· June, 2013

Stories about Governance from June, 2013

Senegal's Democratic Tradition Takes Worrisome Turn

  11 June 2013

Senegal has a solid tradition of democracy and protection of freedom of expression and human rights. But recent months have seen the West African nation's reputation as a stronghold for democracy in Africa seriously damaged with the evictions of a Chadian journalist and Gambian dissident, both opponents of the governments in their home countries.

How Southeast Asian Leaders Use Twitter

  11 June 2013

Twitter has been a very useful tool for Southeast Asian leaders who needed to communicate directly with their citizens. Indonesia's Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is the most popular leader in the region with 2.4 million followers. Meanwhile, Malaysia's Najib Razak is his country’s most popular Twitter personality with 1.6 million followers. The Philippines' Noynoy Aquino is also a prominent Twitter user with 1.5 million followers.

Delays, Political Turmoil Plague Madagascar As Elections Near

  10 June 2013

Political stalemate, financing issues, and logistical hurdles threaten to derail Madagascar's overdue upcoming presidential elections, the country's first since a coup in 2009 plunged the island into political crisis. The government has postponed elections again, moving the date a month later than scheduled to 23 August, 2013.

Fuss in China Over Entrance Exam Masks Trouble in Higher Education

  10 June 2013

High school students in China just sat the annual national college entrance examination, hoping to secure a place in a leading university by acing the test. But the hype surrounding China's annual university entrance exams masks the troubled higher education system that awaits the hopefuls.

Billions of Japan's Post-Quake Relief Funds Didn't Help Victims

  10 June 2013

Japan's major newspaper reported that billions of budgets that had meant to employ the local people in disaster-stricken area were largely out-flowed to unrelated projects that victims of disaster-stricken area do not benefit. The news of misappropriation draw criticism among social media users.

Singapore’s ‘Largest Blogger-led Protest’ Bats for Media Freedom

  10 June 2013

An estimated crowd of 2,000 people joined a protest assembly in Singapore’s Hong Lim Park last June 8, 2013 to oppose the government’s new licensing scheme for news websites. Organized by the ‘Free My Internet’ movement, it was reported to be the ‘largest blogger-led protest’ in Singapore.

Rwanda: NGO's Pursuit for Justice against Perpetrators of Genocide

  9 June 2013

Rwanda remembered the start of the genocide on April 7, as they have done every year since 1994. In the 19 years following the genocide, the hunt for the perpetrators of crimes against humanity has never ceased. In France, the Collective of Civil Plaintiffs for Rwanda (CPCR) is one of the organisations that fight against impunity. Its Chairman, Alain Gauthier, answered some questions by Global Voices author Abdoulaye Bah:

Russians & Cigarettes: A Hard Goodbye

The Russian government aims to end Russia's love affair with cigarettes, and a new law passed June 1 will ban smoking in a wide array of public spaces, paving the way to even stricter regulations in the future. Not everyone in the Russian blogosphere, however, is happy about it.

Police Brutality in Macedonia: Two Years On

On Thursday, June 6, in the center of Skopje, the Movement Against Police Brutality will mark two years since the murder of Martin Neshkovski, which sparked massive grassroots protests in Macedonia in the summer of 2011. The Facebook event [mk] about the memorial service states: On Thursday, June 6, at...

Bermuda: Pension Tension

  5 June 2013

It’s our retirements! Vexed Bermoothes is amazed that people aren’t making more of a fuss about the state of pensions in Bermuda.

‘Free My Internet’ Movement Rises in Singapore

  3 June 2013

Singapore’s new licensing scheme for news websites announced by the Media Development Authority was quickly denounced by many netizens as a censorship measure. A group of concerned netizens called the ‘Free My Internet’ movement has called on the public to join a rally this coming Saturday, June 8, 2013, to demand the withdrawal of the controversial regulation.

What are Citizens’ Main Concerns in Benin ?

  3 June 2013

Tite Yokossi unpacks a poll by the Zinsou Foundation that asked the citizens of Benin what are their main concerns today [fr]. The first concern listed was the low purchasing power of public servants. The other main concerns are access to education, access to clean water, health care and electricity,...

Istanbul Protests Through the Eyes of a Ukrainian Journalist

As the anti-government protests and police brutality in Turkey are making top headlines globally, many Ukrainians have started to follow the situation there with much interest, expressing support and admiration for the peaceful protesters. Their primary source of updates, photos and insight from Istanbul is Ukrainian journalist Osman Pashayev, the Istanbul bureau chief of the Crimean Tatar ATR TV channel.

Turkey: “A Tree Dies, A Nation Rises”

The situation in Istanbul turned violent when police cracked down on peaceful protesters on Friday, May 31. The peaceful sit-in started five days ago where several tens of people gathered to oppose plans by the government urban reorganization of Istanbul's only green spot: the Gezi Park. The brutality used by police forces — teargas, water cannons, fists and batons — to expel protesters from the park generated a national outcry.