Special corruption courts To be established in Malaysia The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 23 March 2019 First published in the Star, Thursday 21 March 2019

The C4 Center to Combat Corruption & Cronyism welcomes the announcement made by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that special courts to deal specifically with corruption cases will be set up.
These special courts are needed for greater efficiency in resolving corruption cases promptly.
Dr Mahathir reportedly said that the reason for establishing the special courts is because, currently, trials related to corruption are “considered ordinary trials, without any priority accorded to them” see “Special High Court and Special Appeals Court to speed up corruption cases” in the Star.
While it is a most necessary step forward in swiftly dealing with the corruption scourge, we ask the Pakatan Harapan government to clarify if this is a continuation of attempts by the previous government to create 18 special courts to fight corruption at the state level.
We ask what is the status of these 18 courts?
Was there no political will to see it through?
We note that Promise 19 in the Pakatan Manifesto – “To Restore Public Trust in Judicial and Legal Institutions” – has also been included in the National Anti-Corruption Plan 2019-2023 under Strategic Objective 4:
To set up additional specialised corruption courts to manage the increased number of backlogged cases.
To prioritise for corruption cases to be handled by judges and public prosecutors who are trained and/or experienced in corruption cases.
This announcement comes at a critical time to restore faith in our criminal justice system.
While the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has investigative powers, and the Attorney-General has prosecutorial powers, judicial specialisation is a critical part of national anti-corruption reform strategies. It’s obvious the regime under former PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak failed to provide the necessary “oomph” and political will to make these special courts a functioning success.
It is now imperative that the Pakatan government clarify whether this special corruption court should adopt procedures that are substantially different from those of other criminal courts, with special provision for the selection, working conditions of the special corruption court judges, specific resources and expertise.
The details of such an important structural reform in the judiciary must have clarity of focus in upholding the rule of law, involve legal experts in developing clear and adequate terms of reference, and allow capacity building for members of the judiciary.
We hope the setting up of this special corruption court will expedite all corruption cases so we can recover as much of the nation’s lost money as possible before it becomes untraceable.

Cyntial Gabriel,
Executive Director
C4 Center (Center to Combat Corruption & Cronyism)
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

Support for exposition of Non-Government Organisations Financial support for Communist Party of the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 21 March 2019

I support the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) initiative to expose the evidence against the Karapatan Partylist and other Non Government Organizations (NGO) on their participation and support for the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New Peoples Army (NPA).
It is truly time for the European Union (EU) to end their financial support for this group.
The Commission on Human Right must prove that they still have the integrity of being fair in their investigations on this matter since it seems that their office is the crying ground and comfort zone of the leftist organizations and other anti government individuals.
On the other hand, if I were an European Union (EU) official, I would find no need to present more evidence to prove that the Non-Government Organisations (NGO)s are truly supporting the terrorist New Peoples Army (NPA) since clear evidence was exposed by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)) founder Joma Sison on a propaganda video and I think it strongly proves the accusation of the involvement of Karapatan parylist and other Non-Government Organisations (NGO)s.
And I am with Brigadier General Antonio Parlade in his challenge of Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay to have a debate so that truth will prevail.
If the secretary general Cristina Palabay has nothing to worry about and can truly defend the accusation against them, then there is nothing for her to worry about.

Romeo E. Alcoseba
Mexico,
Pampanga,
Philippines

Call for police to stop investigations Into International Women's Day march in Kuala Lumpur The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 21 March 2019 First published in the Star, Monday 18 March 2019

I refer to the statement issued by the Jawatankuasa Hari Wanita Sedunia 2019 on March 14.
According to the statement, the organisers of the International Women’s Day march that took place in Kuala Lumpur on March 9 are being investigated by police under Section 9(1) of the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA 2012) and Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act.
The investigations by the police are unwarranted, unnecessary and encroach upon the rights of the organisers of the march.
Media reports have shown that the organisers provided the requisite 10 days’ notice to the police.
There is no reason for the police to investigate the organisers under the PAA 2012, as the requirement under Section 9(1) of the Act appears to have been complied with.
As for the Sedition Act, it is a colonial vestige that is draconian, repressive, and has no place in any democratic country.
The Act contains provisions which are disproportionate and unreasonable restrictions on freedom of speech and expression.
The use of the Act is also contrary to the Federal Government’s commitment to repeal the said Act.
Freedom of speech and expression, and freedom of assembly, are fundamental and inalienable rights which are guaranteed by the Federal Constitution.
These rights should not be restricted or denied merely on the basis that the exercise of these rights is not consonant with the government’s position or is objectionable to some quarters of society.
Citizens in this country must be allowed their democratic right to dissent.
I therefore call upon the police to immediately cease all investigations against the organisers of the International Women’s Day march.

Syahredzan Johan,
Constitutional lawyer,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for Malaysians To ensure racial and religious harmony The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 20 March 2019 First published in the Star, Monday 18 March 2019

The mass shootings at two mosques in New Zealand that left more than 50 people dead on Friday is a despicable crime that must be condemned in the strongest terms.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and injured, together with our heartfelt condolences to their families.
I also hope that everyone abides by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission’s (MCMC) reminder to social media users to not share the video recorded during the shooting incidents.
MCMC said that doing so could stir unrest or create unwanted incidents that could incite panic and anger among the public.
New Zealand police have also described the video as “extremely distressing” and urged web users not to share it.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern aptly described how the incident has caused one of her country’s “darkest days” and said the suspect holds “extremist views” that have no place in New Zealand or the world.
New Zealand is known as one of the safest countries in the world.
The fact that it could become a target shows that no country can take its safety and wellbeing for granted. Terrorism knows no boundaries and the world has to come together to defeat this menace.
Our government should cooperate with other countries to monitor and deal with violent extremism in this region, especially the exploitation of social media by extremists and terrorist groups.
The extremists have been using social media and the Internet to influence people for recruitment purposes.
Therefore, it is imperative that the government strengthen its monitoring of social media and the Internet to identify anyone promoting violence extremism.
More engagement programmes with all sections of society should be carried out effectively, as such efforts would be able to win the hearts and minds of impressionable people who might otherwise be drawn towards extremism and acts of violence.
The task at hand now for all Malaysians, irrespective of race, religion and political affiliation, is to ensure racial and religious harmony, and reject all forms of extremism that could undermine interracial and inter-religious peace and harmony.
History proves that Malaysia is able to overcome such challenges
if its people stand united to overcome adversity together.

Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

 

Expat retirees in Thailand To maintain reserve fund The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 19 March 2019 First published in the Bangkok Post, Wednesday 13 March 2019

Re: "Chasing expats out", in Bangkok Post, PostBag Saturday March 9, 2019.
My opinion related to the Immigration Department's requirements that foreigners
living in Thailand demonstrate financial reserves adequate to cover reasonable
living expenses and possible medical or other emergencies is likely to be
unpopular with some expats.
But, personally, I do not think it is unreasonable for the Thai government to
demand that foreigners living in the country - especially elderly retirees -
maintain a balance of at least 800,000 baht to cover unforeseen emergencies and
expenses.
One could make a case for requiring a lower reserve fund balance for
retirees who can show proof of adequate health insurance, but demanding some
combination of financial security to address financial emergencies and shocks is
not unwarranted.
To simplify the requirements, I would suggest that the reserve balance be it
800,000 baht or another amount must be maintained for the duration of the time
an expat lives in the kingdom - not just for a confusing number of months
before and after applying for renewal of their long-term visas. Regulations
could be crafted to allow for the reserve fund to be restored to the minimum
level within a reasonable number of months should the foreigner need to tap the
reserve fund for medical or other emergencies.
I feel sympathy for foreigners who may not have adequate savings to meet such
financial requirements. But let's be realistic - 800,000 baht is not a massive
amount to expect people to maintain to cover life's unexpected emergencies.
Respected financial advisers routinely urge individuals to maintain an
"emergency fund" adequate to cover six to 12 months of living. A major medical
disorder can easily run into hundreds of thousands of baht for treatment.

Samanea Saman,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Malaysia's Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) party Stands up to racists and religious extremists The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 18 March 2019 First published in the Star, Wednesday 13 March 2019

Finally, a political party that has the guts to stand up to the gutter politics of racists and extremists and make a decision that takes into account the fact that Malaysia is a multi-racial country, that shows they will not succumb to the false preaching and hypocrisy of the RREs (racists and religious extremists).
That Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) the People's Justice Party, is fielding Dr S. Streram in the Rantau by-election bodes well for Malaysia.
It signals that all races have an important part and role in making our country a successful and tolerant one.
The way the other two parties, United Malays National Organisation (Umno), Malaysia's main opposition party and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) formerly known as Malayan Islamic Party, are exploiting race and religious issues just to come back to or stay in power is extremely deplorable.
The 33 million Malaysians need economic growth, jobs, lower costs, affordable housing and three square meals a day, which many are struggling to provide. Neither race nor religion will help put food on the table, create jobs or help ease the struggle to live.
On the contrary, the more we discard the common sense of growing the economy, reducing corruption, improving competitiveness, increasing productivity and attracting investments and go backwards to advocate only race and religion, this Asian miracle called Malaysia will become a has-been.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has taken a bold step to stand up to racists and religious extremists.
As level-headed Malaysians who only want good for the country, we should applaud this decision.
While we all must respect whatever the decision the good people of Rantau will make next month, we do need to show our appreciation of a party that is standing up to divisive race politics. Kudos.
“There are two types of people you should never trust: A religious leader who tells you how to vote and a politician who tells you how to pray.” (Source unknown.)

Dharan.V
Prai,
Penang,
Malaysia

Justice grinds to a halt In the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 17 March 2019 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Thursday 14 March 2019

There is something so terribly wrong with our judicial system that seems to be beyond redemption. No matter how many circulars the Supreme Court may have churned out to speed up the administration of justice, nothing seems to work. Justice still grinds as slowly as ever.
At the trial level, judges appear so inept it normally takes them years to decide even the simplest cases, where law students might already be able to give the correct answer in just five minutes of class recitation.
At the appellate level, things are much worse.
If only some of the litigants cared to line up from Maria Orosa Street, Manila where the main Court of Appeals sits, to wait for their turn to get judicial relief, the tail of that line would probably be found somewhere at the Welcome Rotonda in Quezon City, moving a foot closer every five years; and at the Supreme Court in Padre Faura, Manila, the tail of the caravan may only be moving an inch closer every 10 years!
That’s how bad waiting for justice is in this country.
Parang laging naghihintay ang mga huwes sa may balak na gumapang sa mga kaso. The longer it takes for bribers or influence-peddlers to do their thing, the more cobwebs the cases gather.
Has anyone ever noticed how fast cases get decided if moneyed people and influential lawyers are involved?
Everyone wants to retire from the judiciary with very fat accounts!
And the Supreme Court is not free from blame.
Not only is it giving a bad example to all lower courts with all its record-breaking and Constitution-defying delays, it also does nothing about aberrations in the proceedings below that tend to erode the people’s faith in its oft-repeated pronouncements of speedy trial and delivery of justice. Instead of sanctioning lazy judges, it shields them from complaints.
My in-laws have endured civil litigation in the trial court that rendered a decision in their favor after more than six years, which was affirmed by the Court of Appeals after eight years, and is now pending in the Supreme Court for 12 years already - and counting!
My wife’s father, the original plaintiff, had already died of old age.
Despite hearing whispers about it, her family never really had the means to make gapang and could only hope for the best.
I suppose my in-laws were just lucky the other party seemed to be in no better position to make gapang either.
Thus, things being “equal” in that regard, the case got to be decided on the merits. But in the Supreme Court, it’s anybody’s guess. Is this the “normal” that justice-seeking Filipinos are stuck with?

Ulysses Bermudez Uy,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for Amnesty International to study Thai constitution The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 16 March 2019 First published in the Bangkok Post, Wednesday 13 March 2019

Re: "Foreigners get TRC case all wrong", in Bangkok Post, Opinion, March 11
I agree with Veera Prateepchaikul that Amnesty International's Thailand branch
appears to have jumped the gun when its campaigner Katherine Gerson on March 7
voiced her "concerns" over the dissolution of the Thai Raksa Chart (TRC) party.
"This decision highlights the Thai authorities' abuse of judicial powers to
restrict the peaceful association and expression of the political opposition.
This far-reaching measure raises strong concerns about the human rights to
freedom of association and expression in the period leading to the elections…"
Instead of voicing its "concerns" in such a knee-jerk fashion, Amnesty should
have studied the Thai constitution, especially the part that stipulates the
monarchy must always be regarded as above politics.
Whoever is behind Thai Raksa Chart (TRC) party is trying to wedge between Thais.

Vint Chavala,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Call for European Union to stop providing funds To the New Peoples Army in the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 15 March 2019

I would like to express my opinion on the issue about Non-Government Organization (NGO) tagged as the New Peoples Army (NPA), the military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) receiving funds from European Union (EU).
With the sincere efforts of the government to end insurgency in the country, last month the Philippine delegation went to Europe and called the attention of EU and the government of Belgium to their practice of providing funds to the New Peoples Army (NPA) terrorist through None-Government Organisations (NGOs).
Over the years we have been deceived by the roles of the NGOs in society. We thought that the None-Government Organisations (NGOs) were a positive force in our community but with this development and with the actions by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) we can now see clearly what they are doing.
The None-Government Organisations (NGOs) are recruiting young people to join the New Peoples Army (NPA).
According to Brigadier General Antonio Parlade who is part of the delegation that went to Europe, Belgium programmed to release 3 million euros a year for five years to 7 None-Government Organisations (NGOs) based in the Philippines. And the EU for its part gave an initial 621, 000 euros to the groups.
This is the very reason why the Philippine government is exerting much effort to stop providing monetary support to the None-Government Organisations (NGOs).
As a nation, the Philippines should look at the larger picture here. The issue is about blindness and soft headedness of Philippine society about the terrorist New Peoples Army (NPA) and its fronts and supporters on the interest of democratic space.
It is high time for us, Filipinos, to rally behind the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and help our government in cutting off the fundings and be more aggressive in uprooting insurgency in the country.

Regine Mamagat-Agapay,
Manila,
Philippines

 

Call for Papua New Guinea To hold on to traditional names The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 14 March 2019 First published in the National, Friday 8 March 2019

We have a serious naming crisis in Papua New Guinea.
Something needs to be done as soon as possible before our identity disappears from the face of this Earth.
The Government has taken a blind eye and is not proactive in addressing this.
This will most likely affect the National Identification Project (NID) system as well.
People are starting to call themselves names like John Mark, Peter Andrew and the list just goes on.
Why is this happening?
We need to look back and see where our fathers came from and how they had their names addressed.
For example, if someone had the surname Wartovo, we will know that this person comes from East New Britain, Gawi from East Sepik, Kaupa from Simbu and Vagi from Central.
Let us be proud of our identity.
If you hold on to your ancestral names you will be unique in the world.
You will never lose your identity as an individual and or nation.
No wonder we have a lot of homeless people wondering on the streets of our towns who don’t know their traditional homeland.

Concerned,
PNGean,
Port Moresby,
Papua New Guinea

Politics fast way to fill pockets In Papua New Guinea The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 13 March 2019

In his letter to The Southeast Asian Times 11 March Max. M Wapi of Port Moresby writes " ... A political revolution is necessary to rescue this country [PNG] from the systematic corruption that is crippling it...".
That reminded me of an interview I saw on SBS television some time ago during a Papua New Guinea national election.
An aspiring candidate was asked why he was fighting an election to get into parliament when he was already doing alright as a businessman? He replied politics was a fast way to fill one's pocket in PNG!
Wonder to what extend this societal cancer has come to afflict other countries in the region since the end of colonial rule and the political takeover by the local mob?

Rajend Naidu,
Sydney,
Australia

 

Call for Chiang Mai abattoir To be moved away from Night Bazaar The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 12 March 2019 First published in the Bangkok Post, Friday 8 March 2019

Few visitors to the The Rose of the North and most residents in fact realise
that Chiang Mai's abattoir is just two minutes away from The Night Bazaar, major
hotels and five minutes from Thapae Gate and Wat Phra Singh.
The sight of this place of death and misery with the fresh meat stall almost
next door is abhorrent especially when convoys of trucks are seen transporting,
cows, buffaloes and pigs making their distressing way through the city to meet
their fate.
I am not totally vegetarian but I find this sickening, particularly having lived
in this predominately Buddhist community for over two decades and where life, in
any form, is considered sacred.
I realise that an abattoir is probably necessary but why situate it so centrally
and so close to where the joyous community of locals and visitors celebrate the
delights of the city and life itself.
The contrast is nauseating.

Chris Anderton,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Call for removal of Westminster system Of government in Papaua New Guinea The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 11 March 2019 First published in The National, Friday 8 March 2019

The only way to stop systematic corruption and the practice of double dipping in this country is through a political revolution that results in the removal of our existing Westminster system of democracy and adoption of a presidential system of government.
The presidential system is an advanced democracy where every political power is fragmented and used independently without fear or favour, keeping checks and balances alive, unlike in the Westminster system where every political power is fused, checks and balances are heavily politicised, undermining democracy.
In a presidential system, the political party is too strong, presidential candidates are properly screened and viewed by the entire citizens in terms of their qualification, job experience, business empire, policies and character.
After the screening process during the campaigning period, most candidates are eliminated with only two left to contest the presidency.
The presidential system has a fixed term of office, promoting political stability.
Our Westminster system is politically unstable and filled with votes of no-confidence.
A political revolution is necessary to rescue this country from the systematic corruption that is crippling it.
It’s possible for Papua New Guinea to create a hybrid political system, meaning a combination of both.
Our 40 or so weak political parties can be trimmed to a two-party system, with the people electing the prime minister and deputy prime minister in a more robust democratic process instead of leaving that privilege in the hands of our elected few who themselves are susceptible to political maneuverings.
Papua New Guinea’s Westminster system lacks a proper screening process for candidates.
We should therefore set up a candidate screening committee commission (CSCC) comprising the Ombudsman Commission, Electoral Commission, Registrar of Political Parties Commission, Council of Churches, Law Society, and Trade Union Congress to screen the candidates who have been nominated.

Max M Wapi,
Port Moreby,
Papua New Guinea

Malaysia calls on government to reaffirm understanding Of implications of climate change The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 10 March 2019 First published in the Star, Monday 4 March 2019

It is clear that climate change and extreme weather patterns, resource scarcity and energy security are growing threats to the long-term viability of businesses as well as the prosperity of the public.
A fundamental structural transformation of the Malaysian economy is required to ensure that Malaysia develops new resilience, strengthens its economy and is well positioned for the possibility of new risks and opportunities that lie ahead.
Undertaking this change in the right way could ensure that Malaysia takes a leading position in developing sustainable industries, techniques and technologies of the future.
Malaysia should rightfully commit to this transformation and align strategies across the various ministries.
There are businesses that are already investing in and helping to grow and transform the Malaysian economy, and they would be able to do more if presented with a credible roadmap to a sustainable future.
We look to the government to reaffirm that it understands the implications of climate change science and set a long-term stable strategy and policy framework which will enable us to invest and act accordingly.
There are generally four key tenets of a sustainable economy:
A secure, efficient and decarbonised power sector;
A resilient and efficient low carbon built environment;
An integrated and secure transport system that enables ultra-low carbon choices; and Sustainable consumption patterns that are supported and encouraged by policy frameworks, business models and resilient supply chains.
While businesses and the government are already working on some aspects of these priorities, a more sustained and ambitious strategy is needed.
Greater collaborative efforts between business, academia and government and better deployment of limited financial resources are needed to unlock new home-grown technological solutions to the challenges.
This is an agenda that is exciting as it will deliver new business opportunities, develop new markets, create jobs and drive innovation.
To drive this successfully, Malaysian businesses need to be at a level playing field with businesses in other economies, and the right kind of support must be provided for home-grown innovators that are ahead of the game.
Naturally, creating a vision of the future Malaysian economy that everyone can participate in will require strong commitment from all stakeholders.

Dr Renard Siew,
Kualar Lumpur,
Malaysia

 

Filipino fisherman restricted by China From fishing in West Philippine Sea The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 9 March 2019

As one of the fishermen who fishes in the West Philippine Sea, I don’t see any reason for restricting Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea.
They have been fishing there for a long time and this is where their livelihood comes from.
If China will keep on doing this, what will happen to my fellow fishermen’s’ family? This will affect their daily living and the education of their children.
The government should investigate this and secure the welfare of the Filipino fishermen as well as the marine environment of the West Philippine Sea.
The life of the West Philippine Sea is the life of the Filipino Fishermen; Filipino Fishermen is the life of the West Philippine Sea.

John Michael Gapas
Batangas,
Philippines

Call for review of the Philippines - US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 8 March 2019

As a citizen of this country, I agree with Defense Secretary Lorenzana, that the Philippines - US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) should be reviewed.
It was signed 67 years ago.
We are now in 2019 and we are now situated in a totally different government, society and security obstacles.
The review will help in determining the significance of this treaty in this modern period.
It will further adapt with the Philippine current necessities and will enlighten the ambiguity of the treaty.
This will conclude efficacy of this on our end and determine if this will just cause future disarray, especially regarding the West Philippine Sea dispute.
This is not to solely depend on US but to execute effective measurements to address national difficulties.
Review on the Mutual Defense Treaty will grant the opportunity to revise it and eventually make use of this to safeguard our national territories.

Marjane Dy,
Manila,
Philippines

The Catholic church Is not going anywhere soon The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 7 March 2019 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Wednesday 6 March 2019

This refers to the article “Duterte: Catholic Church will disappear in 25 years” February 26, 2019
The Catholic Church has been around 2,000 years.
At various times, the Church was rocked by scandals, lies, hatred from flawed and unfaithful men who betrayed their vows.
The Church even hurdled the years of Inquisitions, World Wars, Crusades and suffered persecutions and schisms - yet the Church is still here.
Isn’t that a sign of longevity?
Will the Church disappear in 25 years?
The Church is not going anywhere soon, and it should be fine for another 2,000 years.

Reginald B. Tamayo,
Marikina City
Philippines

Call for international community To do what's right by the Palestinian people The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 6 March 2019

I support the Indonesian foreign minister Marsudi's call for support for the Palestinian struggle for independence ( Southeast Asian Times 5/3 ) because it's the right thing to do *.
Every people have the right to live in freedom and human dignity.
That right was arbitrarily and unjustly taken away and subsequently denied the dispossessed Palestinian people for some seven decades.
They have been living in a state of siege and the international community has been an impotent bystander to this disgraceful state of affairs.
It's high time the international community summoned the moral courage to do what's right by the Palestinian people and restored their right to live independently.
Nothing more nothing less just as most other people around the world take that right for granted.
I am neither Muslim nor am I anti- Israel

Rajend Naidu
Sydney
Australia

The Rural Missionaries of the Philippines deny they are a front For the Communist Party of the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times. Tuesday 5 March 2019 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Monday 4 March 2019

We, the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, a national organization of women and men religious, priests and lay, condemn the tagging of our organization as a “communist front,” this time through the complaints filed by National Security Council deputy director general Vicente Agdamag to the United Nations (UN).
The report, submitted to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva on February 21, alleged that we are trafficking tribal children.
This is such a desperate move to vilify us, for we have been effective in raising people’s awareness on the plight and demands of our farmers, fisherfolk and indigenous peoples, and in exposing the grave abuses of human rights in the country. It only reflects the cowardice of those behind this move.
We condemn in the highest terms this slander of our organization. We reiterate that our commitment to serve the rural poor moves us to provide programs for them, including literacy and numeracy drives for “lumad” children, livelihood programs, relief and rehabilitation, and training and education for rural communities.
Agdamag’s move is definitely alarming, as it can be used to justify going after rural missionaries, priests, sisters and lay workers.
We urge our fellow Christians to condemn these preposterous accusations, and to echo the call to end the attack against rural poor and peace advocates
Human rights defenders in our country are in such a perilous situation.
We must be ever vigilant and stand together with the Filipino people in exposing and resisting the state’s attacks against those who criticize it.

Sr. Elenita Belardo,
Religious of the Good Shepherd National Coordinator,
Rural Missionaries of the Philippines
Manila
Philippines

Call for Malaysian government To reduce road toll fees First published in the Star, Friday 1 March 2019

Why has toll renegotiation degenerated from asking the concessionaires to charge lower rates to taking over the highways?
Taking over the highways will take time, but I am sure renegotiating with concessionaires to come up with more reasonable toll rates is much faster and easier.
Did Pakatan Harapan’s election manifesto promise to reduce toll rates or take over the highway concessionaries?
It has been nearly a year since Pakatan took control of the federal government.
All this while, as far as I know, there has been no serious attempt to tackle the toll issue except “study” and more “study”.
A few days ago, even the Works Minister was talking about a study which may only be completed in another few months.
Before the 14th General Election, numerous analyses had indicated the excesses of toll charges.
Surely those excesses can be trimmed by asking the concessionaires to reduce the toll rates across the board?
I have said numerous times that toll concessions are risk-free business.
Risk free businesses are only entitled to risk-free returns, which the government must seriously take into consideration.
Even if the federal government intends to take over these concessions, it must first cut the excesses, otherwise the valuation of these companies would be much higher than they deserve.
I think the government must first renegotiate the toll rates with all toll concessionaires.
The government must deliver lower rates to the people across the board, not at 3am or only during a two-day festive occasion.
If we had begun negotiations earnestly and immediately after the general election, I am sure we would have got some results by now.
I think it is not cool to be told after nine months that the government is contemplating taking over toll highways.
If we take 10 years to take over water concessions, do we need 20 years to take over toll concessions?

T.K. Chua,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

 

 

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Big on making pronouncements on grandiose plans The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 3 March 2019 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Friday 1 March 2019

We are often flummoxed at what the Department of Public Works and Highways is widening streets and spending billions of taxpayer money for in Metro Manila alone.
Just look around and what do you see?
The additional concrete lanes become parking lots for private cars, jeepneys, buses, delivery trucks, tricycles and what-have-you, faster than anyone can turn his head to check if the cement has dried!
And why can’t the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority do anything about it?
It is so big on making pronouncements about grandiose plans costing taxpayers millions ad infinitum to ease traffic, but so little on making its hard-knuckled presence felt.
Simply put, it is utterly inutile at fulfilling its mandate.
Those so-called “clearing operations” we see on TV every now and then seem to be nothing more than photo-ops.
Of course, when the cat goes away, the mice come back to play!
This kind of governance by these two leading government agencies concerned with our traffic problems is so irredeemably f*cked up.

Stephen L. Monsanto,
Manila,
Philippines

Philippines call for deportation Of illegal Chinese workers The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 2 March 2019

The number of illegal Chinese workers in the country is very alarming. I am aware that President Duterte is trying to please the Chinese government when he said that it is okay for Chinese workers to stay here. However, with the limited job opportunities in the Philippines and with higher competition Pinoys are left unemployed.
Lawmakers expressed their concern about the issue and asked the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Bureau of Immigration (BI) to deport those illegal workers. But Duterte did not agree on the proposition citing that there are 400 thousand Filipinos working in China and he is afraid of retaliatory action by Beijing.
I understand the concern of the President, however, it is clear that the Philippine government must send a clear message that these illegal workers should be deported. An alien who violates the labor code of the Philippines must face the consequences of their actions. What they are doing is illegal and immoral at the same time.
It is imperative that the Department of Labor and Employment conduct an honest head-count of foreign workers. It should be a top priority in order for the affected sectors to make a necessary action.
I believe the violations of these illegal workers must be dealt with severely. And that concerned government officials must enforce the rule of law.

Winna Vista,
Manila,
Philippines

Not all Marawi city was devastated In the seige by ISIS terrorists The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 1 March 2019

I am offended with the article published by the Washington Post’s February, titled “Philippine forces cleared this city of militants in 2017. It’s still a "ghost town” which was referring to the city of Marawi in Mindanao in the southern Philippines.
The article is a clear manifestation of lie and deception since only 250 hectares of Marawi’s land area was affected during the Marawi siege.
Marawi City today is as lively as other cities in Lanao del Sur and I can prove it since I was one of the business men investing in the area.
After its liberation, the economic and peace status of the city is continuously progressing despite the extended Martial Law in Mindanao.
Marawi’s rehabilitation is ongoing since 550 units of transitory shelters has turned over to 206 families who lost their homes during the conflict.
The government efforts are being felt in the province as well as the security issue in the area. On the otherhand, if the Washington Post sees that Marawi is still a “ghost town”, then how will they describe cities in other conflict countries that are infested with terrorists?
Like Israel, Afganistan and etc.
I may not have the capability to run after the Washington Post on this disgrading issue against our government, but I do believe that this is not right.
Any foreign news portals has no rights to write a lie or a fake news since it damages the credibility of a nation.
The government, the senator and all law makers must put an action to this issue.

Edward Aquino Marquez,
Lancaster,
Cavite,
Philippines

Call for Sabah Wildlife Department To ban roadside zoos in Sabah The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 28 February 2019 First published in the Star, Friday 22 February 2019

Sabah is blessed with an array of unique wildlife that contributes to the tourism industry in the state.
Sadly, there are roadside zoos in the state which are not only archaic but also a
burden to the animals they keep.
These zoos appear to be operating without sufficient supervision and the plight of animals go largely unnoticed.
The term roadside zoo is loosely used to define a captive animal facility which is generally not managed by experienced zoo professionals and does not employ full-time veterinary personnel.
They usually receive no accreditation by a zoological association and enclosures are often not built to meet the specific needs of individual animals.
Poor diet for animals are also common in roadside zoos.
There are a couple of roadside zoos only several kilometres away from the Sepilok area in Sandakan, which is home to popular tourist attractions including the Rainforest Discovery Centre.
These two attractions have been keeping animals in dreadful condition for years, and we have photographs to prove it.
The latest set of photos and videos we received of these and other Sabah roadside zoos show that the welfare of animals at both remain unchanged.
We have ourselves investigated roadside zoos in Sabah over the years.
In these roadside zoos, many animals are kept in decrepit or barren enclosures and there is no sign that they receive enrichment, which is vital for the physical and psychological wellbeing of captive animals.
Early death of animals is not uncommon and shows are often exploitative and outdated.
At one of the roadside zoos near Sepilok, a macaque is chained around its neck while it is forced to entertain visitors, including children, during animal shows.
Don’t these roadside zoos affect the state’s tourism image?
Not unless they’re widely exposed, as these zoos are virtually unheard of outside the towns and cities in which the operate, and they are mostly visited by locals. One roadside zoo in Tawau was so bad a British online news portal helped expose the plight of the animals there.
It was only then that the Sabah Wildlife Department took action and closed the zoo down several days later.
We have in the past spoken with local tourist guides who bring foreign tourists to Sepilok.
The guides informed us they would not bring tourists, especially Western tourists, to roadside zoos as they are afraid the visitors would be shocked and angry at what they see.
It would also be unimaginable for the Sabah Wildlife Department to allow roadside zoos in the state to keep iconic Sabah animals such as the orang utan and sun bear as they are aware there will be huge public outcry if these animals are kept in a dreadful captive situation.
The animals in roadside zoos in the state are forgotten, as most of these menageries often receive no public scrutiny.
Roadside zoos in Sabah, like most zoos in Malaysia, have no conservation value and they are teaching children that it is acceptable to keep animals in pitiful condition for “education”.
The Sabah Wildlife Department must ban these zoos from receiving more animals and eventually shut them all down.
Members of the public should also boycott these zoos.
Change starts with us all.

Upreshpal Singh,
Director
Friends of the Orangutans (Malaysia)
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

Philippines on track In eliminating budget underspending The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 27 February 2019 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Tuesday 19 February 2019

I am writing in response to Ben O. de Vera’s article, “Budget underspending still an issue” in Business, November 2, 2019.
De Vera claimed that the Duterte administration underspent in 2017 with a disbursement-to-obligations rate of 74.7 percent.
Underspending is the difference between actual expenditures and programmed expenditures.
According to data from the Department of Budget and Management, P2.824 trillion, or 97.1 percent, was disbursed of the P2.909-trillion program for 2017. This translates to an underspending rate of 2.9 percent.
The underspending rate of 2.9 percent is significantly lower compared to underspending in the later years of President Benigno Aquino III’s administration, when it was recorded to be as high as 13.3 percent and 12.8 percent in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
The figures show that the second Aquino administration’s actual spending was well below programmed spending.
This has not been the case under the Duterte administration.
In 2016, the year President Duterte assumed office, underspending was drastically reduced to 3.6 percent by year end. In 2017, the first full year of the Duterte administration, it was cut further to 2.9 percent.
We will continue to ensure that the spending program will be followed to the letter within a fiscal year.
We are on track in eliminating underspending for 2018.
As of September 2018, or the first three quarters of the year, government expenditures have exceeded programmed expenditures by 2.6 percent.

Benjamin E. Diokno,
Secretary,
Department of Budget and Management,
Manila,
Philippines

Thailand needs China Like it needs another coup The Southeast Asian Times Tuesday 26 February 2019 First published in the Bangkok Post, Sunday 24 February 2019

Let's briefly consider local geopolitics and the Thai military.
Thailand needs China like it needs another coup.
However, China needs Thailand for a variety of reasons.
The US has had a longstanding favourable relationship with Thailand and
is its most powerful ally.
Now to be frank, the Thai military is not a deterrent and is not capable of
engaging in war successfully.
If Thailand was attacked its only hope would come from a phone call to the United States.
Thus, there is every reason to restructure the military into a civil defence
organisation (the only function it now realistically serves) and spend US$2-3
billion (63-94 billion baht) per year to maintain it.
Such a strategy would prevent the next coup and free up considerable funds for urgently needed development of the kingdom.
From a rational perspective this strategy combined with comprehensive police and
judicial reform would allow a First World status to emerge. Otherwise, it's a
hopeless proposition.

Michael Setter,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Call for Philippines Bureau of Immigration To stop issuing work permits The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 25 February 2019 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Wednesday 13 February 2019

This pertains to the editorial “I thought I was in China” in Philippine Inquirer February 1, 2019.
We are grateful for your coverage to present this pressing issue before your readers.
Please allow us to add a development on the topic.
At the budget deliberation of the Bureau of Immigration, we took the floor to ask the bureau the express legal provision on its charter that allows it to issue special work permits, citing the fact that only the Department of Labor and Employment has the technical competence to vet a foreigner’s capacity to work in the country. Unable to provide a clear legal provision authorizing the bureau to issue work permits, we moved to include a special provision mandating the bureau to cease from issuing work permits.
We reiterate the fact that we are not against the entry of foreign workers in the country. In this globalized world, our country benefits from the technical knowledge that foreign workers share with our countrymen whenever they work here.
The same is true with our overseas Filipino workers when they share their talent in different parts of the world.
What we are against is the proliferation of foreign workers whose jobs - call center agents, construction workers and kitchen staff, among others - can be done by Filipinos.
Our Constitution is clear about the preferential selection of Filipinos for jobs.
We reiterate our sincerest gratitude for your paper’s interest in covering the issue of illegal foreign workers.
By explaining the issue, we hope that the general public becomes more enlightened as to why this issue concerns everyone.

Sen. Joel. Villanueva,
Manila,
Philippines

Birds of a feather stick together in the rorting Of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) funds The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 24 February 2019

When I read in the Southeast Asian Times 23 February that Mohd Hafarizam Harun,47, the lawyer for ousted former PM Najib Razak was charged for money laundering in relation to the same appropriation of state funds scandal (1MDB ) that Razak has been charged for, I was not too surprised.
It shows birds of a feather do stick together and that scruples fly out the window when greed gets hold of you.
That's the story of this crooked lawyer and thieving ex- prime minister.

Rajend Naidu,
Sydney
Australia

The seeds for the approval of the BOL Sown by past Philippine administrations The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 24 February 2019 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Wednesday 13 February 2019

In the midst of breast-thumping over the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), let’s not forget that President Duterte merely reaped the fruits of the seeds of peace sown by the past administration.
The approval of the BOL in the “House of Lapdogs” is a walk in the park for Mr. Duterte.
I believe he will never have his “finest hour” in his incumbency.
Look at the following presidential statements: on the Bureau of Customs corruption, “Corruption in the BOC cannot be resolved whoever heads it”; on traffic problems, “I give up”; on the West Philippine Sea, “We cannot win a battle or war with China”; on the Edsa rehabilitation, “Let Edsa remain as it is for 20 years”; on inflation and oil price hikes, “You can…behead me, I cannot do anything about oil”; on the antidrug campaign, “Others cannot do it, how can we? Those drugs, we cannot control it.”
Such unpresidential statements are expressions of weakness, hopelessness, cowardice, subservience. They do not merit brownie points for Mr. Duterte’s finest three seconds.

Evelyn Silay,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for Royal Commission of Inquiry in alleged Malpractices and misconduct in the judiciary The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 23 February 2019 First published in the Star, Saturday 16 February 2019

A sitting senior Court of Appeal judge has made some startling and serious allegations about malpractices and misconduct within the judiciary.
He has also called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to inquire into these matters.
I am, like most Malaysians, not at all surprised to learn about these scandalous allegations.
For more than a decade until May 10, 2018, when a new government took office, our country was enveloped in a state of fear.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had acknowledged that the office of the prime minister had assumed such a magnitude of power that there is currently a review to see how these powers can be shared with Parliament.
In any dispute, however, the Judiciary is the ultimate arbiter.
As the country takes steps to fully implement the rule of law with added significance apportioned to the principle of separation of powers, our Judiciary has to be equipped with not only adequate constitutional powers but also people of calibre, the highest integrity and courage.
The retirement age should also be raised to 72 years, given our longer life expectancy and to discourage retiring judges from seeking post retirement chairmanships in government-linked companies and private companies.
To the Court of Appeal Judge who has spoken out, I say “Congratulations” and salute him for his courage.
The State is obliged to protect him.
It is important to reiterate the principle that the dictum of the law should remain supreme, not the dictates of the leadership of any institution.
It is my view that bribery, chicanery and flattery are greater assets in certain flawed systems of governance, quasi feudal setups and some current administrative hierarchies.
People who shrewdly practise these dark arts can sometimes be a lot more successful than those who are competent, hardworking, honest, candid, have high integrity and moral courage.
There are also officers who operate not by disagreeing or seeking clarification about new ideas and proposals but by going to the higher-ups in the system and confidently whispering that the powerful political warlords won’t have this or that.
I think one major weakness in our system of governance is the rush to reward officers and the slowness in meting out the mildest of penalties and punishment.
Perhaps the heads of our Judiciary should be considered for the highest honours in the third year of service in the highest judicial office rather than at the beginning of their tenure.

Datuk M. Santhanaban,
Retired Ambassadorm
Kajang,
Malaysia

Call for Thai's to start practising Buddha teachings As taught by Buddha The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 21 February 2019 First published in the Bangkok Post, Tuesday 19 February 2019

Re: "Cops crack down on criminal monks", in Bangkok Post, Monday 18 February 2019.
It is a good thing to apprehend criminal monks.
A wholesome lesson would be to send them to prison as monks, albeit wearing the standard prison robes.
There is no need to disrobe them since it is perfectly clear from their existence that
being a serious criminal is entirely compatible with being a monk, just as it is
with being a Christian priest, bishop or cardinal.
A more substantive way to cleanse the nationalistic religion known as Thai
Buddhism is for Thais to start practising the actual teachings of Buddhism as
taught by the Buddha, which practice needs no state-run religion office to
control citizens.
Don't support monks or monasteries that take money, gilt or gifts from politicians or political players in exchange for loyally crafting religious teachings to suit the desires of the conspicuously generous givers, which is exactly what much of Thai Buddhism does instead of teaching and following the actual teachings of the Buddha.
The Buddha's teachings in the Kalama Sutta and the First Precept are but two
examples that show the gulf between Buddhism and officially indulged Thai
Buddhism.
The Buddha's wise teaching promoting right understanding in the Kalama
Sutta flatly contradicts the censorship and mindless conformity to authority
that is so beloved of certain types of Thai political players over the
centuries, certainly of the past five years.
Similarly, the First Precept, despite legalistic twistings to the contrary, clearly asks followers of the Buddha's wisdom to abstain from paying servants to torture and kill animals for no better reason than to sate a lust for tasty animal flesh: if you pay for a tender pork steak or a delicious chicken dinner, you are paying others to kill
and inflict suffering on your behalf.
Even Thai law has the good sense to realise that mafia bosses who order their paid thugs to carry out their dirty work are nonetheless guilty of the crimes committed on their orders.

Felix Qui,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Media pays large sums To advertise the news The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 21 February 2019

Have you ever wondered how a lengthy, detail laden, "investigative" news feature can break on the same day, with virtually the same content and often the same script across a large number of mainstream "news" outlets?
Remember Kashoggi, Jussi Smolett, Stormy Daniels, or Christine Blaisy-Ford?
All of these stories and countless others are produced by propaganda shops for wealthy clients who wish to influence public opinion.
These operators then often pay large sums to media outlets to give their "stories" international coverage.
Not only do individual News outlets such as CNN and the Washington Post engage in this practice, news agencies like Reuters also participate.
Even op-ed pieces are produced in this manner, the Project Syndicate is a prime player in this regard.
Bottom line: the news is not the news anymore, its all advertising these days.

Michael Setter
Bang Saray,
Thailand

Call for a commission of inquiry in Papua New Guinea Into sale of customery land The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 21 February 2019 First puplished in the National, Tuesday 19 February 2019

It was reported in the media that customary landowners namely Dubara Idi Bana clan of Motu-Koitabu, asserted their ownership over land adjoining Air Transport Squadron, near Jackson’s airport.
The land is a State Lease, officially known as Portion 698 Milinch Granville, Formil Port Moresby.
It is currently being squatted upon by people, predominantly from Northern, with minority from other provinces.
Landowners are questioning Lands and Physical Planning and Defence departments, as to how this land had been acquired by the Defence.
This was reportedly at a cost of K15 million, however, title is yet to be given to Defence.
Landowners are claiming that this land, and other adjoining land, had never been legally acquired by the State or colonial administration.
Therefore, as far as they are concerned, it is still their customary land.
They are now calling for a commission-of-inquiry to investigate into sale of this property, as described above, before Lands and Physical Planning issues a replacement title for the alleged missing “title”.
This matter has been on the drawing board for some years now.
It seems that Lands and Physical Planning has continuously failed to provide any clear evidence of the colonial administration’s acquisition of the land in question.
Otherwise, if this information had already been provided to the clan, then this could amount to sheer ignorance on their part.
This information of clear evidence of land acquisition (including purchase documents, sketch maps, amount of payment details, list of landownership, clan leaders, etc,) once provided, will render their customary claims void and of no effect.
One would wonder if the leaseholder of Portion 698 Milinch Granville, and Formil Port Moresby, has had any due care at all to protect its legal interests from occupations by the squatters and or the contentious claims of ownership by this clan.
Why take the acquiescence stance?
State leases are granted over State-owned land in the country.
With that are minimum improvement covenants, that the successful leaseholder has to comply with in developing the property or land, within the given period – normally five years at the least.
The leaseholder of Portion 698 Milinch Granville, Formil Port Moresby, had totally failed to comply with the improvement covenants over its property, by neither developing it all, nor taking actions to remove the squatters when they first moved onto the property.
It therefore brings to question why Lands and Physical Planning would have allowed this speculative transaction between Defence and the leaseholder of Portion 698 Milinch Granville, Formil Port Moresby, to have fallen through.
Despite the improvements, covenants have not been complied with as one of the conditions of lease.

Lorenitz Gaius,
Ketskets village,
Papua New Guinea

Chinese tourists in Malaysia Not rowdier than visitors from other countries The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 20 February 2019 First published in the Star, Friday 15 February 2019

I’ve rented to people who looked good and supposedly owned a restaurant.
They ended up not paying the rent.
Character is hard to judge and many landlords resort to short cuts by profiling tenants based on race, age, sex, etc.
Perhaps time is money to many, and there is not much of it to waste to discover if one’s tenant can pay the rent.
Race: check; age: check; occupation: check; large deposit cashed: check; okay, it’s a deal.
The truth is, being a landlord is a tough deal. Evicting tenants is a highly stressful experience.
You worry if the person will retaliate by destroying your property.
You worry if he will resort to violence. You feel bad for forcing him to pay while his child looks at you like you’re a villain.
So yes, some landlords are racists but the stakes are high, where the risk is having a non-paying tenant who is impossible to evict.
I know, I evicted one.
From the outside, the guy ticked all the boxes: Caucasian, well-spoken, friendly, and exhibited signs of being open to cultures.
He ended up trashing the place and not paying rent for three months.
We had to settle the case at the local Rental Board where he was finally evicted (this was back when I was living in Montreal).
A small percentage of people doesn’t represent the entire group.
Take tourists from China, for example.
I’ve been to places where Chinese tourists invade your space, have no regard for queuing up, and don’t respect seating arrangements despite multiple attempts by attendants to coax them to give up their seats.
In fact, the attitude is so bad that recently the Chinese government had to impose jail terms on citizens who refuse to give up seats not assigned to them on trains. One lady was sentenced to jail for five years.
But when I looked at all my friends from China from my student days, I realised how friendly and helpful they were.
There was none of the rowdiness we see so often with tourists from China nowadays.
So I think that while cultural background may be a factor, it all boils down to numbers.
I recently started handling a large class of students.
And the number of issues I dealt with increased immensely compared to last semester when my class size was only a fraction of what it is now. I also realised that 15 out of 150 who misbehave is only 10 percent of the class.
Before this, I had four who misbehaved out of 20, which was about 20 percent.
So while the percentage of bad behaviour halved, the number of misbehaving students actually almost quadrupled.
While the proportion of issues is actually lower in a big class compared to the smaller one, when it comes to experience, you feel like the problem is worse because you’re dealing with 15 students instead of four.
You can extend that to the experience of driving around town.
If you drive around town one afternoon and encounter a total of 50 cars that day and three drivers overtook you without indicating, that’s only 6 percent of the total number of cars you encountered.
If you drove out to buy groceries at the corner shop and encountered 10 cars, and one overtook your car without signalling, that’s already 10 percent of the cars you encountered that day.
Six per cent sounds like less but three rowdy drivers to deal with is not exactly a more pleasant experience than one rowdy driver.
You’re tempted to think the second experience is better than the first, but statistics-wise, the first scenario had a lower proportion of misbehaving drivers.
Perhaps, contrary to popular belief, it’s not that Malaysians or Asians are bad drivers.
Maybe we just have too many cars in Asia.
Large cities, high population density and lack of town planning don’t exactly help either.
In a similar manner, Chinese tourists may not be rowdier than visitors from other countries, but there’s just too large of a population in China that however many you encounter, no matter how small of a percentage of the country’s 1.3 billion people, it’s still significant in total figures.
Perhaps the same argument holds for tenants: there’s just too many out there that you’re bound to encounter some bad ones.
While strategies exist for landlords to weed out potential problems later on, perhaps it’s wiser to leave race out of the equation and focus on actual facts and numbers such as profession, credentials, recommendations and, where possible, credit report ratings.
At least that should be the case as we progress to a more developed status where open-mindedness and acceptance become values to be celebrated.

Dr Kuang Seng How,
Kajang,
Malaysia

Malaysia calls for internatioanl community To break silence on Palestine The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 14 February 2018 First published in the Star, Wednesday 13 February 2019

The government must be lauded for its firm stand in barring Israeli sportsmen from participating in sports events in the country.
It’s a courageous stand, well appreciated by the Palestinians and those who believe in democracy, human rights and justice.
In Gaza, Malaysian flags were flown in Yamrouk football stadium along with Palestinian flags and fans shouted slogans praising Malaysia and Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
It is hoped Malaysia’s example will spur other leaders, particularly from Arab and Muslim countries, to take a similar firm stand against Israel for the atrocities it is committing against the Palestinians.
Anyone with a conscience cannot remain silent about Israel’s crimes.
As Martin Luther King said when breaking his silence on Vietnam: “A time has come when silence is betrayal and that time has come for us in relation to Vietnam.” For the international community, the time has come when it cannot remain silent on Palestine.
Palestinians are facing an existential threat. Israel has made it clear that it will not stop its activities - land expropriations, illegal building of Jewish settlements and the Separation Wall, humiliating searches at checkpoints, house demolitions, bombardments and assassinations, transfers, arrests, imprisonment and isolation of people from their communities.
The international community is unable to make Israel accountable for its crimes because it is protected by the United States.
Former United Nations rapporteur and international law expert Richard Falk described Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in Gaza as “genocidal, and risks destroying an entire Palestinian community” and warned of “a Palestinian holocaust in the making” which “should remind the world of the famous post-Nazi pledge ‘never again’”.
The International Court of Justice, in 2004, delivered an advisory opinion that the construction of a wall by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem, and its associated régime, is contrary to international law. It stated that Israel is under an obligation to stop further construction and pull down the wall in the occupied territories.
Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention are under an obligation to ensure compliance by Israel with international humanitarian law, as embodied in that convention.
The court declared that the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council should consider what further action is required to bring to an end the illegal situation resulting from the construction of the wall.
The Goldstone Report on investigation into violations of international humanitarian law during the 2008 Gaza War concluded that Israeli forces had wilfully targeted civilians and committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The report was commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council. Israel rejected the report.
The Palestinians have been resisting Jewish settler-colonialism for more than 100 years and their resistance continues.
The land of Palestine is scattered with the bones of martyrs who gave their lives fighting British imperialism and Zionism.
Dr Mahathir wrote on his blog recently: “A proper strategy is needed to bring justice to the Palestinians.”
The promotion and intensification of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign globally is key to dismantling the apartheid regime in historic Palestine.
Malaysia’s bold and moral move to prohibit Israeli sportsmen from participating in sports events in the country is a move in the right direction Malaysia should convene a meeting of experts, including civil society activists, to formulate a strategic plan of action to dismantle the apartheid regime in Israel.
The collapse of the UN-supported two-state solution to the conflict and the formalisation of the apartheid regime in Tel Aviv by the Israeli Parliament, which has declared Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people, require fresh strategic thinking.
Our Parliament should be convened to pass a resolution to commemorate the Palestinian Nakba (May 15) and endorse and support the international BDS Movement.

S.M. Mohamed Idris,
Chairman,
Citizens International Bhd.,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

 

Call for maintenance of death penalty In Malaysia First published in the Star, Thursday 14 February 2019 The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 18 February 2019

I refer to the report “Musa: Death penalty must stay” in The Star, February 13 and fully concur with former inspector-general of police Tan Sri Musa Hassan that the death penalty must be maintained for heinous crimes.
News about the commission of heinous and dreadful offences such as murder, violent extremist incidents resulting in death, trafficking in dangerous drugs, and possession or control of any firearm, ammunition or explosives without lawful authority is appearing in our media daily.
Such crimes deserve the most severe punishment, reflecting society’s abhorrence and intolerance towards them.
Public interest demands that law and order must be maintained at all times.
A sentence that is too lenient may well have the effect of sending a message to the public that it is worth committing an offence because if caught, a lenient sentence will be imposed on the offender.
The public would lose confidence in the administration of justice if a lenient sentence is meted out for serious offences.
Murder nowadays is not only rampant, but brutal and vicious.
The accused may apologise to the family of the victim, but nothing can alleviate the anguish and sorrow experienced by the victim’s family and friends who will have to come to terms with the trauma, shock and loss caused by the horrifying death of a loved one.
Currently, out of the 195 countries in the world, 53 countries, including Malaysia, still retain the death penalty in their domestic legislations.
Some view the death penalty as a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment while others contend that such severe punishment breaches the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Some even argue that imposing the death penalty does not deter criminals or reduce violent crimes, hence many are supporting the move to abolish it.
It is humbly submitted that the death penalty should be maintained to reflect the gravity of the offence and that public interest demands a deterrent sentence on offenders.
Undoubtedly, it would be ludicrous to contend that the imposition of the death penalty for serious offences has not deterred or reduced the commission of such offences to a certain extent over time.
While it is true that substituting the death penalty with an increase in the years of imprisonment or life imprisonment would remove the offender from the community and thus no longer pose a risk to society, the wishes of the deceased’s family members grieving the loss of their loved one as a result of the brutal or uncivilised criminal acts of the accused must also be viewed with serious consideration.
It is also noteworthy that serious offences punishable with the death sentence would be tried in the High Court and, to convict the offender, the case must be proven against the accused beyond all reasonable doubt.
The legal burden is on the prosecution to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt and the evidential burden is on the accused to raise a reasonable doubt.
The duty of a judge at the end of the trial is to carefully evaluate the whole of the evidence of the prosecution and the defence to determine whether reasonable doubt has been raised as to the guilt of the accused.
Where the court finds that the accused is guilty of the offence for which he was charged, the court will assess the appropriate punishment to reflect the seriousness of the offence.
In determining the sentence, the public interest must supersede other considerations.

Ashgar Ali Ali Mohamed,
Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws
International Islamic University Malaysia,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

No reason to call for an all-out-war Or religious war in Mindanao The Southeast Asian times, Sunday 17 February 2019

It upsets me to read posts and comments in the social media from people so eagerly calling for an all-out-war when the alternative of peace has been laid out in front of them. Their rage is understandable after the bombing in Jolo, Sulu and Zamboanga City. But spilling of blood, including of those innocent civilians, can never be justified on the basis of any emotional experience.
The Bangsamoro Organic Law has received plenty of criticism in the past few months. Even without the bombing incident,a lot of questions will still be thrown that would be understandable. That is how democracy works. But there is no reason to call for an all-out-war or religious war; a peace process is in progress and it is meant to end the war there in Mindanao; the troops from 5th Scout Ranger Battalion was precisely sent to Patikul, Sulu to stop terrorists who were intent on aggravating the conflict situation in Mindanao.
I think many people in the social media need to take a step back and reflect on what they are asking for. Rejecting altogether the proposed solution that would pave the way for peace to rein in Mindanao is foolhardy.
Justice will continue to be sought for the families of the victims, and peace for all Mindanaons, especially for those directly affected by the cruelties of terrorism.

Nikki Genesis Marquez
Siniloan,
Laguna,
Philippines

Call for Manila Regional Trial Court to fast-track Declaration of CPP and NPA as terrorists The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 16 February 2019 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Wednesday 13 February 2019

I am a student of Political Science in one of the universities here in the Philippines and hopefully I will be graduating soon.
But, after all, I still don’t understand why the Manila Regional Trial Court can’t fast-track approval to legally declare the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing the New People’s Army (NPA) as terrorists since the Department of Justice (DOJ) has already filled its petition and as President Duterte himself proclaimed them as terrorist on December 2017.
This really troubled me hence the European Union (EU) has declared them as foreign terrorist groups including their self-exiled communist leader Jose Ma. Sison. As I have read in an article citing reports from Ambassador to Belgium and EU Clemencio Montesa, that EU Council of Ministers adopted a "common position" to have the NPA declared as foreign terrorists and Sison as a terrorist last October 28, 2002.
With EU declaration, individuals and organizations identified with the New People’s Army (NPA) and Sison, who is living in exile in the Netherlands, will be denied visas to as well as sanctuary in any EU member country.
Their funds and assets in the EU will be cut and frozen, and any other fund-raising activities will be prohibited.
With all this basis, why it’s so easy for the EU to declare this group as terrorist and it’s so hard for our Philippine court to declare and decide on it?
Are this people hiding something that it’s so hard for them to decide on this matter? Maybe that’s why this terrorist group has the confidence to do all their atrocities because they knew that law in our country are weak and decision making is sluggish even though evidence are all present. So I challenge our court now, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and especially the Manila Regional Trial Court to declare this group as TERRORIST as soon as possible.

John Brian T. Gateb,
General Santos,
Philippines

Influx of Chinese in the Philippines Beginning of Chinese takeover of the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 15 February 2019 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Tuesday 5 February 2019

I was dismayed after reading the editorial titled “I thought I was in China” on February 1, 2019.
Dismayed because I suddenly remembered President Duterte’s statement at the anniversary of the Chinese Business Club on February 19, 2018, where he supposedly joked (?): “If you want, just make us a province, like Fujian.”
I couldn’t help wondering if this sudden influx of illegal Chinese in the Philippines, with many of them taking jobs away from Filipinos, is now the beginning of a Chinese takeover of the Philippines as a “province of China.”
Mr. Duterte’s acquiescent and sheepish behavior toward Beijing, always catering to Xi Jinping’s whims, is exactly the opposite of the way he treats his own people - always bullying the weak and the helpless with guns, bullets, threats and invective.
I feel sorry and afraid that, because of Mr. Duterte being a “yes-man” to China, my countrymen might also someday find themselves being ruled and harassed by the Chinese.
I hope that never ever happens because, except for Mr. Duterte and his underlings like Salvador Panelo et al., true Filipinos have their pride and would rather fight and shed their blood than easily give in to invaders.

Juanito T. Fuerte,
Manila,
Philippines

60 years of mono Party Rule in Malaysia Has led to a bloated civil service The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 14 February 2019 First published in the Star, Tuesday 12 February 2019

I refer to the report “Civil servants told to carry out directives or face the music” in Sunday Star, February 10 on the National Patriot Association’s (Patriot) call for disciplinary action to be taken against civil servants who do not carry out the government’s directives.
Why are the civil servants not carrying out the directives of the government of the day?
The answer lies somewhere along the 60 years of mono party rule.
To say the civil service has grown exponentially is correct.
The growth has just been organic.
Layer upon layer of new posts were created (without due planning) as new projects were thrust on the public.
This, coupled with the “empire” building need of the past administration, led to a bloated civil service.
Does the Public Service Department (PSD) have a comprehensive human resource planning in place for the public sector?
Has it conducted any evaluation on any aspect of human resource management or human resource development and taken cognizance of the results?
If it had, then the current situation would not have been allowed to continue unabated all through these years.
A case in point is the annual performance appraisals of civil servants. If the public can be shown the overall tabulation of the annual performance appraisals, we believe it will very informative.
We believe the following scenario on annual performance appraisals happens in the Malaysian Civil Service: 5 percent of those appraised get less than 80 points out of a possible 100 points, 80 percent get more than 80 points out of a possible 100 points while 10 percent would get 95 points out of a possible 100.
This is typical of the bell curve distribution – but inverted!
With these super excellent performances, our civil service must be top in the world or even better than the private sector!
In fact, we need not ask them to follow directives as they would have initiated these on their own steam.
But we need to ask the question: Are we anywhere near the top achieving civil services of the world?
Or are we just duping ourselves?
Again, if we had evaluated ourselves, we would have taken corrective action based on the findings. But as usual, self-interest, self-preservation and politics prevailed. The syiok sendiri (self-interest) syndrome continued until a change of government happened.
Public servants implement policies, programmes and projects of the government of the day. The size of the civil service and its effectiveness is a direct correlation of programme logic and the national budget.
Although the budget circular has prescribed that all programmes must be evaluated, it is high time this is actually implemented.
It is also appropriate to use evaluation to rationalise both the budget and human resource requirements in our strategic performance plans.
Evaluation of our programmes and policies is the way forward.
Done without prejudice and with a sincere motive to improve, we can overcome many shortcomings early and move ahead to be a world-class civil service.

