“These are weird times in Asian politics.”
- Marcus Gee writing in The Globe and Mail.
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2 responses so far ↓
1 hrk // Sep 22, 2008 at 5:12 am
These times are not only weird with regards to Asia. It seems as if the whole world is getting ever stranger. For me the most striking feature of these weird times is the focus on persons, or rather the personalization of politics and society, which is indeed rather weird. In Malaysia politics seem to circle around Anwar or Badawi. In Thailand we have Sonthi and Taksin etc. In development policy we have Bill Gates and Bob Geldorf and sometimes Paris Hilton (in the future I guess). This is an indicator that obviously their are no more programmes. (the Democrat Party in Thailand has thereby become the most modern). The structures seem to be dissolved. No more classes, no more interest groups, just persons.
But, perhaps, these are just ideologies that camouflage vested interests that direct the persons in the limelight.
2 Moe Aung // Oct 1, 2008 at 5:31 am
I’d have thought the focus on persons and the personality cult is normal in Asia. The age of celebrity in the western world however goes hand in hand with the dumbing down of politics, and marks “the end of ideology” as policy issues deal with micromanagement rather than long term programmes and vision. Public and working life is being increasingly regulated by the state in the name of security, cost effectiveness and competition in the globalised world. And it hasn’t stopped them from deriding the “nanny state” when it comes to regulating the bosses and looking after the weak.
Class is now a four-letter word as is socialism and, surprise, surprise, the demise of the boom bust cycle has been greatly exaggerated. We continue to see the time honoured capitalist principle of profits accruing to individuals and losses being socialised; they’ve always had it both ways – a win win strategy.
Character assassination and scandals go with the territory the world over. Actual assassinations, the US has a few under its belt. Is Obama likely to be next should he get elected as the first black US president, the same fate perhaps awaiting him as befell the first Catholic president promising some real change?
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