's presidential election will take place on October 9, but the lack of stake in the outcome felt by the general population is leading to a lack of interest. The threat of post-election violence and ethnic tension is also hanging over the country.

Wikileaks Cables on Laos

  29 September 2011

Wikileaks has released a set of cables that involve Laos. Blogger Lao Bumpkin identifies the relevant topics in the uploaded files.

East Timor: Tasi Mane Petroleum Infrastructure Project

  28 September 2011

A local Non-Government Organization, La'o Hamutuk, has set-up a special website page to gather information, monitor project updates, and document the resistance of a community to East Timor’s Tasi Mane Petroleum Infrastructure Project.

Russia: A New Online Game Might Change Offline Moscow

RuNet Echo  27 September 2011

A graduate of Strelka Institute Andrey Goncharov gave an interview about his final project an online game “Crowdsourced Moscow 2012″. According to the interview the game  can contibute to real democracy and allow people to participate in reshaping the offline public space of their city through online.

Jamaica: Golding to Resign?

  27 September 2011

Jamaica and the World republishes a Wikileaks cable that sullies the image of the government, while Girl With a Purpose reports that “Prime Minister Bruce Golding dropped a bombshell on Jamaicans…announc[ing] his intention to resign as Party Leader of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).”

Chile: Students Protest Mayor's Decision

  27 September 2011

Erwin at The Latin Americanist updates readers on the student movement: “Last week Cristian Labbe, mayor of Providencia, ordered the suspension of the school year and permitted police to remove student protesters who have been residing on local campuses.[…]” Labbe also declared that students who lived outside of Providencia would...

India: To Be Poor In India

  26 September 2011

Project Why exposes that there is a serious flaw in determining who is poor in India and who will get social welfare benefit from the government. The blogger asks: “what are we trying to do: show the world that we are not poor?”