Supramaniam Sinnasamy,
President,
Malaysian Evaluation Society
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

 

Live baby crocodiles in Malaysia packed in boxes Labelled as frozen fish for transport The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 13 February 2019 First published in the Star, Thirsday 7 February 2019

The seizure of live baby crocodiles at Sibu airport, “Fishy shipment sniffed out” in Star, Sunday Jan 13, is not a new incident.
A similar one occurred in May 2018 in which an illegal shipment of 50 live crocodiles from Malaysia was seized by border officers at Heathrow Airport.
The shocking truth is the manner in which the year-old juvenile saltwater crocodiles were transported. Crammed into five boxes, the reptiles were not packed in accordance with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations, invalidating the permit and making the importation illegal.
The crocodiles were discovered in horrific conditions by Grant Miller, head of the national Border Force Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) at Heathrow, who commented: “It is just not acceptable for reptiles to be transported in this way.”
Each box had room for only four crocodiles but 10, measuring 30cm each, had been packed into one box.
Due to the very limited space, the crocodiles fought with each other during the flight, resulting in the death of one.
This is a clear example of how Malaysian wildlife exporters and traders are only in the business for profit.
They do not have any regard for animal welfare. Squeezing as many reptiles into a box while limiting the number of boxes used in order to save costs is the norm for these wildlife exporters.
These crocodiles were believed to be meant for a farm in Cambridgeshire where they were to be bred for their meat.
Fortunately, the horrifying condition led to the confiscation of the surviving crocodiles, which were cared for to be re-homed later.
In the Sibu case where the live baby crocodiles were packed in two white boxes labelled as frozen fish, the truth was discovered when the package was intercepted at Sibu Airport (pic).
In this case, the particulars of the sender were believed to be false.
In the first case, there was no further news as to the identity or address of the crocodile exporters.
As for the latter, the falsification of the sender’s particulars led to no further arrest.
The potentially large profits combined with relatively minimal penalties if caught, especially for a first offence, have resulted in a large number of smugglers and a diversity of smuggling techniques.
Sadly, while no one knows exactly what percentage of the illegal wildlife trade involves reptiles, it is thought to be substantial. Smugglers will go to great lengths to conceal their activities.
One of the most routine and often effective strategies employed by smugglers moving animals is simply falsifying the import and export documentation.
Enforcement of existing trade laws is often lax, hence a great many illegally shipped animals simply go by undetected.
Unfortunately, failures in enforcement of CITES requirements have prevented the successful application of CITES as a conservation tool. These, as well as failures in the compliance of IATA regulations, have resulted in the inhumane treatment and death of a large number of reptiles.
Due to the fact that it is extremely difficult or impossible to identify the exact source of most reptiles, exporters may take in illegally caught animals, declare them captive-bred and sell them off at a bigger profit.
The Internet has facilitated an increase in both legal and illegal wildlife trade. It has revolutionised the reptile trade by connecting sellers and buyers throughout the world in a way that was never before possible.
The above two cases serve as a reminder that enforcement is difficult and sometimes depends on nothing more than just blind luck.
No one really knows the true extent of this aspect of the trade. However, it is believed that the illegal trade is substantial and is equal to or greater in value than the legal trade.
Some illegally collected reptiles are laundered through so-called reptile farms or other facilities and labelled captive-bred, and then sent to buyers in other locations through a vast network of collectors, exporters, importers, wholesalers and retailers.
They represent the proverbial tip of the iceberg in the world of illegal reptile trading.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) calls for a thorough investigation by the relevant authorities into the two cases and bring the culprits to book.

S.M. Mohamed Idris,
President,
Sahabat Alam
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

Papua politicians enjoy luxurious service In privately-owned hospitals at taxpayers expense The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 12 February 2019 First published in the National, Friday 8 February 2019

Please let me air out my view as a concerned citizen and a hardworking taxpayer to this dire nation.
I am seriously concerned about the way our Government is investing money into so many unworthy projects and programmes that do not even add value to our livelihoods.
Most politicians are now using public money for their own interest and personal gain.
They enjoy luxuries at the expense of Papua New Guineans.
I am a simple, ordinary citizen struggling to meet my needs every day in a costly and luxurious capital city.
I am deeply concerned about how effective and serious our Government is in reducing chronic unemployment and petty crime, eradicating income disparity between rich and poor, and most importantly improving rundown health facilities.
Most of our politicians are very incompetent, immature, retarded or ill-minded.
They are not even being proactive and visualise the outcomes of real economic benefits before making investments.
I don’t know if they even analyse and assess the cost and benefit of their particular investment.
Look at the yoga programme, for instance.
That was a very uneconomical, costly and unwise decision made by Governor Powes Parkop.
This programme has no real economic return.
There is an alarming petty crime rate, rundown health facilities and high unemployment rate coupled with high cost of living in the city.
One person’s interest makes thousands of people suffer.
Yoga cannot help people beat the high cost of living in the city.
K3 million is a huge amount of money, which can be used for better health services, which can help everyone.
The poor people suffer, while politicians keep enjoying luxurious service in privately-owned hospitals and clinics that cost taxpayers a lot more.
In turn, they give money to expatriates who own these hospitals and clinics.
These people remit money back to their country to improve their economy while we keep suffering in our own country.
What really frustrates me is that you cannot not even see any politician getting treatment using public health facilities in clinic and hospitals, even the Yoga advocate himself.
Never.
That is certainly true in most cases.
All of them get treatment in private, high-cost clinics and hospitals owned by foreigners within and abroad.

Maran Kess Mamatsirah
Concerned citizen,
Post Moresby,
Papua New Guinea

 

Call for Thai PM to use absolute power under Section 44 To release Bahraini footballer from detention The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 11 February 2019 First published in the Bangkok Post, Saturday 9 February 2019

Re: "PM's one-man show", in Bangkok Post PostBag, Saturday 9 February
David James Wong was only half right in his insistence that one country alone
cannot issue a red alert - only Interpol can do it.
The fact is that both member countries and Interpol must work together to start and carry out this process.
In the case of Hakeem al-Araibi, a red notice was issued by Interpol at the
request of the Bahraini government on November 8, 2018.
The Australian government, having been aware of this situation, made sure that
the red notice was rescinded on November 30. But Araibi arrived in Bangkok and was arrested three days prior to that.
Even worse, by the time Australia made a request for Araibi's release, his case
had already been forwarded to the Thai court.
Thus, this case looks like it will be time-consuming if there are no out-of-court settlements made any time soon.
That is why it takes all countries concerned to resolve this problem.
Mr Wong, who has been strongly advocating for democracy in Thailand, surprised
me when he said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha should be encouraged to use
Section 44 to settle this matter.

Vint Chavala,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Drones spraying water over Bangkok Have no impact over smog chocked city The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 10 February 2019 First published in the Bangkok Post, Monday 4 February 2019

Re: "Masking, not mastering the smog", in Bangkok Post, Friday 1 February 2019
Thai officials amaze me in their ability to come up with ever more ludicrous
ideas to make the country a laughing stock.
The latest is the use of drones to spray water over smog-choked city areas.
What simpleton actually believes that these baby helicopters, carrying just 5
litres of water, can have any impact whatsoever in dissipating the city's
choking pollution?
I'm sure that city officials are enjoying their taxpayer remunerated work hours
amusing themselves with these flying toys, but I wish they would rather spend
their time focused on measures that might have real impact in reducing pollution
levels.

Samanea Saman,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Thailand's move to produce EV batteries Not a good move The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 8 February 2019 First published in the Bangkok Post, Thursday 7 February 2019

Thailand's move to become the world leader in EV battery production is not a
good thing (Business, Feb 5).
The pollution associated with manufacturing batteries is staggering and detrimental to the local environment.
Two countries with major pollution issues on multiple levels, China and Thailand, are the two competing for market dominance.
Thailand is not known for regulation compliance and is one of the more corrupt
countries, so how will environmental regulations concerning battery production
be drafted and enforced?
If making batteries is such a great money-maker, why are the batteries not produced in the countries that demand them?
Would make fiscal sense if the most expensive component of a product was locally sourced.
They are not manufactured in first world nations because compliance with
environmental standards makes the venture cost prohibitive.

Darius Hober,
Bangkok,
Thailaind

Footballer's claim that he is a victim Of Bahraini political persecution is believable The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 8 February 2019

Hakeem al Araibi, the footballer detained by Thai authorities pending extradition proceedings, claims he fled Bahrain " after he and other athletes were allegedly beaten and tortured over their or their families involvement in political protests"
( ' Thailand Claims Australia's Interpol alert triggered arrest of Bahraini footballer ' Southeast Asian Times 7 Feb. 2019 ).
I am inclined to believe Hakeem's claim given the Economist Intelligence Unit's democracy index survey finding that Bahrain is an " authoritarian regime and absolute monarchy". Freedom House describes it as a " not free" country and Reporters Without Borders ranks the country 164 out of 178 on press freedom.
It's not at all hard to understand why Hakeem fled the country and why Australia granted him refugee status.
What's hard to understand is why all the bogus extradition rigamorall?
Political persecution is the modus operandi of authoritarian regimes.
In the case of Bahrain that is very well documented by internationally reputable organisations.
( see ' Hakeem al-Araibi case : Bahrain is emboldened to take human rights abuse beyond its borders?' The Guardian 5/2/19).
Hakeem is a victim of that.
All else is BULLSHIT!

Rajend Naidu,
Sydney,
Australia

2019 elections in the Philippines Could become the bloodiest in electoral history The Southeast Asian Times, 7 February 2019 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Tuesday 5 February 2019

Is the government ready for the violence that may erupt in the 2019 elections?
Election-related killings have claimed a former La Union congressman and a Bicol party-list representative.
While the Bicol murder seems solved, La Union’s unsolved execution casts a pall over the whole province, with some theories now connecting this to assassinations of Sudipen’s mayor and Balaoan’s vice mayor.
Many deaths triggered by local rivalries also plague other barangays, towns, cities and provinces from as far north as Cagayan and Ilocos Norte to as far south as Sulu and Basilan - and many other places in between, including Quezon City recently.
Apart from the La Union cases, the Ilocos Region also features the Fariñas-Marcos clan face-off in Ilocos Norte and a personal showdown between Chavit Singson and Edgar Zaragoza for mayor of Narvacan, Ilocos Sur.
Pangasinan has its own share of killings of local councilmen and barangay officials.
Cagayan Valley and the Cordillera Administrative Region also have simmering dynastic contests.
All these portend a bloody North Luzon political season, as most camps are well-armed dynasties.
Similar dangers spill over into Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Bicol, as well as to the Visayas and Mindanao, where the situation gets more complicated given the Bangsamoro Organic Law’s implementation.
Goons, guns and gold can resurface in deadly force, so 2019 could become the bloodiest in Philippine electoral history if political warlords can’t keep their followers on a tight leash.
The transactional nature of the current leadership coalitions could distract the attention of both the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) from attending to these looming risks.
Hopefully, sounding these alarms this early will prod the Comelec to create a civilized and issues-oriented political campaign period.
Also, religious leaders and media experts should more proactively set an environment for peaceful and orderly elections, and the government should more forcefully enforce the gun ban.
If the administration can’t prevent 2019 from becoming the most deadly Philippine elections, the electorate will have no choice but to desert their candidates in May.

Jose Z. Osias,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for ASEAN to negotiate with China In Belt and Road Initiative as a bloc The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 6 February 2019 First published in the Bangkok Post, Monday 4 February 2019

While the domestic concern for Thais is the upcoming general election on March
24, broadly speaking it is a relatively small geopolitical event.
We must not lose sight of the bigger picture: The trade war and battle for
supremacy between the US and China, and its effects on Thailand and Asean. Look no further than the newly elected Malaysian government cancelling the
China-backed rail and pipeline projects, endorsed by the Najib-led government.
China and the US will each put pressure on Dr Mahathir's government with
different interests in mind.
In Dec 2018, Abhisit Vejajiva gave an interview to Nikkei Asian Review,
suggesting that Asean nations - with Thailand's turn as its chair - should
negotiate with China and its Belt & Road Initiative as a bloc.
Moreover, he added that the advertising revenue of the tech giants must be taxed for the benefit of the region.
I agree to both and will add that it will be a long time before Asean can enjoy similar benefits as those of EU, while minimising its costs to avoid a Brexit-like scenario.
Perhaps by 2050, Asean will have adopted a single digital currency, become
cashless, and use E-Asean passports.
Politically speaking, by 2050, today's generation of politicians will have either retired or "expired", leaving room for compromise and mutual cooperation within each nation and between Asean nations.
Asean must learn from today's Brexit to avoid "Singxit" or "Thaixit" in
the event of us merging with other Asean nations in deeper ways than today.
Last but not least is striking a balance between non-interference principle vs
ceding some autonomy for Asean collective interest.
The last point will be a hard nut to crack partly due to Asian values.
When there is domestic violence in your neighbourhood, most Thais will treat it as their neighbour's private matter.
So too will they treat a genocide in their neighbouring country as a private matter. That said, success in climate, economic and food securities in the future will heavily depend on global cooperation.

Edward Kitlertsirivatana,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Call for serious action To reduce pollution in Bangkok The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 5 February, 2019 First published in the Bangkok Post, Friday 1 February 2019

Re: "Haze shutters city schools", in Bangkok Post , Thursday Jan 31, 2019
Why are the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and Prime Minister's
Office dragging their feet in implementing measures to combat the PM2.5
pollution choking the city?
Why only now is City Hall "inviting" construction firms to talk about possible measures to reduce dust generated from construction sites?
Why will "more stringent measures" be rolled out only next week - why
not immediately?
Why is the promise of soldiers checking factories for illegal discharges being couched in terms of future action, instead of being done on a regular basis?
Why only hypothetical proposals to limit the number of vehicles in the city, shift to B20 fuel and ban smoke-belching diesel-powered vehicles?
Mr Prime Minister, Mr Governor, we're choking now!
Instead of deflecting, and
confusing the public with ineffectual nonsense like drones dribbling a few drops
of mist over the city, we need serious action.
There is no excuse for delaying these common sense measures to clear the air - not only this week or this month, but for the long term.

Samanea Saman,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Corruption almost a way of life In Malaysia The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 4 February 2019 First published in the Star, Friday 1 February 2019

We often hear people complaining about corruption among politicians.
In fact, corruption is a major topic of conversation among Malaysians, and we even discuss it with people we don’t know.
But has anyone wondered whether corruption is actually a way of life for many of us today?
From “informally” settling traffic offences to paying a small fee to secure a million ringgit business deal, many Malaysians are involved in some sort of corrupt practice without feeling a sense of guilt.
In recent years, many have suggested to me that I offer a small fee to secure a business deal.
But I have firmly told these people that I do business with integrity and zero corruption.
I would say, though, that 90 percent of business owners and authorities in my industry openly practise some form of corruption.
I can safely say that there are many givers and takers, and that corruption is rampant in every industry.
I applaud the government’s continuous anti-corruption prosecutions because these will serve as a warning to those who are corrupt or thinking of it.
However, efforts to curb this cancerous menace and to inculcate integrity among Malaysians should be carried out at home and in schools too.
Those who are involved in corrupt practices may have money, but are they really at peace?
I always believe in Mahatma Gandhi’s message: “Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.” Gandhi has clearly pointed out that any misalignment between thoughts, words and action will take away our happiness.

Vigneswaran Kannan,
Sitiawan,
Perak

Call for labelling of agricultural crops Sold in Philippine markets The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 3 February 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Friday 1 February 2019

Robert Domoguen, a former columnist of the Mountain Province Exponent and an official of the Department of Agriculture-Cordillera Administrative Region, once wrote an article on falsely labeled Sagada oranges being sold at the public market in Baguio City.
I later encountered similar stories of lowland beans brought to Baguio but tagged as “Baguio beans,” robusta coffee beans tagged as “Benguet arabica,” and ordinary rice mixed with glutinous rice tagged as “heirloom rice.” Baguio beans, Benguet arabica coffee and heirloom rice are among the high-value crops produced in the Cordillera without being fertilized by inorganic fertilizers or sprayed with petroleum-based fungicide, insecticide or pesticide; hence, they are tagged as “organic crops.”
Organic crops are sold in the market with higher prices compared to the usual commercial crops we usually buy in the market.
If the falsely labeled Sagada oranges (Michael L. Tan, November 1, 2018 and January 23, 2019 ) are a pair of shoes or “maong” denims, the seller could be apprehended for violating the trademark law.
And so comes the question: Which government agency monitors the false labeling of agricultural crops sold in the market?
I believe false labeling of high-value crops violates the rights of consumers and the rights of high-value crops farmers, whose livelihood is being endangered.
We should thank Dr. Tan for his columns on falsely labeled Sagada oranges; his columns should encourage a full-blown investigation into a trade practice full of worms.

Claro Q. Esoen,
Research coordinator,
Baguio City,
Philippines

 

Philippines Pray for success of President orders To destroy the Abu Sayyaf in Mindanao The SoutheastAsian Times, Saturday 2 February 2019

Recently, President Duterte releases his marching order to the military to “destroy” the Abu Sayyaf following the deadly bombing in Jolo, Sulu cathedral bombing on Sunday that resulted to the death of 21 individuals and wounding a hundred people.
Well, the order of the president is just right.
The perpetrators just got the “taste of their own medicine” and for me, it should be worse than what they did to the helpless victims of their terroristic activity.
Yes, we have all the assets.
Though our Armed Forces is not yet fully modernize, we still have the capability. We have artillery, helicopters, airplanes and ships so we have nothing to worry about.
Our state forces has succeeded in the Marawi siege caused by the Maute group so there is no reason that our soldiers cannot make it once again.
As a civilian and an ordinary citizen of our country, I cannot help fight this terrorist group like our soldiers are doing but instead I can help them through my support and my prayers that may they accomplish their mission and may they return home to their family safe and sound.

Edward Aquino Marquez,
Lancaster,
Cavite,
Philippines

 

Hokkien lost to Mandarin In Penang The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 1 February 2019 First published in the Star, Wednesday 30 January 2019

Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai’s article expressed my sentiments exactly in “Feeling lost in Penang”, On The Beat, Focus, Sunday Star, January 27
I attended primary and secondary school at Convent Green Lane, and later went on to do my Sixth Form at St Xavier’s.
Needless to say, I do not speak any Mandarin either. I, too, feel increasingly displaced in Penang, and am so sad to see Hokkien perceptibly fading away.
In preparing for my sociolinguistics class with undergraduates, I came across an interesting website by the Persatuan Bahasa Hokkien Pulau Pinang, speakhokkien.org.
Others are concerned too.
By the way, my class was studying concepts of language loss and language death, and I picked Penang Hokkien as a case to highlight the issue.
In my demo, I spoke some and we all had a great big laugh – my personality inexplicably transforms when I speak Hokkien!
One of the last bastions of Penang Hokkien could possibly be the Sg Ara market. During a visit sometime last year, I could still hear quite a bit of this beautiful dialect being spoken, to my great delight.
Thank you for highlighting the issue from a heartfelt personal perspective.
I will include it in the reading list to help my students understand that language loss is not some abstract theoretical construct but is real and happening in our own backyard in Penang.
By the way, wah ah boey khi bank gia ang pow long.
Wah boh eng! Ah bo wah khi pasak bey kah ho
I haven’t gone to the bank to get ang pow packets. I am not free! Maybe it’s better that I go buy them in the market.

Joy Quah,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

 

Religiosity keeps Filipino's poor Or does poverty cause religiosity ? The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 31 January 2019 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Tuesday 29 January 2019

According to the commentary “Poverty, religiosity and scientific literacy” by Edwin de Leon in Philippine Inquirer Opinion, January 22, 2019 our poverty rate correlates with our religiosity.
In other words, our poverty and religious levels are both high.
However, since correlation does not necessarily mean causation, we cannot conclude that religious faith keeps us poor.
It could be that poverty causes religiosity, or another factor causes both.
In addition, poverty is a complex issue resulting from individual, cultural, economic, political and international factors.
I don’t think religion automatically causes poverty. In fact, the Protestant ethic has contributed largely to the prosperity of the United States.
I think particular self-defeating religious beliefs, not religion itself, keep us from developing.
Particularly, the belief that God will provide tends to make us dependent on God for our financial wellbeing.
Because God will provide, we fail to plan and work for our future, make intelligent decisions and solve problems effectively.
Instead we do stupid things that ruin our lives in the belief that God will provide anyway.
We don’t have to abandon our religiosity to escape poverty and achieve progress.
Instead of believing that God will provide, let us believe these two popular sayings: “God helps those who help themselves” and “Do your best and God will do the rest.”

Jori Gervasio R. Benzon,
Manila,
Philippines

New Pakatan Harapan (PH) government Need more than fifty percent of the Malaysian vote The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 30 January 2019 First published in the Star, Tuesday 29 January 2019

The Barisan Nasional victory in the Cameron Highlands by-election on the weekend has attracted numerous analyses.
Many of the opinions and warnings issued do hold water, in my opinion.
Prime Minister-in-waiting Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was right, too, in stating that economic and living conditions must be addressed by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
Everything said, we need courage and honesty to be mindful of the potent force that hides below the tip of the political iceberg.
It is very clear that the voting population is more than a reflection of eligible voters. They represent the true sentiments of the entire nation of citizens.
With a little more than a 50 percent win by Barisan Nasional (BN) in the by-election and the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government’s seizure of Putrajaya last May also with just over a 50 percent victory, the message is very clear:
This country may be stuck in a yo-yo pendulum swing between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and BN in the years ahead.
That is not going to herald stability and progress for the people. Policies will be made; policies will be dismantled; accusations and court cases will be mounted. And the nation will suffer.
Such swings will permanently divide the nation into one that is at war within – and probably along race, religion and territorial lines.
Hence, after the people gave an unthinkable victory to a Barisan Nasional (BN) alternative for the first time in the nation’s political history, it is critical that Pakatan Harapan (PH gets down to serious soul searching, having clocked some nine months of attempted governing since GE14.
The only defining parameter that can give Pakatan Harapan (PH) a 60 percent or higher victory over its political opponents in the next General Election is its readiness to fulfil its election manifesto regardless of the circumstances be.
Further, Pakatan Harapan (PH) cannot afford to keep losing or even winning any future by-elections by a mere 50 percent as it will further erode confidence in the much peddled “new” Malaysia credo.
There are far too many fundamentals that evoke the sentiment of good governance that have yet to be experienced and shared across the many divides in the country.
The roots of Umno are still much alive even though the tree and its branches may (as some say) have been chopped off.
Justice and rule of law can only be saved and made to work full throttle if the government since GE14 can convincingly tackle corruption.
As Prof Dr Terrence Gomez rightfully pointed out, for as long as the very machinery (government-linked companies and government-linked investment companies) created to address the plight of citizens is not made transparent, accountable and can stand the test of public perception, PH is teetering on the edge of a dangerous cliff.
Anwar must know, too, that the tip of the iceberg is economy and cost of living. But the crux is that which drifts below: race, religion, rights.
People want a capable, effective, uniting, and progressive government that can free this nation from class-structured citizenship and that can let the economy thrive on level playing fields free of corruption in any shade or shape.

J.D. Lovrenciear,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

Rise of economic nationalism addressed At World Economic Forum Annual Meeting The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 29 January 2019 First Published in the Star Monday 29 January 2019

Global leaders and representatives from more than 100 governments gathered in Davos, Switzerland, this week for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting.
The major theme for this year was globalisation.
The United States and China’s trade dispute, and the economic challenges posed by issues like Brexit (Britain exiting the European Union) were an important part of the agenda.
There has been a lot of criticism that the Davos Forum was coming together at a time of deep division in the world and speaking for globalisation when the concept is under great pressure.
The key topics discussed were on trade, environment, inequality and technology. Economically and politically, there was a sense of uncertainty about the path we should take in the coming months.
But, overall, there was a shift towards a more sustainable growth pattern – and the good news is that a recession is not expected even though the global economy is slowing down.
The rise of economic nationalism and populism were addressed too, to allay fears among global democracies unable to tackle the systemic flaws embedded within governments.
Therefore, leaders were cautiously optimistic at policy levels of the government responsibilities they have the burden of carrying through the months ahead.

Dhanaraj Arumugam,
Kinrara,
Selangor,
Malaysia

 

Call to make palm oil mills Environmentally friendly The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 28 January 2019 First published in the New Straits Times, Friday 25 January 2019

The trends for palm oil are clear - the selling price has been on a downtrend for the last six years. Will the price go up in the future?
No, for two reasons: too much land for cultivation in lower-cost countries, including Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, and biodiesel use of palm oil will decrease.
On the other hand, production costs are increasing.
Efficiency and productivity gains are offset by inflation.
So how long more before Malaysia is pushed out of palm oil production by more competitive countries?
Consider a few facts:
Climate change is damaging Earth;
If Malaysia competes with low- cost countries in oil palm cultivation, it is condemning itself to the middle-income trap.
These resources need to be released for higher value;
The world is slowly but surely moving towards healthier diets, so more fruit and vegetarian food supply is needed.
Oil palm land can be converted to this and other more productive uses;
MicroalgaeI can produce at the least 15 times more edible oil than oil palm per hectare per year;
Malaysia very intelligently transitioned from rubber to oil palm.
The same wisdom must be applied again for another transition.
Fortunately, there is an easy, rapid and painless way for oil palm estates to make this transition:
Start with cleaning up oil palm mills.
Here, the Department of Environment has to play a bigger role;
should be an aerobically digested;
Methane should be used for electricity production, thus increasing renewable energy production; and,
The liquid digestate should be used to grow microalgae in areas used for ponds.
Hence, no new land is used.
This will make palm oil mills environmentally friendly.
The transition can be showcased with just one palm oil mill, which is a tiny price to pay for a big opportunity.
The proposal above could transform Malaysian agriculture, release the nation from the middle-income trap, position it in line with future trends, and help Earth.

Jag Kaurah,
Port Dickson,
Negri Sembilan,
Malaysia

The Hippocratic Oath in Malaysia Sidelined in corporatised healthcare system The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 27 January 2019 First published in the Star, Friday 25 January 2019

The Health Ministry has been the focus of media attention of late with its no smoking campaign in all eateries, big and small.
It has earned the wrath of smokers and the gratitude of non-smokers.
The minister and his staff have expended time, energy and money to promote this anti-smoking campaign by going on rounds, distributing no-smoking leaflets and marshalling enforcement officers.
The most difficult part of this campaign is enforcement.
The ministry is short of enforcement staff to snoop around in every eatery and will need to employ thousands of people to ensure smokers comply with the restrictions.
The financial requirements could be enormous.
Perhaps the money and energy expended to mount this campaign, whose outcome is uncertain, could be better used to upgrade the facilities and manpower at government hospitals.
A case in point is the dearth of specialists, which is quite critical, in the orthopaedic department especially in the Penang General Hospital.
The long list of B40 (lower income group) patients needing knee surgery has no prospect of being treated here as the two specialists surgeons have left for positions in private hospitals.
The doctors in the department have to give patients the option of waiting for one-and-a-half to two years to get the surgery done if the specialists become available.
Alternatively, they are advising patients to get the surgery done in the private hospitals where the former knee specialists are now working.
These lower middle class and B40 government servants and other poor patients cannot possibly afford a surgical procedure that costs between RM30,000 and RM40,000 at the private hospitals, let alone afford the RM8,000 needed for the artificial replacement.
The Hippocratic Oath seems to be sidelined in the current corporatised healthcare system where hospitals are more of a business concern than a place of compassion and healing for all and sundry.
Compassion and healing are pared according to the patient’s ability to pay.
The Health Minister would be well advised to devise and implement healthcare strategies that include specialists and equipment to benefit those Malaysians who cannot afford the high charges of private hospitals.
There should be regulation to curb the high number of specialists moving from the public to the private sector in healthcare facilities.
Otherwise, the common man and woman will be left in the lurch.
Perhaps we need to inculcate in medical students the actual meaning of the noble profession, one that is selfless and not self-serving.

Mohamed Ghouse Nasuruddin,
Centre for Policy Research and International Studies
Universiti Sains Malaysia,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

Philippine government build, build, build program Notoriously corrupt and inefficient The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 26 January 2019 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Tuesday 22 January 2019

The recent series in the Inquirer regarding the wasteful use of government funds raises our worst fears regarding the Duterte administration’s flagship program “Build, build, build.”
It is not wrong to dream big, but dreams must be anchored on realities on the ground.
We may have the talent to formulate the concepts and draw up the plans for such a gargantuan undertaking.
We may even be able to assemble the necessary financial resources which could be laden with traps, but the question is: Are the bureaucracy and industry ready?
We are all too familiar with the fact that the Department of Public Works and Highways, tasked to execute the program, is notoriously corrupt and inefficient. We wish we could say differently about the private side of the construction industry.
This is not to condemn ourselves forever to this quagmire of incompetence and corruption, but to set our priorities straight.
Unless and until we set out on a plan to build integrity and capability in the construction industry and show that we have such standards in a measurable way, after this “Build, build, build” we would only have created a new breed of nouveau riche players spawned by an unfair playing field, enclosed in an enclave and surrounded by the desolation of a country that should have benefited from their work, but which they had bled dry instead.

Cristino Santos,
Manila,
Philippines

The government should consider repealing the Sedition Act 1948 [Act 15] as it is deemed archaic, especially after the 14th General Election, which has seen the demand for more freedom of speech and expression.
This is in line with the announcement by Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that the government is studying whether to amend or repeal several securities laws, including the Sedition Act 1948 [Act 15].
Sedition Act 1948 [Act 15] was introduced by the British in 1948, the same year the autonomous Federation of Malaya came into being. This law remained on the statute books through independence in 1957, and the merger with Sabah and Sarawak that formed Malaysia in 1963.
Note that the Sedition Act 1948 [Act 15] would be unconstitutional without Article 10 (2) of the Federal Constitution, which permits Parliament to enact “restrictions as it deems necessary or expedient in the interest of the security of the federation or any part thereof, friendly relations with other countries, public order or morality and restrictions designed to protect the privileges of Parliament or of any legislative assembly or to provide against contempt of court, defamation, or incitement to any offence”.
This matter has been settled clearly by courts through cases like Dewan Undangan Negeri Kelantan & Anor v Nordin bin Salleh [1992] 1 MLJ 697, Minister of Home Affairs v Persatuan Aliran Kesedaran [1990] 1 MLJ 351, Abdul Rahman Talib v Seenivasagam & Anor [1966] 2 MLJ 66, Zainur bin Zakaria v Public Prosecutor [2001] 3 MLJ 604 and Arumugam a/l Kalimuthu v Menteri Keselamatan Dalam Negeri & Ors [2010] 3 MLJ 412.
Since such law has been enforced for 70 years, the time has come for the Pakatan Harapan government to consider replacing it with a new law that can protect one’s freedom of speech and expression and, at the same time, protect our nation from malicious or hatred ideas.
The aim of the proposed National Harmony Act is to strike a balance between ensuring every citizen’s freedom of speech and expression is guaranteed under the Constitution and the need to handle sensitivities in a multicultural society.
The government can set up a task force to study this proposal before a decision is made.
The task force can be led by the attorney-general, or at least monitored by the Attorney-General’s Chambers, and include experts on human rights, legal practitioners, academicians and non-governmental bodies.

Dr Muazaffar Syah Mallow
Senior lecturer,
Faculty of Syariah and Law,
Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia,
Nilai,
Negri Sembilan.
Malaysia

Philipine President tirades against Catholic Church Is no joke The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 24 January 2019 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Wednesday 16 January 2019

President Duterte’s latest series of tirades against church people is no joke and never should be considered one; rather, it is part of his systematic attack against those who work to build a better society for Filipinos and those who criticize the unacceptable, antipeople policies of his administration.
His rants are so scandalous that they smokescreen and conceal horridly his administration’s neglect of its responsibilities toward the people, and its plans that pose even graver danger to the nation and our future.
This administration has mastered the use of sloppy propaganda and diatribe to deter any rational discussion and criticism of its agenda.
Mr. Duterte even resorted to inciting violence and inducing government forces to commit more crimes aimed at the people, including those from the Church.
Much more fearsome now is the pressing possibility that the President’s provocations might lead to actual physical attacks, considering there are already seven cases of killings of clergy and religious personnel and other frustrated attempts and threats against them, following Mr. Duterte’s justification for Fr. Mark Ventura’s killing.
His statements might even reinforce and back up the forces behind the cases of attacks against church people.
In this midst, we cannot remain silent. We are called to partake “…in the proclamation of good news to the poor… To send liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (Lk 4:18-19).”

Nardy Sabina,
Promotion of Church,
People’s Response,
Manila,
Philippines

Thai PM warn voters to beware Of unrealistic and impossible policies The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 23 January 2019 First published in the Bangkok Post, Friday 18 January 2019

I fully back PM Prayut in his warning for voters to beware of campaign policies
which are "unrealistic and impossible", and not to listen to those who "caused
damage to the country".
To test which party planks are the most feasible, I suggest that Thai public TV
televise a series of round-robin, face-to-face debates between the four parties
with the most members, each debate centring on a key area needing reform, eg,
decentralisation, education, the economy, police/military, fighting corruption,
or promoting reconciliation.
The debate could be on "We agree that the Democrat Party's plan to reform the police/military is superior to that of the Pracharath Party".
The winner would be the side getting the most swing votes.
Each team could have two people, including its prime minister candidate (who
would be essential, as they would lead reform efforts).
The moderator would be neutral and forceful, keeping participants on-topic and ensuring that they didn't evade valid questions.
The studio audience could include neutral academics or practitioners whom the moderator might call upon for insights.

Burin Kantabutra,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Malaysia drops in list of most powerful Visa-free access to 180 countries The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 22 January 2019 First published in the Star, Monday 14 January 2019

One of the most widely cited measures of the strength of a country’s passport is the Henley Passport Index (HPI), which measures how powerful a passport is by its visa-free score, namely the number of countries the passport holder can visit without needing government-approved visas prior to travel.
This year, the Henley Passport Index (HPI) has listed the Malaysian passport as the world’s 12th most powerful, with visa-free access to 179 countries.
However, as a proud Malaysian, I was slightly disappointed when I noted that this was a drop from the 10th place last year, with visa-free access to 180 countries.
It was also a bit disappointing to know that the passport of neighbouring Singapore is currently the world’s second most powerful, with visa-free access to 189 countries.
Top of the list is Japan with visa-free access to 190 countries.
I did note a few reasons as to where and why Malaysia somewhat lags behind in terms of passport strength based on data from the Henley Passport Index (HPI) and credible news sources in the last few years.
To begin with, Malaysia is the only Asean country that has yet to sign a mutual visa exemption agreement with Myanmar, citing issues of large numbers of illegal Burmese foreign workers as the main reason.
Looking further at the Eurasian continent, Malaysia does not currently have visa-free arrangements with the economic giants China, India and Russia as well. Recently, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad stated that Malaysia is “not yet ready” to grant visa-free access to Chinese citizens, hence China would naturally not want to reciprocate.
Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran did moot the idea of visa-free travel for Malaysians to the Indian government but nothing seems to have progressed so far.
Russians can currently travel visa-free to Malaysia but the Russian government is not reciprocating.
Although there was news about possible visa-free travel for Malaysians to Russia back in 2012, this does not seem to be the case now.
Further across the oceans, both the United States and Canada have not reciprocated Malaysia’s visa-free entry privilege for their citizens.
In Canada’s case, the visa requirement was apparently effected post-September 11, although Malaysians have recently found it easier to obtain visas compared to many other countries.
As for the US, the past three years have seen numerous talks about Malaysia being next in line to be included in the Visa Waiver Program.
Despite having fulfilled all conditions set by the US government, the Trump administration seems to be unwilling to lift the freeze on adding new countries into the list, preventing Malaysians from having visa-free access to even some unincorporated American territories such as Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the US Virgin Islands.
I’m writing this to raise awareness and with the hope that our current government would seriously pursue visa-free arrangements with these countries, and more, for the benefit of all who are proud of holding a Malaysian passport.

James Ang,
Port Dickson,
Malaysia

 

Call for land rights for Orang Asli Over native customary land in Malaysia The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 21 January 2019 First published in the Star, Sunday 20 January 2019

A candidate's statement in the Cameron Highlands by-election that the Malay community would not even buy kuih from the orang asli, let alone vote for an orang asli candidate is tactless and distasteful, and shows how our society has unequivocally failed them.
That a significant percentage of mainstream society would not vote for an orang asli candidate is not a sign that the candidate is unqualified or incapable, but that we as a society have systemically marginalised the orang asli.
A politician’s threat to stop the payment of stipends shows how the government has denied the orang asli self-determination and self-sufficiency and offered them handouts.
It is a sign that protectionist laws, policies and government agencies have disenfranchised the orang asli and given them welfare in place of rights.
Land and property laws and policies have demoted the orang asli from the position of guardians of their customary land to squatters who can be evicted by property developers and state governments and displaced at the convenience of the authorities.
Our orang asli need representation, the right to be heard and the right to control their own destiny.
What orang asli communities need are representatives in Parliament, government agencies and non-governmental organisations who can advocate for their communities and make decisions without fear or favour.
Fielding and voting in more orang asli candidates would create opportunities for the communities to participate in decisions that would affect their lives.
If there was adequate representation and autonomy, they would not have to resort to measures such as blockades and petitions just to get their voices heard.
Fielding just one orang asli candidate does not make us an inclusive and diverse society any more than giving handouts to Tok Batins make us caring and compassionate.
The fact that we are not fielding more orang asli candidates is an indication that we as a society have been deaf and blind to their rights, needs and concerns for too long.
The first step to recognising the rights of the orang asli is to prioritise their control over native customary land, and include and consult them in any discussions on land use and education processes and policies that affect them.
Until we have more orang asli voices in positions of leadership, the fielding of token candidates by political parties and coalitions amount to nothing more than insincere and empty gestures.

Wong EE Lynn
Petaling Jaya,
Malaysia

 

Call for release of Mali the elephant From Manila zoo The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 20 January 2019 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Monday 14 January 2019

More than 35 years ago in a lush forest in Sri Lanka, Mali, a barely weaned baby elephant, was stolen from its mother.
She was transported to a zoo in Manila where she continues to languish to this day. Elephants are intelligent and very familial.
Can you imagine being separated so young from your mother?
Mali has led a sad life in captivity, alone, with no other elephant for company.
Mali does not get veterinary treatment even as thousands of caring people around the world have petitioned to move the elephant to a sanctuary in Thailand.
Many animal organizations have also tried to purchase Mali so she can be released, but the Manila Zoo refuses to let her live the natural life that she was intended to live.
Mali’s feet are sore and cracked from pacing the dry dirt in her small captive area.
Is there no compassion left for a poor neglected elephant such as Mali?
Please live with compassion.
Speak up for Mali’s release to Thailand.
Contact the zoo, tell them how you feel.
Contact local officials who can help free Mali.
Go see Mali if you can; it will bring tears to your eyes.
Animals suffer so much at the hands of humans who only think of their ego and greed.

David Knightly,
United States

The Philippines Is not yet a full-blown dictatorship The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 19 January 2019 First published in the Philippines Inquirer, Thursday 17 January 2019

The Philippines is not yet a full-blown dictatorship, but our claim to democracy has become tenuous at best.
Reliable figures are hard to come by in a country where surveys are predetermined by their “sponsors.”
Nonetheless, the headlines of dailies cannot but give a horrendous picture of the human rights situation in the former Pearl of the Orient.
New and old criminal cases overlap.
The Ampatuan massacre occurred on Nov. 23, 2009, in Maguindanao province. Thirty-two journalists are known to have been killed.
The trial in the town of Ampatuan drags on with not a single conviction in sight.
The powerful perpetrators have the money to cover the exorbitant fees of lawyers who see to it that they literally “get away with murder.”
On December 4, 2017, at around 8 p.m., Fr. Marcelito Paez, then regional coordinator of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines in Central Luzon, was shot while driving his vehicle in San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija.
A day earlier, elements of the 27th Infantry Battalion-Philippine Army and the Marines killed eight T’boli and Dulangan Manobo in Sitio Datal Bong Langon, Barangay Ned, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato.
The list of heinous crimes lengthens.
On record since the start of the Duterte regime on June 30, 2016 are 13 massacres, 216 political killings and more than 20,000 killings related to the ongoing drug war.
Obviously, the present regime is oblivious to the matter of human rights and morality.
More recently, nine farmers were massacred in Negros Occidental; a week later their lawyer, Benjamin Ramos, was ambushed and killed.
Former congressman Satur Ocampo and ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, together with 16 others, were also arrested and charged with trumped-up charges of human trafficking in Talaingod, Davao del Norte.
On November 28, President Duterte announced that he will create an armed civilian group to counter the New People’s Army Sparrow unit, a group of urban assassins blamed for the deaths of security forces and former rebels.
The President said his DDS (Duterte Death Squad) would be sent to transport terminals, eateries and other public places to kill suspected rebels and even loiterers and junkies.
All these point to the blatant disregard for human rights by the powerful of the land who are supposedly chosen to serve God, people and country.
Thus, the importance of Human Rights Day (marked on December 10); it is no less than a declaration of the universal and inalienable right to be human.
But, in the Philippines at present, such a declaration sounds more and more like “a weak voice crying in the wilderness.”

Fr. Wilfredo T Dulay
MDJ.,
Convenor,
Religious Discernment Group,
Manila,
Philippines

Accountability and transparency are vital attributes To Malaysia's constitutional monarchy The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 18 January 2019 First published in the Star, Monday 14 January 2019

I must commend Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai for writing a couple of enlightening articles in his column, On The Beat, over the last two Sundays about the monarchy system in Malaysia.
The articles have helped to inform readers about how the system works and its relevance to our nation today.
However, it is not quite right to say that “our Malay monarchy dates to the 15th century...”
The first sultanate that emerged in the Malay peninsula was the Kedah Sultanate in 1136.
The ruler was Sultan Mudzaffar Shah who was on the throne till 1179.
The Kedah Sultanate has an unbroken lineage centring on the same dynasty, which makes it, arguably, the oldest sultanate in the world today.
From historical records, we know that it exercised effective domestic jurisdiction and attended to the needs of the people, including building the famous Wan Mat Saman canal in 1885 that irrigates a huge expanse of padi land from northern to central Kedah.
It also established bilateral and regional relations with other kingdoms.
In discussing the Malaysian monarchy, it is also important to emphasise that as constitutional monarchs, accountability and transparency are vital attributes.
It is these attributes that distinguish constitutional monarchies from their feudal predecessors.

Dr Chandra Muzaffar,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

 

 

Malaysia concerned at plight of ethnic Uyghur Muslims In China The Southeast Asian Times , Thursday 17 January 2019 First published in the Star, Sunday 13 January 2018

The Movement for an Informed Society Malaysia (Wadah) is troubled and alarmed concerning the plight of ethnic Uyghur Muslims as reported worldwide.
Wadah urges China and the international community to act to end the oppression and persecution of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.
The UN estimates one million ethnic Uyghur Muslims are being held in detention arbitrarily in internment camps all over Xinjiang.
China has admitted to the existence of these ethnic prison system but termed them as "re-education camps".
"Re-education camps" are chilling because it reminds the world of the harsh "gulags" and the cruel concentration camps of the past.
Camps renown for enforcing thought control, collective punishments, torture and even death.
Whole families are reported to have disappeared behind these detention centre walls.
It is grave and severe because the arrests involve wide swathes of the minority ethnic Muslims.
The personal beliefs, culture, language, rituals and even appearances of Uyghurs are being targeted and used as flimsy grounds for detention in such camps.
Daily prayers, growing beards, dressing and even fasting in the month of Ramadan have been astonishingly criminalised by Chinese authorities.
These are the dreadful forms of mistreatment and persecution of minority citizens in China at present.
China need not be in a state of enmity and confrontation with its minorities, Muslims and even the religion of Islam.
China has a rich cultural history, a strong and stable government, and is a world economic power.
It can celebrate diversity and inclusiveness of its vast population. Muslims and Islam have existed in China throughout its history and even during challenging and turbulent times.
China has to come to terms with its own minority citizens by tolerating and respecting their religion, culture and languages while always safeguarding the foundations of the nation, preserving loyalty to the country, upholding the national language and acquiescing to central administration.
It can reconcile to live together peacefully with mutual trust by observing and adopting strength through diversity within the framework of national unity. Unity in diversity is workable and Malaysia is a fine example.
Wadah would like to urge China to take the path of peace, engagement, dialogue, reconciliation, mutual respect and building mutual trust with its religious minorities so as to be an example to the world for sustaining a great and prosperous country together. This path will definitely boost and greatly complement China’s ambitious world economic initiative.

Ahmad Azam Abrahman,
President of Wadah,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

 

Call for reconsideration Of phasing out of palm oil The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 17 January 2019 First published in the Star, Saturday 5 Jan 2019

This is an open letter to the British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Jeremy Hunt.
It was reported that the European Union has decided to phase out the use of palm oil by 2030.
It is understandable that the Western edible oil industry has launched a vicious campaign against palm oil out of commercial interest.
But when governments side with the for-profit industry in phasing out the import of palm oil without careful consideration of the facts, then it calls into question fairness and democratic principles that Western countries often preach.
Campaigns against palm oil have been mainly on two issues.
First, the deforestation and environmental destruction caused by oil palm cultivation. Second, the high saturated fats content in palm oil, which is deemed unhealthy.
It is true that in the past, vast pieces of land had been cleared for oil palm cultivation.
That was during the administration of the previous government.
Our present government is different. Environmental and health protection takes precedence now.
Criticism of Malaysia’s fast deforestation has been unfair. According to a World Bank report in 2018, 67.6 percent of the total land area in Malaysia comprises forests.
In contrast, for Britain it is 13percent, France (31percent), Germany (32.7percent), Italy (31.6percent), United States (33.9percent), and Canada (38.2percent).
Furthermore, livestock and soy farming in the west cause more deforestation than oil palm cultivation. Canola, soy and corn plants use more pesticides and herbicides than oil palm.
The criticism towards palm oil as unhealthy because of its high content of saturated fats has flaws.
The lipid or cholesterol theory of heart disease is paradoxical to the understanding of human physiology.
Our liver has to synthesise the different types of cholesterol to maintain normal physiology.
In 2015, the US and British governments lifted butter, eggs, meat, etc, from the ‘naughty food list’, when studies contradicting the lipid/cholesterol theory of heart disease started to surface in the preceding years.
In 2017, the British Royal Pharmaceutical Society pronounced the cholesterol theory of heart disease dead, effectively stating that cholesterol was not the cause of heart disease.
Malaysians have been consuming palm and coconut oils (both high in saturated fats) all our lives.
The prevalence of heart disease here is much lower than in western countries that consume more canola, soy and corn oils (mostly from genetically modified crops).
Claims that canola and other oils with unsaturated fats are healthy have no support from any proper study.
In fact, the Lauretti and Pratico study in 2017 published in the Journal of Scientific Reports associated consumption of canola oil with worsening memory and learning ability and weight gain in an animal study.
Another study in 2014 by Marchese and colleagues found vitamin E in canola, soybean and corn oils associated with rising incidences of lung infection and asthma.
However, vitamin E from olive and sunflower oils (both non-GMO) improves lung functions.
Palm oil has the best source of vitamin E because it consists of tocotrienols and tocopeherols.
Corn oil has a small amount of tocotrienols while canola and soybean oils have none, but only tocopherols, making the quality of vitamin E in these oils of inferior quality.
Incidentally, Malaysia’s vitamin E, extracted from palm oil, is the best in the world. There are several studies pointing to the other benefits of palm oil other than high-quality vitamin E.
The intention here is to make the case for palm oil and not impose on consumers in Europe what oil they should consume.
It is an appalling lack of consideration for governments to ban the import of palm oil.

Capt Dr Wong Ang Peng (Rtd.,)
President, Society of Natural Health Malaysia,
Member, National Patriot Association,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

 

 

Call for new Malaysian government To seriously address bread and butter issues The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 15 January 2019 First published in the Star, Wednesday 9 January 2019

We have emerged from a year of tumultuous happenings, including the dethroning
of the previous political regime that had been in place for more than 60 years.
The new Pakatan Harapan (PH) government has promised to stop the rot of
corruption by cleansing the system and putting in place a governance of
integrity and accountability to create an affordable and harmonious life for
Malaysians.
The initial euphoria of bringing down a corrupt government and bringing to
justice those responsible for nonfeasance, malfeasance, and misfeasance is now
wearing off as reality sets in.
Except for the unshackling of the press, the reinstatement of the rule of law,
the transparent and ethical stance of governance, there are no tangible benefits
for the common man.
The common man is concerned with survival, or at least having an affordable life that would enable him to put food on the table, give his children a proper education, and provide shelter and affordable health care, among other basic necessities.
His main concern is the spiralling cost of living that will adversely affect his
standard of living.
He is not concerned about institutional changes or that cleansing the system is a prelude to a better life.
That stopping the haemorrhage of government finance as a result of corrupt practices will make available monies for people-centric development.
I doubt most ordinary people can comprehend what sort of a burden that a RM1
trillion national debt courtesy of the previous government is.
They know it is wrong to amass wealth at the people’s expense but the source of the monies, which could be from unknown illegal sources, does not impact directly on them.
If it had been monies from their personal accounts or their salaries deducted to
meet these expenses, it would have caused an uproar.
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) government must seriously address bread and butter issues.
They must first address the spiralling cost of living, which could be due to profiteering.
The B40 (lower income group) does not care about the mechanics of a market
economy that is based on supply and demand and the principle of profit
maximisation.
Nor do they care that some of these factors affecting price movements are beyond
the government’s control, the result of the volatility of external economic
forces.
What the middle income and B40 groups in society want is for the government to ensure that essential commodities are affordable.
To this effect, the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government must start getting its act together.
The component parties must stop bickering about positions and who is going to be the next Prime Minister.
They must start serving the people who put them in power in the first place.
Thus, it behoves the ministers of the relevant ministries to start implementing
strategies to address the economic woes of the people by curbing profiteering
and creating jobs, especially for unemployed graduates.
Granted that the government is currently preoccupied with cleaning out the
systemic rot left by the previous regime, but at the same time, it needs to be
innovative in addressing pertinent issues and implement strategies for the
immediate benefit of the people.

Mohmed Ghouse Nasuruddin,
Centre for Policy Research and International Studies,
Universiti Sains Malaysia,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

Physcholologists call for government To decriminalise drug addiction in the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 14 January 2019 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Wednesday 9 January 2019

Malacañang does not intend to change the government’s approach to drug addiction even as a group of psychologists objected to its criminalization.
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo maintained that the government’s policy on drug addiction has been effective, contrary to the claim of the Pyschological Association of the Philippines (PAP).
“Ineffective where?
Why not?
We have reduced, dismantled in fact a huge chunk of the illegal drug apparatus,” he told a press briefing.
The Palace made the remarks following the Pyschological Association of the Philippines (PAP) recommendation that the government amend Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, to align it with RA 11036, or the Philippine Mental Health Law.
More humane approach.
The group of psychologists also proposed that the government shift to a more “humane” approach and deal with “social issues that perpetuate addiction such as poverty and unemployment.”
The Pyschological Association of the Philippines (PAP) added that the public’s exposure to summary executions of drug suspects would desensitize the public to violations of human rights, and that the lives of innocent people were mere collateral damage.
The Palace, however, challenged the group of psychologists to come up with an alternative instead of claiming that criminalizing drug addiction ran counter to the definition of addiction or substance use disorder in RA 11036.
“When you say you cannot solve the drug problem, what’s their alternative proposal?
They are not saying anything,” Panelo said.

Julie M. Aurelio,
Manila,
Philippines

The closure of Rizal Park on New Year’s Day To the detriment of Manila dwellers The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 13 January 2019 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Friday 11 January 2019

Barricading Rizal Park for the New Year’s Day celebration represents another modification to the park’s running that is to the detriment of the recreational experience of park visitors.
I say “another” because, through the years, the park committee has set measures that did much disservice to the purpose of the country’s prime freedom park, such as closing it for the night and perennially fencing off large sections for overdue regreening.
Rizal Park has been the breathing space for us Manila dwellers who need to unwind and recharge from our daily urban stress.
It is our sole place for rest and relaxation; this we cannot avail ourselves of in other parks in the western section of Metro Manila.
For decades, both city inhabitants and visitors have spent Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve in Luneta.
These holidays serve as our sabbath after a whole year of preoccupation.
Also, we do not come only for the purpose of rest:
We are also festive, fired up by the jovial thought that the holidays are special days when everyone is merry and benevolent toward each other.
With the influx of the crowd comes the recurring littering problem.
Nonetheless, the decision to close down Luneta’s main grounds for New Year’s Eve speaks poorly for the administrative integrity of the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC).
Instead of implementing measures to discipline and educate parkgoers to prevent the mess from happening again, the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC) deprived the public of the chance to enjoy the park’s amenities which, in the first place, are supposed to benefit the people.
The committee ought to let the people use the park, while also working to educate them on how to help maintain order and cleanliness in the place.
I hope the new administrative measures of the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC) will not change the purpose of Rizal Park a park built for the benefit and enjoyment of all Filipinos.

Francis Raymund M. Gonzales,
Manila,
Philippines

In praise of whistleblowers, witnesses, prosecutors, lawyers Against plunderers and murderers in the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 12 January 2019 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Thursday 10 January 2019

Congratulations to the Inquirer for its news feature on the four judges who “gave hope in the fight against impunity” in 6 January 2019.
Seeing their pictures prominently displayed, I realized that there are real people who are determined to provide justice for the victims of cruelty and oppression.
The story made me remember the God of scriptures who “rescued his chosen people from their suffering.”
May I take this opportunity, please, to suggest that you also feature the stories of those who work hard behind the headlines for the sake of the hapless victims of cruelty and injustice, like the whistleblowers, the brave witnesses, the prosecutors, and the lawyers who work hard to prepare airtight cases against plunderers and murderers.
Surely their stories will inspire many Filipinos like me not to lose hope but to go on.
Featuring their stories will be a kind of affirmative journalism in these days of cruelty and impunity.

Mariano F. Carpio,
Manila,
Philippines

Philippines kowtowing to Tokyo for fear Of losing economic favours The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 11 January 2019 First published in the Philippines, Wednesday 9 January 2019

Once again, our government is kowtowing to Tokyo by telling Filipinos to keep in mind that the Japanese government is our “strategic ally” (“Laguna statue part of freedom of expression—Panelo,” ) in Philippine Inquirer.net, Tuesday 1 January 2019.
Salvador Panelo also warned Filipinos against “unduly politicizing an issue which has already been addressed.”
The world knows the issue has not been addressed properly.
Sure, Panelo is just doing his job, which includes bending over backward for this shameless, unscrupulous administration by making absurd pronouncements.
Just like the time earlier this year when a “comfort woman” statue installed by a patriotic group on Roxas Boulevard was swiftly removed by the Manila authorities, this wariness to offend the Japanese government for fear of losing its economic assistance is part of a pattern.
Unlike Germany, which long ago apologized and made restitution for its war crimes, the world knows that Japan has refused to acknowledge its atrocities during World War II.
Its leaders have long failed to make an official apology to the victims. It thinks it’s done enough by doling out some amounts of recompense (not officially but from private organizations).
Incidentally, the euphemistic tag for those victims should never have been used - “comfort” was only derived by Japanese soldiers by prostituting girls and women who experienced great pain and misery.
For Panelo to declare that “Japan, after all, has paid dearly for its past deeds, which includes giving reparations” is as ridiculous as the man and his boss. Sadly, the Laguna statue included an empty chair beside the seated woman so that people could sit there and take selfies.

Isabel Escoda,
Cebu City,
Philippines

Call for Thailand to allow Saudi would-be-refugee To seek protection from UNHCR The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 9 January 2019 First published in the Bangkok Post, Tuesday 8 January 2019

Under military rule, Thailand has become cruel and heartless - repeatedly
colluding with repressive foreign governments to intercept asylum seekers and
send them back to face life-threatening dangers.
Saudi women fleeing their families can face severe violence from relatives,
deprivation of liberty, and other serious harm.
Thai authorities should immediately halt attempts to deport Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, and either allow her to continue her travel to Australia or permit her to remain in Thailand to seek protection as a refugee from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Sunai Phasuk,
Human Right Watch,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Does Malaysia need to be declared an Islamic state In order to live like good Muslims ? The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 9 January 2019 First published in the Star, Saturday 5 January 2019

Because I am wondering what is it that is preventing us from doing everything we can to live as good Muslims right now.
It is by the grace and mercy of Allah that everyone, regardless of their ancestry, found their way to this blessed country the way they did.
The challenge of living together is a test by Allah where we are told to put our best foot forward, and let Allah be the sole judge of all our earthly disputes.
Those who call for Malaysia to be declared an Islamic state need to tell us by what definition of Islam is this state to be built upon, and if this move will isolate our country even further from the modern Islam embraced by the rest of the world.
As it stands, the rest of the Islamic world is moving to criminalise all forms of female circumcision – but Malaysia feverishly defends the practice with a fatwa that still stands today.
The rest of the Islamic world is campaigning to end child marriage – but Malaysia defends this as even a “necessity” in certain states.
The rest of the Islamic world has moved to end racism in their countries – but Malaysia insists that certain racial superiority over the land must prevail for the sake of social fragility.
An Islamic state led by politically-motivated parties whose priority is to exert power by policing morality instead of prosecuting corrupt leaders will be a devastating downfall for Malaysia.
Ibn Abbas reports that our beloved Prophet once said: The most hated of the people to Allah are three persons: A person who deviates into the unlawful; a person who seeks for the tradition of ignorance to remain in Islam; and a person who seeks to shed another’s blood without right of justice.
Why can’t we just be good Muslims in a progressive country that embraces modernity and is friendly with all nations East and West?
Because if we can do it here, we can do it anywhere, and seriously, isn’t that what we want?
For Malaysians to be globally savvy instead of a Malaysia that is paranoid and suspicious of everything that comes from outside our borders?
I wonder about the fragility of the faith of an ummah that is built upon the fear of humans and not love for God.
I wonder how they would fare on the stage of the great wide world out there.
I wonder about thought and how it can be frightened into obedience, or nurtured to imagine fantastic futures.
A future where people no longer need to be afraid. A world where people no longer suffer.
An end – as our beloved Prophet brought – to an age of ignorance, and henceforth, the birth of a great civilisation of knowledge and creativity brought about by the liberated imaginations of Malaysians.

