Issue 1: Power and Politics - Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia

Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia. Issue 1 (March 2002). Power and Politics

EDITORIAL

The financial crisis which began in 1997 seemed to break the spell, if not the power, of long-lived political regimes and the promise of global capitalism in Southeast Asia. Since the end of the economic boom, the region has seen a dictator fall, a nation born, a president impeached, a new constitution written, and a new challenge posed to the world’s longest serving prime minister. Despite these dramatic developments, politics in the region is in many ways at an impasse. Representatives of the old order—in the form of militaries, ruling parties, separatist movements, and predatory elites—are alive and well. The new order is being born, but the old will not die.

It is this impasse that inspired the editors to devote the maiden issue of the Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia to politics and the exercise of power. How do intellectuals of the region make sense of this situation in their scholarship? And what can we learn by reading over their shoulders as they write for the general public on issues of immediate import?

One striking note is the outcry against corruption, collusion, and nepotism—KKN in the Malay-speaking world—with which everyone is fed up. In novels, newspapers, and analysis, writers decry the continuing grip of corrupt institutional practices and the outright lies of elected officials. It is in protest against “dirty” politics that it is easiest to find unanimity and moral certainty. The same can be said of calls to strengthen institutions and the rule of law, to reform states paralyzed by bureaucratic rigidity and adherence to precedent.

Yet answers remain elusive. The old faith in the rise of the middle class as a natural cure for corruption and authoritarianism was clearly misplaced. Indications are that sustained economic growth can win tolerance for a great deal of corruption, and that the search for freedom once thought so emblematic of the middle classes can be “privatized” into a quest for a satisfying lifestyle. Nor is democracy itself without blame. From murder and violence on the campaign trail to the election of media personalities, electoral politics has not proved transformative.

Clearly an area where more attention is needed is the blurred boundary of the public and private and the related pairing of charismatic authority and state power. How to explain Thaksin’s popularity, or Estrada’s, if not by their promise to bypass bureaucracy and solve problems through direct action or largesse? That these promises have not been fulfilled is to be expected. What is surprising is that in this much maligned characteristic of Southeast Asian politics, we may find a ray of hope. Rather than adding to the moral opprobrium heaped on political leaders, some of our writers ask for greater nuance in analyzing relations between state and society or for simple recognition that politics rewards self-interest. This search for a new starting place for meaningful reform resonates with another’s reminder that a citizen’s “sense of belonging” goes beyond economic parity. Along with the recent visibility of the poor in civil society actions and (of course) the strengthening of institutions, we may hope that these portend a new kind of popular engagement in politics.

One final thought: Today’s societies often provide little opportunity, still less willingness, to remember past struggles and sacrifices for political goals not yet achieved. But this issue contains two examples of such remembering, both involving the compilation and preservation of narratives of resistance against state crimes. As much as the political stability and economic growth of recent decades, such resistance is a Southeast Asian legacy, and these exercises in remembrance represent a growing trend that we hope to examine more fully in a future issue.

We are launching this website with the hope of deepening and broadening conversations within Southeast Asia and beyond. We therefore welcome your comments on all pages of the Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia and invite your suggestions as we expand our coverage, both topically and geographically, in coming issues.

Donna Amoroso
Editor, Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia

ISSUE 1 — REVIEW ESSAYS
Provincializing Thai Politics Short abstract in English	By Nishizaki Yoshinori
Writing Reformasi Short abstract in English	By Khoo Boo Tei
Of Strongmen and the State Short abstract in English	ByCaroline S. Hau
Studies in the Political Economy of New Order Indonesia Short abstract in English	By Vedi R. Hadiz

ISSUE 1 — REPRINTS
The Voice of the Poor	By Vanida Tantiwitthayaphithak
On the Horns of a Dilemma	By Kasian Tejapira
Thaksinomics and Liquor	By Nidhi Aeusrivongse
In Golkar’s Grip	By Mochtar Pabottingi
Malaysia: The Cost of Race Economics	By Sumit Mandal
Police and Society in Political Turmoil	By Onghokham

ISSUE 1 — FEATURES
Marites Dañguilan Vitug on Philippine Politics and Journalism	Marites Dañguilan Vitug
The Human Rights Collection at the University of the Philippines	Kyoto Review
Area Studies at Kyoto University	By Shiraishi Takashi
Southeast Asian Studies in Asia	Kyoto Review
Orang Asli Leadership in Malaysia	By Colin Nicholas

ISSUE 1— BOOK REVIEWS
Bank Indonesia’s Independence in Political Turbulence Independensi Bank Indonesia dalam Kemelut Politik M. Dawam Rahardjo Jakarta / Pustaka Cidesindo / 2000	By Wahyu Prasetyawan
Review three books— The Soeharto Family’s Accumulation of Wealth; The Early Life of Soekarno’s Daughter Megawati; Indonesia in Confusion	By Murakami Saki and Morishita Akiko
Review two books— Crimes Committed by the State: Transition in Crisis; The Women of 6th October: Sifting Out the Truth by Opening Old Wounds	By Viengrat Nethipo
How to Look at Asian Politics: From Development Dictatorship to Civil Society Ajia Seiji wo Miru Me—Kaihatsu Dokusai kara Shiminsyakai e Iwasaki Ikuo Tokyo / Chuokouron Shinsha / 2001	By Aizawa Nobuhiro
The Price to be Paid: The Ethnic Chinese Encounter in Indonesia Harga yang Harus Dibayar: Pergulatan Etnis Cina di Indonesia I. Wibowo, editor Jakarta / Gramedia Pustaka Utama dan Pusat Studi Cina / 2001	By Benny Subianto
Review two books— Aung San: The Locked Away Dream of Burmese Independence; Myanmar’s Village Economy in Transition: Peasants’ Lives under the Market-Oriented Economy	By Nakanishi Yoshihiro
The Lumad’s Struggle in the Face of Globalization Karl M. Gaspar, C.Ss.R. Davao City / Alternate Forum for Research in Mindanao / 2000	By Ishii Masako
The Philippines Under Japan: Occupation Policy and Reaction Ikehata Setsuho and Ricardo Trota Jose, editors Quezon City / Ateneo de Manila University Press / 1999	ByTemario C. Rivera
Absent History: The Untold Story of Special Branch Operations in Singapore 1915-1942 Ban Kah Choon Singapore / SNP Media Asia / 2001	By Onimaru Takeshi
Politics and Ethnicity in Malaysia: Chinese Politics and National Integration Mareshia no Seiji to Esunishiti—Kajin Seiji to Kokumin Togo Kaneko Yoshiki Kyoto / Koyoshobo / 2001	By Shinozaki Kaori
Democracy in Malaysia: Discourses and Practices Edited by Francis Loh Kok Wah and Khoo Boo Teik Richmond, Surrey / Curzon / 2002	By Donna Amoroso