Stories about Governance from May, 2006
Malaysia: Corruption in High Places
Bridget in Malaysia talks about Malaysian politicians and their confidence in running scams. She gives a recent example of a member of parliament who asked the Malaysian Customs to “close one eye” and let in an illegal consignment of logs from Indonesia to Malaysia
Bermuda: Breaking news: gay rights amendment defeated
Bermudan MP Renee Webb's private member's bill proposing the amendment of the Human Rights Code to include sexual orientation has just been defeated in the House of Assembly, reports Christian S. Dunleavy. “The Bill was defeated in committee, therefore there was no formal vote in the House and therefore —...
Serbia & Montenegro: Kosovo Documentaries
Mat Savelli of Roma Roma notes two documentaries on Kosovo, one of which is a must-see: “Easily the best documentary produced on ex-Yugo that I have ever seen, the film covered the issue from a broader regional perspective, i.e. correctly.”
Trinidad and Tobago: Government not promoting local technology
“The one thing that is being wasted in this country more than money is the minds of our young people,” argues aka_lol of Trinidad and Tobago's Initiative Against Crime. “There has never been a government in our history who promoted local technology beyond their lips…. This country will continue to...
Taiwan: Ten years of democracy
A post earlier this week commemorates what Politics from Taiwan blogger David sees as ten years of democracy on the island off China's eastern coast: “By my reckoning, today marks the 10th anniversary of Taiwan's democracy. On 20th May 1996 Lee Teng-hui gave this speech at his inauguration. The election...
Bermuda: Drag queen defies parade ban
“Local drag artist Mark Anderson joined Bermuda's Heritage Day parade [on Wednesday 24 May] despite a Government prohibition,” reports A Limey in Bermuda. “Good for him…. Mr. Anderson is a gay Bermudian and homosexuals are as much a part of Bermudian society as majorettes and the Bermuda Regiment.” Christian S....
Taiwan: China threat growing
Although no clear timeline has been set by Beijing, an invasion of Taiwan is not a matter of ‘if,’ says political analyst-blogger Confidential Reporter at China Confidential, but when: “Notice we said ‘when,’ not if, because it is becoming increasingly clear that unless Taipei eventually, well, surrenders to Beijing, there...
Mongolia: Windfall Profits Tax
Luke Distelhorst reports that Mongolia's controversial windfall profits tax on mining is now law and he carries the reaction from Ivanhoe Mines, a major investor in the country's mining sector.
North Korea: Foreign bureau opens
International news agency Associated Press has opened a bureau in the North Korean capitol of Pyongyang, blogs Asiapundit‘s myrick, making it the third to do so after China's Xinhua and Russia's Tass: “It will be interesting to see what sort of copy the local staff will produce for AP. But...
DRC: Coup Attempts and More Questions on the Upcoming Elections
Free and Fair Elections? Joseph Kabila, the founder of the PPRD (the People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy), has overseen an interim administration established by the 2002 peace agreement. The Democratic Republic of the Congo's first post-conflict presidential elections are set to be held on July 30th after months of...
Landing at the Iraqi Blogodrome
There is a new government and this historic event has raised more than a ripple in the Iraqi blogs, but, actually, not much more than that. And in this week snapshot of life in Iraq blogs I will show what has been diverting bloggers attention. From high jinks to the...
Bolivia: “Reelection is not an Official Position”
Responding to the pervasive worry that Evo Morales is trying to change the constitution in order to stay in power, Eduardo Ávila responds that while “some of the social movements and other MAS congressmen have publicly come out in favor of changing the Constitution so that a president can be...
Chile, Argentina, and Latin America's Two Lefts
After years in the shadows – and only referenced for its Cold War legacy – Latin America is back in the limelight. The world over, economic liberalization has been the call of the day. But recent elections throughout Latin America have inspired commentators to call the region a notable ideological...
Mongolia: Parliamentary Walkout
Luke Distelhorst reports on the walkout from parliament of Mongolia's Democratic Party over the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party efforts to delay by-elections for a seat formerly held by a Democratic Party member.
Kyrgyzstan: HIPC
Kyrgyz students call for their country not to join the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.
Mongolia: Mining Issues
Chris of For Optimists and Philosophers writes about mining issues in Mongolia.
Poland: The Pope's Visit
Kinuk reports on the Pope's visit to Poland: “Civil servants have been given Friday off, at least in Warsaw. Schools have had to cancel lessons. There is a complete ban on alcohol sales in the whole of Warsaw. Nudie and sexy ads are banned from television. It’s all gone a...
Hungary: Pension System Imminent Collapse
Paul of Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar writes about the gloomy prospects of Hungarian pension system: “Without mass immigration of workers or a raising of the retirement age, the Hungarian pension system will, in all probability, collapse within the next 15 years.”
Ukraine: New Parliament's First Day
LEvko of Foreign Notes writes about the first day of the newly-elected Ukrainian parliament.
Belarus: Dzerzhinsky Monument Opens, Airspace Closes
Iryna of TOL's Belarus Blog writes about tomorrow's opening of a monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky at the Military Academy in Minsk: “Throughout his 12 years in power, Lukashenka has paid homage to “the best” that the Soviet Union had to offer. He does it to feed the nostalgia for Soviet...
China: Migrant laborer shortage
The change of the labor market is one of the subjects China-based blogger-correspondent Fons Tuinstra tracks regularly at China Herald, and a post today looks at a newly-released study which offers, if not new insights, at least a wealth of useful demographics.