Majidah Hashim,
Communications Manager,
Sisters in Islam,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

Sabah and Sarawak against Malaysia Declared an Islamic state The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 8 January 2019 First published in the Star, Friday 4 January 2019

With reference to an article in The Straits Times, Singapore, on December 29, 2018, entitled “Malay group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) wants Malaysia declared an ‘Islamic state’”, we in G25 Malaysia are of the view that Sabahans will not accept Malaysia being an Islamic state and we are quite sure Sarawakians will feel the same way.
They have said the two states will leave the Federation if Malaysia becomes an Islamic state.
An Islamic state means an autocracy where religion dictates the laws of the country, with the council of ulama having the final authority on any legislation that the elected Parliament or the Cabinet wish to introduce.
The ulama council can also veto those it feels are not Islamic enough to be in the government.
Isma should make it clear whether such a system of governing will make Malaysia a progressive country with a strong economy to raise standards of living and build confidence in the future of the country.
Our view in G25 is that what Isma is advocating will lead the country to become a failed state with poverty and misery for the masses.
Isma may well get the one million signatures it is aiming for but mainstream Malaysia, which represents the majority, will not subscribe to its Islamic agenda. Malaysians of all races know that the country has a better chance to develop into a united and successful nation under the democratic Constitution that we have now rather than under a divisive Constitution based on religion.
Our people know that the reason why several Muslim countries became failed states is because they allowed the autocratic nature of religion to manipulate politics and interfere in personal lives.
All of them have bad economies because nothing works in their system of government.
Malaysia has done well under the Constitution, which the leaders of our independence, representing the three major races, created with the concurrence of the Malay Rulers, to be the foundation of a new nation.
The 1957 Merdeka Constitution is democratic in character, with all the provisions for a modern country. Its basic character has not changed despite the formation of Malaysia in 1963 and various amendments to a few articles.
Malaysians are determined that the Constitution must remain as our founding fathers intended it to be. The people will support amendments that are aimed at correcting past mistakes to make us a better democracy. We will not support amendments that will change us from a democracy to an authoritarian regime or to a theocracy.

G25 Malaysia,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

Call for approval of Bangsamoro Organic Law In southern Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 7 January 2019 First published in the Philippines Inquirer, Friday 4 January 2019

Stakeholders of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) should be guided by Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, who urged Filipinos “to foster peace and solidarity among themselves by working toward the eradication of a mentality that promotes disputes among people, and regarding others as one’s own brothers and sisters.”
We cannot disregard the figures of 120,000 Filipinos who shed blood in war-torn Mindanao for more than four decades.
Let us put a period “sa ating mga kabaliwan.”
If we will perceive Muslim Filipinos as our enemies, not as brothers and sisters, we will never attain the path of peace.
The Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) should be approved on January 21, 2019, via plebiscite by Filipino Muslims in Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Basilan, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur; six municipalities in Lanao del Norte and 39 barangays in Cotabato, so that they shall govern independently the Bangsamoro region, acquiring freedom from Imperial Manila and hoping to progress from “bondage to bounty.”
The pros and cons are working doubly hard to promote their interests.
The more than 200,000 members of YES to Bangsamoro in Cotabato City alone are actively campaigning for the law’s final approval from the Filipino Muslims.
This organization is also advocating that, upon the law’s approval, Islamic countries, banks and institutions - not China - should be given priority to invest or explore natural resources like oil and gas in the Bangsamoro region.
After all, both parties have common denominators (religion, traditions, belief, education, laws, historical background and aspirations).
The Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) approval and successful implementation will be a template for federalism, which most Filipinos are skeptical about as shown in the Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia surveys.
Let our Muslim brothers and sisters govern the Bangsamoro region, no one else.

Isidro C. Valencia,
Taguig City,
Philippines

Papua New Guinea watching how benefits of APEC Outweigh the cost of hosting the APEC summit The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 6 January 2019 First published in the National, Friday 28 December 2018

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) year is winding down and officially ending on December 31.
The organisers and everyone who gave their best efforts in making this colossal APEC regional economic forum a success, might have taken days off work, refreshed and reflected gleefully on their achievements.
You did very well and deserve our congratulations.
What is coming next, of course, are months and years of action when the signed bilateral, trilateral and multilateral agreements will be implemented.
The hopes of seeing change roll-out are high on the lists of citizen’s expectations. The post-summit work on these agreements and whatever else is there to do, must start as soon as practical. The real setbacks are likely to be delays on our part in getting the priority projects moving in the first six months of 2019.
Papua New Guineans will expect APEC agreements implementation news and information to fill the newspapers, airwaves and websites.
This Government-to-people information and communication will help to keep the people abreast of how the different agreements are worked out and concluded.
Further still, the Government should consider creating an APEC commission staffed with experts, whose role will be to monitor and publish work in progress on all the signed agreements and Memorandum of Understandings (MOA)
I am sure many of you will be keenly focused and watching how the benefits outweigh the costs of hosting the summit.

M M Ondassa,
Taurama,
National Capital District,
Papua New Guinea

Muslim insurgency airbrushed out of existence In southern Thailand The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 5 January 2019 First published in the Bangkok Post, Tuesday 1 January 2019

Re: "Xmas spirit a Thai virtue", Editorial, Monday December 24, 2018
In an amazing feat of journalism, the editorial of the Bangkok Post celebrating
the Xmas spirit succeeds in airbrushing the Muslim insurgency in southern
Thailand out of existence (on May 13 of this year, this newspaper published an
article titled "Muslim insurgent leader surrenders" but there is no Muslim
insurgency), airbrushing fundamentalism out of Islamic fundamentalism (Islamic
fundamentalists, who are the most intolerant and violent, are not called so
because they have a literal interpretation of Islam), and airbrushing Islamic
terrorism and its non-Muslim victims out of existence (the Thai citizen who was
tragically murdered last week in Strasbourg was not killed by a terrorist who
had sworn allegiance to Islamic State, at a Christmas market, shouting Allahu
Akbar).

Baffled Reader,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Shal Tharumalingham in Malaysia Has two wishes for 2019 The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 4 January 2019 First published in the Star, Tuesday 25 December 2019

I still vividly remember waking up on May 10 with euphoria and an immense feeling of hope for our nation.
In the seven months since that fateful day, many things have happened, some anticipated and some not.
That’s life, for we can never anticipate everything.
There has been one constant, though, and that is continuous criticism of the current government, not only by the parties that comprise the Opposition, but also by numerous other groups and individuals, each with their own agenda in mind.
The key issue is that we placed a lot of hope in what is now the ruling government to turn the tide around for our nation, which was on the verge of being swallowed into a dark whirlpool under the previous administration.
Now that we have had a taste of how the current government is performing, we are beginning to see the flaws and shortcomings.
The reality is, no government is perfect, as there are no perfect human beings.
Yes, I agree that they are accountable to the rakyat in ensuring that they deliver on the promises that were laid down in their manifesto.
However, beyond that, what is imperative is how they administer and manage the challenges that they inherited from the previous administration; also, how they handle issues that affect the rakyat, eg, cost of living, protection of children and women, the welfare of all Malaysians in the B40 (lower income) category, etc.
I have two wishes for 2019.
The first one is that the respective individuals and parties that comprise Pakatan Harapan spend more time working together in rebuilding our nation rather than protecting their own agendas.
I know, politicking will always be present, however it is a question of to what extent and how disruptive it is in derailing the bigger agenda that the government ought to be focusing on.
For the ones who will be affected most if the government fails are the rakyat.
My second wish is that the government, Opposition parties, Non Government organisations (NGO) and the rakyat in general remember that we are not Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Iban, Murut, etc, first, but Malaysians first and foremost.
Each and every one of us has a personal responsibility to respect one another and work together to maintain the unity, fellowship and peace in our beloved nation, Malaysia.
Let’s all work hand in hand in turning the tide in 2019 to ensure that Malaysia returns to being a formidable country.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Shal Tharumalingham,
Petaling Jaya,
Malaysia

God have mercy On Filipino's The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 1 January 2019 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Friday 28 December 2018

As we face uncertain times, we entrust our nation to Your loving care.
We ask You to bless us with the wisdom to understand the reason why we are troubled with many social evils in this country.
God, what good will You bring out of it?
We pray for our leaders to know the right thing to do and for them to speak the truth.
Give them the hunger and thirst for your righteousness.
We pray, too, that all things that we decide or do in this country should be inspired by Your love and not by our selfish pride, arrogance and hatred.
God have mercy on us Filipinos.

Reginald B Tamayo,
Assistant city council secretary,
Marikina City,
Philippines

Papua New Guinea commemorates the Gang of Four To welcome in the New Year The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 2 January 2019 First published in the National, Monday 28 December 2018

While preparing to welcome the New Year, we will commemorate the lives and achievement of exemplary Papua New Guineas who were around at the time our country’s independence.
There are many Papua New Guineans who achieved many great things, but given the time and space we will only look at the famous ‘Gang of Four’.
The Gang of Four refers to a group of influential young civil servants who played a leading role in holding together public administration and public policy in the formative decade or so after Papua New Guinea’s independence in 1975.
When there was a top bureaucratic, government or diplomatic post that became available, either one of the four would make it to the final cut.
They are; Sir Mekere Morauta, Sir Charles Lepani, Sir Rabbie Namaliu and Sir Anthony Siaguru.
We already looked at Sir Mekere Morauta and Sir Rabbie Namaliu in the preceding articles.
We will look at Sir Anthony Siaguru. Tony, as many called him, had a most distinguished career and in no exaggeration it is safe to say he was Papua New Guinea’s renaissance man.
The place and time of his birth is sketchy but his illustrious career truly defines him in every aspect as a lawyer and statesman who shaped Papua New Guinea’s foreign relations in the years after independence.
He was a torchbearer representing Papua New Guinea at the Commonwealth of Nations as its deputy secretary-general. Sir Anthony was a corruption fighter to the core who started the Papua New Guinea chapter of Transparency International and a business icon who started the Port Moresby Stock Exchange.
He graduated in Law at the University of Papua New Guinea and took further studies in Harvard, USA.
He received a Fulbright Scholarship in 1980, and as an Edward Mason fellow, was attached to the Harvard Institute of International Development.
Much earlier, Sir Anthony was a foreign service trainee in Australia in 1972 with subsequent short attachments at the Australian Mission in Geneva.
He became secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs when Papua New Guinea gained independence in 1975.
Among his other achievements was the significant role he played in the negotiations between Pacific Island countries and Australia and NZ, leading ultimately to the establishment of Sparteca (South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement).
Sparteca, according to the Pacific Island Forum website, is a regional trade agreement established in 1981 to allow smaller, more economically-restricted South Pacific island countries tariff-free access for many of their exports into Australian and New Zealand markets.
It was Sir Anthony in his capacity as secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade who advised Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare to establish diplomatic relations with China.
The relationship between these two countries has been cordial ever since then.
He had a short stint in politics.
Sir Anthony entered Parliament, winning the Moresby North-East seat in 1982 and served as minister in various portfolios including as Minister for the Public Service.
Following his departure from politics after the 1987 election, he joined Blake Dawson Waldron as a senior partner specialising in commercial law.
In 1990, he was elected to a five-year term as deputy secretary-general of the Commonwealth.
After this period of service, based in London, he returned home to Blake Dawson Waldron again before ‘retiring’ in 1998.
Sir Anthony was appointed chairman of the Port Moresby Stock Exchange in 1998.
He represented Papua New Guinea on the Asia Pacific Economic Council (APEC) Business Advisory Council. Sir Anthony was a member of the Policy Advisory Council of Aciar.
He was a prolific and respected commentator on national affairs and columnist. Many of his essays and collections were compiled and later published as a book.
As foundation chairman of Papua New Guinea’s chapter of Transparency International Sir Anthony launched the Integrity Pact concept, in which politicians were encouraged to sign an Integrity Charter at the time of the 1997 election in Papua News Guinea, pledging themselves to institute good and transparent governance.
I remember the Integrity Pact concept was also adopted by the Independent Public Business Corporation to use across the State-owned enterprises for good and corporate governance.
I pay great homage to Sir Anthony as our nation’s golden child.
Of the famous ‘Gang of Four’, he short-lived them all, yet his legacy is far reaching and monumental.
With the time and space, I could do no justice all the accolades of our great statesman.
As I conclude here, I quote part of the of Sir Anthony’s close friend Prof Ross Garnaut’s tribute: “He has been the decathlon gold medalist in Papua New Guinea’s national life since independence, earning points in each of many events.
“These essays have been selected from the weekly Post-Courier newspaper columns and from speeches in Tony’s years outside official life, mostly in the late 1980s and after the return from London in 1996.
“This is a highly-readable volume, clearly written, spiced with good humor and with points of reference drawn from the experience of the whole of humanity.
“It leaves the reader with a sense that, despite the difficulties, democracy is the most natural as well as the best of all the imperfect ways of organising the affairs of humanity in Papua New Guinea.”
Sir Anthony succumbed to cancer as he was undergoing treatment in Brisbane in April 2004.
He is survived by his wife Wilhemina, and three sons.

David Lepi,
Port Moresby.
Papua New Guinea

Peace negotiations between Philippine government And communists important in 2019 The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 1 January 2019

I was just moved to give my opinion on the statement of the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP) on the issue of “Duterte’s order to destroy Reds” that says “As a leaders of churches in the country, we are troubled by this announcement and the escalation of violence and violation of human rights that will surely ensure”.
Well, this kind of statements only gives the rebel group Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New Peoples Army (NPA) the confidence to continue all their atrocities against innocent civilians specially those who are powerless.
These kind of words spoils them to do what they are doing now because they know that someone is still there to defend and protect them.
Yes, life is precious.
And human rights is a basic rights for every human being and I know that church leaders value that.
But what should we do if other don’t give importance on this so called life and continue to abuse, and disrespect the life and human rights of others not just once but for 50 long years?
Does the government have the choice not to destroy the communists if that’s the only way to stop them?
And yes peace negotiation is important.
But do we need to stick to this kind of solution when for 50 long years of going to the negotiating table nothing happens because the government is talking to insincere leaders?
Year 2019 is coming so soon, let us stop believing in impossible dreams for this group because if that is real, then 50 years of atrocities and lies had never happened.

Jomarie Kaye Patalinghug,
Manila,
Philippines

 

Call for Filipino's To reject federalism The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 31 December 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Friday 28 December 2018

Upon reading “How can we be apolitical?” by Elizabeth Lolarga in Philippine Inquirer Opinion, December 12, 2018.
I connected it to the quote: “All it takes for evil to prevail in this world is for enough good men to do nothing but watch events happening before their eyes.”
This is what millions of Filipinos are doing right now.
Come May, let’s do something we can be proud of - let’s vote for people who can make a difference.
And for God’s sake, please reject federalism!

Elena C Cutiongco,
Manila,
Philippines

Philippine President Duterte order to destroy communists Is monstrous and frightening First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Friday 28 December 2018

I was shocked when I read that President Duterte called on the military to do what General Suharto did to Indonesian communists.
Our President ordered: “Do not fight them, destroy them. Destroy them, kill them.”
Before the 1965 anticommunist massacre in Indonesia, there was supposedly a failed procommunist coup.
Suharto and his henchmen directed a massive massacre afterwards. Between 500,000 and 1 million victims died at the hands of military-led vigilante mobs over a six-month period.
The CIA gave Suharto the names of communist party members.
They were killed, as well as activists, ethnic Chinese and religious minorities.
Also murdered were neighbors whom the mob leaders did not like.
Few bullets were fired; most were killed by stabbing, beating and strangulation.
Historians such as Benedict Anderson claim there was actually no coup, but it was an excuse manufactured by Suharto to sideline President Sukarno and seize power for himself. After this mass butchery, Suharto became a dictator, ruling Indonesia for the next 30 years.
For our President now to order the military to destroy the communists is monstrous and frightening.
Whatever guise it takes, such a campaign will damage not just the communists, but also society itself.

Jonathan Foe,
Manila,
Philippines

Newly crowned Philippines Miss Universe To enlist in the Armed Forces of the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 29 December 2018

I was just want to express my gratefulness and excitement that our newly crowned Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray is to enlist as a reservist in the Army.
As a license pediatric doctor and a proud member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Reservist Force, I believe that Miss Universe Catriona Gray’s advocacy is a big help in our mission particularly in socioeconomic development and in helping in operation and maintenance of essential government and private services.
Where, like me as a pediatric doctor, together with the other men and women of different profession decided to joined the reservist of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) since we believe that this is the best way that we can help our fellow Filipinos who are incapable of going to hospitals because of the absence of financial capability.
The Reserve Force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is looking forward to this possibility of Miss Catriona Gray to join the Army reservist in so, hand in hand we can help the silver lining in the society and we both see the smile in the face of the children not only in Tondo, but instead, to the whole area of Philippines.
Thank you.

Maria Christina Lim,
Quezon City,
Philippines

December 26, 2018 marks the 50th anniversay Of the New Peoples Army The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 28 December 2018

December 26, 2018 marks the 50th year anniversary of the New People’s Army, (NPA) the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). This day commemorates the 50th year of deception, lies and destruction of the New Peoples Army (NPA) against the lives of the innocent civilians who have been victims and suffered horrible act of terrorism from the hands of this group.
The 50th year anniversary of the New Peoples Army (NPA) displays their decade of failure and defeat in overthrowing the government and a real manifestation that armed struggle will not and will never win despite all their efforts as they continue their massive attacks in different areas of the country in accordance to their celebration.
May this day remind everyone the decade of sorrow, fear, and heartaches caused by the killings, arson, deception, extortion, illegal recruitment, and kidnapping perpetrated by this group. Let this be the last day and last year that the terrorist New Peoplesl Army (NPA) will able to celebrate another year of terror and deception. Let us be united to knock them out as we face the new year of hope, peace and progress in our country.

Sandra Ballaran,
Peace Advocate,
Manila,
Philippines

All I want for Christmas Is peace in the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 27 December 2018

If American singer Mariah Carey says, “All I want for Christmas is you,” I want to reply with, “All I want for Christmas is peace.”
With good news circulating over media for the past weeks like the coming home from the United States of the Balangiga bells and the crowning of Miss Universe of Filipino, Catriona Elisa Gray, I am positive to hear about the success of our local government units (LGUs) to finally seal local peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) rebels in their respective localities.
In my view, local peace talks between communist rebels and Local Government Units (LGU) is better than resorting into an armed offensive against them.
We all have to support this local peace talks.
Why?
It’s Christmas time.
I am sure members of this group are also longing for their families.
They have been in the mountains and away from their loved ones for so long.
If both parties agree with local peace talks, they will no longer need to hide in the forests and worry how their family members are doing while they are not around.
Besides being with their families, they no longer have to be the people known in threatening the lives and properties of their fellow countrymen.
They no longer have to be the reasons behind the grief of every soldier who gets hurt and dies in armed encounters with them.
All that’s left is peaceful living, not only for them but for also for all the locals.
All I want for Christmas is peace.
We all want this, I assume.

Mc Howard Abdon,
Manina,
Philippines

Call for workshop in Thailand To study red, yellow and green shirt political parties The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday. 26 December 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Friday 21 December 2018

Re: "Media warned against revisiting past unrest", in Bangkok Post 19 December 2018.
"Media ... have been warned against ... presenting hate-provoking news and false information as they may be used online to influence how people vote...",
according to Somsri Han-anantasuk of the Open Forum for Democracy oundation.
For example, she said, media should not report stories like the 2010 pro-Thaksin, red-shirt protest against the Abhisit government which led to arson attacks and a military crackdown in which six people died at Wat Pathum Wanaram.
But, "those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it", said George Santayana.
Thais are very resistant to learning from history, for we hold the world record for coups d'etat.
I fully agree that speakers must not intentionally provoke hate or false information, but until we understand what motivates adherents of each side, seek to understand those who believe differently, and work together to achieve common goals, we will neither reconcile nor have sustainable peace.
For example, what did the red shirts believe in when they sought to overthrow
the Abhisit government?
To what extent was that worldview factual?
To what extent was the military crackdown justified?
What can we learn from this tragic incident that will help us reconcile and work in unison?
How about a series of workshops, led by neutral academics, with participants
from all major groups of thought - including red, yellow and green-shirts and others?
Each workshop would focus on one area of reform, eg, education,
military, or economics.
They would study the root problems of each crisis and work out joint long-term sustainable solutions to present to the incoming government, loaning their leaders to implement their proposals.
If you approve, how would we create pressure on workshop participants to
produce, not just argue and finger-point?

Burin Kantabutra,
Bangkok,
Thailand

What kind of tourist travels around Thailand With 300,000 baht in their bag? Santa? The Southeast Asian Times, 25 December 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Friday 21 December 2018

Re: "Driver returns B300k to Israeli tourist", in Bankok Post Friday 21 December.
Khun Yaya Jehmaeng is the latest in a long string of impressively honest and
honourable Thai drivers who have returned small and large fortunes to careless
and forgetful customers.
My deep respect and sincere appreciation go out to Thai drivers in general - the vast majority of whom are upright, honest and hardworking, despite being widely maligned.
I do wonder about the latest incident, however.
Not about the taxi driver, but about the so-called "tourist" involved.
What kind of tourist travels around with 300,000 baht cash in their bag?
Big spenders, travelling in luxury, pay their bills with credit cards or electronic transfers.
Budget travellers don't have need for such large amounts of cash.
I hope the authorities are looking into this rather strange anomaly to uncover the story behind the story.

Samanea Saman,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Call for New Peoples Army to surrender To Armed Forces of the Philippines for Christmas The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 24 December 2018

We are a few days away from Christmas day and all are busy either decorating their homes or rushing to the stores for their last-minute shopping of gifts and noche buena.
While everyone is excited to spend the day and night with family and friends, I can’t help but pity the poor members or should I rather says victims of New People’s Army who have not surrendered yet because they will be stuck in the mountains this Christmas.
The unilateral ceasefire they have announced is useless because our government is firm with their decision not to declare ceasefire this time.
They will continue to pursue the remaining members of New Peoples Army (NPA) in the coming days even on Christmas.
For this, I can see now that the present administration through the leadership of President Rodrigo Duterte, is really serious with its goal to end Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New People’s Army (NPA) insurgency.
I can only imagine how it’s going to feel being away from your family this Christmas because I personally can never allow myself not to spend the most-awaited holiday with my family.
For now, I can only ask the remaining New Peoples Army (NPA) to surrender and receive the benefits of their Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).
They must realize that they are just being used by the leadership of CPP-NPA to continue with their extremist approaches in harming the only nation Filipinos can call “home”.
And I cannot blame their members.
They are just deceived.

Brenda C. Macasaet,
Llanera,
Nueva Ecija
Philippines

Call for Philippine President to order executives Of Manila rail transit system to ride the train The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 23 December 218 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Tuesday 18 December 2018

My wife and I are both retired “balikbayan.”
We always enjoy coming home to our beloved country especially during Christmas, because we feel the season’s spirit here.
On December12, around 9 a.m., I took the Manila Light Rail Transit System (LRT) 2 from Araneta to Recto in order to visit my older brother, also a balikbayan, in Manila.
The escalators were not working as I walked to the platform.
Wow!
I said it would be a good exercise.
As a senior citizen, I enjoy the privilege of getting on the Persons With Disabilities (PWD) coach.
But I still had to stand up because some of the seats were taken - by not-so-senior and not-really-disabled passengers.
Maybe there was no more space available and they might be late for work.
A middle-aged lady carrying a disabled boy got on our PWD coach, where the air-conditioning was barely working. She didn’t look like a beggar but just a normal passenger.
I was so impressed by the patience and persistence of this mother to take care of the boy.
I took out a P100 bill, which is less than $2, and handed it to her.
She was hesitant at first to accept it, but I said “Merry Christmas.”
She took it finally and said, “Pagpalain kayo ng Panginoon.”
The other passengers started handing P20, P50, P100 bills and some coins.
I noticed she was teary-eyed, and my eyes, too, started to moisten.
Was this the real meaning of Christmas?
Was this being a Christian?
In the Bible, Jesus came for the poor and the oppressed.
Was Jesus present in this Persons With Disabilities (PWD) coach?
This was the first time I experienced something like this in my life.
I thought about the other homeless and poor people in the Philippines.
I wonder if our politicians and leaders of religious institutions really notice them, since they ride in chauffeured and tinted vehicles and live in mansions.
President Duterte should order the heads and executives of Manila Metro Rail Transit System (MRT) And Manila Light Rail Transit System (LRT) to ride the train every morning when they go to work.
It might be worth a try.

Fiden Claudio,
Manila,
Philippines

Thailand puts financial burden of survival On those barely surviving The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 22 December 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Thursday 20 December 2018

Re: "TDRI urges higher VAT to solve disparity", in Bangkok Post, Business, December 15.
The recent suggestion of the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) to cover up and hide the greed of the Thai elite by increasing the value-added tax to
improve underfunded poverty schemes is brazen hubris which does nothing to
resolve the issue of wage slavery and economic disparity.
According to an economic expert's interpretation of the latest Credit Suisse Report, Thailand has claimed the No.1 place of economic disparity worldwide during the latest junta regime.
Those responsible for this downturn in economic viability are also the masterminds behind the "20-Year Thailand 4.0 Plan".
Making those that are able to afford things beyond the basics pay more in taxes to offset corporate greed does not serve the people!
Rather than admitting that the pay scale in Thailand is too low to allow people to thrive, and adjusting to a living wage like other sound economies and societies, Thailand chooses to put the financial burden of survival on those barely surviving.
Those that have far more than they "need" due to profiteering are exempt from
responsibility for the situation that their greed has created.
This scenario is doomed to failure and will result in a backlash that will further erode social stability and cohesiveness.
Pinning the future prosperity of Thailand on projects such as the recently-launched super mall and luxury condo offering are the result of the elite being allowed to exert their hubris on the masses.
I have talked to many people that have visited the super mall, yet none of them bought anything.
Even the people that work there cannot afford to shop or support their place of
employment.
Maybe a good litmus test to determine if a financial project is truly needed is
to ensure that the people working there can afford to benefit or use it.
This simple idea might reduce the desire of the government to further pillage a
working family's budget with a VAT increase.
Little tokens of few baht here and there are not solutions!
These are just methods of placation to stave off social unrest.
When the paper reports that the average salary of university graduates is only 14,000-16,000 baht a month there is a serious issue about wages that can only be resolved through raising wages.
Nothing less will suffice.

Darius Hober,
Bangkok,
Thailand

 

I am glad to know that the Senate and the Congress of the Philippines has approved the extension of Martial Law in Mindanao for another year.
Our brothers and sisters in Mindanao has been suffering so much for so long under the hands of abusive anti-government entities like Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), Islamic State of Lanao (Maute) and Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) armed wing New Peoples Army (NPA).
It's indeed the time that we have to provide them with the protection they need so they can be safe and secured while they make a living and improve their own lives.
I have been to Mindanao for two times during they implementation of Martial Law and I can remember I have never felt as secured as I was in a locality I am not familiar with.
The police and soldiers were everywhere but it seemed like everyone liked and loved their presence.
I just hope the rallyists, who are said to be just front organizations of New Peoples Army (NPA), would stop blocking the streets of Manila with their streamers and placards just to contradict the enactment of Martial Law in Mindanao.
The residents in Mindanao consistently favor Martial Law.
Why don't we just listen to them, the people who experience it first-hand?

Charinna Grace Belleza,
Marikina City,
Philippines

 

Communist Party of the Phillipines urged to talk peace With Philipppine President before his term ends The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 20 December 2018

If there is someone we can see as close as a crane to an old man, it was the former Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, one of the persons closest to President Rodrigo Duterte.
He appealed to New People’s Army (NPA) rebels not to shut the door to peace negotiations with Mr. Duterte.
“I call on the NPA to trust President Duterte,” Go told reporters in San Andres town, Quezon province last December 13.
National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) leaders, however, said they were always ready to meet with government negotiators for the purpose of reviving the talks.
Further, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had rejected calls for the government to reciprocate the rebels’ gesture.
Surprisingly, this would be the first time that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was not even contemplating on declaring a ceasefire with the New Peoples Army (NPA).
We can recall last month that the President closed all doors to the possible revival of stalled peace talks.
The government also ordered government forces to launch all-out offensives against the New Peoples Army (NPA).
Peace talks between rebels and the Duterte administration started on a high note after four rounds of negotiations to bring a peaceful end to the 50-year-old communist rebellion.
But on November 23 last year, Duterte signed Proclamation No. 360 that terminated peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), the umbrella group of all underground communist organizations.
What is interesting here is the Communit Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New Peoples's Army (NPA’s) response.
Communist terrorist rebel leaders had said they would prefer to wait until the President stepped down at the end of his term in 2022 rather than pin their hopes for a peace deal on him.
This is a game changer.
It seems that the past two years of negotiation with Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New Peoples Army (NPA) is the verge of pure ambivalence from the courtyard of the terrorists.
If they will keep on tilting their heads in favour with them, their ends will definitely be crippling.
Meanwhile, this opportunity being given by the government is only a buying-time for them to consolidate powers; from recruitment to combat strength.
It is clear that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) of insincerity and denounced its armed wing, the New Peoples Army (NPA), for continued attacks on government forces.
I encourage the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New Peoples Army (NPA) to take advantage the offer by a leader like President Duterte.
If they will wait until President Duterte’s term ends, they would have difficulty looking for another leader to talk with.
Peace must be secured before the two party.
It is enduring to see a lasting legacy of peace in this holiday season and beyond.

Jumel G. Estrañero,
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

 

New Peoples Army always ready to revive Peace talks with Philippine President Duterte The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 19 December 2018

If there is someone we can see as close as a crane to an old man, it was the former Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, one of the persons closest to President Rodrigo Duterte.
He appealed to New People’s Army (NPA) rebels not to shut the door to peace negotiations with Mr. Duterte.
“I call on the NPA to trust President Duterte,” Go told reporters in San Andres town, Quezon province last December 13.
National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) leaders, however, said they were always ready to meet with government negotiators for the purpose of reviving the talks.
Further, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had rejected calls for the government to reciprocate the rebels’ gesture.
Surprisingly, this would be the first time that the Armed Forces of the Philippines was not even contemplating on declaring a ceasefire with the New Peoples Army (NPA).
We can recall last month that the President closed all doors to the possible revival of stalled peace talks.
The government also ordered government forces to launch all-out offensives against the New Peoples Army (NPA).
Peace talks between rebels and the Duterte administration started on a high note after four rounds of negotiations to bring a peaceful end to the 50-year-old communist rebellion.
But on November 23 last year, Duterte signed Proclamation No. 360 that terminated peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), the umbrella group of all underground communist organizations.
What is interesting here is the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New Peoples Army's (NPA’s) response.
Communist terrorist rebel leaders had said they would prefer to wait until the President stepped down at the end of his term in 2022 rather than pin their hopes for a peace deal on him.
This is a game changer.
It seems that the past two years of negotiation with Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New Peoples Army (NPA) is the verge of pure ambivalence from the courtyard of the terrorists.
If they will keep on tilting their heads in favour with them, their ends will definitely be crippling.
Meanwhile, this opportunity being given by the government is only a buying-time for them to consolidate powers; from recruitment to combat strength.
It is clear that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) of insincerity and denounced its armed wing, the New Peoples Army (NPA), for continued attacks on government forces.
I encourage the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) to take advantage the offer by a leader like President Duterte.
If they will wait until President Duterte’s term ends, they would have difficulty looking for another leader to talk with. Peace must be secured before the two party. It is enduring to see a lasting legacy of peace in this holiday season and beyond.

Jumel G. Estrañero,
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

Philippine's fight against corruption Overshadowed by acquittal of poltical allies The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 18 December 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Tuesday 11 December 2018

“Stolen wealth does not make the thief respectable. Neither will the trappings of wealth mask [nor] cap the stink that thievery exudes.” (President Duterte’s third State of the Nation Address).
In most of his public appearances, President Duterte has stressed his hate for corrupt officials.
He has fired executive officials whom he had accused of stealing public funds.
But, at the same time, he has recycled Customs chiefs under whose watch billions of shabu were smuggled into the country.
The President’s fight against corruption is also being overshadowed by the acquittal/granting of bail/bestowal of honor to big-time plunderers who happen to be his political allies.
It is during his administration that the dictator Ferdinand Marcos was buried at Libingan ng mga Bayani; former president Gloria “I am sorry” Macapagal Arroyo was acquitted; and bail was granted to former senators Jinggoy “Sexy” Estrada and Juan “No one was arrested during martial law because of their political beliefs” Ponce Enrile.
And now, the acquittal of former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
Can one really believe that Revilla’s chief of staff engaged in those transactions without his approval and knowledge?
The President’s fight against corruption is as shallow as his campaign against drugs.

Raffy Rey Hipolito,
Manila,
Philippines

 

New doctrine invented in the Philipppines to acquit Former president Gloria Macapagal of plunder The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 17 December 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Friday 14 December 2018

Allow me to comment on Artemio Panganiban’s column, “More questions on Imelda’s conviction” 9 December 2018, which pointed out the fact that it was then Associate Justice (now Chief Justice) Lucas Bersamin who invented a “new” (i.e., previously unheard of) doctrine that led to the acquittal of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in a plunder case.
Bersamin practically junked the settled rule in criminal law that the “act of one is the act of all” and therefore it is irrelevant to determine who the “mastermind” and the mere gofers are in a charge of conspiracy.
As Panganiban said, that perverse ruling is now “binding jurisprudence in plunder cases” which looters of the people’s money are now invoking in their own cases with alacrity.
The former chief justice may have missed one more fact.
That same Bersamin decision set aside an elementary rule in the Rules of Court promulgated by the Supreme Court itself which explicitly prohibits review of any trial court’s ruling denying a demurrer to the evidence.
That rule requires the accused to proceed presenting his/her own defense pronto.
Arroyo’s lawyer, Estelito Mendoza, went straight to the Supreme Court to seek review of the Sandiganbayan ruling finding sufficient evidence to convict her and therefore denying her demurrer.
Bersamin, who incidentally was appointed to the Supreme Court by Arroyo, seemed to have obliged happily.

Romano M. Montenegro,
Manila,
Philippines

Is an attack on bishops in the Philippines An attack on Jesus Christ? The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 16 December 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Friday 14 December 2018

The latest attack on the bishops by enticing the faithful to kill them goes too far.
In this context, I would like to raise the following questions:
Shall we stand by and watch the bishop-bashers whose crass and condescending tongues continue to badmouth and threaten our bishops?
Shall we respond with anything more than generic platitudes written in a pastoral letter?
When will the bashing stop? Where will it end?
Is an attack on bishops considered an attack on Jesus Christ?
Is there a reciprocal union between the bishops and Christ?
If these attacks are not halted at once, they might lead to an escalation not only against the bishops, but also against the entire Church.

Reginald B. Tamayo,
Manila,
Philippines

Martial law in Mindanao southern Philippines Is becoming the new norm The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 15 December 2018

Finally, the implementation of Martial Law was then again extended in Mindanao. Many people who are living here in the metro are questioning about the purpose of this extension.
This people are insisting that Martial Law in Mindanao would only bring fear and injustice to the Mindanaoans.
Honestly, as a Mindanaoan and working as hotel manager here in Makati, the implementation of Martial Law in Mindanao really gives us peace and security.
Yes, I agree with Senator Francis Escudero saying that “martial law is becoming a “new norm” to implement peace and order in a perceived lawless area.
I could say that this is because people in Mindanao for the first time felt secure and peaceful from the moment martial law was being implemented.
I cannot deny that the first implementation of Martial Law in Mindanao seems hard for the Mindanaoans because there are lots of adjustment being made especially in the everyday life of the people.
At first, some do not agree with the implementation, some are protesting because they need to adjust in their normal lives but obviously later on, the Mindanaoans understand the benefits of Martial Law in the island.
Acts of terrorism were being minimize, rampant kidnapping, killings, car napping, used of illegal drugs, use of private armies and many more where being controlled. Fear and violence made by lawless groups are being oppress also.
People in Mindanao felt safe now because of Martial Law.
People living in Metro and spend their lives in busy live here do not understand how to live in Mindanao and they don’t have the right to protest and question the legality of Martial Law.
To the congressmen/congresswoman and all other law makers who are opposing the extension of Martial Law in Mindanao, stop using the issue just to take attentions.
For you don’t have the rights to question it because you did not spend your lives in Mindanao.

Shaira Fahad R Dimaporo,
Makati,
Mindanao,
Philippines

Philippine medical community up in arms Over mandate for organ donation The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 14 December 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Tuesday 11 December 2018

Last month, I watched on TV how Congress is preparing legislation that will make it compulsory for everyone to donate their organs for medical availability to patients who may need organ transplant as part of their treatment.
I had to listen twice just to confirm that I heard the right news, which I thought could only be possible in a bad dream.
But there it was, the law was being discussed by lawmakers to mandate people to donate their organs.
Should the law be enacted, the whole medical community would be up in arms.
Will the organs be for sale?
Commercial trading is unethical and strictly forbidden.
Who would think of such a macabre idea, unless there are ghouls in Congress?
A person has absolute autonomy in deciding what is to be done with his body.
Even in times of illness, when there is need to remove an organ to cure the disease or prolong the life of the patient, no physician may even touch, much more operate on the patient’s body, without the patient’s expressed consent.
To do so is malpractice, or a disregard of the ethical right of the patient and violation of the Code of Ethics of the medical profession.
Section 24 of the Medical Act of 1959, the law that governs the study and practice of medicine in the Philippines, provides penalties for such violations.
Who should do the harvesting of the organs?
No doctor can be forced to do so.
I am not aware that senators and congressmen can do so.
I do hope explicit copies of the proposed bill of the Organ Donation Law may be made available to the Philippine Medical Association so I can be more correct in m stirred-up opinion.

Santiago A. Del Rosario Jr.,
Chair,
Committee on Ethics,
Philippine Medical Association,
Manila,
Philippines

 

Call for Philippine government not to consider Christmas ceasefire with Philippine Communist rebels The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 13 December 2018

Christmas may be coming but our government defense forces do not reconsider issuing a ceasefire with communist rebels or Communist Party of the Phiippines (CPP)- New Peoples Army (NPA)-National Democratic Front (NDF).
What for?
Para makaluwag sila to regroup and refurbish para after laban na naman?
Para maka pagdiwang sila ng bongga sa kanilang 50 years na pagpapahirap sa bayan?
We are fooling ourselves about this cease fire.
"A ceasefire is always in their favor never our troops," said Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana
Sec. Lorenzana pointed out that communists will just use this opportunity for them to strengthen their group.
On this note, I am on Lorenzana’s side.
There is no need for a ceasefire.
These people we are talking about are totally untrustworthy.
They do not have this what we call palabra de honor or word of honor.
Just as how the repeatedly committed ambush offensives against our policemen when while the peace talks are ongoing.
What’s better to do is just enter with localized peace talks.
That’s way better than ceasefires.
That is long-term.

Rich B. Madrillejos
Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW)
Japan

Call for Philippine Congress To extend Martial Law in Mindanao The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 12 December 2018

Will there be a final yes or n
President Rodrigo Duterte has asked Congress to extend martial law in Mindanao until end of 2019, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea confirmed Friday. “Yes,” Medialdea said when asked if Duterte has approved the recommendation of the police and military for extension of martial law in the region.
On May 23, 2017, Duterte placed the entire Mindanao under martial law after the ISIS-inspired Maute Group attacked Marawi City.
Let us say that the 1987 Constitution provides that martial law can only be imposed for a maximum of 60 days.
Duterte asked Congress to extend it until December 31, 2017 after it expired on July 2017.
Still, the discretion lingers on the President’s handful of decision. Anyway, congress may veto the pronouncement in majority vote cast.
In reality, a threat still lingers but the government is prepared.
From sleepers, splinters, and bandwagoning groups/movements, there really is a necessity to put a stoppage since those elements may turn into another flying mosquitoes; unseen and unheard to suck blood from its victims.
I hope that Congress will approve the President’s request on Martial Law extension for people’s security.
We need to support this beyond measure.

Jumel G. Estranero,
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for relocation Of Philippine capital Manila The Southeast Asian Times, 11 December 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Friday 7 December 2018

This is a reaction from a constant reader to Peter Wallace’s “Clark: a new capital in the making?” in Philippine Inquirer 22 Novemeber 2018.
This is an alternative proposal I had sent to the consultative committee reviewing the 1987 Constitution headed by former chief justice Reynato S. Puno:
Restate where the capital city and where the national government center will be located.
May I suggest that the above be located and established in an appropriate location in the Sierra Madre, Quezon Province or Aurora Province where the buildings of the three branches of government will face the east or the rising sun while overlooking the blue expanse of the Pacific Ocean.
It will be a resplendent and glorious site and sight, like a “city on a hill.”
We can design and build this capital city and national government center like but not exactly Brasilia or Washington DC, the world’s “first custom-designed capital.”
But certainly not our present capital, which our 1935 Constitution designated as Quezon City. Yet Manila or Malacañang functions today as the seat of central power; and as it appears and functions now, our Senate is in Pasay City, while our House of Representatives is in Quezon City, and in the near future both the Senate and the Supreme Court will be in Bonifacio Global City - signifying or symbolizing what some critics describe as a dysfunctional government.

Edmundo H. Escalante,
Retired judge and former president,
Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)
Sorsogon,
Philippines

New Thai tax law Could divert funds to alternative currencies The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 10 December 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Saturday 8 December

Re: "New tax law prompts suspicions of snooping", in Bangkok Post December 5, 2018.
It is refreshing to read a draft law, especially on taxation, that is simple and
clear albeit far-reaching in covering tax loopholes. Against the law to protect
the privacy of banks' customers, banks and similar financial institutions are
required under the proposal to report to the Revenue Department names of those
who have more than 3,000 transactions per year or 400 transactions with an
average sum of 2 million baht per year. What is the catch?
The main aim is to catch all digital transactions that threaten traditional
retail trade. Those transactions via e-commerce are difficult to trace for
auditing tax obligations. The thresholds of having an average 250 bank
transactions per month or 21 per day are unlikely to apply to most people unless
they are tax-evading traders or other illegal operators.
The same can be said for the case of 20 items per month with an average sum of 2
million baht per item. The added beauty of this proposal is that it will catch
those grey businesses, such as those who heavily transact in cash and
participate in other illegal activities of a money-laundering nature.
Therefore, the criticisms from a few members of the National Legislative
Assembly reported in your press are simply far-fetched and do not hold water.
One criticism that could have been highlighted is that the move could violate
the law preventing the disclosure of customers' names. Hence, this proposed law
requires parliament to approve an override of that long-held rule.
A defence of the law is that it may create more fairness in imposing tax
obligations, thereby reducing the number of citizens dodging their civic duty to
pay fair taxes. However, in having this proposed law enacted, some could feel
averse to having business transacted via banks and divert their funds into
alternative currencies like bitcoins.
The Finance Ministry and the Revenue Department should be praised for adjusting
their thinking to cope with the digital world instead of sticking to the still
water of the past. In doing so, Thailand's tax net would be widened and society
would become fairer just because of one factor alone -- the fear of names being
disclosed and exposed to tax examination. No responsible citizen could argue
against that.

Songdej Praditsmanont
Bangkok,
Thailand

Philippine President warned of human rights violations In war on Communist Party of the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 9 December 2018

Communist rebels are set to observe a holiday truce even after President Rodrigo Duterte had declared a full-scale war on the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, New People’s Army (NPA), according to CPP founder Jose Ma. Sison.
“It is to the interest of the people, the NPA and other revolutionary forces that there be the traditional holiday ceasefire.”
On the other hand, Colonel Noel Detoyato, public affairs office chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the military would welcome such a declaration from communist rebels. “I hope they are serious and it reaches down to the last man on the ground.”
The thing really here is the anathema of hope to fully fulfil the demand of long-lasting ceasefire between CPP-NPA and the Government of the Philippines (GPH).
We suspect that it will be another show from the Reds.
That is why the result was President Duterte’s declaration that he was no longer interested in resuming peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, the umbrella organization of underground rebel groups including the CPP and NPA.
The President, however, must be careful with the pursuit of a full-scale war on communist rebels.
Any human rights violation will always be against the government.
The expletive reactions of Makabayan bloc will always be at par like the Sagay 9 and Talaingod 18.
Meanwhile, recently there was a pronouncement by the Chief of Staff to have a national task force to end insurgency. This shall be established sooner or later.
Like terrorism, the evolution of insurgency in the Philippines is frantically different from before.
Now, they precipitate even in urban jungle where recruitment is at faster phase.
The issue on Satur Ocampo and Martial Law Extension are issues being exploited by media and LLOs to delay the actual taking down of CPP-NPA.
While I do not fully trust CPP-NPA with their rhetoric, we hope that it will be a ceasefire forever and let their cadres return to the fold of laws and not in the field of violence.
Filipinos deserve peace beyond holiday season.

Jumel G. Estrañero,
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for investigation into Health threatening practices at Kenyir Lake The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 8 December 2018 First published in the Star, Thursday 6 December 2018

Kenyir Lake is an amazing place to visit with its abundance of wildlife and breathtaking sceneries!
Last month, we were there on board a large pontoon houseboat, cruising and fishing for three days while enjoying the unspoilt beauty and serenity of this vast lake ecosystem.
Our greatest disappointment while on the houseboat was to learn that the sewerage from the toilets was flushed directly into the lake without any prior treatment and the water for the showers and sinks was drawn directly from the lake.
We were shocked beyond belief that such practices are still permitted in Kenyir Lake where the ecosystem is so carefully preserved and protected.
Furthermore, this practice can pose a major health risk for visitors with young children or seniors with a weaker immune system and are prone to sickness.
I am not a medical expert but having raised two children and being a senior myself, I have experienced these issues.
Is what we experienced normal for Kenyir Lake or is it just someone blatantly violating the law?
I hope the local authorities would look into this and stop such practices to preserve the ecosystem and also prevent the spread of diseases.

Khai B. Toh,
Subang Jaya,
Malaysia

Call for international community To pay attention to crisis in West Papua The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 7 December 2018

The news report that West Papuan pro-independence separatists, described as "stronghold separatists who have battled Indonesian rule for 50 years " have reportedly shot dead up to 31 migrant construction workers ... bring the construction project to a halt" ( Southeast Asian Times 6/12/18 ) is shocking, sad and tragic.
It is a classic case of violence begetting violence with innocent lives being lost.
How is this pattern of violence - with Indonesian occupation and political repression on the one hand, and West Papuan freedom fighters on the other - to end?
That is the critical question. But the international community has not paid it the attention it deserves thus perpetuating the state of violence in West Papua.
I wonder why the absence of commitment to the crisis in West Papua?

Rajend Naidu,
Sydney,
Australia

Call for investment and development In Myanmar's Chin state The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 6 December 2018 First published in the Myanmar Times, Thursday 29 November 2018

Sir - I felt disheartened to read your article “Impoverished Chin sees little progress in drawing investment” printed on November 29, fearing that it is doomed to remain in a quagmire of inactivity and wasted potential.
Chin State is becoming an increasingly popular travel destination, and rightly so. This is especially the case for those Myanmar people and foreigners who are keen to explore beyond the “Grand Four” - Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Inle Lake in southern Shan.
And yet this increase in interest has not translated into a widespread development of products and services for visitors to Chin since the State was declared open to foreign visitors in 2013.
While over the last five years places such as Dawei and Hsipaw have seen a blooming of hospitality options and products for tourists, the change in Chin is limited.
The most noticeable difference when travelling to Chin today, compared with in 2013, is that the main track leading up Mount Victoria is plagued with motorbike taxis and other vehicles, and the summit is peppered with rubbish.
This is understandably to the vexation of those who go to the area to spot the birds, or marvel at the rhododendrons in peace.
In addition, Chin remains expensive to travel to and there are few reliable local providers to work with.
It is true that Chin State’s landscape and distinct culture, coupled with its relative peace and political stability that it enjoys, does imbue it with much potential for tourism. But without investment in development, I fear that Chin’s future as a bright tourism hot spot will come no closer to realisation.

Bertie Lawson
Managing director, Sampan Travel,
Yangon,
Myanmar

Myanmar's Buddhist monks are the elephant in the room In the repatriation of Rohingya Muslims to Rakhine The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 5 December 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Monday 3 December 2018

Re: "A Thai solution for the Rohingya crisis", in Bangkok Post Opinion, November 29.
Nehginpao Kipgen has spelled out all the organisations that could or should be
involved in any solution to the Rohingya crisis, now that Thailand is the Asean
chair.
But the elephant in the room is the current population of Rakhine state,
especially the Buddhist monks who were so opposed to the Rohingya people
returning.
The Myanmar government needs to work closely with local people to put an end to
their prejudices and ensure they are ready to positively welcome the Rohingya
people.
And that of course is a massive task.

Gerry Popplestone,
Bangkok,
Thailand

The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) Appoints first woman secretary-general The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 4 Dec 2018 First published in the Star, Saturday 1 December 2018

After the devastating knock-back of the 14th General Election (GE14), the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) did not retreat in defeat.
Instead, it remained resolute, defiant in adversity - and the unexpected happened. Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) made a breakthrough of sorts in empowering womenfolk.
At its recent party election, Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) saw the appointment of its first woman secretary-general, Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun, making it the first local political party with a female holding this high-level post.
Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) also made headlines this year when Nicole Wong Siaw Ting was voted in to helm the Youth Wing over her male contender, Ng Kian Nam.
Never has a woman been elected national youth chairman in Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA)'s 69-year history!
This impetus of change did not end here.
The 2018 party election also saw a significant increase in the number of women candidates vying for key party positions.
Among them were the Central Committee Member Chan Quin Er, a lawyer who is a former deputy public prosecutor, and Dr Pamela Yong, an orthodontist.
The entry of these women into a once male chauvinist political party spells renaissance and is simply a breath of fresh air and hope!
It also bodes well for and is synchronous with the manifesto of the newly minted president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, who espouses a new era embracing innovation in the revival of Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA).
Indeed, this change in the grassroots support for women candidates has certainly moved MCA away from being a male-dominated party.
It is also a manifestation of the fact that this 69-year-old party is ready to be helmed by women who would then be the voice for MCA.
With a good representation of women leaders, MCA can be more vocal on gender equality and liberty in an environment that tends to disadvantage and put them down. And the transformation from a businessman to a completely professional team at the helm – consisting of Dr Wee, a civil engineer with a doctorate as president; Dr Mah Hang Soon, a heart specialist as his deputy; and two lawyers and an accountant as vice-presidents – will also augur well for the future of a two-party system.
Like most traditional patriarchal Chinese families, MCA has conventionally been a male-dominated party.
While women were given some room to play key roles, they often shied away from the combative nature of politics.
And the dominance of one gender in decision-making at the national level did not help matters as, more often than not, it was a huge turn-off.
However, with the changing times and emerging global trends where more and more women are being elected to high office, women in Malaysia are motivated to step out of the shadows and participate in active politics.
This is most evident with the increasing number of women, including those with professional backgrounds, who volunteered to take part in the party’s recent election, seeking to be voted in to the party’s top echelon.
Many of these women leaders spoke about wanting to help the party regain support from the people as well as pressing socioeconomic issues.
Despite the huge challenge to effect change as an opposition party, they are, however, resolved to seeking the fulfilment of the reforms and promises made by the ruling party in their election manifesto.
This serious no-nonsense manner of its womenfolk might be the right prescription for MCA to re-emerge as a political party that can be counted upon.
Their determination and wilfulness would most definitely be a formidable asset.
Such was the case of an engineering consultant whose service contract was terminated due to her refusal to relinquish her party post.
This admirable Wanita MCA member was “let go” from her RM70,000 a month job because her employer did not want to risk antagonising the sitting government by “harbouring” a high-ranking MCA official in its payroll.
Yes, GE14 saw the defeat of MCA but this just might be the blessing in disguise that we have all been waiting for – because only the good men and women will choose to remain to defend the party and keep it alive while the less noble leaders would abandon ship.
Some may say that this is perhaps the rock bottom that will become the solid foundation upon which MCA will be rebuilt.
So, please, do watch this space.

Datuk Seri To Lian Ker,
Chairman,
Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (INSAP),
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

Confussion is still lingering.
I am confused with the reaction by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) about the deployment of troops to the southern Philippines.
I think there is nothing wrong in the plan for the government to deploy more troops to this area as long as it is for the benefit of the people.
I assume that the government is deploying more troops to the southern Philippines because there is a threat in the area or maybe because they have to streghten the military presence in particular areas in the south.
If I were a resident in Negros, Bicol or Samar, I would be thankful that there is a military presence in the community, since I know that they can help us in security matters especially for the upcoming 2019 Election.
And honestly, the presence of bad guys like the New People’s Army (NPA) are truly rampant in the area.
So why is the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) CHR so afraid of the deployment of troops?
Are they protecting someone?
Is there anything that they are hiding?
Why are these groups always against the government’s plan?
They should rather focus on the mandate being tasked to them.
So far the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the government have not violated any Human Rights with this plan.
Instead, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) must focus on Human Rights violation of the New Peoples Army (NPA) and help bring justice to the family of those killed by this terrorist group.

Jomarie Kaye Patalinghug,
Manila,
Philippines

Communist Party of the Philippines and New Peoples Army Are not heroes The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 2 December 2018

As we celebrate Andres Bonifacio Day today, I hope our fellow Filipinos would not only think of his name but all his sacrifices as the head of Katipunan to fight against the Spanish colonizers.
But I would to say that his actions of being a revolutionist must be isolated from the way Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New Peoples Army (NPA) members - who also consider themselves revolutionists - act today.
Bonifacio's revolution in late 1890's was focused on the thought of freeing our people and our country from the hands of abusive foreign invaders, the Spaniards. Their revolution was also about igniting the sense of nationalism among Filipinos and unite as one against Spaniards.
Today, the revolutionists existing in the Philippines are communists.
They are not really crying for freedom because in the first place, we are not under any foreign control.
What they really push for is transforming the prevailing political ideology which is neoliberalism to communism, which is in reality, inexistent.
There is no absolute communism, and this truth makes it impossible to fight against a systematized government and for an ideology that is not really existing.
It will cause us serious threats in politic, security, and economy.
If that happens, Philippines would be a total mess.
Bonifacio and Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New Peoples Army (NPA) members may both be fighters of a revolution.
But we have to realize that they are fight two separate thoughts.
We can never accept the idea that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New Peoples Army (NPA), too, are heroes.
They are not.
They are the real antagonists of this nation.

Chadrick Benito,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for Israeli government To investigate exploitation of Thai workers The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 1 December 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Tuesday 27 November 2018

The BBC World Service online news ran a short video about Israeli exploitation
of Thai workers and the sordid, disgusting conditions they live in.
Then I thought of the way many Thai employers abuse Cambodian and Myanmar migrant workers.
Suddenly the shoe is on the other foot.
As a former kibbutz member, I can attest to the wonderful conditions my kibbutz
provided for migrant Thais, and I have retained strong friendships with many of
my friends both there and those who have returned to Thailand.
A few bad apples do indeed spoil the basket, as the saying goes.
It is incumbent upon the Israeli government to fully investigate the abuses of
not only Thai workers but all other migrant workers in Israel. Exploitation of
slaves, free workers, etc is a no-no, made inherently clear the Old Testament.

Yankeleh,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Call for peace talks between Philippines local government And Communist Party of the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 30 November 2018

“He no longer has control on the ground. He’s only with them during extortion,” said Senator Panfilo Lacson III referring to Mr. Joma Sison who is the founder of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
The senator clearly have debunked the idea that Joma is still the head of the communist group with this statement.
Well, he may be, in paper.
But this implies Joma is now powerless when it comes to decision-making processes of its members.
Joma Sison, for the longest time of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) existence, has been away from the Philippines and the operations of this leftist group. From this, I can agree with Senator Lacson that he doesn’t have the full control to the group anymore.
This is why I agree that we must support localized peace talks between local government units (LGUs) and local CPP-NPA-NDF group around the country. After all, those who are in the field experience the hardships and not Joma.
This goes to say that it is fair for the local Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)- New Peoples Army (NPA) groups to settle the rift between Local Government Units (LGU) and their group so as to provide a peaceful and sustainable environment for every Filipino.
If he has no control over the existing members here in the Philippines, then, it is reasonable not to restore peace talks with him and start local peace talks instead. This time, maybe, it could work. Maybe we could attain peace this time.

