Stories about Governance from October, 2010
Trinidad & Tobago: CLICO Policyholders
Bloggers continue to comment on the CLICO bailout…aka_lol thinks that the policyholders are “trying to flex its hot-air inflated muscle[s] to bully the rest of the citizens of the country to get back all the toys it freely loaned to Clico to play with”, while Plain Talk has a “simple...
France: Youth against Pension Reform
October 19 was the seventh consecutive day of nationwide demonstrations in France against the pension reform bill. As the foreign press is reporting the protests mainyl as a social conflict, broadcasting images of urban guerilla warfare and giving very little press to the reasons, bloggers go in depth about the motivation of the youth and its implications
Slovenia: Dr. Peter Bossman, First Black Mayor
Adventures in Wheelville is “celebrating” the election of Slovenia's “first black mayor” – Dr. Peter Bossman.
Brazil: the prospect of a female president
Veteran women's rights activist Rachel Moreno looks at [pt] what having a female leader would mean for Brazil if Dilma Rousseff succeeds in the second round of presidential elections on 31st October.
Russia: Online Activism Success Stories
While Internet analysts across the Atlantic are busy arguing whether technology brings about social and political change or not, bloggers in Russia add their humble contributions to the debate, probably unaware that the debate is taking place at all. Their victories are small and not numerous; their impact can easily be attributed to statistical error - but they certainly are out there.
Peru: Bills on wiretapping, explained and analyzed
Miguel Morachimo writes [es] for Blawyer about two bills presented to the Peruvian Congress that relate to the interception and media broadcast of private conversations.
Bangladesh: Land Grab And Protests
In Rupganj, Bangladesh land-owners protested acquiring of land for an army housing project and they clashed with the security forces leaving 50 people injured and one dead. Bloggers react angrily.
Trinidad & Tobago: “Anansi Antics”
“Is not policyholders we bailing-out, is the richest, smartest characters in the country”: Afra Raymond is tired of the “Anansi antics” when it comes to the CLICO bailout and says he expects better from the country's “elected rulers”.
Trinidad & Tobago: Odd Choice of Decor
“JUST ABOUT when you thought there was little more that could be said about the million-dollar Port-of-Spain National Academy for the Performing Arts, the building’s unusual decor this week raised eyebrows”: Tattoo explains.
South Africa: Musings on Inequality vs. Poverty
Andries du Toit muses on inequality vs. poverty in South Africa: “The central and most urgent issue facing South Africa is not poverty but inequality… our economy, while generating wealth for a few, is also a poverty machine, perpetuating and exacerbating steep and deeply rooted inequalities that threaten the basis...
Kazakhstan: Fake repatrates scandal
Albika reports that several thousand ethnic Kazakh repatriates have never existed, but the government spent 300 million tenge for their benefits in result of the massive fraud.
Indonesia: Torture video
A video shows Indonesian soldiers torturing prisoners in West Papua. Human rights groups describe the footage as “Indonesia's Abu Ghraib.”
Russia: Post-Emergency Sustainability of Crowdsourcing Projects
Gregory Asmolov analyzes the fate of the Ushahidi-based Help Map project after the wildfires have ended. What is the future of emergency projects and how can we make them more sustainable?
Bangladesh: On Secularism
“Being a secular state should be a unique nationalist stand point of Bangladesh,” opines Nayeem Hossain at E-Bangladesh.
China: Unhappy Chinese after surprise rate hike
George Chen from Have a news day comments on the sudden rate hike by the China central bank.
Bangladesh: Beware Of The Population Bomb
Recent reports say that the population of Bangladesh has risen to 164.4 million. “Obviously Bangladesh’s biggest problem is over population,” says Fuad Hasan.
Anguilla: End of a Blog
Corruption-free Anguilla decides to shut down its blog over threats of a lawsuit; Barbados Free Press comments: “Don Mitchell CBE QC learns why anti-corruption blogs in small countries must be anonymous.”
Dominican Republic: Citizens for Education
Paquito shares a video [ES], a citizen effort to support education: “The Dominican Republic is the second country in Latin America that least supports education.”
Kazakhstan: Governance matters
Kazakh bloggers keep on discussing their favorite topic – the quality of public administration. Megakhuimyak raises the issue of professionalism of the higher officials and says that often it appears to be secondary to the “family affairs”. Cronyism remains a serious problem in Kazakhstani human resource management both in business...
Azerbaijan: Visa restrictions ahead of parliamentary vote
Back in a Bit confirms that new visa restrictions on foreigners wishing to visit Azerbaijan are now in place, and ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for 7 November. Having arrived at the airport in the oil-rich country's capital, Baku, without a visa and with no warning from even the airline,...
The Balkans: Angelina Jolie's Bosnian War Movie
Greater Surbiton writes about “Angelina Jolie's Bosnian imbroglio”; Belgraded reviews “anti-Serb” movies.