Rich B. Madrillejos,
Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW),
Japan

Remember staged ambush of Juan Ponce Enrile As pretext for Marcos to declare martial law The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 29 November 2018

In order to realize the necessity of the government to fully kill terrorism and insurgency in the Philippines, a Memorandum Order (MO) 32 has to gained traction in favour with government’s dissident campaign knowing the recently, the government held captive a Maute recruiter that will be imprisoned for 40 years. The said Memorandum Order No. 32 (MO 32) is being pushed to deploy more troops to the provinces just by giving orders to the military.
From the given MO 32, we can tell the difference between those who support the fight against terrorism and even those keep an eye to meltdown the plan.
They will keep on saying that the imagined "act of violence and terror" is just an excuse of the President to proclaim martial law to install himself a dictator. Remember in the 70s when the detractors insinuate that the staged fake ambush of then Secretary of Defense Juan Ponce Enrile was used by Marcos as pretext to declare martial law (ML).
Unfortunately, this has been the case since Martial law was declared in Marawi and Mindanao at large.
For the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New Peoples Army (NPA), this will also another platform to exploit to consider this act as a threat to democracy whatsoever.
Regardless of persistent insinuations of Reds, the MO 32 must be act true its sense in thwarting the communist rebels’ plan to extort money from candidates in next year’s midterm elections in “critical areas”.
This political reason by the government may be a good buy-in as STRATCOM to the people to avoid Communist Party of the Pilippines (CPP)-New Peoples Army (NPA)-led or supported candidates.
On the other hand, the challenge here is on how to get the attention of Local Chief Executives (LCEs) to support this.
This needs consensus to all target areas as part of area of operation in Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas and Bicol.
In case the LLOs will exploit this, the general information warfare to extensively proliferate is that was no problem with the memorandum because BY DEFAULT, the President has the constitutional authority to call out the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to suppress lawless violence or rebellion in the entire or any part of the country as stated in Article 7 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
I also dismiss any claim that the very act will be a prelude to nationwide pronouncement and implementation of Martial Law nor a suspension of writ of habeas corpus.
Our times right now is really in a high time to push forward this kind if initiative to coil down all but not limited to spill overs and/or splinters of Maute-ISIS inspired group.
Let us remember that we have a twin dilemma that we need to solve: insurgency and new/emerging threat of terrorism in urban and rural areas.
We have to support this order to concretize the intensification of intelligence operations and the investigation and prosecution of people behind acts of violence.

Jumel G. Estrañero,
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

 

Commission on Human Rights opposes deployment Of Philippine government troops to fight New Peoples Army The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 28 November 2018

I suppose the majority of Filipino people will agree with me if I say that we must unite and be as one in fighting against lawless violence and terrorism.
These heartless people from Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New Peoples Army (NPA)-National Democratic Front (NDF) haven’t done anything good either for their families nor the nation.
They keep on recruiting the vulnerable sectors of the community including farmers, drivers, and laborers to whom they can feed their hypocritical ideologies.
They deceive the students, who maybe the most idealistic ones, just eventually entice them to hold guns and grenades in the mountains and forget their dreams. They resort to creating violence and chaos that threaten not only the economic stability of localities where they are present but also thousands of innocent lives.
Now that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte issued Memorandum Order 32 which seeks to amplify the number of our government troops to be deployed in Bicol region, Samar, and Negros Occidental the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) seems to oppose it.
Why?
I pay high respect to the mandate of the CHR mentioned in Executive Order No. 163 Sec. 3. “(3) Provide appropriate legal measures for the protection of human rights of all persons within the Philippines, as well as Filipinos residing abroad, and provide for preventive measures and legal aid services to the under-privileged whose human rights have been violated or need protection.”
It was clearly stated that Commission on Human Rights (CHR) must vow on the human rights of all Filipinos, but how come I kind of see that Commission on Human Rights (CHR) only wants to protect the rights of those who are wrong such us drug pushers and addicts killed during operations, terrorists like Isnilon Hapilon of Maute group, and some other more criminals. They seem to have forgotten that the majority of the Filipino people are also oppressed by these criminals.
Our state soldiers and policemen are risking their lives fighting against these perpetrators to provide and maintain a nation of peace and stability. How is that not understandable for Commission on Human Rights (CHR)?
Now, I suggest the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to do its job as other government agencies including civilian and armed offices do their respective mandates as well.
To CHR: Stop mending other agencies’ business. Stop favoring criminals over the real oppressed.
Stop fabricating fallacies against the government that deceive the people.
Stop it all.
To my fellow Filipinos: Let us unite for peace and against anyone who wants otherwise.
Let us go the same path towards progress, and that is through peace. Let us support one another.
No lawlessness.
Just pure unity and love for peace.

Carmelita Bunag,
Lianga,
Surigao del Sur,
Philippines

The Philppines not China should draft Oil and exploration agreement The Southeast Asian Times Tuesday, 27 November 2018

Whether the tough personality of the current Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary is his default persona or not, I agree with his words that the recent deal with China must be in accordance with and in favour with us – Filipinos!
The Philippines, not China, should draft an oil and gas exploration agreement, Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said on Wednesday.
Locsin made the remarks on Twitter as he rebuffed President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesperson, Salvador Panelo, who said on Tuesday that he did not care if Beijing drafted the agreement because Manila would review it anyway.
As a backdrop, it was Locsin and Chinese Minister of State Wang Yi who signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation on Oil and Gas Development between the Philippines and China.
It was among the 29 agreements signed by the two countries during the visit here of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi returned home on Wednesday after a two-day state visit.
Interestingly, Bayan Muna chair Neri Colmenares filed in the Supreme Court an urgent motion to resolve his group’s petition to nullify the 2005 joint exploration agreement between the Philippines, China and Vietnam.
The group’s petition to declare the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) unconstitutional and detrimental to national interest has been pending in the high court for the past 10 years, Colmenares said in a statement.
He said the President was “making the same mistake” as Arroyo when he signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on oil and gas joint exploration with Xi.
This kind of set-up between Philippines and China gives the impression that a rainbow after the rain has been the over-arching political scene. One might say that the oppositionists’ game plan is to stage the undertaking of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in transparency. This is going to be effective since freedom of information has been stamped in the mind of many but let us remember that not all governmental documents can publicly be shown to all.
For one, if we have observed, Arroyo administration and Duterte’s current signing of deal with China will eventually be exploited by Communist Party of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New Peoples Army (NPA) through their legal fronts.
That is why Colmenares and Casiño keep on insisting to have a copy of what was agreed and a narrative dissenting against Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) and current concession.
We can forecast that they will exploit Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) and will always recall that during the Arroyo administration, the Philippines, China and Vietnam entered into an agreement - known as the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) for a jointly conduct oil offshore exploration covering both disputed and undisputed waters.
The alleged failure will comparatively be linked to the current negotiation by all means.
On the other hand, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New Peoples Army (NPA) knows no name.
Even though China is pegged as a Communist state as they claim, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New Peoples Army in the Philippines will break this code to advance their interest to destabilize the government.
While China is after the openness in socio-economic sphere and prosperity, the detractors of current administration will continually destroy the reputation of Xi’s visit and the laid down plans.
The challenge, however, with the government is how they will convey this message of partnership between two states to the public that everything is purely trade and economics and no string attached.
On one hand, we hope that whatever had transpired therein, it must follow 60-40 sharing.
What is good right now is that Locsin is trying to portray a tough diplomacy with China in terms of possible inequity of documentary manifestation.
But we have to see the next portrayal of Locsin being the topmost Diplomat of DFA right now.
Whether he will remain like that for the next couple of years, that remains to be seen though.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

 

The Malaysian Estate Owners’ Association Calls for stop to demonisation of palm oil The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 26 November 2018 First published in the Star Saturday 24 November 2018

The Malaysian Estate Owners’ Association (MEOA) is gravely concerned over the continued demonisation of palm oil by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), food companies and retailers, and calls on them to immediately cease their actions because they are discriminatory and not holistic in presenting the facts.
The latest act in this systematic demonisation campaign is the anti-palm oil advertisement placed by Iceland, a British supermarket chain, that was to be aired on television over the Christmas period.
The advertisement has been banned by the United Kingdom’s regulatory advertising authority for being political in nature.
Nevertheless, if the point of the advertisement is anti-deforestation rather than anti-palm oil (as claimed by Iceland’s managing director), why isn’t it addressing other sectors and other edible oil crops that are responsible for more deforestation than palm oil?
We fully agree with British journalist Piers Morgan’s assertion that the supermarket chain is being “hypocritical” and that using the “Rang Tan” advertisement amounts to “cheap publicity” when the supermarket chain continues to stock other branded products that contain palm oi.l
Let’s examine the issues of deforestation and land usage.
1. oil palm is not a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE). It contributes only 0.6 percent of global GHGE. The largest contributor from the agriculture sector is ruminant farming, and yet there are no calls by any environmental organisation for a ban on beef or lamb production. In fact, two million hectares of land are cleared annually for cattle farming alone. Another 480,000 hectares are cleared annually for soya bean cultivation to sustain the feed industry for animals.
2. Palm oil is a cheap and competitive oil not because it is sub-par or irresponsibly cultivated. It is cost-effective and competitive because it has high yields (four to 10 times those of other vegetable oils per unit area of land) and its cultivation and production involves a well-managed industry. We are proud that the oil palm trees occupy just 0.001 percent of total global land area and 0.4% of the world’s area under agriculture and yet contributes over 35 percent of global oils and fats.
3. oil palm is not responsible for most of the clearing of forests. Over the past 100 years, only 19 million hectares of land have been cleared globally for oil palm cultivation. But in just the last 10 years, 14.5 million hectares have been cleared for soya bean cultivation. One wonders why Greenpeace, which created the advertisement for Iceland, has not mounted any campaign against deforestation for soya bean planting. Mind you, it is well known that soya beans cater to the beef industry, and cattle are huge emitters of methane, a potent GHG.
The Malaysian government has repeatedly emphasised that this country is committed to maintaining a 50 percent forest cover. No European country can match that.
4. The world’s population is growing and a lot of food is needed to feed this increasing number. Unesco and Oxfam have both stated that global food production must increase by 70 percent by 2050. Palm oil can contribute towards filling this gap. Already, 975 million people are suffering from chronic malnourishment. Palm oil is an affordable source of nourishment not just as a dietary fat but in carotenes, vitamins A and E, tocotrienols and other nutrients as well.
The world needs more palm oil to combat global hunger and malnourishment. Harming this industry via a sustained negative campaign goes against the grain of these objectives.
5. Across Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, the palm oil industry is crucial as it supports close to three million small farmers. This industry has lifted millions out of poverty and ensured economic and social justice for the poorest sections of society. It has also helped Malaysia achieve its economic and political objective of wealth redistribution, and in so doing it has helped to maintain social stability.
6. In the next few years, under the mandatory Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification scheme, palm oil in Malaysia will provide the assurance required to all that it is sustainably produced.
It is ironic that other edible oils do not require a sustainability fiat and are not subjected to the same stringent requirements demanded of palm oil. This is discriminatory and reeks of double standards.
Palm oil is not confined to cooking oil and biofuels. It has a future that includes oleochemicals and biochemicals, pharmaceutical products and energy from its biomass. Its production involves a multifaceted and complex industry that serves important social and economic objectives in South-East Asia, as well as addressing the ever-pressing global imperative of feeding a growing world population.
Attempts to denigrate and demonise palm oil affect the livelihoods of millions of innocent and hard-working people. These attempts have to stop. Enough is enough.
What do Iceland and Greenpeace want to achieve? Reduce the demand for palm oil and substitute it with some other edible oil which entails greater deforestation?
We call on retailers, food companies and other related organisations such as NGO members of the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) to actively encourage the use of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO), and to defend CSPO when unfair accusations appear in the media.
These bodies need to stop playing with people’s livelihoods and stop demonising an efficient, productive oil that in 100 years has helped to feed the world and pulled millions of small farmers out of poverty.

Malaysian Estate Owners' Association,
Penang,
Malaysia

US-Australian military installation on Manus Will not benefit Papua New Guinea The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 25 November 2018 First published in the National, Tuesday 20 November 2018

Please allow me to share my views regarding Papua New Guinea’s involvement with Australia and the United States for the redevelopment of the Lombrum naval base.
United States Vice-President Mike Pence made some interesting and contradictory comments in his speech during the Apec CEOs’ Summit.
He said (smaller) economies in the Apec economies (in the Indo-Pacific) should refrain from taking excessive loans that in a way undermines their sovereignty.
On the contrary, Pence said the US will partner with its sheriff in the Pacific, Australia, and refurbish the Lombrum naval base on Manus Island.
This statement by the VP contradicts his other statement and I disagree.
Papua New Gguinea should understand that any military installation or development in our country undermines our sovereignty.
I am of the belief that the Apec CEOs’ Summit was an opportunity for member countries to foster relationships and create avenues for mutually benefitting economic cooperation in a conducive and friendly environment.
The VP’s statement only promotes anxiety and the mentality that there is imminent danger in the Indo-Pacific region.
On the other hand, the Australian PM chose his words very carefully, calling us family and wantok when delivering his speech.
How do we define the term family when the other family member has in place a lot of stringent measures for the other family member to seek employment or just to spend holiday and do shopping in the family member’s country?
Papua New Guinea should take a neutral stand and be seen as an advocate of peace and love in the Indo-Pacific region.
A country that is open to all will invest in meaningful and friendly economic activities.
After all, we say Papua New Guinea is a Christian country, so let’s practise what we preach.
By a long stretch of the imagination, the military installation on Manus will never benefit this country in any shape or form.
If war and disharmony is the only thing the US and Australia promote around the world, then take the fight to your own countries.
The last thing the people of Manus and PNG need is for Kim Jong-un, of North Korea, to lock in the coordinates for an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile to be delivered to Manus if he so chooses to reignite his passion for nuclear arms technology.
North Korea made that threat to Guam, so let’s learn from that.
The governor and the people of Manus should remain steadfast and be resilient in rejecting this unbeneficial project in its entirety.

Sideline Analyst
Lae,
Papua New Guinea

Wikileakes accused of exposing only US secrets Never Russia or China's secrets The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 24 November 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Friday 23 November 2018

Re: "Freedom an illusion", in Bangkok Post, PostBag, Wednesday 21 November 2018
The writer mentioned a controversial figure and Wikileaks's founder Julian
Assange, who is a long-time thorn in the side of the US.
I always wonder why Mr Assange was obsessed with exposing only the US's secrets,
but never about Russia and China's.
Maybe he knew he could get away from the US's law, but not the Russian and
Chinese "law". (Sergei Skripal's case and the vanishing of four Chinese
dissidents while staying in Thailand comes to mind).
Had Mr Assange exposed Russia and China, he would have made the US look like Dorothy Gale.
Some of Mr Assange's fans have an excuse for him, though, saying his staff at
Wikileaks didn't have knowledge of the Russians and Chinese.
Come on, you can do better than that!

Somsak Pola,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Filipinos should not be confused as to why President Duterte welcomes China President Xi Jinping The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 23 November 2018

When talking about President Xi Jinping, the very first thing that comes to my mind is the West Philippine Sea.
It is impossible for me, as a Filipino, not to think about West Philipppine Seas when the topic is about China’s chief executive.
Undeniably, he is considered as one of the most powerful leaders in the world today.
With this comes great influence around the globe in politics and economics.
Yes, US is still powerful but the way I see it is that it is no longer as powerful as it used to be.
With President Duterte’s independent foreign policy, “friends to all, enemies to no one,” the public should not be confused as to why the leader of our nation is being nice and welcoming to President Xi of China.
The hopes of genuinely owning the West Philippine Seas is still with me but considering the fact that China is way more powerful than the Philippines, the only way to agree on this kind of disputes is through friendly negotiation and diplomacy.
I still want the residents in nearby coastal municipalities to be able to go to Scarborough Shoal and I am still asserting that the Chinese Coast Guard members must not be in the area to threaten and exercise power tipping over our poor fishermen.
But it is not wise to just resort into something that could cause chaos and further deathtrap to our citizens who only want to provide food for their families.
The solution I see here for both the Philippines and China to mutually agree with the terms in utilizing the resources of West Philippines.
That does not mean letting the Chinese colonize the Filipino territory.
That is called protecting the entire populace.
Whilst we want to solely claim our rights over West Philippine Seas, it is wise for President Duterte to consider that we can never engage into an armed struggle versus China and end up maligning even the people from the grassroots.
I just hope people would think about the logical implications of their wants first before saying that we must go into war with China.
Is that really what we want?
Bloodshed?
I say, we have to think of the common good.
We have to stop thinking more like demons than angels.
We have to stop thinking of cruelty and war as solutions.
We have to stop all these negative thoughts.
Let us not just go with the consensus brought about by our intensified emotions. The situation in West Philippine Sea right now might not be what we want.
But sometimes what matters more is not what we want.
More importantly, it is our needs-our needs for holistic peace and economic stability.

Chissan Rae Balderas,
Manila,
Philippines

How is the PNG Morobe Provincial Government Going to repay Philippine loan of US$100 billion? First published in the National Tuesday 20 November 2018

I wish to comment on the recent media announcement by the Papua New Guinea Morobe provincial government to seek a US$100 billion (K334 billion) funding from a partner in Philippines to fund various developmental projects in the province.
While the idea seems exciting, it will be a massive undertaking.
Even the Papua New Guinea Government cannot go to the extent of negotiating external funding of this magnitude and any layman would ask what financial institution, company or organisation will spend this kind of money in one province in Papua New Guinea and for what financial or other benefit.
Also, is this money a grant, loan or free assistance?
Whether it is a grant or a loan, Morobe Provincial Government must guarantee this loan.
What assets does the province own that can be used as collateral?
No-one in his or her right frame of mind would want to give this kind of money away without any benefit in exchange.
The people of Morobe and Papua New Guinea need to know the details about this project.

Robin Siwick.
Port Moresby,
Papua New Guinea

 

Philippine government serious in providing help To New Peoples Army recruits to abandon armed struggle The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 21 November 2018

I am glad that the E-CLIP or Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) of the government is an effective tool in helping rebel returnees as they begin their normal lives after being recruited by the New People’s Army (NPA).
Wherein, according to Administrative Order No.10, Section 1 Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) is hereby enhanced by providing a complete package of assistance to former rebels (FR) who were member of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), New People’s Army (NPA), and National Democratic Front (NDF) as well as their immediate family member, who have surfaces beginning and expressed their desire to abandon armed struggle and become productive members of the society.
It is obvious that the government is serious to its commitment in helping former rebels by giving them livelihood assistance.
As a result, another 134 New Peoples Army (NPA) rebels from Bicol recently receive livelihood assistance amounting to P65, 000 each from DILG.
Not bad to start a better and peaceful life anyway.
To me, if I am a rebel, I would rather go back to the folds of the government than to sacrifice my family, happiness, freedom and why devote life inside the Communist group who don’t have the sense of integrity?
Whose expertise is to kill, to exploit, and spread terror.
Why stay on a group who are losing ideology?
Better live life with peace together with family without fear.
As they say “Di kailangang magtiis”

John Jason Castillo,
Manila,
Philippines

Lawyer fighting for land rights shot dead Defending slain sugarcane workers The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 20 November 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Wednesday 14 November 2018

To Philippine Inquirer columnist Oscar Franklin Tan:
On November 6, 2018, lawyer Benjamin Ramos Jr., one of our founding members, was shot dead in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, by unidentified assailants.
Attorney Ramos had been assisting the families of nine sugarcane workers who were slain in Sagay, Negros Occidental, last month.
He was a staunch human rights advocate who had readily provided pro bono legal services to embattled activists and peasants fighting for land rights.
Another one of our lawyers, Kathy Panguban, is facing a patently malicious and baseless charge for the nonbailable offense of kidnapping.
Like Ramos, Panguban provided legal assistance to the families of the slain sugarcane workers in Sagay by facilitating a mother’s recovery of her custody over a 14-year-old witness to the atrocity.
Ramos is the 34th member of the legal profession killed since President Duterte came to power in 2016.
Panguban is certainly not the first of our lawyers to have been slapped with a groundless harassment suit for the legitimate practice of law or, worse, faced violent threats to their life.
We are saddened that, amid this brutal milieu, you have devoted much of your precious column space to disparage our efforts before the Supreme Court based on yardsticks you haughtily brandish on account of your Harvard “pedigree” and ability to rub elbows with who you perceive to be the rising eagles of the legal profession.
We would have immensely benefited if you, instead, shared your insights on mechanisms we could further explore to protect our ranks, or tapped into your apparently vast network to raise a hue and cry against these atrocities committed against members of our profession.
However, we are consoled by the fact that groups and institutions have spoken up. These recent events have propelled us to link arms with various international human rights and lawyers organizations, the Commission on Human Rights, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the European Union and, more importantly, a considerable number of grassroots people’s organizations to condemn these attacks on lawyers and human rights defenders.
We are mere creatures of imperative, Mr. Tan. We were established in 2007, prompted by a state of necessity arising from the rampant killings of activists during the term of former president Gloria Arroyo.
Like you, we long to see the day when the Supreme Court’s dockets are no longer plagued by our petitions.
We strive to become irrelevant and unnecessary in a world where established institutions work efficiently and effectively, by themselves, to promote human rights.
To be rid of us, Mr. Tan, you have to struggle with us to dismantle our imperatives.
By then, we would happily joust with you on the finer points of oral argumentation before the high court, and we could sip fine wine as we debate whether this or that legal maneuver is done for hype or substance.
But the place and time for that is not here and not now.
Because we are being killed out there, Mr. Tan.

National Union of Peoples' Lawyers (NUPL) National Council,
Manila,
Philippines

 

Philippine primetime show shows that being a rebel Is better than being a Duterte government employee The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 19 November 2018

I am writing to have the attention of “Ang Probinsyano” production and Philippine National Police (PNP).
I am now worried with the subliminal message of the story.
This show seems to imply to the public that being in a rebel group is way better than being an employee of the government, whether civilian or armed.
So what’s really wrong?
Let me just get into three points:
One. Public officials in the characters of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and the President of the Philippines, as part of the government, are being portrayed as corrupt and bad personalities in the show.
I consider the fact that no government is ever perfect and flawless.
But I also realize that not all people working for the government are tinted with corruption and anomalies.
The portrayal of above characters in “Ang Probinsyano” affects the general public’s perception on all government agents - influential, power-trippers, corrupt, criminals, and the list of negative identities goes on.
Again, objectively speaking, there may be of these sorts in our government.
The administration acknowledges this fact and this is the reason why President Duterte wants to cleanse it.
However, there remains a lot of good pure hearts whose only dream is to serve the Filipino community.
Two. Pulang Araw is the group of rebels in the top-rating show.
The way I see it, it is the group that symbolizes Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).
The existence of this rebel group is portrayed as a catalysts for a better society, that their members are those with genuine concern for the Filipino citizens.
While it is true that FPJAP is a fictional show, it is also worth considering for its production to assess the psychological impacts of their show to the audiences from varied ages from all walks of life.
Having said this while I acknowledge the role of entertainment media as an influencer through creative writing, I ask the scriptwriters, producers, and everyone behind FPJAP to reassess and redefine their real intent for creating the show - not only to provide the audiences with entertainment, but more importantly to help the nation succeed with its campaign against insurgency that sabotages our economy.
And three. In this primetime show, Cardo Dalisay decided to cut ties with Pulang Araw and formed his own vigilante group - Vendetta - with some other former members from the rebel group mentioned earlier.
His group, in the story, has been having encounters with the government forces and bad guys to rationalize the act of killing.
This is no better than any other group in my opinion.
The only legal authorities who shall implement the rule of law are those who are in the government.
Thus, what Cardo Dalisay does as a Vendetta is completely wrong, in reel or reality.
The people behind the show must stop romanticizing the existence and acts of rebel groups, making them like protagonists not only in the show but in the hearts of viewers.
I hope that Philippine National Police (PNP) and entertainment media must work hand-in-hand to provide viewers with great stories without sacrificing the image of the government.
We have to have stories that will empower their sense of patriotism and loyalty to the Constitution.
The government cannot stand alone. It needs us, the private citizens, to help it be on track for progress.

Benjamin Cruzado III
Script Supervisor,
Manila,
Philippines

Extention of Martial Law in Mindanao Dependent on consensus The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 17 November 2018

Will there be another extension of Martial Law in Mindanao right after this year? Recently, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. said the military would recommend the extension of martial law in Mindanao, citing the result of military assessments and favorable feedbacks from local chief executives in the region.
As told by the Chief of Staff, “In the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom), we had a very lengthy assessment and we saw that most of the local government units were recommending the extension of martial law.”
Based on what I have seen in the news, most of the provincial governors in Mindanao wanted martial law extended in their areas.
Moreover, like Galvez, Sobejana said he had been receiving favorable feedback from local chief executives on plans to extend martial law in central Mindanao. “The province of Lanao del Sur manifested [its] support for the extension of martial law, as well as Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat. I am waiting for North Cotabato. I’m waiting for their consensus,” Sobejana said.
Though there is a need to extend martial rule in Mindanao, the people in the region should be consulted first to garner the support needed (like people’s initiative).
On the other hand, the electorate must decide on the single political question whether ML be pushed through which must be agreed or not in general vote by the electorate through referendum; not by plebiscite alone unless the latter has already gained traction.
The only challenge here is that if the Local Chief Executives (LCEs) statements are total consideration of a plebiscite given the populace’s necessity to decide on a public question situated in the affected areas (i.e. Cagayan de Oro, Lanao del Sur, Agusan del Sur, and alike).
Also, the proscription case being filed against CPP-NPA should also be in constant motion to roll over to intensify the effort of government to fight all forms of violent extremism.
I believe that the government was able to thwart lawlessness in his areas of responsibility because of martial law.
And so, we can justify that it helps a lot in our campaign against all forms of lawlessness and encourages the civil government to do their jobs as well.

Jumel G. Estrañero,
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

The world is divided Between the U.S and China The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 17 November 2018

We are in the age where the world is divided between U.S. or China’s alliance specifically in trade.
The signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) - a China-backed bid to complete the world’s largest trade deal without the United States has - been pushed back to 2019.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said economic and trade officials came to this conclusion at the economic community council meeting of the 33rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit here. RCEP, covering half the world’s population, is billed as an antidote to US President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda, which has seen tariffs imposed on almost half of all Chinese imports to the United States and retaliatory levies by Beijing.
The negotiations on the proposed agreement formally began on November 12 (Monday), with RCEP initially expected to be signed during this week’s three-day summit here. RCEP was given extra impetus after Trump pulled the United States out of the rival Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
RCEP is a free trade deal among the 10-member states of ASEAN and six Asia-Pacific states with which the group has existing free trade agreements.
These are Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.
The remaining 11 countries in TPP are preparing to inaugurate the revised trade deal, the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, following Australia’s ratification earlier this month.
The deal is due to take effect on December 30.
Several other economies are preparing to try to join the pan-Pacific accord, including the Philippines and South Korea.
Although the USRAPAC Commanding General Robert Brown just recently visited the Philippines for its almost a week of stay to assure its partnership with the Philippines in terms of defense and security, it is undeniable that China is now the standard-bearer of global free trade with ‘RCEP’ at the heart of its strategy.
On US’ Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), it is still alive even without United States, but RCEP is now the world’s biggest trade deal.
This is to mention that we still have to consider the presence of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS, and AIIB.
The latter organizations are deliberately making some noise at some point to at least counter US-led trade affairs in the Asia Pacific given that we have 6 non-ASEAN member states in RCEP that are also bidding to be part of another revised version of TTP into CPTPP by the end of December.
The game changer here is going to be the number of states to relinquish its membership as future trade partners with China (under TPP) and United States (under CPTPP). This is going to be a battle in number of support to be pushed through.
On the other hand, it is going to send a message to the international community that China is trying to sway other Asia-Pacific partners to stand by free trade with rising protectionism and strains on free trade that US is trying to interdict not only with China but also to the rest of the world and so, China says we need to advance the RCEP negotiations.
India, at one side, concerns over opening its markets to competition, in particular from Chinese businesses, has been a key sticking point in the several years of negotiations.
I can sense that the negotiation is in the most critical stage, with a greater focus on market access for goods, investments and services.
As I see China right now, Chinese economy was facing “challenges” in the wake of the trade war with the United States, but he insisted strong fundamentals meant radical intervention was not the remedy.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

New Peoples Army set fire to construction equipment At plantation in South Cotabato, Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 16 November 2018

Heavy equipment of a private construction firm in South Cotabato were recently burned by the New People’s Army (NPA). Supt. Aldrin Gonzales, spokesperson for the regional police, said 10 members of the New People’s Army (NPA) set ablaze a backhoe of Gemma Construction at the village of Lamfugon, Lake Sebu town, in South Cotabato.
Further, Gonzales said rebels, under New Peoples Army (NPA) Guerilla Front 73, had been operating in the hinterlands of Lake Sebu. Earlier, on October. 4, New Peoples Army (NPA) rebels also burned a truck, 20 sacks of fertilizers and 18 hectares of lemon at a plantation in Agusan del Sur.
The plantation was owned by a Charity Ampong at the village of Balit in San Luis town who was accused by rebels of being “despotic” to her workers.
Let us remember that since 2015, more than a dozen heavy equipment of private firms engaged in road construction and concreting in the upland towns of South Cotabato, have been burned by the rebels.
On one hand, New Peoples Army (NPA) stand on this kind of crime is like acting a la Robin Hood.
Blaming the government or company owner while giving pitiful concerns to the people in the locality.
Words like the workers can only have their time to rest during lunch break but they are required to rest in sheds or else their wage will be deducted.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time they have acted like this.
In a statement last year, the New Peoples Army (NPA) owned up to the burning of quarry equipment in Koronadal City.
Those equipmens tend to be of high value for local construction or probably in agricultural usage but to no avail, the New Peoples Army (NPA) has continually making crimes that has to put them in contempt at any rate of criminal act.
Clearly as the sun kissed, this is the work of New Peoples Army (NPA), which has been mulcting the construction company.
Pure hostilities of properties not even owned by the terrorists is a big crime of humanity.
What an economic sabotage an endangering the lives of many Filipinos!

Jumel G. Estranero,
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

Singapore provides best model For exellence in education in Asean The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 15 November 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Monday 5 November 2018

Re: "Thai English proficiency drops", in Bangkok Post Monday 5 November 2018.
So why does the drop in ranking constitute tragic news?
Who in the country really cares about this, or any other ranking system?
For more than a century, we have known there is a strong correlation between higher English proficiency, a nation's wealth and its progressive social values. Although each Thai student studies English for at least 12 years at primary and secondary school, they are still unable to communicate in English.
This is proof the educational system that has been place for 70 years is shortchanging them.
Even Thai students who are doing their PhDs, as well as the professors advising them, can't speak or write in correct English.
Draconian immigration laws and work permit rules are partly to blame for the
dismal state of English in Thailand.
Thailand can easily tap into the talent of foreigners who have relocated here by providing them suitable visa benefits and hassle-free work permits.
Many of us who have decided to live here are willing to work for free.
Thailand will not be able to improve its stature and economy without making
English a medium of instruction.
It also needs good teacher-training programmes at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Within Asean, Singapore provides the best model of how excellence in education can lead to the creation of wealth and prosperity for its citizens.

Kuldeep Nagi,
Bangkok,
Thailand

 

Call for Thai government to lift 60 day ban on election compaigning The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 14 November 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Monday 12 November 2018

Re: "60 days 'long enough' for campaigning", in Bangkok Post, Saturday 10 November 2018.
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon insists that 60 days is enough for
election campaigning after the ban on political activities is lifted.
If democracy is "government of the people, by the people, and for the people",
as Abraham Lincoln defined it, then 60 days is nowhere near enough for
campaigning.
The junta's ban is on all political activities, not just campaigning.
Before a party can even come up with its platform, it must engage in many now-banned activities, for example, holding nationwide meetings of its membership to
determine what they, the constituents, want from their party - especially since
almost all parties are brand-new.
Members from one region may have different needs from their compatriots
elsewhere.
These differences must be discussed at length and harmonised.
Even for old parties, constituent needs change as circumstances change, for
example, a core plank for the US's Grand Old Party (GOP) has been free trade for decades, but Mr
Trump has been hurling tariffs left, right, and centre.
Then, party delegates must meet and, through time-consuming negotiations, forge
a party platform that defines who they are and why voters should select them
above all others.
Only after they have a well-hashed-out platform appealing to a sufficiently wide
segment of voters should parties go on the campaign path - and even so, 60 days
isn't enough for nationwide campaigns.
Thus, the junta should lift the ban on political activities now, empowering
parties to accurately reflect their members' well-hammered-out long-term needs
and wants through extensive discussions, leading to stable constituencies who
stay with their party through thick and thin, giving us a stable government.

Burin Kantabutra,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Actress joins League of Filipino Students In order for her voice to be heard The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 13 November 2018

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) are really helpless now in recruiting members that they are already using even Ms. Angel Aquino, an actress trending because of the intense scenes she has in a newest sensual film.
I have read in a Facebook post saying that she was a member of the League of Filipino Students (LFS) - a front organization by Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) when she was a student at University of the Philippines in Baguio.
Upon doing my research through open sources, I found out the truth.
She was a member in the past.
She mentioned in an interview that she felt her voice needed to be heard, making it the very reason for joining League of Filipino Students (LFS).
But she eventually entered show business that gave her better avenue to spread her advocacies.
By the looks, she did not become successful because of League of Filipino Students (LFS).
She became an influential person by being in the limelight as an actress. That is what's clear.
I think League of Filipino Students (LFS) is just again using Ms. Aquino to recruit students in the form of deceit knowing that she became a very successful person in her career now.
To students, do not believe their lies.
No one succeeds in joining Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) (unless they quit the hypocritical organization if they are already in it).

Chris M ,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for Philippine Defence Forces To face charges against Philippine government The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 12 November 2018

This is in reaction to an article written at Philippine Star, November 10, 2018 entitled with “NDF consultant appeals arrest order” by Marc Jayson Cayabyab.
First of all, I just wondering where do the Philippine Defence Forces (NDF) get the guts to demand for the release of Vicente Ladlad as well as the other communist leaders from detention?
Who are they to demand the authorities when they are facing grave offenses against our government?
What do they think, they are more powerful than our court and our state law?
“Ang kapal talaga ng mga mukha eh”.
One more thing, Mr. Ladlad filed motion for reconsideration to seek the courts consideration on his absence in the hearing last October 22, for safety and security concern.
If that is so, then let it be the reason of everyone who were not able to attend their hearings in the court.
Honestly, it is just an excuse of coward person.
If he has nothing to hide, then be it.
If he want truth to be prevailed then there is no reason for such excuses.
I believe that the Philippine Defence Forces (NDF) team are really afraid because one by one, there high profiled leaders are now being caught.
There time is over and its time for Joma Sison, Fidel Agcaoili, Tiamzon couple and other Philippine Defence Forces (NDF) consultant and leaders to show their self and face their cases filed against them once and for all.

Jomarie Kaye Patalinghug,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for abandonment of "lock 'em up" solution For Aboriginal children in detention in Darwin The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 11 November 2018

In response to the latest rampage at Don Dale juvenile detention center many Darwin citizens will be calling for a stronger punitive approach towards juvenile offenders; however, the Royal Commission has shown this has not worked in the past.
The fact that at one point all juveniles in detention were of Aboriginal descent also suggests a racial element exists, both in the justice system and in society as a whole.
The “lock 'em up” solution does nothing but produce resentful and damaged souls who are often destined to become a burden to their stressed parents and grandparents, further straining the social fabric.
The Australian public has belatedly expressed great sympathy for the kids detained on Nauru.
After five years on the island, refugee children are now being offered psychiatric care and other assistance when they are transferred to Australia.
What about Aboriginal kids, incarcerated in far harsher conditions?
Many become institutionalised, and are released with untreated psychological conditions, including anxiety and PTSD.
The end result is often substance addiction and a premature death.
This is not a theory, but comes from personal experience, one shared by many Aboriginal families.

Dr Bill Day,
Consulting Anthropologist,
Darwin,
Northern Territory,
Australia

The Communist Party of the Philippines has waged war In rural Philippines for 40 years The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 10 November 2018

What is it with students of the University of the Philippines (UP) or Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) that they are easily recruited to become members of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), or worse, join the heavily armed terrorist group New People's Army?
I remember before that Anakbayan said "The arrest is alarming since the reactionary military forces have a track record of violent and inhumane treatment of their captives, especially women."
Of course this is mere Anakbayan propaganda.
If there is any organization responsible for recruiting women to fight our soldiers, it is the Anakbayan group.
For many years, we have been saying that Anakbayan was one of the above-ground allied fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the NPA. Also, Anakbayan charges the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for their violent behavior, but in truth if there was no armed insurgency by the New Peoples Army (NPA) or Anakbayan, then there wouldn't be any need for soldiers to patrol the hinterlands of Negros Island.
The fact that AFP does not reveal the identities of any of its captives is a proof of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) adherence to international and humanitarian law.
But for the New Peoples Army (NPA) who accuses the military of violations of human rights, they are far worse in the sense that they are recruiting innocent and underage students to fight their lost cause.
The CPP/NPA/NDF have been waging a war in the countryside for 40 years without let-up, hoping that someday, they would change the Philippine government's adherence to our democratic principles and embrace the tenets of Communism. Fortunately for our youth, there are only a handful of UP students who fall into the trap of Communism to the point of arming themselves to fight our military forces.

Jumel G. Estranero,
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

 

No justification for a mandatory military draft In Thailand The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 9 November 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post Tuesday 6 November 2018

Re: "Apirat defends mandatory draft", in Bangkok Post 4 November
There is no justification for a mandatory military draft when the country is not
at war! Forced servitude to the government for any means is equivalent to
slavery.
I am a veteran from the greatest military power ever created and it is
a totally voluntary militia.
My country learned this lesson after Vietnam when they realised forcing people to join when they did not want to created bad soldiers and corruption with people trying to get deferments and avoid the draft.
Making military service voluntary forces the military to become more efficient
and treat the soldiers better.
When the military elites do not have to address soldiers complaints and concerns, then the system automatically becomes abusive and tyrannical.
Tyranny seems great if you are one of the few at the top of the pyramid, but less so as you get further down the rankings. Having a voluntary military means that the soldiers are truly respected for their sacrifice and encouraged to support the effort so that there is not a need for a draft programme.
US soldiers are offered reenlistment bonuses, college stipends, base housing
(for families) and other financial perks that support any civilian career path.
This creates a viable institution that reflects honouring the sacrifices made.
Also, this creates a higher calibre of people filling the ranks.
Soldiers for any developed country are only used against those outside the
country and deemed "enemies" by the government. Since Thailand does not have a
military that can compete with those of developed nations, then why the push for
a fake military?
When the military does not have a focus outside the country's borders, then it
automatically starts targeting the civilian population. It is time for an honest
discussion about the purpose of the military and the actual needs of the people,
not the military elites if the country is truly to advance into the 21st
century. One would think that one of the few countries that supports Buddhism
would have the smallest military and the largest Peace Corps.

Darius Hober,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Democracy is morally and practically Better than dictatorship The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 8 November 2018

Re: “Different visions”, in Bangkok Post PostBag, Nov 1
In his reply to my letter pointing out that the politicians ruling over Thais
since the coup in May 2014, Dusit Thammaraks repeats a number of pious myths.
First, there is the dramatically dubious claim that Thailand was facing
“possibly devastating civil war”.
The discussion necessary to establish any such claim has never taken place.
The known facts suggest otherwise: That the streets were so easily cleared supports the idea that at most a brief period of martial law would have been more than adequate to stop the protests aiming to “Shut down Bangkok,” thereby allowing an election to form a new government to proceed smoothly in accord with the constitution.
When he then proceeds to suggest that Thai people cannot be trusted in the
matter of “casting unbiased and honest votes”, he repeats a falsehood popular
with anti-democratic forces everywhere.
This presumption of being superior to the great majority is not only false, but ignores the moral imperative that people have a right to a voice in the form of their government.
This is a moral truth that dictators reject. Finally, no one is such a straw man
as to think democracy a panacea that can magically cure all ills, merely that it
is morally and practically better than dictatorship, save perhaps for the
dictators making up laws that just happen to be so very beneficial to themselves
and those colluding with them.
To the insultingly low opinion of the Thai people as unfit to have a fair say in
determining their affairs, no supporting evidence is given.
But myths are by definition blindly credited.
Happily, Thais are no longer so piously blind, even regarding Thai affairs, as the dictatorially inclined who deem themselves superior would have them be.

Felix Qui,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Under martial law the military acts to restore order As instructed by the elected government The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 6 Novemeber 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Tuesday 30 October 2018

Re: "Stop chaos in its tracks", in Bangkok Post PostBag, October 29
To Khun Dusit Thammaraks,
I would ask whether the military, if it was sincerely interested in "protecting
the constitution" as you suggest, should pledge never to stage another coup?
The way it works in a democracy is that when there is significant civil unrest
the government declares martial law and the military acts to restore order as
instructed by the elected government.
But in Thailand the military seems congenitally indisposed to taking orders from
civilians. President Trump is the US commander-in-chief and, believe me, the US
military jumps when he says jump.
This might be a good example for future Thai governments to consider.
As to claims of peace and the absence of governmental fraud under the junta, how
would anyone know?
Remember those jingoistic statues built in Hua Hin by the army?
And how are things going in the "restive" South?
But, hey, we caught those tourist desperadoes armed with spray cans right?
Khun Dusit imagines these "young kids" are not up to the task of running a
government.
How would you know, I must ask?

Michael Setter,
Uncharted seas,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Call for helicopter ban Over inhabited areas The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 6 November 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Monday 5 November 2018

The sad death of King Power and Leicester City Football Club chairman Vichai
Srivaddhanaprabha underlines the danger of flying in helicopters.
It seems not a day goes by that one or more of these dangerous contraptions somewhere falls out of the sky, usually resulting in deaths.
It is time the manufacturers admitted their machines are hazardous and stopped selling them for use in general transportation.
Admittedly there are situations where they can be useful and can be justified, but drones are about to displace them, doing a better and safer job.
If the Thai military want to pay over the odds for their helicopters, that appears to be their privilege.
Forces members who use them are expected to accept hazardous situations as part of their chosen profession.
Helicopters should certainly be banned from flying over inhabited areas, as happens far too frequently.

W Brown,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Philippine order for National Task Force To address conclict allegedly caused by communists The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 5 November 2018

Finally, President Duterte has ordered the creation of the National Task Force to address the armed conflict caused by the local communists.
As to the statement of Sec. Panelo, “The Chief Executive announced the creation of the National Task Force in order to address the armed conflict occasioned by the local communists”.
It is just and right that all the atrocities that this communist group should seriously given attention.
It is the right time to that this people who are responsible for the death of thousands of victims and suffering of the family pay their sins and put them into jail.
It is also right that the Department of Justice (DOJ) must pursue the proscription case against the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) -National Defence Force (NDF) as a terrorist organization.
It should and it must be proclaimed that this group are terrorist!
All they did are all kind of terrorist activities.
From using child warrior, recruiting students, initiating ambushes, extortion and promulgating activities to overthrow government are all terroristic activities.
No reasons to not allowing to brand this group as “TERRORIST”.
Now Na!

Sandra M. Ballaran,
Peace Advocate,
Manila,
Philippines

Unscrupulous Philippine loan sharks Leave coconut farmers with nothing The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 4 November 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer Wednesday 31 October 2018

I’d like to thank Cielito F. Habito for featuring a very interesting topic in “In search of a coconut roadmap” 23 October 2018 which was about the status of our coconut industry.
Being a Cocofed scholar and having inherited a parcel of land from my parents have allowed me the opportunity to further familiarize myself with the problems confronting our coconut farmers today.
The Philippines is the world’s top exporter of coconut products, particularly copra. It is exported to the United States, Europe, the Middle East and South America. However, it is sad to note that most of our coconut farmers, especially the tenants, remain poor.
This is aggravated by the dismal drop in copra prices.
Last year’s price was almost P40 per kilo, now it is only P18 per kilo.
While the price of copra drastically drops, the labor cost continues to increase.
Imagine, a coconut climber or gatherer earns P700 a day; this labor cost would never decrease no matter how much the copra price is.
If this situation is not abated, nothing is left for the coconut farmers who also suffer from unscrupulous loan sharks.
What would now be the future of our coconut industry?
Back then, we were made to believe that coconut exports had jumped 315 percent, with coconut water becoming a popular energy drink abroad due to its natural qualities and lack of chemical preservatives.
What has happened to the more than P80 million in coco levy funds that were supposed to benefit small coconut farmers?
Now, more than ever, is the time for our country’s economic managers to take a hard look at this matter. In a nutshell: Use your coconut.

Aldy B. Novo, Maed,
Tandag City,
Surigao del Sur,
Philippines

Former Kadamay members of Philippine urban poor Condemn alleged ties with communist rebels The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 3 November 2018

There are people who know how to sing and some are really and obviously singing in destruction.
At least 600 former members of militant urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) gave their ex-colleagues a dose of their own medicine on Sunday, parading red-lettered streamers and condemning Kadamay’s alleged ties with communist rebels.
The former Kadamay members, in a protest action called “Walk for Life,” now reside in government housing units that were forcibly taken by Kadamay in 2017. They walked out of their houses at the village of Cacarong Matanda and Cacarong Bata in this town recently, proceeding to a park at the village of Bunsuran where they held their anti-communist rally.
The former Kadamay members burned a cardboard coffin bearing the words Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) “CPP-NPA,” for Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army.
They belonged to a breakaway group that started negotiating with the National Housing Authority (NHA) to buy the houses that Kadamay had occupied at the two Pandi villages.
From a political vantage point, the indoctrination is a form of radicalization.
In fact, their leader Jeffrey Ariz and other Kadamay members, are being indoctrinated on communism.
To recall last March last year, Ariz’s group was part of the thousands of urban poor families, led by Kadamay organizers, who broke into idle NHA houses meant for policemen and soldiers.
That was the starting point of a popular and bold tactics the left-inspired group in disguise of socio-economic related upheavals.
At that time, President Rodrigo Duterte asked the beneficiaries to give up the houses to avoid a bloodbath.
At this point, PRRD has all the means to put premium to police power in case needed.
But after such employment, we can see another live action of rebuttal from human rights reactors and even LLOs (i.e. Makabayan bloc).
Meanwhile, Kadamay is a mob in plain and simple context tainted with communism and socialism.
The law must be enforced they should be evicted and punished from the Housing units they forcibly stole.
In a nutshell, this is a good divide and rule strategy to see who is who and which is which group is telling the truth.
If they are not then they have to abide with terms of conditions set by the government.
There must a WIN-WIN solution here. We need their cooperation, not lamentation that is being used by NPA in so many ways.

Jumel G. Estrañero,
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

The people of so-called democratic nations still suffer Endless indignities and oppression by their governments The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 2 November 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Sunday 18 October 2018

Re: "UN tramples its own ideals", Bangkok Post Editorial, October 15
The article points out the structural shortcomings of the premier international
body.
These limitations are a reflection of the failure of globalism as it is envisaged and implemented by elitist bureaucrats who sit at the top of a top-down model of our future.
Organising the UN by nations and giving each one a vote in the general assembly
is absurd.
The people comprising many member nations either don't vote China
for example or, if they do, their vote is only a token gesture in support of a
dictator the Philippines or Cambodia.
If the leaders of China, the Philippines, Cambodia or Thailand were asked
whether the UN should be organised according to truly democratic principles
would their answers be a reliable indication of their values?
Most of the world is not free.
The people of so-called democratic nations still suffer endless indignities and oppression by their governments. Conscription, excessive taxation, over regulation, regimentation, behavioural restrictions, compulsory vaccination, and ever more government intrusion into ordinary life is our lot.
Soon we will be chipped and monitored continuously, and not long after
that we will be perfectly programmed by people like Duterte, Hun Sen, Xi, Kim
Jong-un, Maduro, al-Bashir, Khamenei, al-Assad, Erdogan, Nkurunziza, Mbasogo, Idriss Deby, Kagame - the list never seems to end when it comes to tyrants.
There are 40 dictators ruling today, eight of them in Asia.
I would encourage those not familiar with some of their names to see exactly what UN member states are about with regard to human rights.
Thus, when it comes to the UNHRC, don't be surprised when they throw your rights away while simultaneously endorsing
resolutions to uphold them.

Michael Setter,
Bangkok,
Thailand

A Thai coup by definition Overthrows the constitution The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 1 November 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Tuesday 30 October 2018

Re: "Stop chaos in its tracks", in Bangkok Post, Post Bag, Monday 29 October 2018.
When Dusit Thammaraks appears to extol the new army commander for threatening a coup on the grounds that "He made it clear that the army would uphold the monarchy and protect the constitution", he seems to overlook that a coup necessarily, by definition, overthrows the constitution, the supreme legal
foundation of the nation, and that in Thailand's case, the constitution so
overthrown is what also founds the democratic constitutional monarchy of the
Thai nation.
To be loyal to Thailand's form of democratic constitutional monarchy, you must, indeed, uphold and protect the constitution of the Thai nation.
Mr Thammaraks goes on to suggest that voters in the upcoming election, which
might well come to pass sometime next year as promised, ask themselves some very pertinent questions.
They are solid questions of the sort that voters should indeed be asking themselves of politicians who aspire to be leaders of their nation.
He specifically asks us to consider whether these "politicians have a proven
record of loyal service to their country, coupled with dedication, honesty and
integrity?
Did their wealth result from hard work, or from the benevolent hands of parents and family? And what might be their real motivation and agenda?" As they appear to be threatening to continue their own political careers, I was, I
confess, a bit disappointed that Mr Thammaraks did not also go on to answer his
own very pertinent questions for the currently ruling politicians who seized
power in 2014 by overthrowing the constitution of the Thai nation.

Felix Qui,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Philippine Defence Forces (NDF) allege that universities Used as recruitment hubs for New Peoples Army (NPA) The Southeast Asian times, Wednesday 31 October 2018

I just read an article online saying that youth groups in Baguio City have filed a case against the police because of alleged red tagging to some activist groups.
These young minds do not seem to understand the message that the police and military only cares for the lives being used and wasted by Joma Sison and the entire Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) -New Peoples Army (NPA) leadership.
It’s like playing chess.
These young members recruited from the academes are eventually being positioned as pawns - frontlines of the game - to sacrifice their innocent lives and protect their officials.
For what?
For their officials’ selfish goals of overthrowing a government and making a lawless nation?
The great minds of these future leaders are now being put under a realm with nowhere to go.
From my point of view, the police nor the military nor the parents would never want them to be harmed.
That is why they are strongly sticking with their stand that educational institutions are being used as recruitment hubs for New Peoples Army (NP)A disguised as student organizations.
Yes, they may be activists, But sooner or later, when they no longer can hold the grudge and hatred that is fed to them by the dangerous ideology of Communist Party of the Phillipines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) - National Defence Forces (NDF), they will eventually would want to hold guns and put the law on their own hands.
As they say, you can never really appreciate goodness until what’s only left is evil.
Do not be fooled, dear students.

Ma. Cristina Baltazar,
Tinglayan,
Kalinga,
Philippines

 

Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Denies involvement in massacre of sugarcane workers The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 30 October 2018

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Charlito Gavez said in a press conference, ”There is the hand of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) because there was one warning shot or agitation shot which is what happened in Mendiola and Hacienda Luisita. A shot came from the ranks of the protesters. Then that's when the shooting began.”
The information by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) did not shock me anymore.
But what shocked is to know that Sagay 9, as members of National Federation of Sugarcane Workers (NSFW), may be members of the New People’s Army (NPA). In circulating reports it was mentioned that National Federation of Sugarcane Workers (NSFW) may have been a front by New Peoples Army (NPA).
I hope it’s not true.
But if it is, why would they kill their own members?
What kind of conscience and heart do these New Peoples Army (NPA) members possess?
They have to stop doing these to their fellow Filipinos.
The have to stop treating people from the marginalized sector as baits just to create a story that they think would arouse the hatred and anger of the entire Filipino populace to the government.
Also, there were reports saying that some of National Federation of Sugarcane Workers (NSFW), members were not really sugar farm workers.
Chief Galvez also mentioned in a press conference, “We gathered eight of the victims were new recruits . . . The recruits possibly were not beneficiaries. Most of them were not from there, some were tricycle drivers, some lived in nearby municipalities.”
Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) denied all the allegations by Armed Forces of the Phillipines (AFP) against them and their involvement to the said crime.
But why do I still have this feeling that they Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) is not telling the truth, the truth that the public needs to know.
I am rooting on Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP), along with other government agencies, on this case.
Any innocent Filipino doesn’t deserve to be killed and burned because of some selfish souls.
I hope justice for the nine people killed will be served the soonest.

Aleli Conchita M. Batol,
La Union,
Philippines

Philippine government welcomes New Peoples Army Into Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 29 Oct 2018

I am writing because I pay high respect to the credibility of media and recognize its role on the propagation of truth the world deserves.
Nearly a week has past now since Sagay massacre happened.
The massacre the victimized nine lives could be an eye-opener, not only to the government and the public.
More importantly, it must be an eye-opener to remaining New Peoples Army (NPA) members along with all their front organizations like National Federation of Sugarcane Workers (NSFW).
Their members are being deceived by the leaders of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New People's Army (NPA).
Enough. Enough with destroying and killing of Filipinos. If these leaders would want to fight the government, I suggest stop using the peasants.
All these people wanted is to provide food for their family and give their children all their needs to be successful citizens someday.
Then here comes CPP-NPA recruiters, deceiving them with fabricated truths and harmful principles. All for one reason: to destroy the government - whoever the chief executive may be - because they always try to oust whoever seats.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Galvez said, “The CPP has been hatching plans to oust the Duterte administration and this incident is part of their plan to rouse civil unrest and discredit the government.”
New Peoples Army (NPA) members might as well think now that they are never safe in the hands of their leaders because it was implied on Galvez’s statement that they will do everything - even kill their own members - just to come up with a story that will made the public to hate the government.
Is that how an organization should work?
I don’t think so.
I know life is always harsh, but joining a rebellion is never a resort.
It is never too late for the members.
They can still change their way of life.
Because the government is still welcoming them back to where they initially have belonged through their Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program
(E-CLIP) program.
So might as well decide now before it’s too late.

Brian Carlos Manipon,
Manila,
Philippines

Communist Party of the Philippines deny allegations Of involvement in killing of Sugarcane workers The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 28 October 2018

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) may have been behind the killing Sagay 9 in Negros last October 20.
Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Charlito Gavez said in a press conference, ”There is the hand of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) because there was one warning shot or agitation shot which is what happened in Mendiola and Hacienda Luisita. A shot came from the ranks of the protesters. Then that's when the shooting began.”
The information by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) did not shock me anymore.
But what shocked is to know that Sagay 9, as members of National Federation of Sugarcane Workers (NSFW), may be members of the New People’s Army (NPA).
In circulating reports it was mentioned that National Federation of Sugarcane Workers (NSFW) may have been a front by New Peoples Army (NPA).
I hope it’s not true.
But if it is, why would they kill their own members?
What kind of conscience and heart do these New Peoples Army (NPA) members possess?
They have to stop doing these to their fellow Filipinos.
The have to stop treating people from the marginalized sector as baits just to create a story that they think would arouse the hatred and anger of the entire Filipino populace to the government.
Also, there were reports saying that some of National Federation of Sugarcane Workers (NSFW) members were not really sugar farm workers.
Chief Galvez also mention in a press conference, “We gathered eight of the victims were new recruits . . . The recruits possibly were not beneficiaries. Most of them were not from there, some were tricycle drivers, some lived in nearby municipalities.”
Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) denied all the allegations by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) against them and their involvement to the said crime.
But why do I still have this feeling that they the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) is not telling the truth, the truth that the public needs to know.
I am rooting on Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP), along with other government agencies, on this case.
Any innocent Filipino doesn’t deserve to be killed and burned because of some selfish souls.
I hope justice for the nine people killed will be served the soonest.

Aleli Conchita M. Batol,
La Union,
Philippines

 

Call for members of the Communist Party of the Philippines To pay for their sins The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 27 October 2018

I am calling the attention of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) - National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF) organizers and leaders in this letter.
Hopefully, this reaches Mr. Joma Sison.
For as long as I can remember, I have been hearing reports about the involvement of this leftist groups in criminal incidents in both rural and urban areas all over the Philippines.
Are their members the antagonists of Philippine’s progress?
I don’t think so.
Prior to entering this underground movement, these members were students, laborers, ethnic leaders, community helpers, farm workers, teachers, and professionals on their respective fields.
They were working diligently daily so they can all have a bright future.
Then, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) - National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF) organizers came in.
They set the focal point on the vulnerable side of the people, indoctrinated them with wrong ideals, deceived them with promises and fabricated truths, taught them to go against the government, gave them firearms and explosives, and instructed them to kill one another through “cleansing”.
Can these acts be ever considered humane?
A former New Peoples Army (NPA) rebel narrated all of these in an episode of the longest-running drama anthology on TV here in the Philippines.
In addition to those, the narrator also mentioned forgetting about family.
What?
Why?
When was it ever accepted anywhere in the world to leave your family ties?
There and then, I have realized that the members being deceived and recruited by the organizers are victims, too.
I want them to be captured and pay for their sins in the eyes of law and God, but I also want them to be saved from the hell they have been dragged into by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) - National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF) organizers.
All I want to happen now is for the organizers, most especially to Mr. Sison, to just let their members decide through localized peace talks with the local government units.
Just let the members use their unadulterated logic over peace and holistic public administration.
Let them have a chance for safe and quiet lives while attaining their dreams for themselves.
Let them be with their families. And let them leave Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) - National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF) organizers without any harm and threat.
Let them live and love.
Just let them be.

Carmelita Bunag,
Lianga,
Surigao del Sur,
Philippines

Malaysian Universities Progressively more market-driven The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 26 October 2018 First published in the Star, Sunday 14 October 2018

I refer to “The road ahead for universities” in The Star 7 October 2018.
It was refreshing to read the article by Emeritus Prof Datuk Dr Lim Koon Ong where he reflects on the idea, origin and evolution of the role and function of the university, the latter not always for the best for humanity and civilisation.
The two aspects of the initial university model, autonomy and academic freedom, are increasingly less prominent intrinsic, admirable characteristics that used to define the nature of a university as a centre for learning, thought and creativity. Extrinsic factors and pressures have not helped to enrich and inspire university life, but rather the converse.
The university is progressively more market-driven.
Documentation, quantitation of less essential parameters over quality teaching and education are evident.
The annual “Ranked or be Yanked” exercise consumes much time and energy. More meetings are needed for such data, to analyse, promote and market achievements that can be publicised.
Jerry Muller in his insightful book “Tyranny of Metrics” highlights that the obsession with quantifying human performance threatens our schools, universities, medical care, businesses and governments, the belief that the path to success is such quantitation and publicising the results and distributing the rewards based on the numbers.
The Key Performance Indicators (KPI) of the heads of university departments is dependent on the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) of the staff and the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) of the Dean of the faculty hinges on the combined Key Performance Indicators (KPI) of the component departments and this “merit go round” continues to turn.
I have taught for more than three decades in a university medical school.
I tell my younger colleagues that I do not envy them as they are involuntarily caught up in this performance wheel.
They have less unpressurised time to read and prepare lectures.
Less unhurried time to be creative and have more personal interactions with students, whom the university should exist for.
Our university academic culture where our students spend several prime, formative years has a major influence on their thinking, learning and their development as wholesome, responsible professionals and citizens. Like produces like.

Dr Cheng Hwee Ming,
Universiti Malaya,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

Call for a larger middle class To help Malaysia go forward The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 24 October 2018 First published in the Star, Friday 19 October 2018

Malaysia's aim of becoming a high-income country is only meaningful if many more Malaysians are given the opportunity to share in a bigger piece of the economic pie. Much of the focus has been on growing a larger and more resilient middle class, said to be the engine of our future growth.
In past decades, we have often relied on a low wage policy to produce cheaply for the export market.
This is now not an effective or the best strategy as countries, including China, Thailand and Vietnam, with even lower wage structures can play this low wage game better.
One avenue of reform is to grow our own consumer markets.
The economic multiplier effect will create investment opportunities for our businesses, and in turn employment opportunities, particularly for our youth.
Higher waged workers allow for the growth in our local consumer market.
Note that household consumption is the largest component of aggregate demand, which is between 50 percent and 60 percent for Malaysia.
Higher basic wages for our workers would in turn boost the revenue of the many small businesses and stall holders.
All this will in turn expand business opportunities for the bigger businesses. Businesses’ total reliance on keeping costs low can only be sustained for so long, as more important for them is to grow the revenue inflow.
Einstein’s definition of madness in doing the same things endlessly and expecting better outcomes applies here.
We cannot continue applying yesterday’s solutions to a changed economic reality. A much larger portion of middle class means improving the standards of living for many more Malaysians and is in line with the new administration’s mandate of greater inclusiveness.
A larger middle class, who has been a strong advocate for better governance and increased accountability, will help Malaysia go forward sooner, rather than later.

Sze Loong Steve Ngeow,
Kajang,
Malaysia

Sugar workers armed by New Peoples Army Shot dead in the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 24 October 2018

Burned bodies of three of the farmers using sugarcane waste and gasoline coupled with innocent lives washed out through a number of bullets.
Out of death wish, there was an unexpected killing of nine sugarcane workers in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.
According to the police, the victims, including 4 women and 2 minors, were resting on Saturday night in a makeshift tent when at least 40 armed men shot them inside Hacienda Nene in Barangay Bulanon, Sagay City.
The victims were identified as Eglicerio Cambannga Villegas, 36; Angeliffa Dumaguit Arsenal, 47; Paterno Baroy, 48; Rene Laurencio Sr.; Morena Mendoza, 48; Marcelina Dumaguit; Rommel Bantigue, 41; Jomarie Oghayon, 16, and Marchtel Sumicad, 17, all of Sagay.
They were members of the Negros Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW).
From a distance, the usual case scenario is that the Reds will technically absorb the issue form the core, hype the sentimental and will spiral its claim to different allegations against the government (the same with what happened to Aquino regarding Kidapawan Massacre before his terms got ended).
The usual target of the claim is the Armed Forced of the Philippines (AFP) or the Philippine National Police PNP) via militiamen from a unit assigned therewith.
But here is an alarming fact of the matter in the given crime perpetrated by unidentified suspects - 40 armed men?
We already know who can come up with such a number of armed men.
We certainly know where that outlaw group belongs to.
The usual lie being imputed by Communist Party of the Philippines - New Peoples Army (CPP-NPA) that it is the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) which has its sleight of hand on this case but to no avail, there is no any single amount of truth to that.
In fact, they carry out “Oplan Bungkalan at Okupasyon,” a plan to cultivate and occupy private and government land using their “mass base” to instill chaos to the area.
The Negros Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) also bandwagons on this issue by an act of condemnation. Everything is pre-meditated.
Another thing that we can look into are the arms owned by one or two farmers that were killed.
Can we say that they are also members of New Peoples Army (NPA)
Moreover, the funny thing about Colmenares is that he is using the argument that the issue is about land dispute.
As always, his usual rhetoric is that the incident was really absurd because the issue of land is a legitimate issue.
For Reds, that is an attempt of the Duterte government to quell any form of protest by criminalizing legitimate demands.
We need to adhere to the principle that the right to life shall remain unthreatened by proprietary interests, and this extends to agrarian settings.
We hope for an impartial aid of legislation to solve the issue.
I hope this issue will not be a case unclosed given that New Peoples Army (NPA) is visible on this as perpetrators.

Jumel G. Estrañero,
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

 

Call for release of Philippine women activists Arrested for being members of New Peoples Army The Southeast Asian Times, 23 October 2018

Where is the truest sense of law if human rights have already eaten the mind of many?
Recently, human rights watchdog Karapatan on Tuesday called on the Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to release four women who were arrested in Nueva Ecija on Oct. 13 by the military for being members of the New People’s Army.
Ii that rate, Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general, disputed this, describing Yolanda Diamsay Ortiz, 46, as a member of militant group Anakpawis, and Eulalia Ladesma, 44, as a member of the Gabriela Women’s Partylist. Edzel Amocling, 23, and Rachel Galario, 20, are youth activists who have been advocating farmers’ rights, she said.
Incidentally, the Philippine Army reported the women’s capture in Rizal town, claiming they possessed a sub-machine gun, ammunition and four hand grenades but a Karapatan report said they were arrested in Natividad town, also in Nueva Ecija.
Now, Palabay’s statement on the issue has been the same with previous words she keeps spitting against the government for the past years every time any rebels from their group, has been intended captured or killed in action. For example, she said that the relatives of Ortiz and Ladesma have confirmed that the four women were in the custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) at the old capitol building in Cabanatuan City, but paralegal workers were denied access to them.
How come that they are denied with such basic remedy and/or protection of law?
Take note, the forever phrases that we can hear from her and all defender of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Armey (NPA) is to call for the immediate release of the perpetrators.
They will always condemn this continuing spate of attacks against activists and rights defenders.
They will keep on pushing through the idea that there is a torture allegedly likened very much a part of the military and police’s practice, despite national and international laws and agreements that prohibit its use.
With all the blind ideology, this a big blunder against CNTs for using youth once again in their corruption of mind.
Meanwhile, I believe that the Karapatan had no evidence the four women were tortured.
How can Karapatan say that the four captured amazons were tortured?
What is their proof?
It is easy for them to accuse things like that without any basis.
Shown then talk with the government.
That’s how the rule of law be treated.
The government adheres to International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights with the highest regards.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

 

 

Philippines lose rice land To posh housing subdivisions The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 22 October 2018

Cielito Habito’s piece “Momentum breakers” in Opinion 16 October 2018 is sobering.
It made me wonder where our country is going and if our economy would end up in shambles.
Unchecked economic problems will likely deteriorate into political chaos and a precarious national situation.
I can understand the spiraling interest rates and oil prices, for they are beyond our control.
But I have difficulty reconciling his point on the spike in rice prices, since we are an agricultural nation and yet we import our staple food from neighboring countries that studied in our agricultural universities.
Why do we import rice during harvest time?
Why don’t we import ahead of the lean months to ensure ample reserves?
Also, why do we convert rice lands into posh housing subdivisions?
A hectare that produces 200 sacks of palay per harvest season but is sold to commercial developers means a loss of rice supply.
I concur with Habito that if our country is economically dislocated and pushed into penury, we have nobody to blame but ourselves.

Bob Gabuna,
Manila,
Philippines

 

 

CPP calls for establishment of democratic government For workers and farmers in rural Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 21 October 2018

October Fest is coming and the alleged Red October is nearing to its end.
What a hype of oxymoron.
People say, ‘Forget Red October, Black November or White December’. Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison has admitted that rebels are incapable of unseating President Rodrigo Duterte in the face of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ obsession with conspiracy plots. “What the revolutionary forces and the people are capable of is only to establish democratic government of workers and farmers in the countryside. These are the organs of democratic power,” Sison said in an online interview from Utrecht, the Netherlands, where he lives in exile.
Last month, the President said he had evidence of a “loose conspiracy” involving opposition Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, the Magdalo group, Liberal Party and the CPP-NPA to overthrow him.
All parties have denied his claim.
On the other hand, the military decided to call the rebel plot “Oplan Talsik (Ouster),” which, it said, was aimed at summoning a critical mass for a broad united front to remove the sitting President.
This is akin to the objective of Red October.
Accordingly, under Oplan Talsik, the CPP-NPA intends to stir labor unrest through its “Oplan Aklasan (Revolution),” given that the workforce is the “most vulnerable due to increasing prices of commodities and inflation.
Generally speaking, the Red October aims to topple from power, like what happened to strongman Ferdinand Marcos and President Joseph Estrada, without the NPA deploying its fighters to the capital.
Meanwhile, the AFP has claimed that the Red October plot to oust the President fizzled out after it came to light but we can see that the Red October might be a rolling plan that would culminate in December, when the CPP marks its 50th anniversary.
What the government has to observe is the back-up plan of CPP to weaken the government prior to its takeover.
The usual act, like in any other state with insurgents, is to agitate people to rebel against the government by fomenting unrest, sow discord and highlight issues of alleged human rights abuses by government.
Let us be careful with lies and deception of CPP-NPA.
They are terrorists.
They can kill a lot of innocent lives using their armed struggle.
I am certain that what Joma Sison said is nothing but pure LIES.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

Nuclear power has become a non-option Due to expense and safety The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 20 October 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Thursday 18 October 2018

I do not agree with James Debentures' argument in favour of nuclear power
in Bangkok Post Wednesday 17 October 2018.
Nuclear power has rapidly become a non-option around the world, based mainly due to expense as well as safety issues.
No nuclear power station has been built or planned in the US for a long time. Several European countries including Germany, Austria and Sweden have announced plans to denuclearise their power systems.
I also do not entirely agree with his comments about electric motorcycles.
It is true that recharging the machine's battery results in burning fossil fuel
provided the relevant power system is totally served by coal- or gas-fired power
stations.
However, that is slowly changing as more renewable power sources become available to the power grid.
If it is meant that renewables, such as solar and wind turbines, are unreliable
because solar does not produce at night and wind turbines do not produce when
the wind does not blow, I would agree.
Otherwise both technologies are reliable.
That situation will change as back-up batteries become cheaper.
Millions of households around the world are installing roof top solar systems and the addition of back-up batteries will enable people to decide to disconnect from
the grid. Households such as these will be able to recharge electric vehicle
batteries without the consumption of fossil fuels.
Meanwhile, there is a marginal advantage in battery charging transferring
pollution from tailpipes to power station chimneys.
Power stations are mostly located away from built-up areas and so the cities will benefit from cleaner air, even though total pollution will remain similar.

Paul Sweeney,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Communist Party of the Philippines Supports President Duterte agenda on land reform The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 19 October 2018

It seems like Joma Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) has new brilliant ideas of propagandas to divert people’s opinion and perceptions on their organization.
First of all, according to him, he supports the president’s agenda like agreeing with the president’s assessment that Filipinos can be given jobs here in the Philippines, but insisting on their group’s version of land reform.
Second is that they are open to participating in the election since according to him the people want to elect their leaders.
Really?
Where did he get that information or rather it’s a very stupid imagination?
I only person that what to elect their leaders are their members not the Filipino masses. Filipino voters are vigilant now.
Then, Sison said the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP),National Defence Forces (NDF) and New Peoples Army (NPA) supports a continuing ceasefire.
Is he really in good health?
When was the time they follow such agreement?
Even in time of Suspension of Offensive Military Operation (SOMO) wherein the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) traditionally declare during Christmas and New Year’s Day to give both sides a respite to celebrate with their loved ones but then the red side still attack the military.
Where is the word of honor there?
And he even questioned the government program motive toward the rebel returnees.
Well, simple, the government motive is to give chance and livelihood to the returning rebel that once exploited by Sison’s group.
Then, this is the most shocking.
According to him, they welcome the resumption of peace talks without preconditions.
Are they serious?
No, they are not!
When was the time that they did not ask for it? I rather say “mas sigurista pa sila sa mga singkit”.
I believe Sison’s deceptive tactics are not believable any more.
If he is serious and still has the power over his followers, then do the right thing, order them to lay down their armed and stop the armed struggle.
To Mr. Sison, return home and have a localized peace talks and that he can say that Peace is possible in our lifetime.

Sandra M. Ballaran
Peace Advocate,
Manila,
Philippines

 

 

Call for neutralization of anti-government forces To bring law, peace, harmony and love to the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 18 October 2018

I heard in a news report that according to Defense Secretary Lorenzana, the “Red October” plot by the communist rebels has already been dissolved.
Good Lord!
I have been worrying about my daughter who is now studying Political Science in PUP.
Ever since I heard of the news that these communists have been trying to penetrate universities in Manila to recruit students as their new members, I have become consistently worried on a daily basis.
I am not living in Manila nor do I talk with my daughter all the time to monitor on her activities.
It’s not that I do not trust her, but I am fully aware that she is still vulnerable to influences of other people, most especially about matters she’s interested in.
My daughter is my most precious possession, my source of strength, but is also my worst weakness.
I can never afford to just let her be with the rebels and destroy her life with fabricated truths and hypocritical ideologies.
Secretary Lorenza said in an interview, "Eh nung ilabas ng AFP sila nagpulasan na, kaya hindi na matutuloy (When the report was made public, the plotters fled)."
If he is telling us a fact, then it would really be a great relief - not only for me, but also to other parents - that our kids are somehow safer now from the hands of anti-government entities.
I want to applaud the efforts of our military and police in bringing out this alarming information to our students, professors, university administrators, and even the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
This is one concrete proof that our intelligence units or offices are working really hard for all of us.
After all, neutralizing these groups Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and New Peoples Army (NPA) (CPP- NPA)and other anti-governments - would not only benefit the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippines National Police (PNP) nor the government.
It will eventually provide us all with a nation that is governed by law, peace, harmony, and love - which for me, are the cores of humanity and progress.

Aleli Conchita M. Batol,
Business owner,
Aringay,
La Union,
Philippines

2019 Philippine election aspirants Expected to to be loyal to the flag and Constitution The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 17 October 2018

The 2019 elections may still seem to be far yet for an ordinary Filipino citizen.
But for an aspirant, this day connotes the beginning of their not-so-easy, not-so-quiet, and not-so-safe life.
I couldn’t help but think why, albeit knowing all complexities, a lot of Filipinos would still want to be involved in the Philippines. From municipal city councilors way up to senators, there are two things I have in my mind on their intent: public service and corruption.
Does an aspirant willingly want to sacrifice his/her private life for genuine public service to the general public?
Or does he/she want the position to just generate profit through corruption?
For as long as I can remember, the Filipino populace has been condemning the acts of graft and corruption.
This is why I am writing, to reach as many aspirants as I can.
I hope that with their intent to enter the political arena, comes all their purest and most genuine intentions to serve the Filipino people because we deserve a public servants whose values and ideals are aligned with the government’s goal to provide a sustainable and peaceful environment in and around the archipelago.
Personally, I would want also to emphasize that public service in the Philippines requires a heart for the people - heart to share love, peace, and harmony with one another, within our nation and even to our friends around the world. I am also praying the anti-government entities will not take advantage of this period, create chaos, and deceive people that the government is responsible for it.
I am really hoping that all this aspirants are not anti-governments who want to enter the government and destabilize it.
As possible public servants, they are all expected to be loyal to the flag and the Constitution. Please do not go against the rule of our land like other militant groups do.
I am assuming that they all know their purpose prior to filing their Certificate of Candidacy (COC). I am honestly optimistic that they all want to work together towards one goal: a land governed by rule of law, harmony, love, and peace.

Mc Howard Abdon,
Manila,
Philippines

 

 

Call for Philippine students Not to join the CPP-NPA The Southeast Asian Times, 16 October 2018

The news about the recruitment of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and New Peoples Army (NPP) CPP-NPA to the universities and students sector has caught my attention. I am writing this letter which is really intended for the students and youth.
As I was born in this country, I grew up believing in the saying that “KABATAAN ANG PAG-ASA NG BAYAN”.
As times goes by, I have become increasingly confused especially now.
How come that the youth is the hope of the nation when it is very evident nowadays that the youth are one of those tools being used by the CPP-NPA to ruin the government?
How would it be possible that they are the hope of the nation if they are volunteering their selves to be one of the members of the CPP-NPA?
So to those youth who are planning to join their organization, think about it twice as you do.
Remember the case of Josephine Lapira, the UP student who was killed on a clash in Batangas.
She was dreaming to be a doctor but all of her dreams just fell out into nothing because she joined the organization of the CPP-NPA.
Her life ended for nothing.
She died fighting for nothing.
She died without aiming anything in life.
What a lost, isn’t it?
An innocent young lady died because she allowed others to rule her life and fool her.
Do you want your life to be wasted, too?
Do you want your dreams don’t come true?
Would you let them steal your innocent way of living just to die for no reason? Think about it.
Think about the future you want to have and think about it more of what your family would go through if you let the CPP-NPA ruin your life.
Be smart.
Be brave.
Be strong to say NO for the wrong ideologies being instilled in you.

Jhoi Lorenzo,
Manila,
Philippines

"Red October" plot to oust Philippine president Duterte Heresay or figment of the AFP imagination The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 15 October 2018

Critics says that the “Red October” issue is just a mere hearsay.
It was just an imagination of the Philippine President as well as the Armed Forces of Philippines.
But hearing all the statements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the president himself regarding the “Red October” issue, I cannot avoid comparing the situation with what happened in Marawi.
Remember, before the ISIS Inspired Maute terrorist attacked and ruined the city of Marawi, the president had warned that there were foreign and local terrorist building a strong coalition and starting to recruit students from different universities in Mindanao to join and start their demonic activities.
Then, people did not mind it and instead the president was criticized by anti-government groups and gave attention and focus on the faults of the president and other unnecessary issues.
Then what happened next in the city of Marawi is history.
Now, the President once again has warned and exposed the alleged “Red October” plot to oust him, organized by a broad coalition led by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
And obviously rallies by leftist group against government is rampant in this few days and the sad thing in here is they are using students for their activities.
I think this is an issue that we should not under estimate.
I think we should give attention on this issue and if it is true?
Well, we all know that worst may come to worst and we don’t want it to happen of course.
Let us protect our country as well as our children who are vulnerable in all lies and deception from the hands of opportunist.
Let us guard our children, their future and our country.

Sandra M. Ballaran,
Peace Advocate,
Manila,
Philippines

 

Services of the ombudsman Crucial to Malaysian citizens First published in the Star Friday 12 October 2018

I refer to the report “IPCMC will finally be set up” in The Star, September 22 on the establishment of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).
The report also mentioned that the Public Complaints Bureau (ld soon be replaced by Ombudsman Malaysia.
This change augurs well for the new Malaysia as people’s expectations have risen for greater transparency and accountability.
The ombudsman will be empowered by the Ombudsman Act, which is expected to be tabled in Parliament soon, to play a more effective role in addressing and redressing a wide range of public complaints.
The ombudsman chosen should be an accomplished and capable office holder supported by competent and experienced multi-racial staff because the scope of duties and responsibilities will be wide and diverse.
The Public Complaints Bureau (PCB) was hamstrung by its limited terms of reference, resulting in many public complaints being resolved unsatisfactorily.
In some countries, the power and authority of the ombudsman have gradually increased as a result of changes initiated by their governments after they realised the important role it was playing as middleman between the people and the administration.
I hope our ombudsman will be empowered to deal not only with public and quasi-government departments but also the private sector.
At a time when the bond between our elected representatives and the people is wearing thin, the services of the ombudsman would be crucial to citizens.
The ombudsman would also be able to protect individuals and groups from government action that favour vested interests.
A lot of government officers, especially those in higher positions, have been able to do what they like knowing that the Public Complaints Bureau (PCB) and the complainants are hamstrung and cannot undo decisions that have already been made.
All these could change with the introduction of the ombudsman.
It could lead to less corruption, abuse of authority and power, unreasonableness, biased decisions, bureaucratic delay and red tape; lack of transparency and accountability; wastage of money and a host of other shortcomings in the government administration.
To be more effective, the ombudsman should also be authorised to deal with complaints on housing, healthcare, education and financial matters.
The ombudsman would surely be a democratic vent to an increasingly complaining and discontented Malaysian public.
I would like to express my gratitude to the Public Complaints Bureau (PCB) which has assisted me to address a large array of community and social complaints for the last 30 years.
It was extremely effective in dealing with my complaints and has played a big role in solving numerous problems in Sungai Buloh.
I do feel sad that it has to go but I hope to see the diligent and caring officers back in the Ombudsman Office.

V. Thomas,
Sungai Buloh,
Selangor,
Malaysia

 

Philippine universities instigate rebellious ideas And rebellious actions The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 13 October 2018

A reaction to the written opinion of entitled “The scholar as a rebel” by Gideon Lasco 11 October 2018 was well fortified.
But the statement was disturbing, as I understand it only tolerates the drastic way of expressing ones opinion and it gives a signal to groups who are taking advantage of student power.
Yes, I agree that we are in a democratic country and everyone has the freedom to voice and express his own predicaments to the government.
However it is not an excuse that state universities instigate not only rebellious ideas but also rebellious actions.
Even how hard we try to keep it, even how hard we mislead facts, it is 100 percent true that many state universities are participating and motivating students to proliferate hatred, violence and armed struggle against the government.
And as far as I understand, it is not the main priority and responsibility of the students to eco the difficulties of our Lumad brothers on the disadvantage of Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law and mind you, I don’t think ‘Lumads’ are the first and for most to complain about TRAIN law.
And if that is, I think there is a proper agency to address on this matter.
Indeed, we all have different point of views and understanding on different issues in our country.
However, let us not use this to spread false information to students and other people.
We all know the truth and I believe that the leadership of Philippine National Police (PNP) is not on degrading state universities nor the scholar but it only give warning and awareness to students, parents, teachers and the rest of the Filipinos who are doing a big part in our country.

Divine Macapobre,
Manila,
Philippines

Philippines call for exercise of rights won against China At the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 12 October 2018

There was a warning from the Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio saying that the Philippines is giving up a “very strong” legal deterrent against a possible China invasion of the West Philippine Sea in case our nation withdrew from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
As we recall, President Duterte gave the order in March after the ICC prosecutor began a preliminary probe into a complaint accusing him and 11 of his officials of committing crimes against humanity for the thousands of deaths in the President’s war on drugs.
At the last round of oral arguments on October 9, Carpio listed the implications of President Rodrigo Duterte’s order in March to pull out from the international treaty creating the ICC on the maritime dispute with China. Carpio told Solicitor General Jose Calida in open court that the Philippines could sue China’s leaders, led by President Xi Jinping, at the ICC for alleged crimes against humanity should China invade Philippine-occupied Pag-asa Island or Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal. Moreover, he said such an action was tantamount to the crime of aggression, which, under the Rome Statute, fell under crimes against humanity.
“In withdrawing from the Rome Statute, we will be giving up this very strong legal deterrent,” Carpio told Calida.
On the question of constitutionality, opposition senators and human rights advocates contested the order to withdraw from the Rome Statute since he did not get the Senate’s approval.
This news highlights the question of decency of act coming from Philippine’s dealmaking. Can we consider this as diplomatic?
Probably.
This may enshrines how the current administration deemed to be more cautious than past administration (Aquino administration) for that matter to have a different path in deciding which institution to connect with.
The issue on ICC is not necessarily a big hole that may shot fire against the government since internationally, this may not give us binding agreement in the first place if we choose not to.
It is only the Western side that put us on hold to be in a cliff-hanger state.
Meanwhile, we need to exercise our rights as we won the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) Hague Ruling two years ago but this is not to disrupt the relationship with China since it has been our co-existing partnership strategy under Duterte administration.
Equibalancing is the key.
I believe that the President has its own prerogative to have independent foreign policy; exercising his constitutional prerogative as the chief architect of the country’s foreign policy.
On one hand, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is hands off the President’s decision to pull out from the ICC claiming the issue involved a political question and thus not subject to judicial review.
I support his decision but it must be strategized since the issue is not a mere walk in the park.

Jumel G. Estrañero,
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

IPCC report says world has the means To tackle climate change The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 11 October 2018

Please allow me to share the following concluding remarks from the article ' 8 things you need to know about the IPCC 1.5 report ' in Renew Economy, 8 October 2018 which I believe best sums up where we are at on the climate change debate : Turning evidence into action
"There's no sugarcoating it : keeping warming to 1.5 C will be hard. Really hard. But the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report also makes it clear that the world has the scientific understanding, the technological capacity and the financial means to tackle climate change. Now what we need is the political will to precipitate the unprecedented concerted actions necessary to stabilise temperature rise below 1.5C.
There are substantial economic and development benefits from bold climate action. And even more important, limiting global warming to 1.5 is imperative. Falling short would lock in climate impacts so catastrophic our world would be unrecognisable. Governments, businesses and others have the clarity they need. Now it's time for them to step up to the challenge".
As a layman I prefer to be guided by the expert, evidence based views of the world's top climate scientists who have prepared that report.
Why would any rational person not be guided by them?

Rajend Naidu
Sydney,
Australia

 

Proposed new Thai airport falls short of the standards Of the US National Fire Protection Association The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 10 October 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Monday 8 October 2918

Re: "New terminal strays from plan", in Bangkok Post Thursday 27 September 2018.
The Prayut Chan-o-cha government should change its plan to build a new terminal
at Suvarnabhumi airport.
First, the Architect Council of Thailand and the Engineering Institute of
Thailand were not consulted or involved in this project - sparking rumours that
it is both corruption-prone and poses a risk to human lives.
Second, the Airports of Thailand-approved design of the terminal, which involves
using wood as the majority of construction material, will fall short of the
standards of the US National Fire Protection Association - to which Thailand is
a signatory - and will pose a huge fire risk.
Third, the Airports of Thailand has switched the site of the new terminal to the
northeasterly position instead of the southerly position.
This was contrary to the original master plan put up by a consortium of foreign and Thai experts.
Fourth, even before its construction, the project has become an international
scandal both in terms of it being corruption-prone and a huge risk to human
lives by fire!
Hence, the government should avoid being the party to blame for its decision to
approve this plan.

Chavalit Wannawijitr,
Chiang Mai,
Thailand

School officials deny that students reqruited To oust Philippine president Duterte The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 9 October 2018

This letter is intended for the students in Metro Manila’s colleges and universities being tagged on the Red list.
School officials denied that their students are being recruited by the rebels to oust the President.
I am also a college student of a university and I do believe that there are these universities which has really been recruited and actually there are students who’s already a member of the organization.
Let’s not be blind!
Very evident!
We all know that University of the Philippines and Polytechnic University of the Philippines are the universities with high numbers of protesters and I also believe that they have the most numbers of students who are already members of the Communist Party’s organization.
What I don't understand is I really cannot imagine how these students were able to betray the President and the government knowing that they were able to go to the university and study their courses because of the free tuition fees initiated of course by nothing but our president and our government.
Is this the life they want?
Instead of attending their classes, they’re spending their time allowing others to fool them?
For what reason?
Will they be benefited?
Do not allow yourself to fall on their wrong ideologies.
It may harm you sooner and worst, it may kill you.
Learn from the experience of the former UP student who died in the clash between the New Peoples Army (NPA) and the government members.
How about you?
Do you want your life to end for nothing?
Wake up and allow no one to fool you.

Emjae Lorenzo,
Manila,
Philippines

 

 

Malaysian Islamic Party meeting Avoids talking about Rohingya Muslins in Myanmar The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 8 October 2018 First published in The Star, Tuesday 18 September 2018

Parti Islam Se Malaysia (PAS) Malaysian Islamic Party has just completed its muktamar (annual general meeting) in Kuala Terengganu.
At the meeting, members highlighted the caning of two Malay women for “trying to have sex” as a success story but said nothing about the systematic murder of thousands of Rohingya, who are Muslims, in Myanmar.
Here we have an Islamic party that wants to save the ummah and yet considers sex between two consenting adults as far more important than genocide.
I hope Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is attending the current United Nations General Assembly, will announce to the world that Malaysia does not tolerate genocide.
Those of us who follow the news about the murder of Rohingya by the Myanmar military must stand in solidarity with the Rohingya and say that any crime against humanity will be punished.
Aung San Suu Kyi has betrayed the trust that many placed in her.
For four years, I served as Chair of Asean Parliamentarians on Myanmar, and we campaigned relentlessly for her release and for democracy in Myanmar to be restored.
In return, what we got from her was genocide.
Now it is imperative that Malay­sia takes this case of genocide to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
I have contacted a brilliant international lawyer, who is also a Queen’s Counsel in London, who has agreed to accept the case free of charge if Malaysia decides to initiate proceedings against Myan­mar.
We have done gallantly for Gaza and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
We must do the same for Myan­mar.
I hope the Foreign Ministry will read this piece and consider my proposal seriously.
Of course, it will strengthen our credibility if we also ratified the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees 1951.
One hundred and forty-five countries have ratified the Convention, so why not Malaysia?
We will cause no pro­blems ratifying the Convention as the UN has a proven and fair system to allocate intakes to countries that are required to accommodate refugees.
In the face of Donald Trump’s madness, Malaysia must provide global leadership in the fight for justice.
We must stand up for stateless people like the Rohingya and other refugees. Pakatan Harapan talked enough when it was the opposition.
Now that it is the govern­ment, it must act with cou­rage.
Our new Malaysia is not just about changing the government or the much-touted institutional reforms.
We need to go deeper and search ourselves: Let us be a country of conscience. Conscience will drive us forward with policies and laws that care about the helpless and the poor.
Only a society with conscience can stem the powerful tide of greed.
For many years, we succeeded in branding ourselves as “religious” and “Islamic”; but without conscience, we lost the plot.
We became a world-famous kleptocracy.
Let the Rohingya genocide and deportation of women and children stir our conscience and drive us to take the lead in bringing Myanmar to the International Court of Justice.
This will be the best antidote for any temptation to return to our inglorious past.

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim,
Kula Lumpur,
Malaysia

Philippines professor instructs students To serve the Lord and community The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 7 October 2018

I am a professor of Lyceum of the Philippines while doing research in the government for nearly like five years.
Months from now, I’ll turn 30.
Together with my students, I always instruct them to always serve the Lord and community in the best way possible.
But with the recent news I have been seeing in the television with the hype of serial clashes between militants and government forces, I cannot imagine how time really flies.
From dawn to twilight of our time, I can sense that our youth of today has become addicted with liberal democracy.
I mean, there is nothing wrong with liberal democracy by the way since we have been inherited this and we are enjoying this.
Well, I can also tell that there is something wrong with it at micro-lense.
As a professor of politics for how many years, I have seen different colors of students (silent vs. bully, talented vs. inept, aggressive vs. shytype, nationalist vs. passive).
But this millennial age is really an oblique and shitty postmodernity.
Everyone has its own voice in a pluralistic world.
Like last time when I crossed the street of Cubao, I have seen students of one university from Sta.
Mesa having their litanies rectified.
Then it followed by vandalizing the walls of random public spaces with stones in their hands.
What’s that for?
A weapon of mass destruction?
A tool for peace?
You judge.
Okay, we are in a democratic state, yes.
But let me tell you children, we are not utopia.
A perfect society drawn from our senses is only as bad as my ass.
Never in a lifetime will we be a utopia.
I remember one of my students asked, “Sir, what is your stand on student activism?”
I plainly answered, “You are free to voice out but not to the extent of being careless of your intent and acts.”
Where in the world you can get a handful of water being stocked at hand for long a long time?
None.
But do not be waters always looking for some place to escape.
Fluid as it is.
On one hand, it takes one to see the reality we have right now is different from Marcos times nor Cory Aquino days.
Compare with the previous administrations, I see a more vibrant state despite its imperfection.
But for the students/out of school youth whose future is being reclaimed by left-leaning ideologies of New People’s Army (NPA) is a full slavery of mind and poisonous future for students.
Why not study and serve for now instead of drafting oneself to such movement. Why not do the best effort then help your family afterwards instead of throwing chairs initially owned by government?
There is a better world for peacemakers after all.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

 

New Peoples Army recruiting students In the name of Philippine nationalism? The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 6 October 2018

It is sad to see how the News People’s Amry (NPA) can easily destroy our youth by spiraling shots of evil.
If the communist rebels are indeed recruiting students from some of the country’s top universities to join a plot to oust President Rodrigo Duterte, I want to question the intent?
Where is nationalism there?
As per reports, Brig. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., assistant deputy chief of staff for operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), had infiltrated 18 schools in Metro Manila, including De La Salle University (DLSU) and Ateneo de Manila University (ADU).
To be honest, there is nothing new and was practically common knowledge, said school officials could be unaware that the CPP was behind the recruitment for the oust-Duterte movement.
Usually, it usually starts from a film.
In Cinema One for example, human rights-related films with abuses under the late President Ferdinand Marcos were being shown to incite students to rebel against the government, incite resurgence of the First Quarter Storm (FQS) experience among students while projecting President Duterte as the new Marcos.
What the heck?!
Also, the rebels were exploiting other issues, such as extrajudicial killings, to incite students to revolt.
Meanwhile, UP student regent Ivy Taroma protested against what she described as the military’s “Red tagging” of the schools to justify repression that would endanger the lives of student activists.
Why not study and be a better citizen of this republic, right?
What is wrong with these students?
I hope they really can succeed on claiming that a “proletarian dictatorship” will happen.
If it succeeds in ousting the President with good and pure intention, probably I may join but to avail such flimsy dreams of rebels for a perfect society is something that I cannot fathom. Wake up people of the Philippines!
NPAs are criminals.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philipines

United States companies in China Moving production to Southeast Asia The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 5 October 2018

What comes goes around, comes around.
It’s been months since the trade war between United States and China has gone through series of charades; clashes that even Philippines has been sandwiched hitherto.
And all throughout the cycle, President Donald Trump vis-à-vis Xi Jingping’s bout of foreign policy has been clashing.
The United States has imposed tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods.
In response, China immediately retaliated by imposing new taxes on $60 billion of American imports.
China’s trade sanctions is less than the American sanctions because Beijing is running out of American products to impose tariffs. This is one reason why Trump believes that the United States can easily win a trade war with China.
From geopolitical analysis, China could undermine US efforts to disarm North Korea by not enforcing US sanctions.
China could also confront the United States in the South China Sea.
An escalation of the trade war could lead to China becoming more belligerent. Other options include attempting to isolate Taiwan, deepening ties with Russia as a counterbalance to the US and accelerating its military buildup.
Indeed, US-China trade war is creating some winners in Southeast Asia. According to Bloomberg: “The region is capitalizing on a rush of new orders and production moves as firms reconsider their business in US and China amid a deepening trade war. About one-third of more than 430 American companies in China have or are considering moving production sites abroad amid the tensions, according to survey results released September 13 by the American Chamber-China and the American Chamber-Shanghai. Southeast Asia was their top destination.”
In reality, the Philippines cannot afford to miss participating in this major wave of industrial relocations from an increasingly expensive China.
So where are going the sail our ore?

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

Red October Strategy to get rid of Philippine President Duterte The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 4 October, 2018

This is a reaction regarding Tonyo Cruz’s ‘The Fictional ‘Red October’ in Philippine Inquirer 29 September 2018.
He specified that the military use the not-so-funny phrase “Red October” as a tagging for strategy to get rid of President Duterte.
He was so irrational and crabby to say that the administration and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were not firm with the said ‘Red October’ plot just because it has not called for a conference with the National Security Council vis-à-vis the significance of the suspected threat.
I am not in agreement with his statement that the said Red October is just a imaginary effort of Duterte to lead astray public anger from the regime that aggravates, humiliates and tyrannizes them just before the wide-ranging cohesive front can straightforwardly conquest this story.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) announced this as a precaution to the community for what may occur this coming October.
The public should not be persuaded by this propaganda made by a crabby writer possibly Joma Sison's tentacle (José María Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines) that aims to destroy the president’s image and mislead the nation’s trust to the administration and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)

Eley-Eydi Del Rosario,
Manila,
Philippines

 

Call for the Philippines to replace The name Philippines with United Malayaland The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 3 October 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Tuesday 25 September

Our country was named after King Philip II of Spain. Hence, we are called Filipinos in honor of the king of Spain.
I personally believe we should aspire to eliminate the last symbol of servitude and oppression that our national hero, Jose Rizal, had chronicled in his writings.
If we review our history, we would know that we belong to the Malay race, like our Asian neighbors Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
Malaysia has even accorded honor to Rizal, describing him as the pride of the Malay race.
To eradicate the last symbol of bondage to Spain, we should replace the name Philippines with a name that truly represents our real race as Malays.
The Thai people have named their country Thailand.
We could name our country “Malayaland,” which means “free land.”
Or we could adopt the word “united,” similar to the United Arab Emirates, and be known as “United Malayaland,” since we are an archipelago.
This way, the name of the king of Spain, whose expeditionary force had colonized our country and oppressed our ancestors for over 300 years, will be expunged from our race and nation.

Ildefonso G Falla,
Manila,
Philippines

 

 

Wildlife trafficking is world's third illicit trade After drugs and weapons The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 2 October 2018 First published in the Star, Saturday 27 September 2018

Our local media often display images of seizures of pangolin, ivory, rhino horn, tiger parts and testudines with headlines hailing the success of wildlife operations conducted by the Malaysian authorities.
While these pictures depict the success of law enforcement against wildlife trafficking, it can be alarming due to the sheer quantity of wildlife products seized not only in Malaysia but also those en route to or re-exported from Malaysia.
Wildlife trafficking is thought to be the third most valuable illicit commerce in the world after drugs and weapons.
Discussions on combating wildlife trafficking have focused mainly on elephants, rhinos and tigers in Africa and Asia.
Often forgotten, however, is the fact that wildlife trafficking occurs across all continents and threatens a wide range of imperilled species, including exotic birds, sea turtles, corals, caimans, iguanas, pangolins, and the list goes on.
Illegal wildlife products are moved through countries and across borders and sold both openly and covertly.
Much of the trade goes on undetected and thus it is difficult to ascertain the enormous quantity of illicit wildlife shipped and sold internationally.
In some cases, wildlife is hidden and passes through checks unknown to Customs and border officials, or is accompanied by false documentation.
Customs officials could also turn a blind eye, give tip-offs or help to conceal illegal wildlife in exchange for bribes or other benefits.
The passage of illegal wildlife through checkpoints and borders may reflect a lack of capacity, training, or a low priority for preventing wildlife crime.
Globalisation has also increased opportunities for concealed transactions, especially where law enforcement and agencies charged with protecting wildlife are under-resourced and poorly supervised.
In many countries, agencies responsible for combating wildlife crime, including addressing corruption in this area, lack the capacity and resources to do so.
This may be due to a lack of priority for wildlife crime, a general lack of resources or infrastructure, or vested interest among decision makers in maintaining corrupt institutions which allow them to enrich themselves illegally.
There is also the perception that the problem is essentially victimless, and as a result governments tend not to give high priority to the issue of wildlife crime, including wildlife related corruption.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a global body, is tasked with regulating international wildlife trade. But it is ineffective as it has no enforcement powers, meaning that the slaughter of endangered species and their sale for profits continue unabated.
Transport and logistics is not only the backbone of a modern economy but also a key enabler for trafficking wild animals and wildlife products. Therefore, the transportation and logistics sectors play a critical role in identifying and eliminating risks along the supply chain.
In the case of Malaysia, it has one of the best infrastructures in the region, making it easy for smugglers to transport their goods.
Reports of seizures at sea and airports are common especially in the area of Johor, Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Penang International Airport.
Malaysia has a big smuggling problem and is among the top 10 smuggling hubs in the region together with the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam.
In addition, there is a new trend of trading through the Internet where buyers are both Malaysians and foreigners.
The question now is whether the legislation in our country is adequate to protect endangered species and to combat illegal wildlife trading.
Does the law provide adequate sentences against illegal wildlife traders?
What approach is taken by the judiciary in combating illegal wildlife trade?
The main issue is with sentencing, which usually means a small fine to the offender or a day spent in jail because the judge or magistrate does not understand the seriousness of the crime.
The authorities need to fight tooth and nail to address wildlife crime in the region through information-sharing as well as joint efforts across government agencies and other relevant agencies and institutions.
Strengthening the enforcement of wildlife law and fighting wildlife crime must be given national, regional and global priority.
Support from organisations like the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Interpol, World Customs Organisation and CITES is crucial to the success of such efforts.

S.M. Mohamed Idris,
President,
Sahabat Alam Malaysia,
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

Call for Malaysian students To pay back student loans The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 1 October 2018 First published in the Star, Saturday 22 September 2018

I refer to the report, “Dr M: Shame on all you defaulters” in The Star, September 21.
What the Prime Minister said is very true, although I think the problem applies not just to National Higher Education Fund Corporation Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasiona (PTPTN) debtors but also many other Malaysians.
We generally like to delay paying whatever we owe.
Finding an excuse would be our first line of defence.
Unpaid loans to PTPTN were a disaster in the making years ago.
First, we appointed a group of government servants who knew zip about finance and loan management to manage millions of ringgit in student loans.
Many of them did not even know how to keep the records straight.
If the records are topsy-turvy, how do they know who had taken the loans and who had repaid?
How do we pursue the debtors when our records are not even up to date?
When banks give loans, do they face problems like what PTPTN is facing?
Some time ago, I said PTPTN loans were a populist universal entitlement for most students regardless of their financial status.
Many students (and their parents too) took the loans because they are cheap and available, treating them like additional income.
When records and recovery measures are ineffective and slow, it is natural for many to delay and find excuses.
There is a saying: “Overdue debts are usually potential bad debts.”
Dr Mahathir talked about the virtue of “shame”, obligation, character, value and culture to pay off one’s debt. I agree, but I think it cannot happen overnight when the whole nation has witnessed stealing, corruption and kleptocracy of the worst form during the past one decade.
We need a tough and professional approach to deal with delinquents.
All PTPTN debtors must be asked to come forward to update their records - name, MyKad number, income, permanent address and telephone number - with the National Higher Education Fund Corporation within a certain period, failing which their passport should be blacklisted again.
Once this is done, PTPTN should work out a repayment schedule with each debtor after taking into consideration all the relevant and extenuating factors.
The idea is they must pay back each month no matter how small the instalment.
It’s time to leave the populist and political considerations aside.
Loan recovery needs a no-nonsense business-like approach. If the borrowers do not pay, there must be consequences.
This is the best approach before we reach “character, culture and value enlightenment”.
And just imagine, the RM36bil in unpaid loans to PTPTN are almost at the magnitude of 1MDB.

T. K. Chua,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

Donations after typhoon Ompong not forthcoming Due to insults metered out by President Duterte The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 30 September 2018 First published in the Philipppine Inquirer, Thursday 27 September 2018

The September 19 issue of the Philippine Inquirer reported that the death toll from Typhoon “Ompong” has risen to 74 and damage to crops has climbed to P14 billion.
Up to 40 people are still feared to have been buried in the landslide in Itogon, Benguet.
This has been the most powerful storm to hit the Philippines this year, and it has been widely reported in international media.
In major disasters such as this, international donors, private and government, have historically been the first to announce that financial and material aid are on their way.
I was dismayed when I read that Secretary Sonny Dominguez was quoted to have said that he was considering tapping the World Bank for a $500-million loan to help restitute the damage left by Ompong.
Where are the international donors?
Have they turned sour on the Philippines?
Have we become Asia’s leper?
When a country, world leader or international personality is insulted by no less than the Philippine president, will they turn a blind eye and continue with their generous ways?
I wish I will be proven wrong. I wish donations will pour in.

Dionisio Gil Jr.,
Manila,
Philippines

 

Call for Philippine president to establish National task force to end Communist insurgency The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 29 September 2018

From words to real-time actions.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is asking President Rodrigo Duterte to create a national task force to end insurgency, an apparent bid to counter what it says is the communist rebels’ broad coalition to bring down the commander in chief.
AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. said the primary aim of such task force was to cut off recruitment by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed component, the New People’s Army (NPA).
In response, Malacañang welcomed the proposal on September 23, saying it agreed with the AFP that ending the communist insurgency in the country entails a whole-of-government approach.
As a backdrop, the CPP-NPA had been orchestrating a broad coalition, the Movement Against Tyranny, aimed at economic sabotage and political destabilization. Parlade claimed that the broad coalition included Coalition for Justice and Tindig Pilipinas, alleging that the CPP-NPA was engaged in an “Oplan Aklasan” strategy - a nationwide attempt to close our manufacturing industries and they are using, well, they have infiltrated many of these labor organizations.
It’s really about consolidating their forces, their alliances in time for the 50th communist party anniversary this coming December.
True to its sense, the over-arching strategy of the government is to use Development support and security plan (DSSP) Kapayapaan versus the current stratagem of Oplan Aklasan strategy of CPP-NPA towards as a way forward to the Golden Anniversary the latter in December.
Now that things are little by little unfolding to its knee, the government has to deal with the communists-terrorists as soon as possible since three months left and all plans of CPP-NPA will have its full show in 2019.
Meanwhile, due to volumes of surrenders, I believe that the government forces were winning in armed combat against the NPA though they were not doing so well in the parliamentary struggle that the CPP-NPA employed, which was aimed at infiltrating government agencies and the country’s political system.

Jumel G. Estrañero,
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty.
Manila,
Philippines

Call for International Criminal Court (ICC) mandate To investigate corporations The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 28 September 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Wednesday 26 September 2018

Debates on the effectiveness of investigations by the International Criminal
Court (ICC) on military and political crimes in Myanmar continue.
Honest debate on pros and cons is needed.
Why is US National Security Adviser, John Bolton, so vitriolic and threatening sanctions against judges and prosecutors of this very young court that is still proving itself?
An early predecessor of the ICC was the Russell Tribunal presided over by
Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir in 1967.
The private tribunal provided evidence of war crimes committed by the US in Vietnam and helped to end the war to the great relief of the Vietnamese population and American youth who protested conscription that made them fight against their will.
Nevertheless, the dirty war still continued until 1975 as hardliners could not
give up their case.
Constituting an international framework of justice and undertaking peacebuilding not only depend on nation states but as much on civil society, though it is often suppressed.
Private opinion tribunals like on the US war in Vietnam can be of great
influence.
That the US committed war crimes, and that Monsanto was complicit,
has been much later confirmed in the "Monsanto Tribunal", The Hague, 2017. The tribunal also accepted evidence on contemporary violations of human rights by
Monsanto.
The advisory opinions of the civil society tribunal did open venues for new
cases in formal courts and the prevention of future damage to health, livelihoods and the environment.
Patient and pragmatic ICC investigations regarding Myanmar, Afghanistan (where
Bolton was responsible) and the Philippines - and a future mandate to
investigate corporations - will certainly gradually help to contain crimes
against humanity and the earth.

Hans Van Willenswaard,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Call for Philippine Government To address cause of insurgency The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 27 September 2018

This is in support to Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) initiative on creating a national task force to end insurgency.
For me, this is a perfect solution to wipe out the terrorist groups in our country. Why?
According to a survey, the reasons why there are insurgency (noun: an active revolt or uprising) is because of poverty, lack of education, lack of opportunity, lack of governance, injustice, etc. and with all of this reasons, only the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are given the task to solve the so called “insurgency”.
Isn’t it’s time for government agency's to take charge in addressing the root cause of the problem and so insurgency will be prevented?
Let us say the problem is “lack of education”, as far as I know, the Department of Education (DepEd) should be the one to take solution on it and so as the other department.
Next, it is more likely if interagency be involve in fighting terrorism/insurgency in the since that they are can even looked into proper charges against terrorist groups. Like for example the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Department of Justice (DOJ).
Will, I believe that the main purpose of the proposed National Task Force is to End Communist Insurgency and to integrate and harmonize all government agencies efforts to solve lingering issues and improve the living conditions of the people to the framework of good governance, inclusive growth and development and enhance human security.
Its goal is to eliminate the conditions of conflict, educate people to become productive and build strong participation of the people and community in solving problems and improve efficiency in the delivery of services and building infrastructure.

Jomarie Kaye Patalinghug,
Manila,
Philippines

Thai government under Thaksin Was very authoritarian The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 26 September 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Sunday 24 September 2018

Thailand's governmental system is now worse than Cambodia's and the Philippines
which, although there are problems, is at least democratic and has free speech.
Does Thaksin think his government treated rivals fairly, was not corrupt, was
tolerant of critics, and developed the country?
My memory is his government was very authoritarian.
But he is right that it was at least a presentable elected government that worked with multiple coalition partners and veteran (non-Democrat) politicians.
Thailand seems to be going backwards.
Many TV channels offer no criticism, only nonsense shows for people with low IQs.
What has he done to make friends with rivals?
Does this include the red shirt violence and fires in 36 buildings in Bangkok?
He says he forgives people who slandered him but this still sounds like someone with a chip on his shoulder.
Also he makes it sound like the country's loss was not benefiting from his
experience, whereas Thailand has many capable people, not just himself.

The Brain,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Call for Communist Party of the Philippines To prove that they helped Typhoon Ompong victims The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 25 September 2018

What?
The terrorist New People’s Army (NPA) helped the Typhoon Ompong victims in rescue and relief operations?
Seriously?
Its sounds unbelievable and funny!
Where did this terrorist group get the guts and confidence in claiming that they helped in the ongoing rescue and operations when they cannot even show evidence that they were there in the area like the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Coastguard, Local Governments Units (LGU) and other civilian volunteers?
The national television can prove who those people and groups are that are helping hand in hand in both rescue and relief operations.
If the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) want people to believe in their propaganda, then show it us, prove it.
Wear your boots and groups uniform so that we will believe you.
It is easy to say but it’s hard to do.
Is this another deception tactics of your group?
Please don’t use the situation for your personal motive.

Romeo E Alcoseba,
Cagayan Province,
Philippines

Oust Duterte Movement Cannot be shrugged by Philippine President The Southeast Asan Times, Monday 24 September 2018

September 21, is the anniversary of Martial Law that was declared by the late President Ferdinand Marcoc in 1972.
The ever surge of reincarnation and incantation of the mass using Martial Law of past and present, unfitted The People Power Revolution (EDSA) spirit, and continuous narratives of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA) terrorist leader Jose Maria Sison to defeat the current administration – are methods of coalition tactics like a toddler’s way of arranging toys for his or her own pleasure.
They will keep on saying that like a child, they are innocent but all are pure deception and lies.
Ousting Duterte will have no cutting edge, I am telling you.
They have failed several times and they will always fail due to unethical and evil intent to mobilize mass and cause political agitations.
I mean, link all issues Martial Law in Mindanao and this current Anniversary, Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law (TRAIN), Narco or Drugs Campaign, Typhoon Ompong rehabilitation and relief, and even the inflation rate to bigger picture of democracy, all of these are encompassing agents of rule of the mob to oust a leader that is not biblical and ethical at any rate.
Come to think of it, who wants to oust a President that is willing to secure our nation?
Only the New Peoples Army (NPA) terrorists and oppositionists of the same color trying to wake up the Zombies in all of us.
Our youth will always be victims of liberal ideology intends to have its rebirth over and over again like a double dead meat in the market.
If EDSA traffic can be rhetorically surrendered by President Duterte due to urban planning deficit and uncontrolled increase of vehicles causing traffic all year round, I do believe security issue like Oust Duterte Movement CANNOT BE easily shrugged off shoulder by the President.
I have seen his passion to counter all odds versus leftists.
I hope all of us can duplicate the same response of the government in countering paid militants and destabilizers who are willing to destroy our nation starting from poisonous plot.

Atty. Kristamel E. Narvasa
Human Rights Lawyer
Iloilo City,
Philippines

Call for help for victims of typhoon Ompong Instead of rallies against Philippine President Duterte The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 23 September 2018

The rally to ouster Duterte was set to happen on 21st day of September this year.
I cannot understand why people spend so much time on this kind of stupidity?
In the first place there are other concerns and issues that are supposed to be a priority Sison forces have not really done any good deeds.
They are just wasting their effort, money and time in trying to ouster President Duterte.
Are they not able to think about the things that the President has done for our country?
Why do they have to think selfishly?
There are more important things that must be considered first than this rally just to oust President Duterte.
Why don’t they help the victims of the typhoon Ompong which has caused landslides at Benguet.
No matter how hard you try to oust the President, he will never ever go down easily.

Jhoi Lorenzo,
Manila,
Philippines

Filipino's salvage food From garbage dumps The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 22 September 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Tuesday 18 September 2018

“Restaurants Against Hunger,” a child-nutrition program of the worldwide organization Action Against Hunger featured in Margaux Salcedo’s column “Multiplying the loaves and fishes,” in Philippine Inquirer 9 September 20018, deserves support.
It is a good sign that 118 restaurants have signed up to help in alleviating the chronic malnutrition of Filipino kids estimated at 30 percent.
In a recent series of articles that appeared in a Spanish newspaper on the drug war in our country, the reporter wrote on the lives of those people living near garbage dumps.
He said that they go to a “pagpagan,” where food salvaged from garbage is washed, fried and served.
Action Against Hunger wants to prove Sébastien-Roch Nicolas Chamfort wrong.
He once cynically proclaimed: “Society is made up of two great classes: those who have more dinners than appetite, and those who have more appetite than dinners.”

Fr. Luis P. Supan,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for a long and lasting peace For Mindanao in the southern Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 21 September 2018

It looks like terrorists groups in Mindanao are having fun in bombing civilian places using Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
Lately, two explosion erupted in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat.
Then, an explosion racked the port of Masbate City.
And now, General Santos City was shaken by another explosion using an IED. Eight were reported wounded including a 19 year old victim.
They are really intensifying their terroristic act in hurting and bringing fear to the civilian community and this is too much!
Doing such demonic acts to seek attention is the action of cowards and desperate people whose ideology is lost.
For the people of Mindanao, I hope they will stay strong and be vigilant at all times. Let us not let this lawless group disrupt and destroy our hope in our efforts for a long and lasting peace for our beloved Mindanao.
I believe that if everyone has the courage to fight terrorism in our own simple way, no doubt, we can truly achieve a progressive and peaceful Mindanao, including for the whole of the Philippines.

Sandra M. Ballaran,
Peace Advocate,
Manila,
Philippines

Terrorists in the Philippines Accused of recruiting children The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 20 September 2018

This is in reaction to the article written by Julie Alipala of Philippine Daily Inqurer on September 15, 2018 entitled “7 young Tausug men killed by military not Abu Sayyaf bandits – relative” is malicious and decisive.
First of all, it already judges the capability of the soldiers to identify their enemies.
It also places the military into trial without finding concrete facts on the incident.
It seems that the author of the article is one sided or bias on the issue.
Remember, it was proven that terrorist groups like the Grupong Abu Sayyaf (ASG) are recruiting and using minors in their terroristic activities and the truth is, families of this minors knew that their children or relatives are active members of the terrorist groups and much disappointing is, most of their family are behind reason why they joined the terrorist group in exchange of a small amount of money. And of course, when something wrong happened, they will be defended.
Second, the issue was used as propaganda against the implemented Martial Law in Mindanao.
Now, the question is, who are the people opposing Martial Law in Mindanao? Well, only criminals and left leaning groups who want to overthrow the current administration are the one who criticizes Martial Law in Mindanao and the rest, approved and wanted Martial Law.
And Finally, Human Rights are called for investigation of the so called “massacre”. If that so, then why there was no Human Rights investigating the death of many victims being kidnapped and beheaded by this terrorist groups? Why there was no Human Rights investigating on the soldiers unmercifully killed by this terrorist groups?
Let us be fair and just in everything we do.
Let us not be defeated by our emotions and bad experiences.
May we all be responsible to everything we do or write especially in sensitive issues.

Jomarie Kaye Patalinghug,
Manila,
Philippines

 

TRAIN Act blamed for inflation In the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 19 September 2018

The economic status of the Philippines today affects the life of the Filipino community.
The continued price increase of goods in the Philippine gives every Filipino family a hard time. According to the experts, what we are experiencing now is the result and effect of today’s Inflation.
Inflation refers to an overall increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is a weighted average of prices for different goods.
The set of goods that make up the index depends on which are considered representative of a common consumption basket.
Yes, it is true that because of this, individual budgets are at risk.
But the good news is that 1.5 Million new job opportunities have opened and the unemployment rate is down to 5.4 percent this year compared to 6.2 percent in 2017.
Another, The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth is still the fastest in the world at 6.3 percent.
The 6.4 percent Inflation today is nothing compared to the countries 10.5 percent inflation in 2008.
Thus, the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act is one of the factors being blamed for inflation.
Yet, the TRAIN Act is one of the primary ways in which the 2020 and 2040 vision of the Duterte administration is to be achieved and so, it had optimistic projections about its effect on the economy, development and poverty alleviation in its inception.
On the other hand, the TRAIN Act has nothing to do with the increase in inflation. Seriously, it is being used as a popular scapegoat by anti-government groups who use the opportunity to take advantage of the economic situation to badmouth the government.

Shaira Fahad R Dimaporo
Economic Analyst,
Manila,
Philippines

Poverty in the Phillipines made worse By insensitive politicians and economic dunces The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 18 September 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Friday 14 September 2018

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s recent remarks on the sky-high 6.4-percent inflation rate reveals his utter disconnect from the vast majority of Filipinos. For the unrepentant Roque to claim that “inflation is under control” runs contrary to the experience of the masses, where nearly all common goods and services have increased in cost as a result of a series of fallacious economic policies.
The Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law TRAIN, no matter how much the administration denies it, will remain the culprit that triggered the current price hikes that burden the poor.
Often overlooked by the likes of Roque from the ruling class is the intense struggle of those in the margins of society who suffer due to the decisions by this government: students from low-income families struggling to make their allowance last a day and must now manage every single peso with greater attention than before; and workers whose wages are barely enough to buy commodities to fulfill their family’s needs, and who, simultaneously, also suffer worsening labor conditions.
More examples come to mind, but if one thing is unmistakably true, it is that the long struggle of the masses has become even more intense due to the bungled policies of economic managers, made worse by insensitive politicians and economic dunces.
And yet they deny their fault in all these effects, distracting the people from the cause of their suffering, as if the masses are so stupid that they would not see through their smokescreens, such as the persecution of opposition leaders to consolidate power for themselves, rather than to serve the people.

Shara Mae Landicho,
Spokesperson,
Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan,
Manila,
Philippines

 

Call for abolition of export tax For Malaysia's precious metals The Southeast Asian Times, 17 September, 2018 First published in the Star, Friday 14 September 2018

I refer to the report “‘Belt tightening’ for 2019” in The Star, September 10 on Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng saying, rightly, that increasing the corporate tax at this moment is not appropriate.
But tightening the belt alone might not be sufficient because of the current national debt of RM1 trillion.
Has the Pakatan Harapan government considered the possibility of increasing revenue through the abolition of tax, in this case the 5 percent tax on the export of refined silver and platinum group metals?
The international rate charged in other countries for refining these precious metals is between 3 percent and 4 percent, which means it is not economically viable for overseas companies to do refining services in Malaysia.
No wonder the London Bullion Market Association members are contracting their refining services to companies in Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai.
I understand that our taxation system is still not on par with these countries, hence attracting investment for precious metals recycling services from multinational corporations is beyond our current capabilities.
However, our local precious metals refiners are mature enough to compete in this international trade.
They can import scrap, refine it for re-export and make sufficient profit to pay income tax. Currently, the government is not collecting any tax from this industry because it is not viable for local refiners to serve the international market.
I hope the International Trade and Industry Minister and Economics Affairs Minister will work together with the Finance Minister to ensure that the refining of precious metals for international customers will become a viable economic activity in Malaysia.

Lim Kim Chuan,
Masai,
Johor,
Malaysia

US satellite imaging in search for Wild Boars In Chiang Rai cave not fake news The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 16 September 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Friday 14 September 2018

Re: "Society falls prey to disinformation", in Bangkok Post Opinion, September 11.
Pirongrong Ramasoota mentioned that before the Wild Boars boys were located in a Chiang Rai cave, even the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (ThaiPBS), Thailand's only public TV channel, misinformed the public with a piece of widely shared news on social media that talked about the US using military satellite imaging technology to help locate the youngsters.
A local space authority later denied this.
ThaiPBS would like to clarify the content we presented in the evening news on
June 30.
We mentioned that the 3D scanning device in question, which was effective in detecting and analysing body heat emitting from living organisms, was involved in the search and rescue efforts, and that, for security reasons, images created by the device would not be publicised.
In our story, we said the device was highly accurate and could be used during
both day and night. We said it had been helping US military attacks that
required great precision.
The information was sourced from people close to American rescuers working in
Chiang Rai.
We concluded that the sources were credible and the device was a genuine option
in a hectic and increasingly desperate situation, although questions remained
about various factors in the area, such as weather and unique terrain.
We saw pictures of the device, which we promised not to publicise due to
security reasons.
Instead, our broadcast footage displayed the activities of rescuers, and we tried our best to explain how the device worked.
For the reasons mentioned above, coupled with the facts that all local and
foreign rescuers were doing their best with utmost sincerity and willingness to
help locate the boys, there was no reason to suspect that the sources were not
telling us the truth.
We would also like to mention that throughout the rescue attempts, we were well
aware of information shared on social media that needed to be thoroughly
checked.
Our coverage in question was the work of our reporters in the area,
with the only motive being to bring the public truthful and accurate news about
the Tham Luang situation.
Limitations that restricted the published content did not mean that we, the
editorial team, were working the easy way and overlooked professional standards
during the Tham Luang coverage.

Korkhet Chantalertluk,
News Director,
ThaiPBS,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Prosecution of a former PM Is unprecedented in Malaysia The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 15 September 2018 First published in the Star, Friday 14 September 2018

It has been reported that a retired Chief Justice has criticised Attorney General Tommy Thomas for not leading the prosecution of the former prime minister.
As a retired civil servant, I have a different view of the Attorney General’s role.
The former Chief Justice, with respect, has made some powerful arguments probably based on the law, past precedents and his experience to state why the present Attorney General should not “chicken out” of leading the prosecution of our former prime minister.
At the outset, I would as a person who is not a lawyer congratulate the present Attorney General for his courageous decision to delegate this particular prosecutorial role to two of the country’s most eminent lawyers.
Malaysia had from 1970 become an increasingly prime minister-centric, almost presidential system.
The two prime ministers from 1970 were men of the highest probity and there was not a whiff of them being tainted in any way.
From 1981, we had a prime minister who had Parliament pass many laws which vested unbridled power on the office of the prime minister.
From 2003, when Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi became prime minister, there was no dilution in the powers of the prime minster.
When Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak took over as prime minster in April 2009, he seems to have utilised those powers not just for national security or economic interest.
In Malaysia’s short history, the prosecution of a former prime minister is unprecedented.
The current Attorney General cannot possibly do justice to his prosecutorial and advisory role if he takes on the enormously important assignment of prosecuting Najib, the son of a former prime minister at that.
It became somewhat embarrassingly clear during Najib’s tenure that the prime minister had unbridled authority in not only appointing officials to the executive branch, including the legal service, but also to business, banking and corporate positions as the government owned almost 45 percent of the equity in listed companies.
The government’s role was so overwhelmingly significant that retired bureaucrats, bankers and judges, given our overall increased life expectancy, could expect to be on the boards of directors of these government linked companies until their 80s. Lifelong loyalty was cultivated in this way.
The current Attorney General has the most ambitious and largest legislative agenda in our history to bring our human rights laws to be in sync with universal standards set by the United Nations.
Our country is not a party to various international conventions including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers, and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
The Attorney General is also tasked with restoring the principle of the separation of powers in our national governance system.
Both these tasks cannot be understated.
Given the significance of the events of May 9/10 2018, it is important to fully use the time available until the next general election to abrogate colonial era laws and introduce amendments to other legislation so that we have a more stable and progressive situation where the import of the fundamental principles of our Constitution are upheld and safeguarded.

M. Santhananaban,
Retired Foreign Service Officer
Kajang,
Malaysia

No questioning of capability and integrity Of the Armed Forces of the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 14 September 2018

According to the constitution, ARTICLE XVI, Section 5, all members of the armed forces shall take an oath or affirmation to uphold and defend this Constitution.
Many are questioning the capability and integrity of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Sometimes, even how hard the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) shows its sincerity on the oath that they take, it is still not enough in the eyes of many especially those who are against the government.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) credibility was dragged into a mess of various sensitive issues and scandals in other agencies of the government.
But then, those issues did not knock down the organizations.
Corruption issues such as military retirement fund (PABAON), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) procurement, and modernization and even the issue on mutiny and so on and so forth but at the end the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) survived.
Still, of all of the challenges the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is encountering, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have proven its capability, integrity, loyalty and commitment to the people.
It was then proven in many times when our country is under threat by different lawless group, the Zamboanga siege, Bohol Siege.
Many parts of the country became insurgency free because of the effort of the soldier.
Even in times of disaster or calamities we can call on the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for help.
They are also giving honor to our country like the recent Asian Games where a member of Philippines Air Force (AW1C Hidilyn Diaz), won the first gold for the Philippines and the most unforgettable is the Marawi siege and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) stand tall and prove to the nation that they are the defender of the state.
No one can deny that for sure.
Now that Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is under pressure with the current issue of the former LTSG Antonio Trillanes IV, the the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) once is again facing a challenging matter particularly on the issue on the involvement in coup d etat of some military personnel.
But in the end, I believe that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is a strong institution.
An institution that is true to its oath and always guided by rule of law, the constitution and its chain of command.
I know that our military has no reason to involve in this nonsense issue since their state of moral is high: Salary increase, the 85 percent approval rating and the trust of current leadership and the people.
This are all enough basis that we have a strong Armed Forces of the Philippines and no one can destroy it.

Miguel Abarguez,
Bohol,
Philippines

 

New Malaysian Government has opportunity To lead a new media culture The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 13 September 2018 First published in the Star, Saturday 8 September 2018

I have been following the proposal by the government to end, or at least restrict, media ownership by people with political links.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo had reportedly said that a decision will be made only after the ministry has presented its study to the Cabinet.
Meanwhile, a news portal, quoting sources, said the Prime Minister was mulling the idea of restricting ownership by politically-connected individuals or groups to a 10 percent stake.
Gobind reportedly reiterated his stance that he would like to ban news agencies from being owned by political entities, which could skew the articles published.
I think most Malaysians would agree that Gobind has good intentions but I am not sure of its practicality because a media owner need not have to be a party member or leader, but can still skew coverage to suit a particular party.
Take for example Fox TV in the United States.
There is nothing to suggest that the owners are the Republican party or that it is owned by President Donald Trump but its bias towards Trump is obvious.
Fox Broadcasting Company is a commercial television network that is a flagship company of Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox.
The coverage of Fox TV has been much criticised while CNN is seen to be clearly against Trump, while pretending to be neutral.
Its reporting is hardly balanced as it seems bent on bringing down Trump. On the surface, CNN is an independent news company, owned by Turner Broadcasting System, and has no link to the Democratic Party.
Gobind’s plan may be honourable but it will be difficult for him to convince taxpayers that state-run media agencies such as Bernama and RTM will give equal coverage to both Pakatan Harapan and the Opposition.
Government media agencies will be used by the government to highlight the work of their ministers and state executive councillors.
We should not kid ourselves that RTM and Bernama will cover Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi or MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong at work in their constituencies.
It is well-known that some Malaysian media companies are linked or owned by political parties, but it’s not all rosy.
One is about to close shop while another seems to be doing well despite the difficult business environment.
A leading online portal wants to be regarded as independent but its slant has always been towards Pakatan Harapan parties.
That aside, political allegiance from media organisations is not unusual.
Even in the US and Britain, newspapers make their stand clear, especially in their editorials.
How does one impose ownership rules on one-man news portals and blogs that number in their hundreds, if not thousands, in this digital age?
The Government should focus on dismantling the many laws affecting the media first, for example the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.
It should not show preference to media outlets that support them and shun those that do not.
The Pakatan Harapan government has the chance of leading a new culture – of taking criticism and not be too quick to give calls to editors or snub those that are perceived to be not aligned with them politcally.
In short, let market forces determine the level of support for these media outlets.
It will not be wise to interfere in the free market as that would go against freedom of ownership – especially when taxpayers have to fund state-run media organisations.
It would be better if more media companies, regardless of their medium, are set up to allow greater competition.
Leave the media alone, and let them compete among themselves. Let the readers decide their fate and readership.

Media Studies Academic,
Bangi,
Malaysia

 

Philippine Duterte administration Accused of selling out to China The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 12 September 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Monday 10 September 2018

I salute Manuel L. Quezon III for having written a great piece concerning the attempt to have Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV arrested,“Guilt by association,” in Philippine Inquirer, Wednesday 5 September 2018.
It’s just mind-blowing to see the extent the Duterte administration will go to choke any form of opposition.
Instead of having the greater good of the country in mind, these people are only concerned about one thing: staying in power.
They’re willing to ruin the future of the country by selling it out to China, scaring investors away and driving the economy into a downward spiral.
And, worst, bending the law and its spirit into their very own small-minded mold.
No need to be a prophet, this country is going down!

Robert Fuessl,
Manila,
Philippines

 

ISIS skillful at using social media in claiming Accountability for terrorist acts in the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 11 September 2018

Terrorism is a timeworn occurrence, and it’s one various nations around the world have engrossed and split with in various ways.
In considering how to approach the present problem of terrorism all over the world, it’s worth questioning what’s really new about it, which examples can inform future retorts, and what past failures can clarify for the way frontward?
Terrorism “works” in ration by drawing courtesy to the political reason that stimulates it.
Social media, enlarge and extent this outcome, and ISIS has confirmed skillful at using it, from allocating alarming execution videos to tactically claiming accountability for bouts, such as the Abu Sayyaf group beheaded the late Jurgen Gustav Kantner in 2016 here in the Philippines, in which the aggressors’ direct relations to ISIS are unclear.
The Marawi Siege happened a year ago by the Maute group also in connect with ISIS.
Just recently the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters operating in Mindanao area who targeted innocent civilians resulted to the death of two people and wounding of 14 others and the recent blast happened in Masbate caused by the New People’s Army.
After all the barbaric actions made by the terrorist the question remains.
How do folks get “radicalized’?
No one really tells how it occurs; one of the only things terrorism specialist approve on is that there is no description of an archetypal terrorist.
It’s hard to impede this matter but as peace-loving Filipinos, we can help our country to build a barrier for a strong defense against terrorism.
We can contribute help to our government by being attentive to those suspicious groups or individual with distrustful actions.
Let us be more vigilant in order to filter local and international terrorist.

Ann R. Aquino,
Manila,
Bangkok

Jordan’s King Abdullah II to donate Two attack helicopters to the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, 10 September 2018

This is what I am talking about - the robust military tie-up of a Southeast Asia state like Philippines and a Middle-Eastern military might by Jordan.
This is good news like the recent visit of President Duterte to win Israel.
As per report, Jordan’s King Abdullah II will donate two attack helicopters to the Philippines that will be turned over to the Philippines in July 2019, when pilots have been trained. Jordan would also donate other equipment such as mortars, rifles, and rocket-propelled grenade.
I believe this is to at least beef up Philippine’s military capability, eyeing new acquisitions including aircraft and a submarine from Russia.
Meanwhile, Duterte was warned by Cabinet officials against hurling insults at former United Nations High Commissioner for human rights Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, a member of the Jordanian royal family, as the Philippines was then in talks with Jordan for the donation of the choppers. Zeid, a member of the Jordanian royal family, earned the Duterte administration's ire after suggesting that the latter see a psychiatrist.
Interestingly, military was not only the clout of conversation.
During the visit, the Philippines and Jordan also signed deals on labor, foreign affairs, and trade. Let us see what may be locked and loaded between Philippines and Jordan.

Jumel G. Estranero,
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

 

Call for refund of airport taxes At Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 9 September 2018 First published in Bangkok Post, Thursday 6 September 2018

Dear Airports of Thailand,
It is important to explain to the thousands of passengers at Suvarnabhumi on the morning of September 5 why there was such an extended and extensive electricity outage.
Cutting off electricity in certain areas at the airport is a disgrace.
Lounges were closed because there was no power.
Hundreds of passengers who had paid a premium were refused access to the lounges because somehow you designed a system that was not backed up adequately.
There were large areas of darkness wherever passengers walked.
This is a proper disgrace to the nation not having the main international airport with an adequate backup electricity supply.
So then, Airports of Thailand (AOT), will you return the premiums people paid for tickets and the airport taxes that they paid for their flights but received poor service?

AC,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Surrender of New Peoples Army fighters Adds to Philippine Government fight against insurgency The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 7 September 2018

The succession of surrender in the New Peoples Army (NPA) is a plus factor in the government’s movement against insurgency.
Another New Peoples Army (NPA) commander with 3 rebels belonged to the Sub-Regional Committee 4 surrendered in Southern Mindanao.
The 2 of them belonged to the Ata-Manobo tribe in Davao Del Norte.
They exposed that they were jilted by their comrades in Loreto, province of Agusan del Sur.
This is the reason why they felt startled for their security and decided to yield upon hearing that 10th ID still receive surrenders’.
I believe as a former activist (Kabataan partylist) that there is no more direction in their organization.
Perhaps these folks were already very fed up with the snowballing atrocities of the New Peoples Army (NPA), much more of current attacks on civilians as well as soldiers and law-enforcement authorities.
Their recent attacks and blast at Masbate has been condemned by many.
The nation is one in saying these capitulate can make a big difference in the operations of the New Peoples Army (NPA) and optimistically more surrendered in the future.

Eley Eydi Del Rosario,
Ex- Kabataan Partylist member,
Manila,
Philippines

Philippine President Duterte prefers Ferdinand Marcos as vice president The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 7 September 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Wednesday 5 September 2018

As a citizen of this country who believes in the power of democracy, I consider the uncalled-for statements of President Duterte on the capability of Vice President Leni Robredo as improper.
To his cohorts, these sudden bursts of remarks are considered excusable, part of his natural flair as a maverick leader
But the impact of how he expresses them are offensive to the person his statements target.
Saying that the Vice President is incapable of succeeding him should not be openly stated.
We need to practice diplomacy and tact, and respect the rights of a person, regardless of his or her station in life.
We expect our President to set a good example.
But his statements saying that he prefers the likes of a dictator like Marcos rather than Leni Robredo to become his successor are improper.
My respect for President Duterte has been blemished because of this, not because the Vice President is a Bicolano like me, but because I expected him to be diplomatic in his actions as the duly elected leader of our country.
At the same time, he needs to consider the democratic principle that Vice President Leni Robredo was also duly elected by the majority of our citizenry.
Therefore, he must bind himself to the will of the people, the same way the rest of those who did not vote for him are duty-bound to give him respect as the duly elected President.

Jose M Briones,
Manila,
Philippines

 

 

The use of Improvised Explosive Devices are against The Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 6 September 2018

Few days ago, the City of Isulan in Sultan Kudarat was disturbed by an explosion that left three dead and many injured.
Last night, another explosion disrupted the silence of the night in the same town of Isulan, killing an 18 year old boy and injuring 15 people, and now an explosion has been reported in the port of Masbate City.
Though there were no reported casualties, all of this was a result of using Improvised Explosive Device (IED’s) by lawless people.
According to the law, the use of Improvised Explosive Device or IED by any groups are an obvious disregard of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).
Hence, IED is defined as a bomb fabricated in an improvised manner incorporating destructive, lethal, noxious, pyrotechnic, or incendiary chemicals and designed to destroy or incapacitate personnel or vehicles. In some cases, IEDs are used to distract, disrupt, or delay an opposing force, facilitating another type of attack.
I believe, all of these things intensify terrorist propaganda to convey fear among the civilians.
Thus, I would say that groups behind these demonic actions are desperate enough and are seeking attention from both local and international audiences since their strength has weaken and most of their members are now returning to the government fold
As a true Filipino and an advocate for peace, we must not be disrupted by the propaganda of these useless people rather let us be more vigilant at all times.
All of us must work hand in hand if we want peace in our country.
Let us also trust, support and cooperate with authorities because I believe, they are the only ones who can protect us especially in times of threat.

Sandra M Ballaran,
Peace Advocate,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for patience in the pursuit of peace In the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 5 September 2018

The government’s thirst to seek peace is an interminable quest.
For many years it has worked for it.
There was a time when peace with the New Peoples Army (NPA) terrorist group was just about there, but a hindrance always come in.
By being true servant to the folks, government officials tasked to pursue the peace talks do justice to their calling.
They seek opportunities to attain it, though how hard it has become.
Very clear that Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), New Peoples Army (NPA), and National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) has stated it will not go to the negotiating table and to just wait for the next administration to thresh it out.
Their atrocities, arson and IPs and barangay officials killing continues like what happened to the barangay chairman of Panciao in Manjuyod, Negros Oriental, Mario Gonzales, the fifth to be killed since June.
It is the people’s expectation that something has come out with this.
It is apparent the CPP-NPA-NDFP is absorbed and has made moves in the past to talk of peace.
Whether the government will allow them more time to think it over is now a big impending question.
Will the government forever be hopeful and not get exhausted?
We hope not .
It’s getting harder to court the CPP-NPA into peace.
But patience on the government’s part may pay off, eventually.

Marielle Pagsolingan,
Manila,
Philippines

 

 

Call for direct primary elections For Thailand The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 4 September, 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Sunday 2 September 2018

Re: "Limited primary vote draws flak", in Bangkok Post, Thursday 30 August 2018.
A true primary vole, such as that carried out in the US, is a direct election
and thus gives power to the people -- which is what should be. Each voter
selects whom he wants to be his party's standard-bearer, choosing from several
candidates.
Combined with opportunities such as face-to-face debates between candidates,
voters can become fully informed about the strengths and weaknesses of each
aspirant, and choose wisely.
Instead of a primary, the junta is proposing that each party's executive board
-instead of party members - select the candidates.
As Jade Donavanik, chair of the Faculty of Law College of Asian Scholars,
pointed out, this "new" system is no different from the previous one, where the
party's executive boards had all of the say in determining candidates.
This is in no way the political reform which we so badly need.
A primary that represents the members' wishes takes much time to organise,
especially for inexperienced parties - which is why the junta should have
allowed political activities long, long ago, and should do so now.
Do it right, move us from a dictatorship towards a "government of the people,
for the people, and by the people" (Abraham Lincoln).
Give us a direct primary election, not a sham that fools nobody.

Burin Kantabutra,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Assasination of Kim Jong Nam cost much less Than assasination of Moammar Gadhafi The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 3 September 2018 First published in the Japan Times, Thursday 31 August 2018

On August 17, The Japan Times published an article titled “Seeking justice for Kim Jong Nam,” about the killing of the half-brother of the North Korea’s ruler.
Below that article was a news item headlined “Libya militiamen get death for 2011 killings.”
I see great irony in these stories appearing on the same page.
For the Kim assassination, North Korea hired two young women to kill him and only him. Each of the women was given $600.
For the assassination of Moammar Gadhafi seven years earlier, the U.S., England and France hired NATO and Libyan rebels.
The rebels were trained by the CIA and given provisions and weapons worth more than $1 billion.
NATO planes bombed all of the military installations between Benghazi and Tripoli to aid the rebels’ advance to the capital and, in the end, bombed the car in which Gadhafi was attempting to escape.
For the assassination of one man, NATO and the CIA bombed many of Tripoli’s public buildings, destroying Libya’s capacity to provide its citizens with water and killing hundreds of Libyan civilians.
They did everything except pull the trigger of the gun that killed Gadhafi.
Justice?
Sure!
When two young women from developing countries kill a man, there should be justice.
But when a woman acting as the U.S. Secretary of State arranges for a man’s murder, she can not only get away with it but laugh about it on camera.
Then she can run for president.
It all makes sense if you believe in NATO and the U.S.

Iver Torikian,
Kobe,
Japan

Condemnation of Philippines New Peoples Army Attack on Ilo-Ilo hydro power plant The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 2 September, 2018

The communist rebels’ recent atrocity in Igbaras town, Ilo-Ilo where they attacked the site of Century Peak Energy Corp, a mini-hydro power plant deserves to be condemned.
These New Peoples Army (NPA) possess on committing atrocities against the civilian population whom they promised to look after against abusive political figures.
Their role as scoundrels in our history is flagrant.
Let us condemn their unlawful activity.

Eydi Eley Del Rosario,
Manila,
Philippines

Filipino's have right to know the state Of the President's health under the constitution The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 2 September 2018

Another fib from the Communist Party of the Philippines leader, Jose Maria Sison about President Rodrigo Duterte’s health.
He spread hearsay that the president is heavily sick and entered into comatose which was defended earlier by Assistant to the President Christopher Go.
He uploaded a video of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (PRRD) wherein he was in a meeting with Frances Veronica Victorio, the former Climate Change Commission vice chair.
Go, challenged Sison to go home and join go through medical examination with PRRD.
On the other hand, Senator Koko Pimentel gave his statement that why believe in the report of someone hundreds of kilometers away in Europe?
That is absolutely true.
In my opinion we, Filipinos has the right to know about the President’s health condition.
Based on Section 12 of Art. VII of the Constitution states that, “In case of serious illness of the President, the public shall be informed of the state of his health. The members of the Cabinet in charge of national security and foreign relations and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, shall not be denied access to the President during such illness. “
I think the video of PRRD uploaded by Go was enough proof of evidence that he was not in coma plus we were just victimized by hearsay from crabby Joma.
This is a clear propaganda and we shall not be play away from this kind of fake news that goes around. Joma and his organization is charlatan trying hard to oust duterte and deceit to our nation.

Ann R. Aquino,
Manila,
Philippines

 

 

 

Philippines warns China That treading on the law has ramifications The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 1 September 2018

China’s very own amphibious aircraft AG600 with the codename“Kunlong” is capable of landing and taking off from Beijing’s bases in the South China Sea. Chinese media stated that the aircraft has military uses sidewise from it that will be used for fighting forest fire, maritime rescue and monitoring which I think is very alarming.
We all know that China is not above the law.
Its rebuff to partake in the arbitral-tribunal trial the Philippines’ territorial case displays improperly.
Being a giant with obvious military might does not give it authorization to act as being over and above the law, and bestow with the international community’s judgment just like that.
China has not only become a bully but now also a swellhead.
It thinks it can cow anybody, obliging others to follow its impulses and quirks or else.
The proceedings are imperative for the Philippines as I will determine the further course of the case including needs and arranging of any more written capitulations and hearings at a suitable time, and after pursuing the views of other parties.
China should bear in mind that it is treading on the law and this would certainly have ramifications.
China was also given the chance to air its side and even if it will not play its part, the case will still be tried.
China should also collaborate for further denunciation will only protract the case which to my mind, is what China really desires, to continue constructing its structures with missile bases in the claimed islands vying for time.

Ann R. Aquino,
Manila,
Philippines

The Bangsamao Organic Law passed in July May not bring peace to Mindanao in southern Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 31 August 2018

Despite a number of New People’s Army (NPA) surrenders tantamount to 103 in Negros Oriental who also pledged loyalty to the government last August 25, the renewed clashes of attack by other threat groups like the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) are pieces of evidence of continued violence across the Philippines because of self-centered ideology and insincerity.
Recently, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) claimed at least seven armed Islamic State-linked Moro group during the two-day artillery offensives in the province’s marshland since August 26 in Sitio Kabasalan, Barangay Darampua, Sultan sa Barongis town of Maguindanao.
That attack was spearheded by under Ismael Abubakar alias “Commander Bungos”.
Now, try to consider this.
Another BIFF incident also happened in the same province but in a different area. Between rival factions of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in Sitio Nanas, Barangay Pamalian in Shariff Saidona Mustapha town since August 26, two groups of Ninio Ebrahim and Commander Bisaya are squabbling for control of areas whose residents they extort "protection money" from.
Yes, because of money and power – they are divided even if both of them are BIFFs!
This is the same with NPA’s 50-year old criminal act of extortion.
Different threat groups but same kind of hooliganism.
At some point, the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) that was passed last July may not wholesomely solve peace in Mindanao.
Groups like BIFF also wants a piece of the pie and wants enrich their own ideology and interests to derail the path of peace accord.
For example, Abubakar’s faction is one of the three BIFF factions that had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Ironically, the group had been moving around the marshland, using wooden motorized boats, and relying on farmers and fishermen’s forced taxation in the guise of “zakat,” an annual obligatory contribution of Muslims under Islamic laws, to be used for charitable and religious purposes.
This is like NPA’s extortion disguising as Robin Hood’s alms to the needy.
What a shame for the both of them (BIFF and NPA).
They can be best of friends with their activities of atrocities.
Now, what can you expect from these hardcore terrorists.
Same color of feathers. Always doing a copycat of methods.
Overall, the affected populace is not themselves but the innocent men, women, and children; villagers running for their lives. Let us stop this cycle of violence!

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for punishment of Christian priests and Buddhist monks For the sexual abuse of children The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 30 August 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Monday 27 August 2018

Nearly every day you read in the papers about the abuse and even killing of
children.
In the Bangkok Post of Aug 25 you read the cases of a nine-year-old
boy who was in a monastery being killed by the monk who was supposed to take
care of him.
A day earlier there was a report about the sexual assault by an army sergeant
major of a seven-year-old boy.
In Western papers and magazines there were repeatedly reports about sexual abuse of children by Christian priests.
Finally the Pope has expressed his disgust about these happenings and the churches are finally preparing the punishment of these bastards.
Personally I am against the death penalty.
However, all bastards who are abusing and even killing innocent children deserve to be executed.

Lupus,
Bangkok,
Thailand

 

Call for health checks for Philippine President Duterte And CCP chairman Jose Maria Sison The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 29 August 2018

I call my students in Political Science and Philosophy to pay attention to the words of Joma Sison and recently by Special Assistant to the President Bong Go. Accordingly, the latter was trying to catch the attention of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Maria Sison to submit himself, along with President Duterte, to a medical check up to determine if he is healthy.
I do not know exactly know the reason why he had resorted to such remarks to be thrown with the Communist terrorist mogul but I believe (as a Professor of Politics) that it is part of Go’s political communication.
Two reasons probably.
One, as a right hand of the President, he has a special way of saying things but it must be careful. It may create a backlash to him same with the President Duterte.
But since Joma Sison took chances first of throwing mud over the fence of Malacañang (like a petty young squatter child running amuck), the natural response is to react and bring the showdown to the neighborhood.
In this case, to media and general public.
This may test whether people who have learned the statement by Go will create a power vacuum to support the government in attacking Joma Sison for his childish tantrums.
Second, let us say what he is doing is a double-edge sword.
He may or may not be successful on this.
Why?
If he is doing this in countering Sison for the government or Duterte administration’s sake then it but normal to think that a statist versus pluralist’s word riot is happening in the air.
Meanwhile, if he is doing this to create a noise for his pseudo-premature campaign to run in 2019 election (even if he is not actually into campaign right now since they are devoid from doing so); it is also an effective way to gain traction with the public.
Telling the public that we have to throw mud with Joma is technically a must-see-show.
Meanwhile, as a civilian, I do agree partially with Go’s challenge with Sison.
I mean, why not?
If he really is strong enough to fight for Communist Party of the Philippine (CPP) and New Peoples Army's (NPA) socialist movement, it is also break even on his part to maintain health for a longer life.
He must be aware that he is also getting old.
He may consider this as an offer here in the Philippines to check-up by his fellow Filipinos.
A lot of Filipino here is expecting from his return by the way to see his genuine intent.
If he is fighting for equality, it is also of co-equal importance to go home and try Filipino-made hospitalization along with our President to test who really gone crazy when it comes to dead ideology?
I guess people will realize that Sison is butthead rich in Neatherlands yet he is afraid to know his real health status.
And instead of focusing on his sickness, the lense is tilted to Duterte to bring the allegation against the government. Indeed, we are ill-fated nation gaga on Sison’s craze and chauvism.
In general, it seems the Joma Sison is not only an expert in moving volcanoes of issues, altering legal doctrines, and twisting the truth.
Why not challenge Sison’s audacity to usurp the function of a medical doctor in certifying that Duterte is in coma in the high expectation of convincing the Filipinos for his own masters: Communism and Terrorism.
The problem is that the more he tries his very best, the more he resorts to superlatives.
All the more CPP shows its deficiency in comprehension as an organization.
Perhaps the "Leviathan" had come to terms with his body indeed that Joma is now acting to demonize the health condition of the President.
This is a challenge to another person who cannot come to terms that what he is fighting for is a dead cause already.
So come on, Joma for once in your life should try to man up and accept a challenge instead of sending your minions (NPAs) to cover you behind and taint the mind of millions of Filipinos of lies and deception along with evil atrocities by the rebel terrorists.
On the other hand, from the strong words of Duterte, he is still on tip-top health condition.
If they say he really is a septuagenarian, he lives up on it until he finishes his business by 2022.
Now, the question is: Are you afraid Joma Sison to know the bitter pill of truth? Better come home, Mr. Coma Sison, este - Joma Sison. Let us be a man!

Jumel G. Estrañero,
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for relocation of Philippines Ninoy Aquino International Airport The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 28 August 2018

The editorial on how dangerous the Ninoy Aquino International Airport has become, with the Xiamen Airlines plane skidding off the runway, was spot on (“Time to retire Naia,” 8/20/18).
The incident was another close call, and if not for piloting skills, the plane could have plowed into residential areas.
This should inspire a sense of heightened urgency, but the editorial puts the delay at “bureaucratic inertia,” which sounds like a euphemism for incompetent or vacant leadership.
Can we not learn from others’ mistakes?
Hong Kong airport was closed in 1998 because it simply became too hazardous to fly in among all the skyscrapers, so another airport was built, because safety was the utmost concern.
Near-misses are one of the most serious safety concerns.
According to Eurocontrol, an average of two incursions take place each day at Europe’s 600 civil airports.
The most serious was on Oct. 8, 2001, when an SAS MD-87 on takeoff at Linate Airport in Milan smashed into a Cessna Citation, which had encroached on the runway. It resulted in the death of 118 people.
The reasons for that disaster: a number of nonfunctioning and nonconforming safety systems, standards and procedures at the airport (e.g., bad or missing signage).
It remains the deadliest civil aviation accident in Italian history.
Then there is the serious matter of pilot fatigue, resulting in a number of crashes overseas, notably the one near Buffalo, New York, where overworked pilots made a fatal error of judgment.
And who can forget the worst aviation disaster in history at Tenerife, due to heavy fog and impatience on the part of a highly experienced Dutch pilot, resulting in over 500 fatalities?
But wasn’t there also a crash of a cargo plane at Naia a few years ago with civilian fatalities in a residential area in Parañaque?
An intelligent approach would be to utilize both Sangley Point and Clark ASAP before anything more serious happens. Let’s have another Boracay decision-making process - do the right thing at the right time with the right people, before it’s too late.
That runoff at the runway should be a wake-up call.

Walter P. Komarnicki,
Manila,
Philippines

US objects to Philippines Purchase of submarines from Russia The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 27 August 2018

The Philippines is seeing few options to upgrade our naval capability.
While President Rodrigo Duterte has the final decision, Navy chief Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad sees that the best way to procure the country’s first submarines is through a government-to-government (G2G) route.
“I think the best way is include G2G para mawala yung complication ng procurement but it depends on the President,” he told reporters on August 22.
Russia, one of the potential suppliers of the submarines, has offered a soft loan to the Philippine government to be paid over a period of time.
As a maritime nation, he sees the need to acquire submarines sooner as a strategic deterrence to other foreign navies.
“If we have submarines, no country will bully us again. I think it’s a high time that we have capability para hindi makuha ng kahit anong bansa kung ano ang atin. We have to protect them and it is the Navy that can do that,” Empedrad said.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who is currently in Russia for a military exhibit and meetings with defense officials and companies, maintained that other suppliers for submarines are still being considered.
At some point, this is advantageous and at the same time dangerous since government still has no budget for it and if we will dive into acquisition without any budget, we are just putting our state into sham of debt.
Good thing that a deal has not been made. Maybe other countries will give us a good deal like Australia, Japan, or India.
Meanwhile, the U.S. a long-time ally of the Philippines has strongly objected the latter’s consideration of acquiring submarines from its rival Russia, saying it will hurt the decades-long alliance and interoperability.
There is truth in there since US and Russia (former USSR) are not in good terms even during World War I and II and beyond.
Lastly, Vietnam has six Kilo-class submarines but China probably has twelve.
Will these two (Russia and Vietname) countries train the Philippines?
But I wonder if they will do it since both of them are claimants to SCS.
Also, the challenge really is the training of personnel in case we will have Russian submarine since it is not just about acquiring equipment.
As of now, we need to start sending personnel abroad to familiarize themselves with submarines.
Interoperability is indeed a very important factor in its acquisition of submarines and said it would be highly prioritized in the procurement.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

Australia's politics likened to A third world banana republic The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 26 August 2018

Beleaguered PM Malcolm Turnbull says " bullying and intimidation " was being used to exert political sway in the current political scene in Australian politics.
I thought that was how politics was conducted in a third world banana republic.
Are we also going bananas!

Rajend Naidu,
Sydney,
Australia

China's exploration in South China Sea Should awaken spirit of patriotism in Filipino's The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 25 August 2018

President Rodrigo Duterte stated that he would affirm the Philippines avow in the South China Sea if China chooses to take control of the exploration actions in the resource-rich watercourse.
He also said that Eduardo Año, Interior and Local Government Officer-in-Charge will carry a knife and stab the Chinese if there’s uranium there.
He believes that it’s very possible that we can have conflict with China if they insist the said exploration activities in South China Sea.
For me as a concerned citizen of our nation, I thank Duterte for not giving up our rights in the disputed sea.
It's true that we cannot go war with China because obviously we will end up losing everything, economics, territory and more lives will be sacrifice.
No one likes that.
So, as far as Duterte will not raise that he will lift his two hands, which means that he will bargain a tactic to contest for what’s ours.
The question is, are we allowing China to exploit our natural resources?
Our country should be extra concerned with this because such act poses a serious threat to our country as well as to other claimant nations.
This particular issue should awaken the spirit of patriotism in every Filipino and unite the nation in asserting our sovereign right to our exclusive economic zone.

Ann R. Aquino,
Manila,
Philippines

Merdeka denotes freedom from Colonial master or rule by another country The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 24 August 2016 First published in the Star, Monday 20 August 2018

We are celebrating our upcoming 61st Merdeka Day with the theme Sayangi Malaysiaku (Love My Malaysia).
Preparations are already under way for a grand celebration, according to Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo.
The theme, he says, celebrates and boosts the people’s love for this country.
The celebration this year is unique because we have a newly elected government, Pakatan Harapan, in place and the venue is Putrajaya, as requested by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammed.
Let us all take time to reflect on the importance of the celebration. Independence generally means freedom. In the context of a nation, it denotes freedom from a colonial master or rule by another country.
We obtained independence from Britain on Aug 31, 1957 through negotiations. Perhaps the younger generation may not understand the untiring efforts and toil of our leaders to obtain this independence unless they learnt about these struggles in their history lessons.
We proudly display the Jalur Gemilang in our homes, offices and public places and even our vehicles to show our allegiance to our beloved country. The Prime Minister recently said flying the Jalur Gemilang would strengthen the bond among Malaysians.
A few hard-core Malaysians paint their cars with the colours of the Malaysian flag and drive them around during the Merdeka period.
There are also communities who organise Merdeka prayers for the wellbeing and prosperity of the nation. Such events truly signify solidarity and unity among the participants as they will be united in prayer and supplication for the nation.
Of course, the highlight of the Merdeka celebration will be the parade not only in Putrajaya but throughout the country as well.
This is an event which we truly celebrate as Malaysians. Perhaps the Pakatan government could hold more such national events to instil patriotism for the nation.
As we celebrate our independence day, we must be prepared to go beyond our parochial and racial identity to achieve national unity. We need to think as Malaysians and citizens of one nation.
Let us all wish our nation a happy and prosperous 61st Merdeka Day. Long live Malaysia, my Malaysia.

Dr S. Nathesan.
Muar,
Malaysia

 

Australia's Land titles registry Up for sale The Southeast Asian TImes, Thursday 23 August 2018

The Victorian government in Australia is proposing to sell the state's land titles registry and apparently other states will follow.
When will this stupid, short sighted, reckless rollercoaster ride of selling off everything lead us?
Our government supposedly is concerned about foreign ownership, but foreign buyers will love this as an opportunity for more investment and more control!

Jennifer Horsburgh,
Elanora,
Queensland,
Australia

Call for Communist Party of the Philippines to make peace With Philippine government The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 23 August 2018

Since Rodrigo Duterte took the throne as the president, the number of terrorists surrendered continues to increase including the members of the Abu Sayyaf which is very unusual. Now, even the leaders of the New People’s Army (NPA) yield and decide to come back to the fold of law.
In Compostela Valley, a former headman of the hit squad of the NPA’s Special Partisan Unit surrendered.
He divulged to the military about a hoard of improvised explosive devices in the forested location in New Bataan.
One of the reason why he gave up is because of the privations he had been experiencing.
On a wing a prayer may the rebels and other terrorist group be totally neutralize. May the NPA and its mother organization, the Communist Party of the Philippines, (CPP) heed the nation’s call for peace, end it’s violent struggle against our government and discuss divisive and contentious issues in a sincere, honest and peaceful dialogue.

Eley Eydi Del Rosario,
Nueva Ecija,
Manila,
Philippines

Malaysia and China developed a very good relationship During Dr Mahathir's first tenure as PM The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 22 August 2018 First published in the Star, Thursday 16 August 2018

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is scheduled to be in China from August 17 to 21, during which he is expected to meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.
The visit is special because Dr Mahathir is returning to China once again as prime minister after a 17-year gap.
His last official visit to China as prime minister was in October 2001 to attend the Apec CEO summit.
Dr Mahathir is a regular visitor to China.
In the 22 years of his first stint as prime minister (1981-2003), he visited China seven times.
He visited nine more times after he retired, making it a total of 16.
This coming visit has an added significance because he is leading a different government and there are several touchy issues standing in the way of good relations between the two countries.
In his previous official visits, he was leading the Barisan Nasional government. In this visit, he is leading Pakatan Harapan which ousted Barisan in the May 9 general election.
Chinese leaders are familiar with Barisan.
Back in 1974, it was the leader of this newly-formed coalition Tun Abdul Razak Hussein who made the ground-breaking visit to China.
That visit resulted in Malaysia becoming one of the earliest countries in South-East Asia to recognise China.
Bear in mind that although Indonesia recognised China in 1950, their relationship soured and was suspended between 1967 and 1990. Singapore, a predominantly Chinese nation, recognised China only in 1990, and Brunei did so in 1991.
It was not an easy decision for Malaysia because it already had diplomatic relations with Taiwan since its independence in 1957.
The recognition of Taiwan was reflective of Malaysia’s pro-Western stance and staunchly anti-communist policy.
The armed communist insurgency starting in 1948 did not help to endear Malaysia to China.
With the disbanding of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) following the 1989 peace accord, which involved the MCP and the governments of Malaysia and Thailand, the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) became the last remaining vestige of the Chinese revolution in Malaysia.
It was no coincidence that while the MCP was fashioned after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), MCA was the mirror image of the Chinese Nationalist Party, Kuomintang.
Abdul Razak’s own party, the United Malay National Organisa­tion (Umno), was staunchly anti-communist.
Still, Abdul Razak pulled it off and received overwhelming endorsement from voters at the 1974 general election in which the enlarged Barisan coalition was contesting for the first time.
So, given this very long history of mutually beneficial relationship and Dr Mahathir’s own affinity with China, his visit is not only special but also offers the two countries the opportunity to clarify and sort out issues that could stand in the way of good relations.
Dr Mahathir had wanted to visit earlier but time was not favourable.
Proving his seriousness about wanting to put the relationship between the new Malaysian government and China on a good footing, he sent Tun Daim Zainuddin as his emissary.
Like Dr Mahathir, Daim is a familiar face in Beijing.
Back in the 1980s during his first stint as Finance Minister, Daim took an active part in supporting China’s new role in international financial organisations like the Asian Development Bank, World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
During his visit to Beijing on July 18, Daim handed over Dr Mahathir’s letter to Premier Li and had discussions with Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
It is clear that neither China nor Malaysia would want the 44-year relationship to be jeopardised by issues that cropped up during the time of former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Among these are the Chinese loans for the construction of the East Coast Railway Line (ECRL) and the little known Suria Strategic Energy Resources Sdn Bhd (SSER) pipeline project.
It is highly possible that China, in extending these loans and entering into construction agreements for the projects, was acting in good faith in line with its One Belt One Road (OBOR) policy but along the way, this was perverted by irresponsible elements in Malaysia and China.
Neither China nor Malaysia should suffer the embarrassment and financial losses caused by these people and their associates.
The relationship between the two countries is too precious to be allowed to be soured by their irresponsible and criminal actions.
Dr Mahathir said in a recent interview with the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post that his less-than-favourable view of some Chinese-backed deals, deemed overpriced and lopsided against Malaysian interests, did not mean he was hostile towards Beijing.
More recently, he said Malaysia would seek to do away with these projects if they continue to be unfavourable to the country and a burden to the people.
The Pakatan administration and the people of Malaysia must not be made to shoulder the burden of irresponsible acts of Najib and his collaborators.
As Dr Mahathir has pointed out, ­Malaysia and China developed “a very good relationship” during his first tenure as prime minister and there is no reason why this would not continue during his comeback era.

A. Kadir Jasin,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

Call for Malaysia's Finanace Minister To look into Registrar of Unclaimed Money accounts The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 21 August, 2018 First published in the Star, Wednesday 15 August 2018

I am a chartered company secretary under the Charter of The Queen of England. I am from a profession which strictly upholds honesty, trustworthiness, responsibility and accountability, all of which have been ingrained into my brain.
No matter what flaws and faults you can find with the British, they always took responsibility.
One of the important things I noted about our Finance Ministry is the Registrar of Unclaimed Money.
When I retired and had time on my hands to look through my personal affairs, I discovered that I have a number of savings books which I did not officially close, dividends which I had not received as I had changed addresses and not informed the relevant share registrars, etc.
When I contacted the Registrar of Unclaimed Money, I was horrified to learn that they had only started computerising records from 2005 onwards.
It was all manually done before this.
How do they manually manage money from millions of Malay­sians and keep track?
I was so shocked that I advised the officer who was talking to me about the gravity of a trustee.
When I asked about making a claim, the officer coolly told me to bring all the old bank books and dividend warrants!
I was floored.
By right, if there is money held in trust by the Registrar of Unclaimed Money on my behalf, my identity card (IC) should be sufficient.
All transactions involving money are done under my name with the IC.
As such, all I should have to do is present my IC and any money held by the Registrar of Unclaimed Money should be refunded to me with no questions asked, no forms to be filled, and no verification from my bank that the money is being transferred into my account.
I urge the Finance Minister to look into the accounts of the Registrar of Unclaimed Money as there is a lot of money there and lots of Malaysians who do not know or care about their unclaimed money.
I trust our new Finance Minister and I know he will do a good job and make it easy for retirees and all to claim their money from the Registrar of Unclaimed Money.

Sheeda The Baker,
Subang Jaya,
Malaysia

Call to keep away From CPP and NPA ideology The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 20 August 2018

Ata-Manobo tribe Datu Lumansad Sibogan of Talaingod, Davao del Norte declares a “pangayaw” or tribal war against the terrorist New Peoples Army (NPA) because of the continues killing of their member by the said terrorist group.
According to Maj. Ezra Balagtey, spokesman of Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) IP members are killed because of their suspicious of being a military informant and they did not support the terrorist New Peoples Army (NPA) movement.
The situation of our Manobo brothers is getting worse due to the atrocities of the terrorist New Peoples Army (NPA) and continues killing of the members started to increase and another thing is that they’re using the tribes for their personal needs.
How many lives were lost and how many people will suffer from this situation? Stop killing the innocent people for their own interest.
Stop abusing the rights of the people to live, and do not deceive the minds of the community.
Just think wisely, keep in mind how to focus on the kind of living you want to have, keep ourselves away from those wrong ideology and those wrongdoings perpetrated by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New Peoples Army (NPA).

Jhon Lai,
Cavite,
Philippines

Call for Thai PM to clamp down on racism In teacher recruitment at international schools The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 19 August 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Wednesday 15 August 2018

It is the time of the year when international schools in Thailand start recruiting teachers.­ Kris Wya, an African-American teacher with qualifications beyond the requirements, found getting a job in the country difficult.
She said it was because of her skin colour and some "smart" schools wanted her
photo­graphs to be sent so that they would know who she was, an African.
Growing up in California, I found a diverse range of teachers in schools,
chiefly Indians who were good at maths.
The last decade the number of minority teachers in America has doubled and it is slowly having­ an effect.
I don't find such diversity in schools here and the standard of teaching is appalling. Most teachers spend their time browsing their smart phones or computers­ and drinking endless cups of coffee and arguably contributing nothing to children, who have to either sink or swim.
As a test, I asked my friends Michael, a Floridian, and Abraham, an Indian with
better qualifications than Michael, to apply for the position of math teachers
in various schools.
Inevitably, Michael got all the calls. I then asked them to mask their nationalities.­ Abraham was called first and when he revealed his nationality all the schools pulled back.
The incredible story of the cave boys came to a successful fruition because of
international cooperation.
There is a lesson here for schools.
If international schools need to be called truly international, they must hire teachers of diverse nationalities. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha must look into the
anomalies existing in schools and clamp down on racism in teachers' recruitment.

Kaito Yamamoto,
Bangkok,
Thailand

New Peoples Army in the Philippines Accused of lacking political ideology The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 17 August 2018

The New People’s Army (NPA) military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), seems to be so hopeless and helpless due to their lack of political ideologies.
Watta pitty for them.
Extortions are always on the news here and there because extortions and their other atrocities are the only things that keeps them going.
That’s the only thing that made them survive.
Rebels are still insisting for the peace negotiations but the government is not as foolish as they think.
Peace negotiations will only be used as their tool to advance and continue their armed struggle.
The New People’s Army (NPA) force is being weakened as their 7,531 members are either killed, captured or voluntarily surrendered their selves to the government.
This weakening of the New People’s Army (NPA) forces is a call for other members to surrender them selves while it’s not too late for them.
Stop allowing the New People's Army (NPA) to play around your head and make you believe in their fake f*cking promises.

Mackie Lorenzo,
Manila,
Philippines

 

NPA accused of constructng stories that AFP attack communities and use schools as barracks The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 17 August 2018

In trying to inveigle the public and raze the image of the military, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CCP) - New People’s Army (NPA) - National Democratic Front (NDF) lies to the people.
CPP-NPA-NDF leaders and spokespersons are ttrying to persuade the nation that they are fighting for the rights of the masses yet they have been killing innocent civilians, including children.
A New Peoples Army (NPA) spokesperson "Ka Oris" once said that they reiterate their commitment to defend and protect the rights and welfare of Filipino children which are fully integrated into the social program of the said People democratic revolution with a socialistic perspective.
He also said they are strictly adhering to the international laws of war regarding the non-recruitment of minors into the People Militia in opposition to “Ka Mar" statement.
One of the New Peoples Army (NPA) members who surrendered said that there were children ages 12, 15 and 16 together with them patrolling and also knowledgeable in using firearms.
Now how can they explain children's right that is being violated by the New Peoples Army (NPA) and their children’s recruitment?
Those youth in their areas suffer from the heaviest burden of social exploitation and oppression.
They construct their own stories that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) vicious and systematic attack on communities.
They also said that soldiers’ harassed and intimidated school buildings and school premises are occupied for military purpose as barracks or detachments.
Youth are also subjected to a host of oppressions.
Rebels never change, they continue their atrocities.
They even unite with other rebels to hide their mistakes.
They loved violence and they love to kill as their culture continues teaching them how to use weapons and kill heartlessly.
Let us condemn their wrongdoings!

Josefa Rica Gernale,
Palawan,
Philippines

Call for an ASEAN collective position Against terror groups The Southeast Asian TImes, Thursday 16 August 2018

Still, Daesh or IS (Islamic State) terrorist group is a must-see threat group all over gain in another vantage point. Reportedly, affiliates of the Islamic State (IS) in the Philippines “are cash rich and growing in membership” despite heavy losses it suffered in 2017, a United Nations report revealed.
It also indicated that go-betweens enabled the transfer of financial resources from the IS “core” to affiliates in that country and arranged bomb-making and firearms training for recruits from Indonesia at camps in the Philippines.
The United Nation (UN) experts circulated on August 13 (Monday) that the IS extremist group has up to 30,000 members roughly equally distributed between Syria and Iraq, and that its global network poses a rising threat - as does al-Qaida, which is much stronger in places.
The UN report said that despite the defeat of IS in Iraq and most of Syria, it is likely that a reduced “covert version” of the militant group’s “core” will survive in both countries, with significant affiliated supporters in Afghanistan, Libya, Southeast Asia and West Africa.
As far as historicity is concerned, the Daesh/IS fighters swept into Iraq in the summer of 2014, taking control of nearly a third of the country.
At the height of the group’s power its self-proclaimed caliphate stretched from the edges of Aleppo in Syria to just north of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
Now, terrorism might be silent in Southeast Asia right now compare with the continuous saga in Middle East but while many IS fighters, planners and commanders have been killed in fighting, and many other fighters and supporters have left the immediate conflict zone, we can tell that some engaged militarily and others hiding out in sympathetic communities and urban areas.
Aleppo and Marawi for example having physical caliphate largely destroyed, still, the Islamic State movement is transforming from a “proto-state” to a covert “terrorist” network, “a process that is most advanced in Iraq” because it still controls pockets in Syria.
Moreover, the discipline imposed by IS remains intact and IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi “remains in authority” despite reports that he was injured.
It is just more delegated than before, by necessity, to the wider network outside the conflict zone.
In a nutshell, while the rate of terrorist attacks has fallen in Europe and here in the Philippines, the we care continuing our assessment like the underlying drivers of terrorism are all present and perhaps more acute than ever before.
This suggests that any reduction in attacks is likely to be temporary until IS recovers and reorganizes and al-Qaida “increases its international terrorist activity or other organizations emerge in the terrorist arena.
Thus, even though Marawi liberation was successful last year, government of the Philippines always act as reliable watchdogs to secure our territory and protect our people. ASEAN must also be in good defense posture collectively.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

 

Who will be charged for killings Brought by a false ideology The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 15 August 2018

After the dismissal of the murder case against the 4 leftist leaders, the Communist Party of the Philippines, (CPP) New People’s Army (NPA) and National Democratic Front (NDF) can now celebrate.
NDF peace consultant Randy Malayao said that the case was not legally strong for Ka Satur and others from the beginning.
It took the court 12 years to decide.
He stated that all other trumped-up cases must be dismissed like that of prohibition filed against more than 600 of them.
He also said that the dismissal of the case and the rest is a victory for them.
I think he was feverish while he was thinking of that the filed cases to those political prisoners’ should also be junk.
We can call this “injustice” if this sh*t will happen.
Who will be charged for those killings that happened because of their non-sense insurgency brought by their false ideology?
This is so unfair for those families who suffered from the “loss of their love ones” particularly those victims of killings of these left leaning organization together with their armed wing.
May the justice system in our country be put into effect precisely.

Ann R. Aquino
Lyceum of the Philippines,
Cavite,
Philippines

 

Call for hefty fines for public transport passengers Hanging from public transport ahead of APEC First published in the National, Tuesday 7 August 2018

I wish to comment on the Public Motor Vehicle (PMV) operations in Port Moresby.
The city is going through a rapid growth in infrastructure development.
Since we are hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 21 member economies, can the National Road Traffic Authority, through its enforcement unit, apply hefty fines on Public Motor Vehicles (PMVs) that breach traffic regulations?
It is common to see passengers hanging from the side of a moving vehicle.
With much being said about the Apec preparation, I do not see why we are not monitoring our Public Motor Vehicle (PMV) system.
We are telling the international community and observers that we have a bad transport system in place in our region.
A classic example is Kokopo, in East New Britain, where discipline is instilled.
You do not see people hanging from moving vehicles there.

Citi Prinz,
Seseme Street
North Waigani

Call for government presence in Mindanao To counter Red ideology The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 14 July 2018

Indigenous People’s killings in the Philippines have made worse by various groups most especially the New People’s Army (NPA).
Additional to the spiralling contentions are the following: human rights groups, activists, journalists, and pundits have weighed in on the situation which continuously hold authorities accountable.
Case in point was the alleged more than 4,000 displaced indigenous peoples from Surigao del Sur, Bukidnon, Saranggani, and Davao del Norte allegedly due to human rights violations committed by the Armed Forces of the Philippine’s (AFP)
AFP?
Really?
Now let me tell you something.
Recently, tribal leaders of Mindanao have condemned the rebel New People’s Army for killing another Datu in North Cotabato.
The Tribal Justice System of North Cotabato on April 11 for example, described “the death of the Datu Antonio “Dodong” Takinan as plain, deliberate and inhuman act to sow terror against the indigenous peoples communities. Second, prior to April murder by the communist terrorists, a leader of an Indigenous People's group and his son were brutally murdered by Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New People’s Army (NPA) terrorists who forcibly entered their house last February 4, 2018.
Datu Banadjao Mampaundag who recently attended the IP Leader’s Summit in Davao City and his son, Jhonard Mampaundag, both respected members of an Indigenous People's group and residents of Sitio Igang, Brgy Palma Gil, Talaingod, Davao Del Norte were treacherously shot to death inside their house.
Indeed, the unfortunate events have been added to the list of innocent and peace-loving people that were killed by Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New People’s Army (NPA) five Communist Party of the Phioippines-New Peoples Army Terrorists (CNTs).
Also, let me stress that IPs are being exploited via fake guide of education (technical vocation so to speak).
Young IPs are being taught how to use a gun, learned “NPA songs” (kanta na pang-NPA), and take them to New People’s Army (NPA) postings every Saturdays.
After graduating, the deceived and trained IPs turns into Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development (ALCADEV) teachers or New People’s Army (NPA) members.
One time, there was this boy named Baligod who said way back 2015 that they were taught to hate the government. With this, I assume that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New People’s Army (NPA) radicalized the youth, indoctrinated the general population for them to revolt against the government. Therefore, we need government presence in the area to counter the Red’s ideology.
Thus, I also call on the local government units to make a brave stand against continues harassment of the leaders in Mindanao. We need call on government to file a case against the criminal acts of the New People’s Army (NPA) terrorist group and stop the senseless killings of the leaders of the tribes by the brutal elements of the New People’s Army (NPA).
We call on the IP communities to unite and fight to the criminal acts and in slavery done against the IP and agree on the localized Peace Talks just like what the majority wants to pursue.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

 

Call for defence of the Philippine military Over defence of the media The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 13 August 2018

I have read the news about the statement of Sen. Grace Poe regarding the issue of media being branded or labeled by the military as the enemies of the state.
This caught my attention because reading the comments on it is really an eye catcher.
Why?
Because what Sen. Poe did only made it worst because the media and military seems to have gaps.
But what’s worst is that, I have read that the netizens’ comments are showing gripes against the military.
You cannot put the blame on the military alone. I personally, I can actually see that not all the media is giving enough fair information on the issues.
There are media channels and media practitioners that are BIASED in their news especially when it comes to our President Duterte.
There are media channels that only give negative doings of PDU30.
These are showed and aired but the real story behind it is hidden or not being shown to the public.
So, to Sen. Poe, do not put blame on the military for the media being branded as enemies of the state, because you don’t have any idea of what and who are in this world are labeling the media as that.
And also, don’t you ever defend the media over the military again ‘cause it only goes to show that you are putting gap between military and media.

Rubina Silva,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for Filipino Christians and Muslims To join hands against Godless terror groups The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 12 August 2018

I am a bit worried over reports that some 20 ISIS cell groups operating in Mindanao are planning to carry out massive attacks in certain parts of the region aimed to divert the military’s on-going operations against the Abu Sayyaf-Maute Group combine in Marawi City.
I am hoping that the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, who claim that they are constantly monitoring the activities of these 20 ISIS-cell groups, would not blink and eye on them and conduct ‘full court press’ to thwart their evil plans.
As the military continues to recover and hold on to the previous strongholds of the ASG-Maute Group still holding it out in Marawi City, I am sure that these ‘cornered’ bandits would call on their allies outside of the city to sow terror aimed to divert the military’s effort to neutralize them and liberate the city.
Given that scenario, the thinly-spread military and police forces cannot cover all places at one time, and they need the full cooperation of the public to be vigilant in their respective communities against the presence of suspicious armed men in their respective localities.
It is a consolation to hear that the military and the police have already prepared contingency plans to thwart the evil plans of these terrorists.
But these contingency plans remain when terror and bombings begin.
I may sound as an ‘alarmist,’ but I urge all the law-abiding and peace-loving Filipinos, whether Christians, Muslims or other religious groups, to all join hands in preventing these Godless terror groups from sowing violence and chaos in their respective communities.

Ann R. Aquino
Cavite,
Philippines

Is the United States Losing its clout in ASEAN ? The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 11 August 2018

China wants military exercises and energy exploration with Southeast Asian nations in disputed waters, according to a draft document, but it insists on outside countries being excluded in what analysts said was a bid to diminish US influence.
The draft document, seen by Agence France-Presse (AFP), outlines different countries’ bargaining positions as they work toward an agreement, and analysts said it represented some initial progress.
In the draft text, Beijing suggests that China and the 10 ASEAN states should carry out joint military exercises regularly.
But the drills should not involve countries outside the region “unless the parties concerned are notified beforehand and express no objection.”
Beijing also suggested that China and ASEAN could carry out joint oil and gas exploration in the waters but again proposed that companies from countries outside the region be excluded from such activities, the document showed.
I believe that Beijing’s suggestions are part of efforts to expand its influence in the South China Sea, which it claims almost entirely, and push back at Washington, which has backed countries with overlapping claims to the waterway.
A code of conduct between Beijing and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to govern behavior in the strategic sea has been years in the making.
Interestingly, at a meeting of foreign ministers in Singapore on 2 August, China and ASEAN announced they had agreed on the negotiating text for the code of conduct.
Vietnam has offered some of the stiffest resistance to China in the sea in recent times, regularly complaining about Beijing’s activities on contested islands and in disputed waters.
Tensions reached fever pitch in 2014 when Beijing moved an oil rig into waters claimed by Hanoi.
Observable as it is, we can observe that Vietnam offers the strongest opposition to Beijing’s activities calling for countries to stop building artificial islands and establishing military installations.
But there was little sign of serious resistance from other countries, signaling how opposition to China’s aggressive expansion in the resource-rich waters has ebbed in recent years in Southeast Asia.
Meanwhile, evidence in SCS/WPS activities proves to be the source of tensions that have escalated in recent years due to Beijing building artificial islands that can host military bases.
There is also a question whether United States is losing its clout in ASEAN being traditionally dominant military power in the area despite it has more frequently carried out patrols aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation.
In the making of ASEAN member states’ stand as a regional bloc, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims to China’s in the South China Sea.
On the contrary, the CLM states have leaning admiration with China’s policy pronouncement towards Southeast Asian.
And Thailand being neutral with the issue.
On our part here in the Philippines, under then President Benigno Aquino III, had been a leading voice against China’s expansion in the sea and used ASEAN events to pressure Beijing, but President Duterte has reversed that policy.
But it does not mean we are in the wrong backdrop.
I believe that the suggestion to exclude outside countries is obviously targeted at the US, which has been dominating the waters of the Western Pacific and the South China Sea in particular but we do not entirely agreeing on China’s deal since we respect U.S. bilateral cooperation with the Philippines which is not, by all means, carried to counter China at any sort.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for public hearings Into China loans to the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 10 August 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Wednesday 8 August 2018

Why is it that our economic managers continue to keep the terms of China’s loans a secret?
Many countries have been victimized by China’s “debt trap diplomacy.” Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad canceled all their Chinese loans upon his election.
Unless our leaders have the wisdom and courage of Mahathir, we will join Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Venezuela, Kenya, and others in their journey to perdition.
We urgently need Congress to conduct public hearings before we fall into this debt trap.
These public hearings should cover transparent cost-benefit analyses; comparative interest rates and conditions from Japan, the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank; collaterals pledged to back up the loans; and lessons learned from our previous experiences with Chinese loans such as ZTE and the NorthRail Express.

Dionisio Gil Jr.,
Manila,
Philippines

Thai government accused of making laws To suit their agenda The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 9 August 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Tuesday 7 August 2018

Re: "The strong arm of the law", in Bangkok Post Sunday 5 August 2018
Alan Dawson is spot on as he delineates the systematic legalisation of corrupt
morals by the junta, a legal reform with the primary intent of keeping the Thai
nation uninformed about Thai affairs, where forced ignorance of the topic is
always, without exception, the primary aim of all censorship.
There is clearly much that those who seized power over the Thai nation in order
to make up laws better suited to their agenda do not want Thais to know or
understand about Thai affairs.
The major reform of these non-elected politicians has been to criminalise critical public discussion, effectively outlawing the good morals essential to a healthy civil society that keeps the government under due scrutiny, leaving the unspeakable unexamined.
Critics should note the extremely strong claim: all that is needed to prove it
false is a single example of censorship whose primary purpose is not to enforce
ignorance of the censored topic.
Your failure to do so proves the stated truth about censorship. But do try to square its circles in support of the corrupt reform of Thai law.

Felix Qui,
Bangkok,
Thailand

 

Philippine chief justices appointed In the interest of self-preservation The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 8 August 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Monday 6 August 2018

Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio is our next chief justice.
I say this to short-circuit our political reality and to evoke the Fates (moirai) to challenge the gods of this government and rethread destinies.
I was also compelled to write this letter upon knowing that the top three bets for chief justice are all appointees of the most corrupt Philippine president since Ferdinand Marcos.
Mr. Duterte should know that the lethal knife stab in the back doesn’t come from an enemy, as ousted president Joseph Estrada and ousted speaker Pantaleon Alvarez will tell you.
I believe our previous two presidents chose their chief justices not in the highest interest of justice but in the interest of self-preservation.
President Duterte can atone for the mistakes of his predecessors by appointing the chief justice who will best serve justice and our national interest.
Given Mr. Duterte’s affinity for destiny, I’m sure that, in his moments of introspection, he can see destiny’s nobler choice for chief justice despite his own policies and interests. The foolishness of the god of destiny is wiser than man’s wisdom, after all.
In 2010 and 2012, self-interest brushed aside the best and rightful chief justice that destiny was calling for.
It seems the Fates have ordained from then on that any chief justice appointed on the basis of self-interest shall fail their mandates, until destiny’s call is answered. The Fates await an answer.

Ernie Lapuz,
Manila,
Philippines

 

Call for strengthening of National Unity Consultative Council Rather than pass Religious and Racial Hatred Act bill The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 7 August 2018 First published in the Star, Saturday 4 August 2018

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of religious affairs, Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa, recently announced that the government would enact a Religious and Racial Hatred Act to protect Islam and other religions in the country against slurs and insults.
The minister further said that the proposed Bill would safeguard religious and ethnic harmony in the country.
Although this statement should have come from the National Unity and Social Wellbeing Minister, Dr Mujahid’s good intention is welcomed.
But don’t we already have laws which aim to achieve similar results?
Should we further expose ourselves to the risk of selective prosecution by enacting more laws?
Punishing someone for making a hate speech is not a long-term solution when the ideology that gives rise to such prejudice and hatred is not addressed.
Racial and religious misunderstandings are best resolved through open dialogues supported by broadly inclusive policies.
Prosecuting an individual will simply fortify hatred and leave the issue of intolerance unaddressed.
What we desperately need is for politicians to publicly rebuke in the strongest terms incidents that denigrate or mock our diversity, be it racial or religious.
We do not see this happening as race and religion are continuously being used as tools to pursue political ambitions.
I would recommend that the government focuses on strengthening the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), which was set up in 2013, to enable it to continue building bridges of harmony among the various races and religions in Malaysia, supported by inclusive policies rather than enacting new laws.
To achieve the desired results, let us all work hand in glove to solve the root cause of the problem rather than propose more laws which could make the situation worse instead of better.

Darshan Singh Dhillon,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

Philippine Supreme Court accused of dishonesty Over presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos appeal The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 6 August 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Friday 3 August 2018

For law students like us, the editorial “Clarity from Comelec” (7/28/18) was very disturbing as it revealed how dishonest the Supreme Court can be, acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal presiding over the election protest filed by defeated vice presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos.
By that account, it shamelessly pretended ignorance of the policy set by the Commission on Elections regarding the “applicability of a 25-percent threshold.”
The Supreme Court, aka the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), was duly furnished a the Commission on Elections (Comelec) resolution setting the threshold at 25 percent, which was duly received by its en banc clerk of court Felipa Anama.
So, would the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) now blame its clerk for suppressing or hiding that document from the the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) members?
What motive would she have to do that?
Who worshipped the Marcoses in the first place by judicially entitling its late patriarch to a “hero’s burial” despite public outrage?
This country is already sick and tired of never-ending charges of electoral sabotage.
In the wake of “Hello Garci,” where no one was ever sent to jail, the people are no longer scandalized by such shenanigans.
Do we also have to endure the “judicial sabotage” about to happen in the highest court of the land itself?

Gabrielle Michell M. Aguillera,
Manila,
Philippines

 

Call for ethics and character In a new Malaysia The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 5 August 2018 First published in the Star, Thursday 2 August 2018

We can mull over the delayed promises of our reform-minded government but we cannot deny the efforts made by the Health Ministry to address all forms of bullying and abuse. And for that we say “thank you”.
Over the past few weeks, the term bullying has been better explained and explored on social media.
Every fresh medical graduate fears the daunting years of housemanship.
We had learnt the term of being “the lowest life form” in a hierarchical system even prior to graduation.
Getting through each rotation with no extension was a cause for celebration.
Yet it was a season of learning, relearning and unlearning.
I can say that many of us came out just fine with the best of memories and learning experiences.
Reviewing the discussion on bullying with junior colleagues and comments posted on social media, we can generally agree that it is not the work hours, firm reprimanding, sleep deprivation or loss of weight and appetite that becomes an “issue”.
It is merely the act of being disrespectful to a junior colleague that becomes upsetting.
Using profanities, public shaming and sexual innuendos top the list of complaints.
With a new Malaysia, it is wonderful to note that the pitfalls in a noble practice is being evaluated thoroughly.
The downside of this “culture of abuse and bullying” leaves the medical professionals to consciously or subconsciously adopt the same style as they progress.
After all, every superior was once a “subordinate” who had gone through similar routines and shaping to become a better practitioner.
While we seek to improve skills and knowledge, may our ethics and character speak greater volumes of truthful service.

Priscilla Manymuthu,
Selango,
Malaysia

US electoral system Not perfect The Southeast Asian Times. Saturday 4 August 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Wednesday 1 August 2018

Re: "No justice at all", in Bangkok Post 30 July 2018
Eric Bahrt is correct in highlighting the critical role that battleground states play in deciding the US presidential election under the country's Electoral College system. But, the fact that several small states are among those battleground states ensures that serious candidates for president cannot simply ignore these diverse opinions.
Without the Electoral College system, it is doubtful that presidential candidates would give any attention to the interests of the people of these and other sparsely populated states.
Electoral systems around the world apply various methods to give a greater
"voice" to marginalised groups and minorities.
The US system is not perfect, but it does indeed contribute toward that objective.

Samanea Saman,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Cancellation of 2019 Philippine elections Unconstitutional The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 3 August 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Thursday 2 August 2018

The no-election (No-el) scenario is dependent not on whether it has the support of our lawmakers, but on specific provisions of our Constitution pertaining to the terms of office of our elected officials.
The proposal that the scheduled 2019 midterm elections be canceled and the terms of office of legislators be extended is unconstitutional, because it will violate the provisions of the Constitution mandating that the term of office of senators will be six years, and three years for local elective officials.
The proposed extension of the legislators’ terms of office and their retention in a hold-over capacity is likewise unconstitutional, because “holdover” positions are considered as “legislative appointments.”
Hence, it will violate the constitutional provision that they should be elected and not appointed to their positions.
The Supreme Court has ruled that “the legislature cannot, by an act postponing the election to fill an office the term of which is limited by the Constitution, extend the term of the incumbent beyond the period as limited by the Constitution.”
In the 1991 case of Osmeña vs Comelec involving the synchronization of elections, the Court ruled that “it is not competent for the legislature to extend the term of officers by providing that they shall hold over where the Constitution has in effect or by clear implication prescribed the term, and when the Constitution fixes the day on which the official’s term shall begin, there is no legislative authority to continue the office beyond that period.”

Romulo B. Macalintal,
Election lawyer,
Las Pinas City

 

 

Elections not expected In Philippines next year The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 2 August 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Tuesday 31 July 2018

It was the stuff that events or movie directors dread or dream of, depending on what kind of a director you are.
Joyce Bernal certainly did not expect the spectacle that happened in last week’s State of the Nation Address.
We now have a comebacking disgraced politician, who had been embroiled in a string of corruption charges, as Speaker.
So much for President Duterte’s rhetoric on weeding out corruption in government. With Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as an ally, expect the campaign for “No-el”
(no elections) in 2019 to materialize, and the shift to a federal system going full swing. Perhaps the post of prime minister for the former president?

Robert Alvarez Hyndman,
Manila,
Philippines

 

Former Philippine President Arroyo returns But without the neck brace The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 1 August 2018 First published in Philippine Inquirer, Monday 30 July 2018

In “Arroyo survives multimillion-peso scandals” (News, 7/26/18), former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is said to have hurdled so many mega-corruption charges that went nowhere due to technicalities.
The most scandalous of exonerations was due to the Supreme Court’s brazen junking of its own Rules of Court to hand over to her an early acquittal on a silver platter.
To refresh everyone’s memory about that particular plunder case involving P366 million of the people’s money gone forever, Arroyo’s “demurrer” was denied by the Sandiganbayan, which found strong evidence that she committed the crime.
She hired the country’s most influential lawyer, who then filed a petition for certiorari in the Supreme Court to review that denial, a big no-no as far as ordinary law practitioners know.
My stepmom, who has practiced law for years, showed me Rule 119, Section 23 of the Rules on Criminal Procedure promulgated by the Supreme Court: “The order denying the motion for leave of court to file demurrer to evidence or the demurrer itself SHALL NOT be reviewable by appeal or by certiorari before judgment.”
No law degree is required to understand what that rule prohibits.
The Supreme Court bent over backwards to accommodate that lawyer - and his VIP client who had put up a show of being in great distress (picture her with that ubiquitous neck brace while under hospital arrest) and who, upon being acquitted, was no longer choked in the neck by any brace!
And now on her third and last term as a congresswoman, she is the “honorable speaker” of the House of Representatives!
OMG!
With a President who says things nobody understands (thus the need for “interpreters,” mostly to say things he did not say), a Supreme Court that decides cases on mere whims, a Congress run by a comedian (in the Senate) and Arroyo (in the House), and a population of more than a hundred million but dominated by just 16 million registered voters - are we really now a nation of losers?

Carmela N. Noblejas,
Manila,
Philippines

Philippine Boracay tourist island closure Sets precedent for closure of Gigantes Islands The Southeast Asan Times, Tuesday 31 July 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Friday 27 July

Fisherfolk under the group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas are opposed to the proposal of the Department of Tourism to close Gigantes Islands in Iloilo province as a “preventive measure” before Gigantes supposedly self-destructs, according to the department.
In our recorded data, around 12,000 residents, mostly fisherfolk, will be affected if the closure pushes through. Gigantes’ tourism industry serves as an alternative source of livelihood for small fishers, because municipal fish catch has dramatically dwindled with the transformation of Gigantes into an ecotourism hub.
We fear that Gigantes Islands might suffer the similar fate of Boracay, which was described by President Duterte as a “cesspool” and shut down for six months.
The Boracay closure has clearly set a precedent for the closure of other tourist islands and coastal communities, to pave the way for big-ticket projects at the expense of our local businesses and fishing rights of small fisherfolk.
We wonder at the need for closure when there are already national and local environmental laws that could protect and preserve marine resources and coastal areas if enforced properly.
Why can’t the national and local governments strictly implement these laws to protect our pristine marine resources from corporate aggressors, instead of enforcing total closures that will only adversely affect the livelihood of grassroots stakeholders such as the fisherfolk?
The government must cease and desist from the massive conversion of productive coastal communities and fishing waters into ecotourism hubs, and maintain our marine ecosystems as a source of livelihood for small fisherfolk.

Fernando Hicap,
National chair,
Pamalakaya-Pilipinas,
Manila,
Philippines

 

 

Number of proposed federal states Have increased from 12 to 18 in the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 30 July 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Thursday 26 July 2018

Please allow me to thank Antonio Montalvan for the positive points he made in his July 23 column “Federalism is a road to discord”.
Some of his conclusions, however, were, to say the least, off-tangent.
He seems to have misinterpreted a number of our comments on the rationale for our consultative committee’s recommendations to revise the 1987 Constitution.
It is true that in 2018, I filed a resolution to adopt the federal system where I suggested that our republic should have 11 federal states.
At that time, it did not include the Cordilleras.
A few months later, in a forum in Baguio, vocal activists from the Cordilleras criticized that uninformed omission and convinced me that their region should be treated as one of the federal states in Luzon.
Thus, the number of federal states that I subsequently proposed was increased to 12.
But, now, the committee has recommended to the President the creation of 18, not 12, federal states.
Also, Montalvan’s allegation of what I said in a television interview that “North Mindanao State ‘may be divided’ into northwestern and northeastern” failed to capture the intent of my statement that the boundaries of the proposed federal states were subject to revision pursuant to the better judgment of the people concerned.
Indeed, I suggested that, if only to facilitate the discussion, for Mindanao we would limit our proposal to create only three federal states: Northern Mindanao, Southern Mindanao and the Bangsamoro.
Incidentally, I also mentioned in many forums on federalism that it is possible for the federal state of the Bangsamoro to have two autonomous regions: one for the Muslim-dominated provinces in mainland Mindanao, and the other for Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
He also bewailed my alleged statement “in a January 2017 forum [that] Masbate, currently counted as part of Bicol, would be included in Central Visayas.”
Again, he does not seem to realize that I have, in fact, ceaselessly advocated in federalism forums that the choice of the people as to which federal state they wish to belong should as much as possible be respected.
May I respectfully stress that our work in the consultative committee was merely recommendatory.
In plain language, the President, to whom our output was addressed, had full discretion to use only a part - or the whole or none - of the said recommendations as he wished.
In the performance of our work, the President never interfered.
If Montalvan has evidence to the contrary, he should feel free to reveal it accordingly.
Lastly, may I express the wish that in discussing issues of national importance, we avoid name-calling or attributing ill motives to those engaged in the discussion.
His branding me, for instance, as an “oligarch” is so far from the truth.

Aquilino Pimentel Jr.,
Member,
Consultative Committee,
Manila,
Philippines

Australia's state run media Forecasts civil war in Cambodia The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 29 July 2018

Cambodian PM Hun Sen has vowed to unleash civil war if he is not reelected ( abc news 28/7 ).
The Cambodian dictator will get reelected in a far from free and fair election and Julie Bishop and her gang in the Australian government will continue business as usual with the dictator's regime.

Rajend Naidu,
Sydney,
Australia

 

Who are the goodies and the badies In the Philippine ideological war? The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 23 July 2018

Last July 23 (Monday), I have seen State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Duterte in simplicity.
Not because it was planned theatrically by a film director Joyce Bernal but because bamboozled issues have been surrounding Duterte nowadays yet his feet are well-grounded minus the buzz words coming out from his mouth.
The septuagenarian has still the guts to lead this nation in a very different path the way the past five presidents since Cory Aquino.
While he has laid good accomplishments of this nation in whole of the nation approach, there has been several spiralling issues fluctuating up and down just to play the mind of the people and the government.
While a suspected Maute-ISIS member was killed in Lanao this week, the communist terrorists groups in the guise of New People’s Army (NPA) terrorist rebels made an unprecedented act of killing one retired solider.
This is not actually new but will the projection of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) to negotiate with the government, why do their members keep on killing innocent lives?
Did they think that a retired man is a waste of life?
Have they thought of the family of the deceased?
Additionally, there are memebrs of AFP who were caught in crossfire and got wounded via NPA bombing in the South.
The even abducted tribal leader in Surigao!
What kind of move is that?
Is that what you call since peace deal to feed among Filipinos after a long sumptuous negotiation for nearly 50 years of debacle?
Sadly, there are also people who mimic or copycat the act of NPA.
Like for example a fake NPA who extorted a sum of amount mounting to P10 million.
If you are watching WOW Mali then you have been wrongly victimized not in a funny mood.
On the other hand, there is a good peace development in Kidapawan where their mayor agrees to have a localized peace talks with NPA and government.
Another is that some amazonas (femme fatal NPAs) surrendered in the hands of our authority in Surigao. I mean, there really is no way better than asking ourselves: WHO REALLY IS BAD AND GOOD?
People will laugh of this but hey, 50 years of hell-bent ideology have always misdirected millions of lives; both in rebellion and ideological phantasm.
We have to remind ourselves with greater heights of achieving what really needs to be done.
Peace and Development for all of us!

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

 

 

 

Apology from the EU to Japan For call to abolish death penalty The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 28 July 2018 First published in the Japan Times, Friday 13 July 2018

As a European, I am writing to apologize to the people of Japan for our arrogant and embarrassing habit of interfering in the internal affairs of your country.
Regarding the recent executions of the convicted perpetrators of the 1995 sarin attack on the Tokyo subways, the European Union again issued a statement calling on Japan to abolish the death penalty.
I find these unsolicited interventions inappropriate for at least three reasons.
First, Japan is a vibrant democracy, with a free and open political debate, and a highly educated and well-informed population.
Japanese universities conduct leading criminological research in Japan and across Asia.
The idea that the Japanese people and their elected representatives are unable to devise their criminal laws without “advice” from the EU seems preposterous.
Second, Japan has a well-functioning criminal justice system, and some of the lowest levels of violent crime in the world.
Data shows that the Japanese people have an exceptionally high degree of confidence in their police, prosecution service and judiciary. Europeans should learn from Japan, not lecture it.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, the government of Japan would never openly express its views on any internal policy of either the EU or its member states.
Not that there is a shortage of human rights problems in Europe that could be commented on, but doing so would be considered improper and disrespectful.
Japan’s criminal justice system draws upon norms and values that have evolved over a very long time.
We Europeans must learn to show respect for the fact that people of different cultures have different norms and values.
Whether or not Japan should retain the death penalty is a debate for the Japanese people and not one in which foreign governments should get themselves involved.

Marcus Baltzer,
Honiara,
Solomon Islands

Call for enforcement of Local Government Code of 1991 Not federalism for Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 27 July 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, WEdnesday 25 July 2018

The theory of lawyer Raul Lambino that “bringing local government closer to the people will improve the lot of the poor” (“Will ‘bringing government closer to the people’ help the poor?” Mapping the Future, Business, 14 May 2018) sounds redundant, because the present decentralized form of local governments was precisely designed by law to work like that.
Republic Act No. 7160, or the Local Government Code of 1991, is replete with clear provisions that prescribed peoples’ participation in all aspects of local development programs, be it in health, education, environment, agriculture, public works, social welfare, the criminal justice system, tourism and the like.
Its core purpose till today is to “privatize” public administration or “reinvent” the way we govern to help the many who are still poor.
May I cite the case of Nueva Vizcaya, a very poor province in 1992, where more than half of the population was living below the poverty line, but whose provincial governor at the time used local autonomy and limited devolved powers more creatively by empowering people to rise above their poverty.
He used simple but practical approaches in arresting environmental degradation, for example: “Take care of the people and they will take care of the forest,” he said.
In a short time, the province earned recognition in forest management, peace and order, prison management, health, etc. and was a recipient of awards from Galing Pook.
After 12 years of sustained people’s participation in governance, the province’s poverty level of 52 percent in 1992 dropped dramatically to a low of 4 percent in 2003! In addition, Nueva Vizcaya distinguished itself as having generated the highest per capita income among 78 provinces in the Philippines.
Based on this well-documented success story of local autonomy, decentralization and devolution, there seems to be no need to shift to federalism to kick poverty and attain peace and order in the country.
What is needed is for the Department of the Interior and Local Government to enforce and monitor Local Government Units (LGU)s to faithfully implement the Local Government Code.
It may also be helpful for the congressional oversight committee to introduce meaningful amendments to the code.

Virgilio A. Tiongson,
Manila,
Philippines

 

 

Philippine urban masses are the constituency For a radical alternative to Duterte The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 26 July 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Tuesday 17 July 2018

Richard Heydarian proposes in “Leni and the ‘third way’” in Philippine Inquirer 10 July 2018 that Vice President Leni Robredo be remade into a third way alternative à la Tony Blair and Bill Clinton.
The third way is aka “neoliberalism with a human face” or “austerity lite.” Thus, Robredo already is the third way.
She embodies a continuation of Edsa and the failures of elite democracy.
In contrast, President Duterte has made a career out of lambasting Edsa from the right.
An alternative to Mr. Duterte should come from a critique of “trapo” democracy from the left.
Heydarian posits that a radical alternative has been eclipsed by the hegemony of neoliberalism.
But Blair and Clinton’s swing to the right paved the way for the rise of extremism. Their abandonment of their traditional base made workers prey to the demagoguery of right populists.
Heydarian insists that socialism has been made passé by postmodernism.
Yet socialists Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders belie this.
Corbyn is poised to become the United Kingdom’s next prime minister, and Sanders would have beaten Donald Trump in the election.
Despite predictions of the death of grand narratives, socialism is alive and kicking. The defeat of workers’ struggles heralded the birth of globalization, but capitalist greed is engendering resistance.
The majority of millennials in the United States prefer socialism.
An unknown New York socialist just trounced a high-ranking Democrat in the primaries.
Elsewhere, radicals, not third way politicians, are the rivals to authoritarian leaders. A leftist just won Mexico’s election.
In Europe, social democratic parties have collapsed and new radical parties are battling the extreme right for hegemony.
Mr. Duterte has harvested the discontent with Edsa democracy and is trying to channel it into support for dictatorship.
But after two years of broken promises, Mr. Duterte’s ratings are down, especially among the urban masses who are reeling from “endo” and inflation.
They are the constituency for a radical alternative to Mr. Duterte and the failed Edsa regimes.

Rene Magtubo,
Chair,
Partido Manggagawa,
Manila,
Philippines

Removal of anti-dynasty provision in Bangasamoro Basic Law Could bring to naught good governance in Muslim Mindanao The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 25 July 2018

Recently, the 17th Congress of the Philippines passed the Bangsamoro Basic Law on third and final reading last May 2018.
After the House of Representatives, in a 227 to 11 vote, approved their version of the bill, the upper house with all 21 senators present approved what was known as Senate Bill 2408 on its final reading.
The 21-0 vote came around 1 a.m. on May 31, 2018, two months before third State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (PPRD).
As a result, there has been some applause from the stakeholders. Gov. Mujiv Hataman, the Administrative Region in Muslim Mindanao which the proposed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region is slated to replace, praised the legislative branch for the law’s passage.
On the other hand, not everyone is pleased with the version that has been approved.
Veteran journalist and known administration critic in a post discussed the reasons for Rep. Sarah Elago’s (Kabataan party-list) decision to vote against House Bill 6475.
Some have warned of how self-defeating an ineffective Bangsamoro Law could be. Some say that the Senate’s version of the BBL would be different from the initial proposal of Malacañang and the Bangsamoro Transition Commission.
Just last week (20 July), Malacañang touted that President Duterte may sign the Bangsamoro organic law before he delivers his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque thanked the members of Congress for reconciling their versions of the bill, one of the priority measures of the Duterte administration.
The bicameral conference committee approved the proposed Bangsamoro organic law on last 18 July (Wednesday), a year after the Bangsamoro Transition Council submitted its draft to the President.
While the law will optimistically succeed in bringing peace and stability in the region (as favorable to their demands in the South), the BBL’s lack of effective measures to address governance issues hounding the soon to be replaced Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) for decades, is not an assurance to address the longstanding problem of poverty.
Meanwhile, the removal of the anti-dynasty provision, similar to the one found in the Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Law, could put to naught other measures that Congress has put in place to promote good governance in the Bangsamoro region. Among them are the provisions that promote accountability by maintaining the Commission on Audit as the exclusive auditor and tighten the qualification of Sharia’h court justices.
The Bangsamoro government is also given the power to create government corporations but they should comply with the provisions of the GOCC Governance Act. It may also enact its own civil service rules that should be compliant with existing rules.
While there is a question whether BBL will be commensurating Philippine political security, we may give the measure at least two years to deliver on its promises before passing judgment on the measure.
Anyway, the proposed BBL could be repealed by Congress if the same problems such as secession and hostilities arise during the first two years of implementation of the new organic act of Mindanao.
I am excited what will be the aftermath of BBL, SONA, and Federalism in general after this week and beyond.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Mania,
Philippines

Call for Islamic economic model For Malaysia's Bumiputra's The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 24 July 2018 First published in the Star, Tuesday 17 July 2018

Two weeks ago, a recommendation to introduce an Islamic economic model in Malaysia was made by well-known economist Tan Sri Dr Kamal Salih in response to a query on the bumiputra agenda.
He was of the view that the capitalist model that has been followed in Malaysia has not been able to address the equity agenda in the country.
Malaysia as a nation is blessed in many ways: abundant natural resources, geographically well-placed, free from natural disasters and a relatively good economic planning framework.
While it is not perfect, no one can deny Malaysia’s good performance especially for a multi-ethnic and multireligious country.
In the context of the bumiputra agenda and in the name of equity, various measures and policies were implemented to facilitate active participation of bumiputras in the modernisation and industrialisation processes.
However, it is the government’s own reports as well as interesting studies, such as by Muhammed Abdul Khalid (“Colours of Inequality”, 2016), that show the shortcomings of these policies and numerous other forms of inequality and equity that must be addressed.
In the 11th Malaysia plan, it was acknowledged that intra-bumiputra inequality was an issue to be given serious attention, for example the poor condition of the bumiputra in Sabah.
The weak position of the Malaysian Indian community also led to a dedicated Malaysian Indian blueprint a few years ago.
One must also look at wealth inequality as an important form of inequality among all ethnic groups in Malaysia today.
Median household income is still shockingly low.
The attention given to the Bottom 40, or B40, in the 11th Malaysia Plan is proof of this. Employee Provident Fund (EPF) statistics have also clearly stated that the concentration of savings in EPF accounts is very skewed to a small wealthy upper middle and upper income group.
What seems to be very clear is that affirmative action policies to assist the disadvantaged cannot be based primarily on ethnicity.
It would just create inequality between the rich and poor in all communities, including the bumiputra!
The wealth inequalities measured by the Gini Coefficient for Tabung Haji savings and Amanah Saham Nasional unit trust schemes show very high concentrations in the hands of a very small super rich segment of bumiputra.
The Islamic economic model proposed by Kamal calls for an emphasis on socioeconomic justice as its paramount feature and objective.
Distributive issues cannot be left as a by-product of growth.
The capitalist approach glorifies “free markets” in the name of economic freedom. However, freedom has to be for all members in society and not just for the privileged few who have financial capital.
Affirmative action in economics must be reoriented along economic lines and criteria.
The abuse and misuse of these policies clearly shows that socioeconomic equity cannot be achieved with the current capitalist model.
The Economist’s recent “Crony Capitalism Index” puts Malaysia in second place, which is not a praiseworthy situation.
It is an indication of how abuse and misuse of an equity agenda can lead to the proliferation of a rentier class in society.
Since an overwhelming majority of bumiputra are Malays and by definition, Muslims, the use of an Islamic economic model is rational and logical.
Besides the more technical side of an Islamic economic model, one must also give attention to the importance of “correct” values, attitudes and mindset for sustainable development.
Promoting ethical economics must be the way forward for new Malaysia where pursuit of material gains is not an end in itself but a means to achieving greater success. Income levels may increase but not at the expense of creating widening inequalities among members of society.
Developing a new economic model requires the acceptance of the fundamental principle that ethics cannot be separated from economics.
As stated by Kamal, the ethical values promoted in the Islamic economic model are universal.
The challenge is not religion as a source of ethics but how we understand religion and apply it in plural Malaysia.
An Islamic economic model can play a positive role in Malaysia not only for the bumiputra community but for all Malaysians.
It is imperative for our policy makers to realise that religion, an important source of values for all communities in Malaysia, can be a uniting force in new Malaysia. The challenge is how we present it and how we learn to understand and accept others in our common land of opportunity.
Another challenge is to develop these workable models and to implement them effectively.
An ethical economy and promoting socioeconomic justice for all must be part of that new Malaysia - and Malaysians of all faiths should be able to contribute to this.

Mohamed Aslam Haneef,
Centre for Islamic Economics,
International Islamic University Malaysia,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

Call for Filipino's not to ruin President Duterte's State of the Nation Address The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 23 July 2018

July 23 was declared as a special non-working holiday at some areas in Manila which will be affected by the State of Nation Address (SONA).
But first of all, do you know what SONA is?
SONA or the State of the Nations Address is an annual event in the Republic of the Philippines in which the country's President reports to the Filipino people the status of the nation, normally during the joint opening session of the two chambers of Congress – the Senate and the House of Representatives.
It is also the time of the year where the broadcasters, newscasters, tv networks will come as one to witness the President’s SONA.
It is important for the Filipinos because the President will enumerate his achievements and plans for our government and country.
3rd SONA of President Duterte will be supported by the AFP anf PNP and they will be put on hightened alert to keep the SONA out of its threats.
Protesters are also expected to work on the rally and make scenes as the President gives his speech.
This SONA is not for his self, but for us fellow Filipinos.
Let us not be impolite to the President.
Give him the respect that he really deserve.
What he is doing is for the Filipinos and for the country.
Do not ruin his 3rd State of the Nations Address, just let the President deliver all the things that he wanted to say and take something good on it that would help you improve yourself as a Filipino.
Let’s start the peace on this day by giving respect to the father of the country.

Jhoi Lorenzo,
Manila,
Philippines

Philippine prisons are overpopulated And a breeding ground for infectious diseases The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 22 July 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Monday 16 July 2018

It is a clear and undeniable fact that the current conditions in Philippine prisons are appalling, more so when you look at it from a public health perspective.
Our dingy, overpopulated jail cells are the perfect breeding ground for infectious diseases.
Through antigenic drifts and shifts aggravated by extreme close contact between the inmates, the next deadly viral epidemic might just originate from our overcrowded prisons.
Looking back 100 years ago, the deadliest recorded event in human history - the Spanish flu pandemic - occurred partly due to the cramped living quarters shared by soldiers during World War I.
Infectious diseases thrive in densely packed populations.
When one factors in the substandard healthcare in Philippine correctional facilities, it is clear that the jails in our country - which, according to a recent Commission on Audit report, are overpopulated by a staggering 511 percent - are ticking time bombs.
One should also note that prisons are open, not closed, societies.
There are always people coming and going: wardens, visitors, and even the prisoners themselves.
A novel viral strain that develops inside prison walls can easily be transmitted to the population at large.
Not only are the conditions in Philippine jails inhumane and unethical, they are also grave threats to public safety.
The state should realize its constitutional mandate to protect our health (Article II, Section 15) and immediately take a proactive stance against the ever-worsening conditions in our country’s prisons - for our sake, and for the prisoners’ sake.

Nicolas Czar B. Antonio,
Manila,
Philippines

 

Carbon trade is a valuable assett To PNG development and economic growth The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday, 21 July 2018 First published in the National, Monday 16 July 2018

As the chairman of Vanimo, West Sepik, I extend my appreciation to those who assisted me with the opportunity to establish ‘carbon trade’ in our country:
Carbon trade is one of the valuable assets to our country’s development and economic growth.
It can play an important role in improving the living standards of our people in the nation, for instance, a country like Vietnam has developed in bigger scale, because of carbon trade being the core foundation to their country’s economic growth and development as well as other countries around the world.
Carbon trade can be categorised into four different types of categories: Grey carbon; green carbon; brown carbon; and blue carbon
As naturalised citizens of Papaua New Guinea we should be responsible for our natural resources and encourage reforestations to areas that are experiencing deforestations and prevent any form of treat to our natural resources.
Basically our main aim is to trade our natural carbon to other countries so that the outcome can benefit our people and the nation, especially, economic growth and any form of development in our country.
If other countries can practically build that capacity, why not Papua New Guinea?

Martin Wai,
Chairman,
Vanimo, West Sepik,
Port Moresby,
Papua New Guinea

Philippine IS Maute Self fund arms The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 20 July 2018

Are we safe or not?
Recently, authorities here on Monday arrested the wife of the new head of Maute terror group in an operation that also killed a suspected bomb expert.
On one hand, Chief Supt. Marcelo Morales, police regional director, said Nafisah Pundug, wife of Owaidah Marohombsar Abdulmajid, aka Abu Dar, was arrested during a raid by the police and military.
Dar had assumed leadership of Maute after its founding leaders, Omarkhayam and Abdullah Maute, were killed in Marawi last year.
Abu Dar replaced Isnilon Hapilon as Islamic State (IS) emir in Southeast Asia after Hapilon was also killed in Marawi as per reliable source.
Moreover, Morales said Nafisah was “undergoing interrogation.” “She did not resist arrest and she did not deny being wife of Abu Dar,” Morales said. Furthermore, the raiding team killed Najib Calimba Pundug, alias Najib Hussein, 32, a suspected bomb maker, during the 2:30 a.m. operation to arrest Nafisah in the village of Fatima.
A pistol, bomb-making materials, two hand grenades, an IS flag and a white car were found in the house. Najifah Pundug Macaraya, Nafisah’s sister, admitted that Najib was, indeed, a Maute member.
“We have been telling him to surrender,” Najifah told reporters after she and six others were also arrested for alleged obstruction of justice.
Meanwhile, Najib was in the Department of Defense Arrest Order No. 1 as a high-value target.
It is troubling to know that yet a known fact that the Maute-inspired bomb maker can come and go in the village and the neighborhood was unaware that he was wanted by the law.
This is alarming since a village is a private place and if they can operate inside, they can even operate elsewhere like the recent Maute sub-leader entrapment that was held in captivity in Tondo.
Second, given the capability of IS and Maute combined (international and local), it is evident that they can provide arms or money to buy arms by themselves in illegal permit or by a third party provider.
In fact, the raiding team was out to serve the arrest warrant but as the law enforcers entered the house, Najib opened fire with a .45-caliber pistol.
So where did he get that?
Somebody could have supplied their group not only in GenSan but also in areas where sub-leaders of Maute operates as well.
There is no better way of surrendering and be protected by the rule of law than the rule of IS terrorists whose ideology are hell-bent.
And I see strong alliances with various security agencies to quell possible crimes to be committed by lawless elements like Maute.
The government and military are doing its best to magnify the security.

Jumel G. Estrañero,
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

No support for the CPP-NPA-NDF unholy trinity From the Philippine state guided by God The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 19 July 2018

With all the more contestation of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) as they rejected the Duterte regime’s so-called “localized peace talks” last July 13, it goes to show the real intent in the peace process which is to DERAIL the process in whatever means they can keep up with. Traitor as I call the very act.
Pure insinuations and baseless accusation not even tried in any court every time they unwarrantedly call the Peace Talks as “pretend talks” where they keep the mockery alive versus Duterte who allegedly pretends to be wanting peace while actually waging total war against the people.
Bigotry to highest level isn’t it?
Moreover, another self-proclaimed political shaman of leftists beefed up the claim of its group.
Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate cited alleged Armed Forces of the Philippine’s (AFP) anomaly wherein the P192.5 million PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA) program in Maguindanao is unconstitutional and had driven corruption among others.
This is his style of bandwagoning to the recent statement of Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza that he decided to give it back the extra amount for newer version of budget resolution to be used for current allocation compare with 2012.
Since it is unliquidated funds as noted by Commission on Audit (COA), it is subject for a return and better to change its specification to be suitable in current demands. I mean what is wrong with that?
At least, the sum of money will be returning back soon to government and be useful in other projects to alleviate people’s lives.
Unlike CPP-NPA-NDF, they always kill, steal, and destroy the future of the Filipinos and continually lie to the public; labelling the localized peace talks as a sham, a waste of people’s money, and are doomed to fail.
They protruded that the Peace Talks is a worn-out psywar tactic to project victory to conceal the continuing failure of the AFP to suppress the people’s resistance and stem the steady growth of the NPA.
Pure deception and usage of fellow Filipinos such as innocent Indigenous People (IP) like Lumads and alike.
Also, straight from the horse’s mouth of Joma Sison and his cohorts, he summoned that Duterte’s “localized peace talks” dovetail with such corruption-riddled programs as the “balik-baril program,” the Comprehensive Local Integration Program and the recent surrender campaign, pointed out the CPP.
He deceives people when he says that only local government officials and military field officers are happy with the ‘localized peace talks,’ a money-making racket with hundreds of millions of funds that will surely end up in their pockets.
What is their basis of this?
No any amount of evidence but lies!
They do not even tried to take lead in form of the court, right?
Always words of deception and actions of killings.
Now, how about the CPP-NPA’s multi-million revolutionary taxes that keeps on ballooning in illegal platforms coupled with crimes and arsons?
Not to mention they have monkey business supported by left leaning organizations in Congress and Professors in various universities.
Uh-uh!
Now, is they are serious enough as a learned citizen as they claim in universal communism being its main source of ideology, then why do they keep on resisting to be equal with the government.
Let us not support their unholy tactical alliances or as call Unholy Trinity (CPP-NPA-NDF) along with politicians like Zarate in mask – just to advance an evil people’s protracted warfare’ a poison of the mass in the guise of civil war that they have been planning to continue.
An evil and heartless rage despite local peace talks. Instead of respecting the state authority frantically guided by God, you keep on acting as PEACE KILLERS!
Say what, Joma Sison?

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

Autonomy for PNG provinces could end up being The People's Republic of Papua New Guinea First published in The National, Monday 16 July 2018 The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 18 July 2018

The recent article in The National some days ago highlighting the Government’s move to grant autonomy for New Ireland, East New Britain and Enga is a move with a motive.
The general explanation given by the Government is that these provinces were doing well or managing their affairs really well compared to the others.
However, when every other province eventually does well and becomes autonomies; where can we go?
If this happens, the people are going to vote for the governor; and somehow, if the constitution is amended to allow the prime minister to be voted by these governors, where again do we end up?
Political scientists out there should name what type of government this can be; possibly a republican government that will be called the People’s Republic of Papua New Guinea
If that move merges with the different types of cultures and societies we have, then that would be a political reform; and the birth of a new era in Papua New Guinea politics.
Brilliant idea.

Smith LAMA,
Port Moresby,
Papua New Guinea

Chinese tourist arrivals to Thailand may drop If Thailand is percieved as dangerous and unsafe to visit First published in the Bangkok Post, Monday 9 July 2018 The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 17 July 2018

I would like to bring your attention on the worrying similarities shared by the
two major news items of the past week.
I am referring to the young Thai footballers trapped in a cave in Northern
Thailand, and the over 30 Chinese tourists killed in a horrific naval incident
in southern Thailand.
Both cases involve one of grandest industries of the Kingdom - tourism - and
show an alarming lack of effective set of rules and enforcement, so as to ensure
people's safety.
As a law lecturer at a Thai University and an attorney-at-law, these tragedies
touched me deeply.
First, we sadly witness every day that safety concerns are widely ignored in
Thailand.
No matter whether in construction sites, touristic attractions, logistics or manufacturing SMEs (the backbone of the Thai industrial sector), workers do not wear any helmets, safety shoes, glasses, or gloves.
How could the Thailand 4.0 master plan become a reality, if even the most
elementary rules about work safety are infringed on a daily basis?
Second, careless and irresponsible behaviour is so widespread in Thailand, at
some point it became the new normal.
Reckless Thai people don't just harm tourists' lives, as in the case of the Chinese travellers in Phuket.
They also affect the lives of their fellow countrymen - how is it possible that every
Songkran festival, which should happily mark the beginning of a new year, is a
heart-rending war bulletin about hundreds of Thai people losing their lives due
to deadly car accidents?
Third, there are massive issues related to people's education, and effective law
enforcement by Thai authorities.
As it is widely known that the monsoon season is unpredictable and potentially
dangerous, people's education and awareness in this regard should be enhanced.
However, since education can produce results only in the long run, it is up to
Thai policymakers and law enforcement authorities to show clearly that safety
will become a primary goal to pursue, in factories, construction sites, and
tourist spots.
Signals claiming ridiculously "safety first" or disclaiming any responsibility if tourists enter a cave, are not the right responses to such a dramatic emergency.
Beyond strictly enforcing the current set of rules, hard choices should be made:
for instance, revoking the licences to the non-compliant owners of boats,
closing down caves during the rainy season, as well as prohibiting boat trips
during the same season.
One may wonder whether this can affect Thai tourism.
It can, indeed.
However, we must look at the bigger picture.
Thailand did astonishing work to scale up its tourism sector, from 10 million
arrivals in 2014 to over 35 million in 2017 (of which approx 10 million from
Mainland China only).
Thailand is the only Asian country to make into the rankings of the 10 most-visited nations worldwide.
However, it is equally easy to face a sharp decrease of arrivals, if the kingdom ends up being perceived as the Land of Death, rather than the Land of Smiles.
Consider what happened to the South Korean tourism sector, when Sino-Korean
relations deteriorated a few years back.
The number of Chinese arrivals dramatically dropped.
The same can happen in Thailand if Chinese travellers perceive Thailand as a
dangerous and unsafe nation to visit.

Pietro Borsano,
Bangkok,
Thailand

What will happen Christians in Mindanao On the passing of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) ? The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 16 July 2018

Before the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 23, the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has been the hot topic that may make or break.
They say that President Rodrigo Duterte will sign the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) before he delivers his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) later this month, Malacañang.
In my recent recollection, Duterte has convinced the two chambers of Congress to adopt the House of Representatives' version of the bill. Both houses of Congress approved in May their respective versions of the proposed BBL after Duterte certified the bill as urgent.
Historical-politically speaking, the enabling BBL law of the 2014 peace deal between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is pegged to install a Bangsamoro political entity in place of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Accordingly, the said version provides that the six (6) municipalities of Lanao Del Norte and 39 barangays of North Cotabato could vote to join the BBL territory in a referendum to be conducted on the mother territory of the areas involved.
On one hand, the challenge is the assurance of passage consonance with President’s intervention tilting constitutional provisions and the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Umali.
We can also deduct that the failure ofthe bill to pass under the previous administration was an evident of questionable provisions faced on constitutionality. Moreover, the commonality of both versions of BBL (then and now) is technically to envision in granting wider self-rule to predominantly Muslim provinces and cities. On the other hand, we do not agree that in the case of absolute passage of BBL, it will definitely heal "historical injustices" suffered by the Moros despite the fact that Duterte is banking on the bill's passage.
Meanwhile, if other legislators are contending that the government is only trying to prevent bloodbath between Muslims and non-Muslims in Lanao del Norte, a Christian-majority province.
But it is not like that.
For example in Lanao del Norte wherein majority are Christians. Christians live in coastal areas, in the interior, there are MILF municipalities.
Sometimes you have problems like Mamasapano, areas that Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and New People's Army (NPA) can enter the same as true with location of entry point of kidnappers and criminals as their hide-out.
Whenever there is kidnapping in Christian towns (aside from Lanao el Norte), the government has to work with the interior.
Now, here is the dilemma.
If those perpetrators will run away from the jurisdiction, the government has to run to the interior.
But that is not allowed.
There is a need for closed ordination with Bangsamoro Chief Minister.
So what will happen to Christians if they feel they cannot be protected by the government?
Possibly, pointing arms at any Muslim coming down from the interior which happened before.
Now, I believe that under the Senate and House versions, the areas shall vote on whether or not they want to be included in the proposed Bangsamoro territory.
In other words, the mother units must first give permission for the addition or removal of areas.
If there are violations in the 1987 Constitution and be agreed hitherto, I will support whatever will be the result if things will be baked up the procedural and substantive process of law.
Regarding Federalism, we do not simply agree on the draft as of now.
We are also looking in our own end whether it will give us a different outlook of security upon it implementation.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

 

 

Third State of the Nation Address (SONA) Not expected to be peaceful The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 15 July 2018

As President Rodrigo Roa Duterte continues his administration, terrorists are being more aggressive with their criminal acts.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte will deliver his 3rd Statement of the Nation Address on the 23rd day of July 2018.
And as a Filipino, I personally expect that this won’t be as peaceful and as smooth as we think.
Protests and rallies are here and there.
PLUS the force of founder of Communist Party of the Philipines (CPP), Joma Sison, will surely make a scene.
Aren’t we used to it yet?
But I know, the Armed Forces won’t be bothered.
This is not new to them and this is just a normal scenario from the terrorists.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is always prepared, ready and alert for such things as this, so for my fellow Filipinos, we don’t need to get worried because Sison’s force is nothing compared to AFP.

Emjae Macalintal,
Iloilo City,
Philippines

 

The Oust Duterte Movement in the Philippines Similar to Oust Erap Resign Movement The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 14 July 2018

This is an reaction regarding the issue "Joma Sison: No more peace talks, better to oust Duterte" June 29, 2018.
The communist guerillas can no longer negotiate with the Duterte administration Joma stated.
He also mentioned that it is easier and productive for NDFP to participate in the Oust-Duterte movement.
"The Oust Duterte Movement" continues as the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) -National Democratic of the Philippines (NDFP) - New People's Army (NPA) -NDFP as their main and primary nationally coordinated mass movement, mass action and alliance-united front initiatives; very similar to their special political operations during the Anti-Dictatorship in the Marcos government and the OUST-ERAP resign movement which became historically successful.
The truth is nothing will change, whoever takes Duterte's position as president Why?
Simply because CPP-NPA-NDFP are well known traitors, are insincere and distrustful when it comes to peace negotiations.
No wonder why they're running 50 years (golden anniversary) on their anniversary.
I can say that President Duterte, together with the entire government is right to take a position that any serious and sincere peace negotiations be rational, practical and decesive.

Ann R. Aquino,
Lyceum of the Philippines,
Cavite,
Philippines

 

Hague Joint Declaration of 1992 Has been exploited by CPP-NPA-NDF The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 13 July 2018

It is good to hear that the finalization of localized Peace Talks is getting a drumbeat in the government.
I do remember that all the negotiation process between the government and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-National Democratic of the Philippines (NDFP) way back in 1986.
From their perspective, they has seen and even pointed out the idea of localized conduct of peace talks in 1986 is a BIG ERROR.
What they have been pushing is the fair game to the hands of state security forces and they do want another incident of capturing so they decided to make things within the 1992 Hague Joint Declaration (HJD) framework.
From my perspective, I can tell the difference between a genuine intent of negotiating and not.
To be honest, I can surmise the fact that the abovementioned Hague Joint Declaration of 1992 has been exploited by CPP-NPA-NDF for the past almost five decades.
Like a mother’s instinct, they want milking and protection from someone else. In their case, they found refuge from the sleight of hand of HJD 1992.
Ironically, they are very active in dismantling the government via international organization by resounding and reverberating all lies and deceptive narratives from the Philippines to be heard conspicuously by the international community.
Like for example the International Solidarity Network which have acted solely on the basis of Joma Sison’s plain and baseless forward statement and communique.
Now, are they serious enough to engage with the government or they only breed another force of anti-administration campaign against the current administration to oust Duterte?
This is not impossible given the clout they have already established under MAKABAYAN bloc and its parties and along with interest groups.
Meanwhile, I salute our troops for the Abu Sayyaf surrenders in Sulu and Basilan; 3 and 13 respectively. Always abounding by grace and protection from God, we can see that little by little, not only NPA have started surrendering but also other threat groups like ASG and BIFF.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for founder of Communist Party of the Philippines To come out of exile and reassess the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 12 July 2018

It’s been 30 years since the Communist Party of the Philippines founder, Jose Maria Sison departed our country.
He cannot discern the changes in the Philippines particularly the industrial side wherein he thinks that it looks and still is the same - that most filipinos are peasants.
I think it’s time for Joma to come home and look around, ask himself if our nation has made any progress from the day he left.
Maybe it’s the right moment for him to analyze who really is responsible for the problem in our country for decades.

Ann R. Aquino,
Lyceum of the Philippines,
Cavite,
Philippines

In praise of international spirit of cooperation In rescue of Thai soccer players The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 12 July 2018

The spirit of cooperation of the international community in the effort to rescue the 12 young Thai soccer players and their coach trapped in a treacherous cave shows just how precious human life is and what great value the human community attaches to it.
In light of that it boggles the mind why so much human life is wasted - including that of countless children - in wars and conflict and political leadership displaying no qualms about going down that path?
That remains humanity's shame.

Rajend Naidu,
Sydney,
Australia

 

Support for peace talks between Philippine government And Philippine Communists to be held in Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 11 July 2018

The negotiation is indefinitely on hold yet new conditions are being initiated for the resumption of peace talks that are likely to be rejected by the communist rebels, including holding negotiations in the country, dimming the prospect of a settlement of the nearly 50-year-old insurgency under President Duterte.
“The doors for the resumption of peace talks with the NDFP (National Democratic Front of the Philippines) are still open,” presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza said in a statement on July 5, 2018.
On the other hand, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) lauded that by completely shutting the door to the negotiations, Duterte is laying down the conditions for imposing martial law or a general crackdown, use the terror proscription against the CPP and New People's Army (NPA) against his critics and dissenters against his tyranny, and push Charter change for pseudo-federalism to perpetuate himself in power.
I do not know where do they get the idea but those are usual rhetoric being pushed by the enemies.
What a profound propaganda and stupidity!
They see themselves as gods of oracles without conscience in committing crimes.
CPP has no right to revoke his proclamations.
They must respect all accords reached by the two sides since 1992, and agree to hold the talks here in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the other conditions set by the government like that there must be no power-sharing or a coalition government with the communist rebels, a stop to their revolutionary tax collection, and a ceasefire agreement requiring the New People’s Army (NPA) encamped in designated areas – are technical turn of event in the history of negotiation with Red.
This eventual decision of the President are manifestations of clarified issues within the organization of CPP-NPA; with all crimes and atrocities.
I support the President and the negotiating panel that the Peace Talks be held in the Philippines.
In addition to holding the talks in the Philippines, rather than abroad as has been done since 1992, we believe that the resumption would be subject to other wishes of the President.
Meanwhile, we can the crackdown of CPP-NPA wherein it lost 7,531 fighters, most of them by surrendering to the government in the first six months this year.
I contest that Duterte is driving another nail to completely shut down the NDFP-GRP peace talks; adding that the condition was “unacceptable and unworkable for the NDFP."
It is actually the CPP-NDFP which has been faking the leads to divert peace into sham.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty.
Manila,
Philippines

Five Presidents since establishment of CPP-NPA Have failed in peace talks The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 10 July 2018

President Duterte has again called for a cancellation of the peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CCP) -New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (NDPF) that was first scheduled on June 28 purportedly to buy more time because he was not yet ready for it.
Philippine government Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza stated the government needed more to time ‘consult’ the general public about the talks, as the reason why it was cancelled indefinitely.
Exiled Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder and National Democratic Front (NDF) founding chair, Joma Sison, for his part, is now acting like a ‘cry baby’ who had been left alone by his playmates, urging his comrades to single-mindedly wage people’s war against the Duterte government to ‘liberate’ the Filipino people.
From my point of view, President Duterte should have not pronounced the resumption of the peace talks with Reds after he totally scrapped it in November 23 last year for the latter’s insincerity and untrustworthiness.
Based on reports, the CPP-NPA had been suffering huge losses in the countryside due to the intensified military operations against them and the huge number of their comrades surrendering to the government side.
Talking peace with traitors, insincere and untrustworthy CPP-NPA is just a waste of time, money and effort as their leaders are still hell bent on enriching themselves from their extortion activities and grabbing power from the government.
The President has given several pre-conditions (that remain unheeded) against the Reds before talking peace, and they include: stop attacking government forces and facilities; stop their extortion thru revolutionary taxes and stop killing innocent civilians opposed to them.
There had been five Presidents since the CPP-NPA was created 49 years ago, and all these Chief Executives tried but failed to talk peace with them.
And I think President Duterte is also doomed to fail on his desire to hammer out a peace deal with the local communist movement whose leaders won’t stop at nothing until they have grabbed power to rule and run the government.

Edgar Lalantacon,
Toril,
Davao,
Philippines

Philippine government and Communist Party of the Philippines To talk about ceasefire and socio-economic reforms The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 8 July 2018

Isn't the resumption of talks with the communist rebels just a waste of time?
A month after President Rodrigo Duterte terminated the talks over the rebel attacks on troops, he gave a statement saying that there are certain conditions that are no longer negotiable.
The government and the communist party have agreed to resume peace negotiations.
The talks are expected to focus on shaping bilateral ceasefire agreement and socioeconomic reforms.
He said that the rebels must discontinue collecting revolutionary taxes, release soldiers held in captivity and avoid appealing ownership of territories,
“There are certain conditions to me which are no longer negotiable so either I have it before I embark on another journey of peace talks (or not),” he added in a press conference.
He clearly mentioned that if the rebels don’t accept his conditions that he has imposed that he cannot deal with them anymore.
He strongly urged the rebels to release all prisoners of war.
The rebels must stop turning away troops in their self-claimed territories, stop extortion and stop arson.

Ann R. Aquino
Lyceum of the Philippines,
Cavite,
Philippines

,

Call for termination of peace talks Until Joma Sison is out of the picture The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 9 July 2018

The Armed Forces of the Philippines wants to terminate the peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New People’s Army (NPA) - National Democratic of the Philippines (NDPF) and take Joma Sison out of the picture.
The termination does not necessarily mean that the peace talks will no longer pursue.
The AFP, and not only them but for us fellow Filipinos and even the Indigenous People, what we want is genuine and sincere peace talks that embodies the people to put an end to this fighting and war so that peace can be achieved.
But how can we achieve the peace that everyone is aiming for if these forces of Joma Sison is still part of the story?
CPP-NPA-NDF is only wanting to have peace negotiations for some reasons and some of these reasons are; to cope and conduct their double-talk, to push their “Oust Duterte Movement” and to impose their 4Rs (Regroup, Refubrish, Recruit and Recover their lost grounds) while the peace process is ongoing.
As a Filipino, I am so much in favor of the termination of peace talks with the CPP-NPA-NDF because no matter how long the talks may be, if Joma Sison is still around, there’ll be no peace for us so better take away Sison on the picture and let the peace be processed.

Jhoi Lorenzo,
Manila,
Philippines

 

Call for leftwing parties and entities in the Philippines To form unified party for next elections The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 8 July 2018

Since part of the Philippine government agenda is to end the communist armed struggle in the country, it might be a good idea to raise questions on why the communist, socialist and labor movements in the Philippines have not developed the way the other movements in Europe did.
Along this line, the government should abandon its dreams of ending the armed struggle if its focus is just on institutionalizing reforms to uplift the workers’ welfare, protect indigenous people, and deliver basic services, among other concerns. Communism is not the product of poverty, although poverty drives people to take up weapons; but it is the communist party that shapes the armed struggle in the country as it is now.
Thus, the government cannot continue to dismiss communism as the root cause of violence by sticking to its reformist policies (if we can call porridge-feeding and doles reformist) in order to prevent the radicalization of the masses.
Because as long as the violent ideologies exist, there will be people willing to die for it.
An ideological movement is equally important and is not too late.
Lastly, what I would also like to see is the cohabitation af all leftwing parties and entities (similar to the Plural Left of France in the 1990s) into a unified party in next elections, to show that the workers can rise and their interests can be advanced peacefully.

Nikki Del Rosario
University of the Philippines,
Diliman,
Philippines

 

 

Call for Peace talks on 50-year-old insurgency To be held in the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 8 July 2018

The negotiation is indefinitely on hold yet new conditions are being initiated for the resumption of peace talks that are likely to be rejected by the communist rebels, including holding negotiations in the country, dimming the prospect of a settlement of the nearly 50-year-old insurgency under President Duterte.
“The doors for the resumption of peace talks with the NDFP (National Democratic Front of the Philippines) are still open,” presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza said in a statement on July 5, 2018.
On the other hand, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) lauded that by completely shutting the door to the negotiations, Duterte is laying down the conditions for imposing martial law or a general crackdown, use the terror proscription against the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and New People’s Army (NPA) against his critics and dissenters against his tyranny, and push Charter change for pseudo-federalism to perpetuate himself in power.
I do not know where do they get the idea but those are usual rhetoric being pushed by the enemies.
What a profound propaganda and stupidity!
They see themselves as gods of oracles without conscience in committing crimes.
CPP has no right to revoke his proclamations.
They must respect all accords reached by the two sides since 1992, and agrees to hold the talks here in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the other conditions set by the government like that there must be no power-sharing or a coalition government with the communist rebels, a stop to their revolutionary tax collection, and a ceasefire agreement requiring the New People’s Army (NPA) encamped in designated areas – are technical turn of event in the history of negotiation with Red. This eventual decision of the President are manifestations of clarified issues within the organization of CPP-NPA; with all crimes and atrocities.
I support the President and the negotiating panel that the Peace Talks be held in the Philippines.
In addition to holding the talks in the Philippines, rather than abroad as has been done since 1992, we believe that the resumption would be subject to other wishes of the President.
Meanwhile, we can the crackdown of CPP-NPA wherein it lost 7,531 fighters, most of them by surrendering to the government in the first six months this year.
I contest that Duterte is driving another nail to completely shut down the National Democratic of the Philippines (NDPF)-GRP peace talks; adding that the condition was “unacceptable and unworkable for the NDFP.
It is actually the CPP-NDFP which has been faking the leads to divert peace into sham.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

Peace talks in Mindanao Between CPP-NPA-NDF not sincere The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 7 July 2018

The conduction of peace talk and local process is opposed by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Joma Sison group who are insisting on conducting the peace talks outside the country.
I can only see that the reason for this is that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New People’s Army (NPA) - National Democratic of the Philippines (NDF) is just using the peace talks as their tactics and way of manipulating their own lies.
The documents which has been signed such as the Hague Declaration, CASER and some others are all being used and manipulated by the CPP-NPA-NDF to take advantage of their tactics.
This peace process of the CPP-NPA-NDF doesn’t aim for a sincere attainment of peace for the Filipinos but instead, they are using the peace process just to strengthen their armed struggle and revolutions against the government.

Jhoi Lorenzo,
Manila,
Philippines

Phillipine communist rebels planning to Oust President Rodrigo Duterte by October The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 6 July 2018

As agreed upon during backchannel talks, the supposed resumption of formal negotiations was set to proceed on June 28 in Norway.
A stand-down agreement was signed on June 8 and was supposed to take effect on June 21, a week before the opening of formal talks.
But the talks' resumption was aborted because Duterte said he needed more time and more consultations with the people. Enraged by Duterte's move, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman and National Democratic of the Philippines (NDPFs) chief political consultant Jose Maria (Joma) Sison said it was better to oust Duterte.
But later, Joma softened his stance saying that talks was still possible.
However, the military has openly expressed support for the idea of abandoning the peace talks.
Now, the irony is that the communist rebels are planning to oust President Rodrigo Duterte by October.
This is claimed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as it expressed support for the total termination of peace negotiations.
AFP spokesman Colonel Edgard Arevalo said on July 3 that the ouster plot was allegedly contained in documents recovered by soldiers and confirmed by testimonies of communist rebels who have surrendered.
Accordingly, there is such plan that was hatched during the period that there was a lull in the operations because of the ongoing ceasefire.
In terms of credibility of documents, Arevalo made assurances these were “credible” pieces of information from surrendered members of the New People’s Army.
He also declined to enumerate the measures being done to pre-empt the supposed plan of the communist rebels, saying that such operational details could not be divulge.
Moreover, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier said the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) crafted a 3-year plan to advance their revolutionary movement, which includes starting the “Oust Duterte Movement” if the chief executive will not agree to a coalition government.
On the other hand, the CPP has been proliferating that Lorenzana is a war promoter and consummate militarist.
He wants no non-military end to the civil war in the Philippines.
He fears losing significance if the present civil war in the country is settled politically through peace negotiations.
To him, the only solution is to recruit more and more soldiers to the AFP in order to lay siege on thousands of barrios nationwide and sow terror among the people. What a traitor CPP!
Further, the 3-year plan was crafted in two occasions during the last unilateral ceasefire covering the period 2016 until January 2017, wherein the CPP-NPA-NDF held the largest and 2nd People’s Congress from October to November 2016 and the Central Committee Plenum in December 2016. By January 2017, the National Military Commission of the [CPP-NPA-NDF] reinforced the earlier plenum Agenda.
I agree with their claims of destabilization.
I can recall when Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison said he has nothing to do with the group yet he called the Patriotic and Democratic Movement (PADEM); calling for the ouster of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte last 2017.
Using the lull in the fighting because of the ceasefire they were able to consolidate, recover their lost ground/mass base and expand their influence.
So are they really serious in Peace Talks?
You tell Filipinos of this Republic.

Jumel G. Estrañero,
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

Philippine public officials Helping themselves to taxpayer money The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 5 July 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Monday 2 July 2018

We read with unspeakable outrage the news, “Calida among top 10 highest-paid in gov’t” in Philippine Inquirer June 26, 2018, detailing the millions of pesos of taxpayer money public officials are helping themselves to.
While the President who runs the whole country receives only about P2.5 million a year, the errand boys appointed by him to help him run the country receive between P12 million-plus and P14 million-plus a year?
And they say public service is such a thankless job.
Let’s cut the BS!
Seriously, with so much taxpayer money to pocket, who needs gratitude?

Henrico Henson,
Manila,
Philippines

 

Call for accountability in Philippines For death in custody The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 4 July 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Monday 2 July 2018

We join those who mourn and denounce the death of Genesis “Tisoy” Argoncillo, 25, and call on authorities to hold accountable those who allowed his death to happen.
Tisoy’s death in custody is neither the first; nor will it be the last.
From February to April 2018, three suspected drug users died at the Pasay police station, apparently due to illness aggravated by exhaustion.
Between May and June 2018, five persons detained at police jails in Quezon City and in Manila also died, either due to heat stroke or illnesses made worse by overcrowding and lack of health and sanitation facilities.
How can such incidents happen in a place where police officers are supposed to look after the safety and security of persons under their custody?
How can they claim to be protectors of the people when the people feel fear rather than security when under the grip of their power?
How can we rejoice at their proclaimed triumph over criminality when ordinary citizens, whose only fault is to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, are shoved into jail because someone very powerful ordered a crackdown on loiterers and
alleged criminals?
In commemoration of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture last week marking the adoption of the UN Convention Against Torture on June 26, 1987, we ask for an end to violence, torture, and impunity.

Rebecca Lozada,
Advocacy officer,
Balay Rehabilitation Center Inc.,
Manila,
Philippines

Phillipine President Duterte accused of using CCP and NPA As scapegoat to declare martial law nationwide The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 3 July 2018

Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Ma. Sison said on Friday that President Rodrigo Duterte was just using the communist movement and the New People’s Army (NPA) as his “scapegoat” to declare martial law.
“As I have repeatedly pointed out, Duterte is not interested in the peace negotiations but in scapegoating the CPP and NPA for the purpose of declaring martial law nationwide or a state of emergency in his mad drive to establish a fascist dictatorship under the guise of charter change to federalism,” Sison said in a statement posted on the National Democratic of the Philippines (NDPF) website on Friday.
Sison further noted that Duterte also reneged on his promise of amnesty and release of political prisoners.
Sison reiterated his disagreement on transferring the venue of peace talks to Manila, stressing that such move would render peace talks resumption “impossible.”
It was Sison who has been too adamant and arrogant at this point; lamenting the “repeated whimsical termination” of the peace negotiations, saying it is likely that Duterte will soon lead the current three-month suspension of the talks to another end. In fact, Sison has canceled the negotiations with the government.
It is a fact that the Duterte administration has suspended the peace talks with the communist rebels three times already DUE TO NPA’s criminal acts on the ground but not solely because of government’s capriciousness.
I do not believe Joma Sison’s claim that they are willing to resume the peace talks with the government and it was Duterte who kept on changing his mind.
Who said an anti-rhetoric against Peace Talks recently?
It was not Duterte administration but them (CPP-NDFP) thru Joma Sison.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty
Manila,
Philippines

Don't blame Philippine President Duterte for delay In peacetalks with Communist Party of the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 2 July 2018

Exiled Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder and National Democratic Front (NDF) founding chair, Joma Sison, made an unbelievable pronouncement once again.
After begging for a cease fire and peace talks, Joma Sison is now turning his point the other way around.
Sison said that they will no longer clinch with the government.
This only goes to show that he and his force is not sincere about the peace talks. They are just using the peace talk as an instrument and strategy to pursue their armed struggle and advancing their political movement so that they can take over our government if they succeed with the armed struggle.
The peace talks are just his way to strengthen his force and regain lost ground.
Given the fact that the military are the enemies of the terrorists, if Sison is really sincere about peace, they will stop their criminal acts especially when civilians are involved..
They also admitted that the peace talks are basically a support for their armed struggle.
Do not blame the President for delaying the talks because he probably knows the real intention of Joma Sison for begging for peace talks and he surely knows that his county men will suffer if the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - National Democratic Front (NDF) succeeds.

Jhoi Lorenzo,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for Philippine President Duterte not to release Political prisoners all at the same time The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 2 July 2018

We’ve been at war with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) for 50 very long years.
And on May 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte promised amnesty and release of all prisoners which is said to be a lie.
President Duterte cannot release all the prisoners at one time.
Freeing these political prisoners won’t ever be good for the people around.
This may actually harm us because we all know that the prisoners are under the control of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder and National Democratic Front (NDF) founding chair,Joma Sison.
The decision made by the President is not just for himself but for the safety of the people on his country.
Joma Sison is just using the peace talks to free those prisoners.
I know in fact that he is not really sincere in having the peace talks.
They don’t even have any plans to have peace.
Because if they do, the first thing that they’ll do is to stop their criminal acts.

Jhoi Lorenzo,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for Filipinos to put an end to war between Communist Party of the Philippines and New People's Army The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 1 July 2018

I have been hearing news regarding the resumption of peace talks and later another turn of events in terms of its cancellation.
Based on the pronouncements of the Presidents and the officials concerned, the government told the public that President Duterte is prudent enough to realize for another sort time; taking one moment to re-examine the content of the Peace Talks with all due diligence of political correction by himself and subject matter experts.
The suspension will be until after three months before another round will welcome both panels to agree or agree on terms and conditions that has set and will be set for final approval; if the upcoming negotiation will be a final blow without demise and bismarck reaction from Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and National Democratic of the Philippines (NDFP).
On one hand, the President’s recent declaration to continue the talks signify adherence to the primacy of the peace process and settle the conflict thru peaceful means.
Now, I can see that the government has long proven its sincerity in the negotiation table to reach the goal of having just and lasting peace with the CPP-NDF-NPA. From the accounts of news and testimonies, this is evident in the numerous attempt of the Duterte administration to resume peace talks. This only goes to show that the safety and well-being of the Filipino people is paramount in the current thrust of Duterte administration.
From the viewpoint of security, armed struggle being forwarded by Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) - New People's Army (NPA) has no place in a just human society.
All Filipinos must work together to put an end to armed struggle which has caused tremendous sufferings to our people.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty
Manila,
Philippines

 

Allegations of looting by soldiers in the liberation Of Islamic city of Marawi is baseless. The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 30 June 2018

Ever since Marawi has started and been liberated from the hands of Maute-ISIS inspired terrorists, rumors, hearsays, and atrocious commentaries have been circulating to dissuade the people from believing Government’s efforts regarding Marawi rehabilitation.
Recently, members of the House Makabayan bloc filed a Resolution 1973 seeking an investigation into the human-rights situation and the status of rehabilitation in the Islamic City of Marawi.
Basically, it was spearheaded by ACT-Teachers Reps. Antonio Tinio and France Castro, Gabriela Reps. Emmi de Jesus and Arlene Brosas, Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate, Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao, and Kabataan Rep. Sarah Elago specifically asked the House committees on human rights and Muslim affairs to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on reports of human-rights violations in Marawi and other grave concerns of the local people on the government’s post-siege rehabilitation plans in Marawi.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International, in its report on November 2017 said that the Philippine security forces violated the prohibition on the use of torture and other ill-treatment of people in their custody, adding that most of the violations were carried out against civilians who were escaping from the besieged lakeside town and seeking military protection.
All the allegation that Makabayan has been purported like the alleged several complaints of looting by soldiers is baseless.
This is to derail the on-going rehabilitation and recovery of the people in Marawi by instilling the bad light of government’s effort in alleviating the people’s lives out of misery.
It is funny that that they use narrative that soldiers have forced their way inside abandoned homes and took household items and other properties.
To back-up their claims, they use Marawi residents themselves who, by the way, allegedly and gravely concerned that there is no clear and comprehensive rehabilitation plan for internally displaced persons, no recognition and accountability over the government’s failure of intelligence and failure to stop the entry of terrorist groups in Marawi, absence of any government statement or commitment to indemnify lost lives and compensation for damaged properties, no assurance of rebuilding of destroyed mosques and madrasah, and absence of clear government statement on lifting of martial law in Mindanao.
That is their usual rhetoric and we have to take advantage of these things to counter-narrative.
Lastly, non-state actor like Amnesty International (AI) is another rejoinder of plot twisted story to counter the government’s initiatives of rehabilitation to advanced their ploy and tactics.
These issues, since hot as of now, will be used to negate AFP, DND, and Duterte administration.
I support the government in any probable investigation, compensation and accountability that may bring back lost and shattered lives, properties, culture and dignity of the people.
But we also challenge those groups to file a petition to make the probe more enduring as it is deemed important for the people to regain a part of their lives and culture.
Otherwise, any words are just mere demagoguery.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty
Manila,
Philippines

Philippine teachers and students To be drug tested The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 29 June 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Wednesday 27 June 2018

President Duterte’s murderous “war on drugs” may soon place thousands of primary school children in harm’s way.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) announced last week that it is seeking authority from the Dangerous Drugs Board to impose annual drug tests on teachers and school children starting from the fourth grade.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) justified the move as an attempt to identify 10-year-old potential drug users so they “can get intervention while they are still young.”
But this proposal, the latest dangerous move in Mr. Duterte’s antidrug campaign that has already claimed the lives of dozens of children, will place schoolchildren at even graver risk and raises human rights concerns.
Taking a child’s bodily fluids, whether blood or urine, without their consent may violate the right to bodily integrity and constitute arbitrary interference with their privacy and dignity.
Depending on how such tests are conducted, it could also constitute degrading treatment, and may deter children from attending school or college for reasons unrelated to any potential drug use, depriving them of their right to an education.
The government should provide children with accurate information about the potential risks of drug use, not put them in the crosshairs of a summary killing campaign that has already claimed the lives of more than 12,000 Filipinos.

Phelim Kine,
Deputy director,
Asia Division,
Human Rights Watch,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for Philippine government To retreat from antipoor programs The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 27 June 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Wednesday 27 June 2018

The administration seems determined to carry out its policy that those who have less in life should have nothing in law.
Here in Palanan, Makati, the poor homeless sleep on sidewalks.
Those in their tiny places in the sun make “tambay,” suffocated as they are in their shanties.
Jobless for lack of employment opportunities.
They make “tambay” to while their time away.
Congress has repealed the law against vagrancy.
Having preempted the field nationally, no local ordinance can override national law and policy.
Given abject conditions in a country with 11 million unemployed, one has the human and constitutional right to be a bum.
The administration should retreat from its antipoor programs.

R.A.V. Saguisag,
Manila,
Philippines

Malaysians say no arm twisting in donations To government to pay 1MBD debt The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 27 June 2018 First published in the Star, Tuesday 26 June 2018

I refer to the letter “Make sure it’s voluntary” in The Star, June 18.
The writer, Born Again Malaysian, must have been recently resurrected because he or she seems to be confused about the people’s willingness to donate to Tabung Harapan.
The writer implies that there might have been some form of coercion in making donations to the fund.
There is no truth whatever to this imputation as we have not heard or read about any arm-twisting to compel Malaysians to donate.
If the writer has evidence contrary to this, it should be made public.
For the information of the writer, Malaysians in their thousands have voluntarily and spontaneously come forward in their patriotic zeal to contribute.
The response was so remarkable that within the first 24 hours, RM7mil had been donated to Tabung Harapan.
Even children undertook to wash cars in Taman Yarl, Jalan Klang Lama to raise money for this fund.
In another example of patriotism, we saw 12-year-old Ervin Devadasan handing over his entire savings, which he collected for more than eights years and kept in a piggy bank, to Democratic Action Party (DAP) leader Lim Kit Siang.
Recently, Sabah’s Servay Hypermarket donated RM1mil and encouraged Sabahans to donate too.
In praising Malaysians for being very generous, Datuk Seri Lai Kock Poh, chairman of Servay Hypermarket, said, “We have had so many generous donors as seen from the updated amount in Tabung Harapan and this is an indication that Malaysians truly care for the country.”
On June 25, less than a month after it was launched, the fund breached the RM100mil mark!
There are numerous examples of Malaysians expressing their loyalty to the country by contributing to this fund. But instead of praising this effort, Born Again Malaysian seemingly attempts to create an impression that there could have been some form of coercion.
Can those who have been hurt or offended please speak up?
The truth must be told otherwise they will be seen as casting a wet blanket over this sincere effort to help the country.

A Malaysian Always,
Penang,
Malaysia

Call for Philippine President to push for implementation Of Hague Court ruling on UNCLOS The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 25 June 2018

Chinese encroachment at Panatag Shoal (internationally known as Scarborough Shoal) has brought nothing but hunger to fishermen in this province and nearby Pangasinan, a group of subsistence fisher folk said.
As per report, in a three-page letter to President Duterte, the fishermen asked him to enforce the country’s sovereign rights over traditional Filipino fishing grounds now being controlled by the Chinese Coast Guard. The fishermen gathered here on Wednesday for a forum on the impact of Chinese aggression on the local fishing economy.
While the Philippines is trying to mend ties with China, what China has been doing is an assertion of their own historic rights that definitely shakes the consciousness of most Filipinos in the hot contested areas along South China Sea (SCS) / West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Meanwhile, the meta-narrative of most academicians has always been strongly on disagree of RP’s conduct when it comes to Foreign Policy.
But we have to be careful on this move since any miscalculation on the part of China will definitely resort to any debunking of relation like in trade tariffs (i.e. US-China deal-making right now in international trade).
The challenge is on how the President Duterte to push for the implementation of the ruling of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which gives Filipinos the freedom to fish in the shoal but at the same time allow the President to feel free to choose its action.
I support the fishermen to continue going to the shoal for their own livelihood but we do not encourage them to instil in their mind to be a subject or object of evidence so it can be used against China for that matter.
That can exploited by interest group by politization.
Yet, we need to have a continuous advocacy to expose the real intent of China in patrolling the Scarborough Shoal guided under the rule of law.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty
Manila,
Philippines

 

Call for political parties in Malaysia To pay tax The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 24 June 2018 First published in the Star 19 June 2018

Since GST is now zero rated, there is a need to immediately fill the gap in tax revenue.
One of the sources is income tax.
The general public and even politicians may not be aware that political parties in Malaysia are exempted from paying income tax, as per Income Tax (Exemption) (No. 22) Order 2002 PU(A) 208, which states: “All income from YA 2001 of a political association, are exempt from payment of income tax.”
This income tax exemption order dated April 19, 2002, exempts a “political association” (political party) from the payment of income tax in respect of all income (retrospectively) from the year of assessment 2001.
To partly make up for the loss in tax revenue resulting from the zero rated GST, and to partly contribute to the repayment of the trillion ringgit national debt, the Finance Minister should immediately revoke the Income Tax (Exemption) (No. 22) Order 2002 PU(A) 208 and, if possible, make it effective retrospectively.
There are political parties in Malaysia that own a lot of properties all over the country.
These properties are probably generating huge amounts in rental income that rightfully should not be exempted from tax.
Besides rental income, some political parties may also be engaged in profit-making ventures and would have millions of ringgit deposited in banks and earning interest.
These should all be subject to income tax.
Political parties that do not have any income do not have anything to worry about as there is no tax for them to pay.

HJK,
Melaka,
Malaysia

Peace talks an opportunity To revive Red's dying cause The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 23 June 2018

It has been long years since the negotiation started between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)
As per account today, the CPP-NDFP insists that the talks could still proceed even if delayed for one or two months as long as these were held in a neutral venue abroad as agreed upon by both parties based on the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) they signed in 1995.
Under the agreement, consultants and staff of the NDFP who are part of the negotiating team are granted immunity from arrest and detention and are provided safety guarantees.
Joma Sison has been pushy on this ever since.
He even noted recently that holding formal peace talks in the Philippines as President Rodrigo Duterte insists will spell doom for negotiations between the government and communist rebels and the end of peace negotiations if Duterte will dictate the venue where he can conduct surveillance and control.
We can see that he has been enticing the public to connect any move by the government in probable human right violation.
In fact, he gratified this claim by saying that the most effective way for the government to end the peace negotiations is to dictate that the venue is under the control of Duterte and his military brutes.
BUT, there is a BIG BUT here.
A game changer happened too on 14 June when the President canceled the resumption of formal talks in Oslo, Norway, scheduled for June 28.
The date was agreed upon by government and NDFP negotiators in a series of back-channel talks.
What the president meant is to hold the negotiation in the Philippines next month but gave no specific dates.
From the heck of negotiation between the GPH and CPP-NDFP, it has been visible that the usual argument of latter is that revolutionaries do not negotiate under the terms and conditions of an emergent fascist dictatorship and in a place where mass murders are occurring with impunity.
Of course, no one wants to be betrayed by its own action if the ranks of CPP-NDFP lead consultants be adhering to the ploy of the government but if they will not, eventually all the efforts have been made by Reds will be futile and definitely create rounds and series of atrocities.
Meanwhile, I believe that Sison will only recollect the speak on the account of 1986 Talks wherein they will probably be emphasize that said the experience of the rebels during a ceasefire and failed peace negotiations in the Philippines in 1986 had taught them life-and-death lessons.
From there, the NDFP negotiators, auxiliary personnel and peace volunteers were all placed under surveillance.
When the negotiation broke down in early 1987, lots of them were arrested, detained, tortured and killed.
Personally, Joma Sison always demand for the release of ALL political detainees in past peace talks.
Once released, they create an issue to disrupt the talks knowing your rabid comrades are back in the underground to advance CPP-NDFP’s lost cause.
Also, CPP-NDFP’s tactical ploy in peace talks are considered to win political concessions and score propaganda mileage while, at the same time, the NPA tries to weaken the will of the military to fight through increasingly bold tactical offensives that is detrimental to broader reach of final resolution in the almost five (5) long years of armed struggle and protracted people’s warfare. Buying time as we see.
The public must be cautious on this because that narrative is intended to demolish the reputation of the current government to pursue a peaceful negotiation.
On one hand, take away the limelight of a third party and "internationalized" peace talks, Joma will lose his fangs to demand for the moon and the stars. Whether any peace talks location be held on a "neutral ground" or not, is irrelevant because CPP-NDFP and its cohorts only use the peace talks as an opportunity to expand, consolidate and gain concessions to revive Joma Sison and the entire Red’s dying cause.
Give everyone a break with your nonsense and start abiding in the customary law of your own state Philippines if really are nationalist by heart and mind.
Go back and live a peaceful life with fellow Filipinos.
In a nutshell, the deferment of formal peace talks was meant to give way to public consultations on substantive issues raised during the back-channel negotiations. Amidst this challenges, I support the President and the OPAPP (Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process) to have more time so we could at least consult our constituents weather this arraignment will beneficial to both sides and the greater Filipino interest.
Either or, the rule of law must prevail and people’s security deem an important factor to turn all toils in peace negotiation as good means to ends.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

Ban on entry to US on human rights grounds Not indefinite The Southeasteast Asian Times, Friday 22 June 2018

We learn from The Southeast Asian Times article ' Cambodia's general Hing Bun Hieng banned from entry to US ' ( 18 June ) that the military general has been banned because his security unit had allegedly attacked protesters including members of the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party, killing 16 and injuring dozens including a US citizen." General Bun Hieng has been implicated in multiple attacks on unarmed Cambodians for many years...".
How long will the US ban stay in place?
Will it remain until the general becomes a successful political leader?
We recall Narendra Modi was banned from entry to the US because of his alleged complicity in the Gujerat Riots which resulted in the slaughter of hundreds of Muslims.
What happened to the ban after he became the PM of India?
There is no ban against the North Korean dictator Kim Jong - un, is there?
Why not?
The hypocrisy and political expediency surrounding US bans stinks.

Rajend Naidu,
Sydney,
Australia

No amount of fish from China is enough to cover The shame and dishonour done to the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 21 June 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquire, Tuesday 19 June 2018

I refer to the report “China has given more ‘fish’ to the Philippines", says development expert, in Philippine Inquirer 13 June 2018, particularly the strange and utterly abhorrent contention of so-called “development expert” George Siy when he stated that: “Over a hundred million dollars have been waived in terms of the loans for the NorthRail project…”
I have serious doubts about the expertise of this person by virtue of the fact that he equated the honor of the country to economic aid and monetary benefits.
An individual who truly loves his country will never ever exchange for whatever benefit or compensation the integrity and sovereignty of his nation.
Sovereignty is not for sale, and people who disregard the importance of their nation’s dignity and honor have no right to be free and call themselves sovereign.
I vividly remember a scene in the film “The Last Samurai,” when Katsumoto (tribal lord and leader of the rebelling samurais) is about to rejoin the government council.
Katsumoto tells Minister Omura, who appears to be proforeigner: “We are a nation of whores selling ourselves.”
The same can be said about the position of that so-called development expert.
No amount of “fish” which, ironically, belongs to us in the first place, or economic aid packages and developmental projects from China or any other empire, would be enough to cover the shame and dishonor being done to us by the Chinese every day in our very own territory.

Jose Mario Dolor De Vega,
Manila,
Philippines

Joma Sison Philippines home coming Could go the way of Benigno Aquino The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 20 June 2018

While U.S. President Trump and North Korean Leader Kin Jong-Un has already met up with a good concession with regard to the denuclearization issue, I can tell the difference between Kim Jong Un (a well-known communist) and another Communist wannabe in greater Southeast Asia - Joma Sison.
Although this week is the Europe trip of Peace Process Adviser Jesus Dureza, President Duterte summoned Sison to go home for the negotiation of peace talks to resume.
The conduct of conversation, as per President, is more beneficial than assessing everything in Norway.
One might say that this is another strategy of the current administration to counter the dominance of Sison on the foregoing negotiation.
Another might say that if Sison will come home, he might probably be killed in the Philippines synonymous with what happend with Benigno Aquino.
Meanwhile, Joma Sison will always be a forever coward in my eyes.
He is way older than our Constitution but his wisdom falls under the pit of hellish evil for personal interest.
If you are an effective leader of CPP, then why don’t control your men on their atrocities.
We cannot discount that there has been a good development between GPH and CPP-NDFP but NPA’s rebuttal has been pegged to corruption of the mind.
If only Joma Sison can be like Kin Jong Un on peace building resolution, things will roll differently.
I still believe that everybody’s gain is far from over if he will not be selfish enough on this.
Come on Joma Sison, man up!

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty
Manila,
Phiipppines

 

 

Two kowtowing reasons in the Philippines Why New People's Army are surrendering The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 19 June 2018

Once a traitor, always a traitor.
I don’t know okay but if you will give me a fair share of opinion regarding the recent slained New People's Army (NPA) in Misamis Oriental and septuagenarian New People Army (NPAs) who have been giving up the fight, I certainly will just repeat the nodding in favor with the government’ effort in combating insurgency in the Philippines.
On the other hand, I guess there are two kowtowing reasons why there are still surrendered NPAs.
One, they still have vested interests to unify New People's Army (NPA) conglomerates and the second, is to earn more money compare with the professionals in suburbans.
In relation with the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) of the national government, rebels who surrendered to the government with their firearms are given monetary assistance of P15, 000 and P50, 000 for livelihood projects coupled with trainings and technical support from appropriate government agencies which are also accorded to their dependents to ensure sustainability.
Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) focuses on integration of members of the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army and National Democratic Front who decided to abandon the armed struggle and rejoined the mainstream society.
Meanwhile, I laud the local government units and partner agencies for jointly facilitating the release of the fund assistance to the former rebels; young and septuagenarians.
I encourage the public to denounce New People's Army (NPA)
Do not be like those people who tolerated extortion s and atrocities of New People's Army (NPA) like the recent 7 million that was being torched by the government.
They have all the luxury of time to start a new life, a changed and good one.
That sum of money probably be another source of fund in recalibrating their plans and organization to make it stronger.
Never again support or participate in any form of armed struggle or legal struggle they keep on pushing through.

Jumel G. Estrañero,
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

US-North Korean agreement There is always hope The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 18 June 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Friday 15 June 2018

Re: "Trump announces halt to US-S Korea war games", in Bangkok Post, June 12.
Critics of the US-North Korean agreement are right to tamp down expectations a
bit, but there is a big difference between cautious-optimism and outright
cynicism.
Time will tell what the true intentions of all concerned really are, but Buddhism teaches that there is goodness to be found in everyone if we are willing to look hard enough.
Tuesday's summit was a substantial, historic step towards world peace between
two very strong world leaders.
Many enemies have become great friends in recent years, but the process has never been instant or free of growing pains - a common excuse used by assassinaters of joy" who just want to kill any hope that things can get better.
They can, in fact.
World peace and progress towards it hinges on the growth of hope.
Never give up on hope.
There is always hope, and a lot of people went a long ways in this world on nothing but hope.

Jason A Jellison,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Conference of the States-Parties of the Chemical Weapons Convention All agree on one point That the global regime of non-proliferation is in a state of deep crisis The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 17 June 2018 First published in the Khmer Times, Tuesday 12 June 2018

By the initiative of the US, the UK, France and Germany, supported by Australia and Canada a special session of the Conference of the States-Parties (CSP) of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is to be held on June 26 – 27.
As these countries declare their intent to convene the Conference of the States-Parties (CSP) for good purposes to condemn the use of chemical weapons in the UK, Iraq, Malaysia and Syria as well as to prevent such incidents in the future.
In fact, the western “quartet” is planning to use the special session of the Conference of the States-Parties (CSP) for even greater incitement of anti-Russian and anti-Syrian hysteria around the so-called “Skripals’ case” and the Syrian “chemical dossier”.
There should be no doubt about this scenario.
Such a move can be partially explained by the desire of the Western group to compensate its loss of grounds in the settlement of the situation in Syria and in the Middle East as a whole.
At the same time they still dream to achieve their main goal - to discredit and topple the government of Bashar Assad.
To achieve these goals the opponents of the official Damascus would like to authorise the director-general of the Technical Secretariat to “identify” the perpetrators of the use of chemical weapons - a mission that has nothing to do with the role and mandate of the director-general.
There are no relevant provisions in the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) at all.
But it clearly specifies that in case of a serious violation of the CWC such information should be submitted for consideration of the UN Security Council or the UN General Assembly.
What we see now is an obvious attempt to manipulate the Convention, to interpret its provisions in accordance with the selfish interests of a small number of countries. The situation is even stranger since the states-parties presumed guilty have long been designated by the Western countries.
The proposed idea about attributive functions is not new - it was “fully tested” during the work until November 2017 of the demised OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM).
The main goal of this proposal is the creation of a mechanism under the control of the Western group, which will make conclusions required by them.
So called “good intentions” declared by the US, the UK, France and Germany are a clear attempt to mislead the states-parties.
It is possible to only agree with one point proclaimed advanced by a number of Western States: the global regime of non-proliferation of chemical weapons based on the CWC is indeed in a state of deep crisis and needs to be protected.
OPCW suffers from the ongoing insinuations from the US, the UK, France and some other countries, their attempts to use the purely technical platform of the OPCW for the benefit of realising their own geopolitical intentions.
Washington, London and Paris repeatedly demonstrated their disinterest in conducting objective and professional investigations of cases of chemical terrorism in Syria and endless provocations with the use of toxic chemicals by militants and the NGO affiliated with them – like “White Helmets”.
Twice over just a year in violation of the UN Charter and other fundamental norms of international law, Washington first single-handedly, and then all three Western permanent members of the UNSC carried out an act of the military aggression against a sovereign state. They launched missiles at Syrian military and civil infrastructure sites.
They did not intend to wait for any investigation by the OPCW of self-orchestrated “chemical incidents” in Khan-Sheikhun on April 4, 2017 and in Douma on April 7, 2018.
Due to unprecedented pressure on the leadership of the Technical Secretariat, the US, the UK, France and Germany dictated the Fact-finding Mission (FFM) methods of its work and achieved the dominance of obedient representatives of NATO countries within the FFM.
The FFM is conducting its activities remotely, until recently without a single visit to the places of the alleged incidents, relying primarily on the falsified “evidence” provided by the opposition.
The situation was partially reversed only now –thanks to the efforts of the Russian and Syrian military forces that provided appropriate security conditions during the visit of the FFM specialists to Douma in April-May.
It is noteworthy that the states led by Washington ignored the briefing organised by Russia and Syria at the OPCW HQ on April 26 on one of the staged footages by the “White Helmets” related to the alleged use of toxic chemicals in Douma.
The allegations of the use of chemical weapons over there were completely denounced at the briefing.
The US was unable to obtain the endorsement of its anti-Syrian draft decisions at the extraordinary EC meetings in November 2017 and April 2018.
A significant number of states-parties decided not to associate themselves with those politically biased documents.
Now the US and the UK, with the support of France and Germany, seem to have decided to bring this issue to the CSP in hope to get the desired number of votes there.
It is important to take the current situation at the OPCW with all seriousness.
If the plans to authorise the director-general of the Technical Secretariat at a special session of the CSP to “identify” the perpetrators of the use of chemical weapons succeed that could lead to the disruption of normal work of the OPCW as one of the most successful disarmament mechanism.

Embassy of the Russian Federation in Cambodia
Phnom Penh,
Cambodia

Justice for everybody In the New Malaysia The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 16 June 2018 Frist published in the Star, Tuesday12 June 2018

I refer to Tun Daim Zainuddin’s interview with Bernama on 11 June, when he announced, as Chairman of the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP), that in economic and financial management, the Government should ensure justice for everybody.
This is indeed a welcome move in the Government’s economic policies. Interestingly, this was actually the original philosophy stated in the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1970.
Unfortunately, this fair and reasonable thinking got distorted and derailed later due to abuse and cronyism.
Then income inequality set in and seeped right through the whole economic and financial system.
This unhealthy trend was then aggravated by corruption, expenditure wastage, inefficiencies and the politicisation of finance and economic management, as we now see from the red files revealed by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng.
The NEP aimed to eradicate poverty regardless of race, and it did, in all fairness, reduce overall poverty substantially; however, its poor implementation left too many Malaysians of all races in financial straits that made it exceedingly difficult for them to make ends meet and put food on the table.
Daim and the venerable CEP must be highly commended for addressing the punitive problem of income inequality, regardless of race and religion.
We have to now move more strongly towards income-based economic and financial policies and phase out race- based economic policies.
The poor of all races and religions must be shown the same compassion and care according to justice and our religious and moral values.
As Daim rightly stressed, “once you address inequalities, everybody will be happy.”
Yes, Tun Daim and the Council of Eminent Persons, we are mostly happy already by your breakthrough in introducing new policies and new planning in the new government.
We hope the pace of change gathers more momentum, but in cautious and prudent ways.
We all hope that Daim and the CEP will carry on with their fresh thinking and planning and better implementation, so that the New Malaysia will continue to move forward for the benefit of all Malaysians, and especially the less fortunate.
Like many, I also hope that the CEP will continue to serve as a national advisory and monitoring council even after the first 100 days!
All we want is for the Govern-ment, as Daim says, “To be fair to everybody and to take care of their welfare”, in the New Malaysia.
Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir Batin to all Malaysians!

Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam,
Chairperson Asli-CPPS,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

What does stand down mean To communist rebels in the Philippines The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 15 June 2018

Casting doubt of shadows were highlighted when Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Maj. Gen. Rhoderick Parayno, commander of the 2nd Infantry Division, reacted separately to an Inquirer report that the military and the New People’s Army (NPA) may cease hostilities as early as next week under a preliminary truce proposed by government and rebel negotiators.
Lorenzana said the military might be the only party that would stand down under an agreement being finalized in back-channel talks between negotiators from the government and the communist-led National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
He said rebel documents indicated that the insurgents were “actually intensifying their expansion of their areas.”
Now, the stand-down agreement, which would require both sides to suspend offensive operations against each other, was meant to stimulate the atmosphere for peace negotiation two weeks before the resumption of the peace talks as per Joma Sison, CPP Founder.
We have to set questions like: What does stand down mean to communist rebels anyway?
We might assume coming from Defense Secretary’s mouth that stand down means cease operations.
Stand down for them might mean there would be no attacks but we suspect they will continue their recruitment.
They also have to stop that if there is a stand-down.
Now, although the military was doubtful about the rebels’ sincerity and apprehension is always there, we have to see the ends of all the means.
The question of sincerity will always be there because of our past experiences
I am still hopeful that the New People’s Army (NPA) abide by any form of ceasefire agreed by both sides.
Still, we have to be cautious he added. But we are hopeful, hoping this time they’ll mean what they say; like words that needed to be translated to genuine action.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty
Manila,
Philippines

Praise for the Mahathir government For revistiting the Malaysian Indian Blueprint The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 14 June 2018 First published in the Star, Tuesday 12 June 2018

I refer to the report, “Task force meant to review projects for Indian community”, that appeared in the Star on Monday 11 June.
I laud the announcement by Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran that the new government will review all existing projects in two weeks’ time when it meets.
Malaysians of Indian descent comprise 2.2 million out of 32 million people in Malaysia.
Issues such as red identity cards, lack of citizenship, education in Tamil schools without adequate facilities - all this affects especially those in the B40 category, with a monthly income up to RM3,855.
This amount is insufficient to manage a family with the ever-increasing cost of living currently.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has repeatedly said “the Indians were nation builders who built roads, railways, schools, ports just like the Chinese who worked in the tin mines”.
Together they managed the twin pillars of the nation, rubber and tin, that supported the government of the day.
However, according to a report in the Economist magazine in 2003, Indians comprise 60 percent of urban squatters and 41 percent of beggars.
Over 800,000 Indians were displaced from the estates in the 1970s with promises that they would be reskilled and given outplacement – none of which took place. This resulted in a huge increase in urban squatters and a rise in gangsterism.
It’s good that the new government’s special task force is revisiting the Malaysian Indian Blueprint!

C. Sathasivam Sitheravellu,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

Call for English competency test For public servants in Malaysia The Southeast Asian TImes, Weddnesday 13 June 2018 First published in the Star, Monday 11 June 2018

As a government servant for almost 20 years, I strongly agree with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s decision to have high ranking government officers take an English competency test.
I would be even happier if it is made compulsory for all government servants.
Throughout my journey in a department that deals with the public, I have witnessed many high ranking officers who are unable to speak even basic English when dealing with foreigners.
The best part of it is, they would call the non-Malay office boy to do the explaining. Isn’t that embarrassing?
When applying for certain posts through the Civil Service Commission, one has to sit for online exams.
This is so that the commission can filter for candidates who are really qualified before the interview sessions.
My humble suggestion is to include an English test with the exams.
It will be more productive compared to current exams.
Another thing that struck me during my two decades in service is how some civil servants give more priority to functions and feasts rather than work.
Do we really need elaborate feasts during working hours?
Imagine, civil servants wrapping food or even cooking in the office pantry during working hours.
Do civil servants in developed countries do this?
I hope Tun M will change this work culture.
This is only a small part of what is happening in the government sectors.
I hope there will be a tremendous change in the civil sector within five years.
Kudos to Tun M and the team for making a huge impact in just one month.
But remember:
Change starts with each individual, not only with an entire government.

Servant for Government,
Seremban,
Malaysia

 

 

Future coups less about tanks in the streets More about manipulation of voters through social media The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 12 June 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Friday 8 June 2018

Re: "Fostering norms to sustain Thailand's democracy", in Bangkoik Post, Wednesday 6 June 2018.
Ken Lohatepanont surely knows that Thailand is not the world's most coup-prone
country.
That dubious honour goes to Chile and Haiti no matter how you adjust the figures.
The argument centres on how you define a coup.
Hun Sen in Cambodia came to power 21 years ago through a putsch, but most commentators have forgotten that.
Future historians may well deem Donald Trump has engineered a new type of coup in the US, especially if he wins a second term which is certainly possible.
He will have used electoral success to empower himself and his cronies - through use of his huge pardoning powers for example - and manipulated the agencies of the federal government to be his loyal lapdog.
It is comforting to think that a fostering of democratic norms can prevent
another coup in Thailand.
However, future coups worldwide may well be less about tanks in the streets and more about the manipulation of the voters through
social media.

Barry Kenyon,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Halt to hostilities between Philippine Government And Communist New People's Army imminent The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 11 June 2018

Back-channeling in negotiation is as important as ever.
A halt to hostilities between government troops and the communist New People’s Army (NPA) ahead of an interim peace agreement and a formal ceasefire could start as early as next week, according to Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chair Jose Maria Sison.
Interestingly, the coordinated unilateral ceasefires will be accompanied by an amnesty proclamation and the signing of an accord on agrarian reform and rural development, and a separate one on national industrialization and economic development, which are parts of the broader Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms.
Also, the signing of the interim peace agreement (IPA) would soon follow the resumption of formal peace talks set for June 28.
The IPA will pave the way for a formal ceasefire between the military and NPA for the duration of the formal talks.
The President had promised to end the nearly 50-year Maoist insurgency, which has killed more than 40,000 people, by finding a political solution, but he abandoned the peace efforts last November, complaining of repeated rebel attacks.
His administration later petitioned a court to declare the CPP and the NPA terrorist organizations.
It also sought to declare about 600 people, including about two dozen rebel consultants in the talks, terrorists.
A good strategy here is that said the government may ask the court to put its petition on hold if the talks resumed.
If a final peace agreement is signed, the petition could be withdrawn.
On the other hand, why talk to Joma Sison when he cannot anymore control the NPA's management for revolutionary taxes? It's a waste of money on the part of govt.
Meanwhile, the stand-down agreement, which would require both sides to suspend offensive operations against each other, was meant to stimulate the atmosphere for peace negotiation two weeks before the resumption of the peace talks. But then again, we cannot trust this.
It would glide to the coordinated unilateral ceasefires under a joint monitoring committee and with more elaborate terms to ensure the stability of ceasefire
Let’s wait and see.
Looks like Sison is not the only head or has the absolute power of the Communist party.
When an institution has enjoyed for a long time the benefits, comfort and holding power, it's hard for them to just give up.
How many peace talks already the government has entered with these groups and all went down to drain?
The same thing like the TRAPOS politicians.
They are not giving up easy that is why the political dynasty exist or hard to stop. The moment we assume that most of the member of the CPP-NDFP tagged along with NPA, shall need second look for a serious look; enough to affirmatively leverage with the government’s effort.

Jumel G. Estrañero
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty
Manila,
Philippines

Appointment of non-Muslim Attorney General No longer an issue in Malaysia The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 10 June 2018 First published in the Star, Friday 8 June 2018

The appointment of lawyer Tommy Thomas as the new Attorney General will hopefully send a signal of a significant shift towards meritocracy as a criterion for choosing the best candidates to hold top positions in the public service.
In the past, especially after the introduction of the New Economic Policy in 1970, the main criterion was race.
After nearly 50 years of the affirmative action policy for eradicating poverty especially among the Malays and increasing their participation in the modern sectors of the economy, they have advanced in all fields to the level where they are today confident of their own abilities to succeed without the need for state crutches.
With their broader vision of a Malaysia that we all can be proud of, the appointment of a non-Malay Attorney General is no longer an issue because most Malaysians agree that it is for the good of the country that appointments to top positions in government, especially the judiciary, civil service, police and military, should be based on merit and not race, religion or political connections.
Most Malaysians agree with the Prime Minister that Tommy Thomas is the right man to make the change become a reality.
However, several Muslim groups opposed his appointment on the fear that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Council of Rulers would not get an Attorney General who can advise them on Islam and the application of syariah values in government administration.
Their fears are misplaced because the best values that need to be integrated at all levels of government and also among the royal households are integrity, transparency and accountability, especially in spending taxpayers’ money.
They are universal values that define a good government and which the country badly needs to revive the economy and give the young hope for their future.
This is the best advice any Attorney General can give to the Agong and all the Malay Rulers that there is nothing more Islamic than a country that is united, happy, free and prosperous.
Islam and the Rulers will get a good name when Malaysia becomes a true democracy where no one is above the law, in the same way that the monarchies in the United Kingdom and Europe have made themselves and their royal families more popular by shedding their feudal past and moving with the times to be accountable to their people in both their public as well as private life.
The people have voted for change to a more responsible government.
In this effort, the new government must honour its election manifesto, which includes a promise to create an independent director of public prosecution separate from the Attorney General’s Chambers so as to make the public prosecutor free from ministerial control, similar to the system in other democracies.
Parliament should also be reformed to establish select parliamentary committees with responsibility for providing oversight on the executive so that ministers and their civil servants can be held to account for mismanagement and abuse of power. These and other reforms such as on the judiciary, Malaysia Anti Corruption Commission (MACC), police and the civil service as well as on political financing, as highlighted by G25 in its presentation to the Committee on Institu­tional Reforms recently, should be carried out as soon as possible to demonstrate the seriousness of the new government for change.
It is encouraging for us in G25 to hear the AG saying these reforms will be his priority to ensure separation of powers between the legislature, the judiciary and the executive.
It’s this principle of checks and balance that differentiates between a democracy and a totalitarian regime or a religious autocracy.

Tan Sri Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

China cannot match Philippine courage and nationalism The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 9 June 2018 First published in the Philipine Inquirer, Thursday 7 June 2018

Even the country’s defense chief issued a statement implying that we don’t stand any chance against China.
There may be some truth to it in terms of our current military capabilities, but let us not forget to take a look at our valiant past.
Simply giving in to another country’s baseless demand without any sign of hesitation will be a big insult to those who offered their very lives for the sake of our freedom.
This is not to say that our lives should be put on the line, without having any practical means to defend ourselves.
We must not forget that there are plenty of alternatives we can take advantage of without resorting to conventional war.
Filipinos are well-known for their audacity and resilience, be it from man-made problems or natural calamities.
Our national heroes, despite the enormous lack of weaponry needed to defend our country on equal footing with their adversaries, were courageous enough to fight with whatever was left for them to utilize - because that is what their sense of patriotism urged them to do.
If there are things that China cannot match, these are our courage and nationalism. They may have greater powers, but unlike them, we have the delicadeza not to claim what is not rightfully ours.
Though we have been awarded the landmark UN tribunal ruling on the South China Sea, we remain amiable and decent enough not to retaliate against China’s tasteless bullying.
That, together with a thorough strategy, will suffice for us to win this war.

Kara Martina Pacumio,
Manila,
Philippines

Call for each Malaysian to contribute one Ringgit Towards restoring Malaysia to its former glory The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 8 June 2018 First published in the Star, Friday 1 June 2018

I shall not beat about the bush.
The euphoria of having the elections go the way the victors wanted is over.
It’s the hard work now of rebuilding the country.
We cannot sit back and watch the Pakatan Harapan government roll up their sleeves and start the rejuvenation of our country.
It’s no more a matter of them, you or me. It’s a matter of we and us.
We cannot allow the country to bleed any more.
We, and I mean every one of us, have a part to play in this cleansing process of restoring Malaysia to her former glory of being united and less debt-ridden.
The Cabinet has taken a pay cut of 10 percent.
So do we sit back and say, “Ah, they can afford it. Let them. They will be able to get alternative returns anyway?”
What nonsense!
What are we going to do about it?
How are we playing a role in this restoration period?
Please let me forward some suggestions in my humble opinion.
I know one or two will definitely get the flak but remember, we are all in this together.
We have a population of about 31 million.
If everyone were to contribute just one ringgit, we would be able to gather RM31mil in just one day!
It’s simple but workable.
I am sure there will be others who will be willing to fork out even more. Malaysians are known to be generous.
At least we can fill up the coffers of the nation to a certain extent.
We have to help the government; after all, the end clientele will be the citizens, us.
Although it would be fantastic to abolish tolls, perhaps a second look at this is advisable.
Yes, this is going to get me some flak but would it not be better to reduce the toll rates to amounts that are more affordable?
In this way, at least the toll collections can be used to rebuild the nation and help perhaps in sectors which need a financial boost, such as healthcare.
Just check out the government hospitals and you will see what I mean.
With budgets cut by the previous government, fewer medicines are being dispensed and pensioners cannot claim for many medicines.
We are all Malaysians!
We need to be united and think of ways, no matter how small, to make the atmosphere more conducive and harmonious for peaceful yet aggressive development.
Our schools should be national schools where trust and respect should be the order of the day.
Children of different races mingling with each other in these schools would be able to cast aside their preconceptions about others.
It is time to tighten our belts.
Don’t expect bonuses for one or two years.
Let’s consider these bonuses to be a little financial contribution to our nation.
Our country is bleeding.
Let us all help to stem the bleeding.

Shobha,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

Philippine Supreme Court Judges Take their own sweet time to do their job The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 7 June 2018 First published in the Philippine Inquirer, Friday 29 May 2018

The sluggishness of the Supreme Court in decision-making is already beyond redemption. There is nothing anyone can do about it given the impunity with which it has, since time immemorial, disregarded what the Constitution says for it to decide cases within two years only.
"Chief justice Hilario Davide Jr. to hold so many high magistrates liable for “culpable violation of the Constitution” rings too hollow to be taken seriously “Davide: 8 anti-Sereno justices may be impeached,” in Philippine Inquirer, 18 May 2018.
He was chief justice from 1998 to 2005.
He couldn’t do anything about it then, how could he expect anyone else to do so now?
That sluggishness is not only endemic among the high court magistrates who have incurable delusions of being too “supreme” to be held publicly accountable for anything they do or not do, but also among their employees who also take their own sweet time to do their job.
To illustrate, a resolution was promulgated by the Supreme Court in January 2018. It was mailed to the parties only in May 2018 as shown by the post office stamp on the envelope - or about four months thereafter!
My stepmother who practices law says that’s normal and has come to accept it in stride.
To law students like me it sucks!
If nothing can be done anymore about the behavior of senile magistrates who should really retire early, for love of country, there is no excuse for their clerks to behave the same way.
Why should it take them four to five months to process and then mail issuances of their bosses to the parties concerned?
Para bang mga langaw na nakapatong sa ulo ng kalabaw at akala kalabaw na rin sila!
That certainly aggravates the already never-ending infernal delays litigants have to suffer.
Alas, it is doubtful if the Supreme Court can discipline them since it is more guilty by far of the same sin.

Carmelan. N. Noblejas,
Manila,
Philipinnes

Thai University Central Admission System (TCAS) To serve the wealthy The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 6 June 2018 First published in the Bangkok Post, Sunday 3 June 2018

Re: "Complex education," in Bangkok Post, Friday 1 June 2018
I have to wholeheartedly agree with Baffled Mango that the Thai university
Central Admission System (TCAS) system is a disaster that should never have been implemented.
What I haven't heard is any rational reason from any government officials as to why they feel that this awful system is at all necessary.
On the face of it, the TCAS seems like just another government programme that is
ripe for corruption to serve the wealthy.
The thousands of worthy students who were denied placement under the TCAS, or placed in a university that doesn't suit their intended fields of study, will likely support this view.
Why the Thai government should choose to create a "middleman" sort of clearing
house to deal with college applications is beyond the imagination, other than to
ensure that the children of influential people are given preferential
consideration.
The Bangkok Post reported in its May 31st edition that "the Council of
University Presidents of Thailand (CUPT) said the flaws will serve as a lesson for improving the system for next year."
That is hardly good news for this year's qualified graduates who have studied hard, some at the top of their classes, only to be denied their dreams to study at a university that they are certainly qualified to attend.
The whole concept of TCAS denies these students their right of access to the
universities of their choice.
It reduces gifted students down to the level of cattle to be fed through a chute and divided among the universities without much regard for their abilities.

Dave Proulx,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Call for credible opposition party to protect Principles of democracy in Malaysia The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 5 June 2018 First published in the Star, Friday 25 May 2018

The party that many have given their votes to all their adult life failed miserably to see the writing on the wall and its leader had shown the classic example of the proverbial ostrich with its head buried in the sand.
Furthermore, the sycophants around the leader did not have the courage to tell their “emperor” that he had no clothes on.
Now, the emperor has resigned as leader but will remain as a member of a party “yang tiada tolok bandingnya (incomparable)”.
True, the party has contributed tremendously to the development of our country, but no thanks to the erstwhile leadership which brought disrepute to Malaysia.
The blame should also fall on those around the leader for prevaricating and preferring to defend an individual rather than the party.
A new management team with no baggage and untainted by the disgrace of the old is needed to regain the confidence and support of the people even to become a credible Opposition.
And we do need a credible Opposition in order to establish a healthy two-party political system to protect the principles of democracy, parliamentary decorum and integrity. As the new government settles down to the task of governing, it will certainly welcome constructive debates on issues of growth and development.
We are still lacking champions for many causes at Parliament level.
For example, issues on science and technology affecting national development and those having implications on industry and business development are seldom debated, unlike in Britain where there is a science committee in both the House of Commons and House of Lords.
The call for the establishment of our own Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology has not been heeded.
We need a credible Opposition to ensure a harmonious, prosperous, progressive and sustainable Malaysia moving into the future.
Parliament must not be allowed ever again to become a hotbed of hate, divisive and polarising politics.
Having a healthy political check and balance will go a long way towards ensuring this.

Tan Sri Omor Abdul Rahman,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

 

 

Small political parties will matter more than before In Cambodian July elections The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 4 June 2018 First published in the Khmer Times, Monday 28 May 2018

Competing political parties are vital to pluralism and liberalism.
Such is the hallmark of Cambodian democracy today.
The 6th general election scheduled to take place on July 29 will be an interesting political development as small political parties will matter more than before.
Some parties will receive more votes and get some seats at the National Assembly if they perform well.
Both the existing and new emerging parties can be proactive by engaging the grassroots and being innovative in their strategies.
They need to design practical policies to protect the interests of the working class, the farmers, the less privileged, and the marginalised.
Political vision and leadership are vital to small parties.
They need to be able to structure people’s electoral choices, articulate and aggregate public opinion and concerns, and transform public sentiments into votes and actions.
Alleging small parties as “puppets” of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) is counterproductive to democratisation. Small parties pursue their own policy agenda, knowing that if they are just “yes men” of the Cambdoan People's Part (CPP) they will not get popular support.
The main threats to democracy in Cambodia are the extreme views and actions of the Cambodia National Rescue Movement that advocate for regime change in Cambodia by all means including a people’s revolution which is not a smart and sustainable solution; it will destroy hard-earned peace, development, and democracy.
Foreign powers should further encourage Cambodia to promote dialogue among the parties and encourage them to debate emerging national and international issues either at the national assembly or at public platforms.
Such a dialogue mechanism helps promote trust, consultation, and consensus among the different political parties.
Democracy is not only about elections but more importantly sustainable active participation of the people, either directly or indirectly.
Political parties, big or small, are instrumental in representing and protecting the people’s interests.

Suos Yara,
Member of Parliament,
Phnom Penh,
Cambodia

Genocidal treatment of indigenous Australians Indictment of the Australian State The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 3 June 2018

The son of legendary US civil rights leader, Dr Martin Luther King Jr., condemned Australia's treatment of its indigenous people in a speech in Alice Spring on Tuesday.
He said it was wrong, unjust, unfair and ungodly for an affluent country like Australia to do that ( The Southeast Asian Times 2/6/18 ).
That must stand as a serious and shameful indictment of the Australian State.

Rajend Naidu,
Sydney
Australia

China becoming stronger In tie-up with ASEAN The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 2 June 2018

If you are looking for China’s access point to ASEAN, this news is captivating.
Xi, who is also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, made the remark while meeting with his Laotian counterpart Bounnhang Vorachit at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 30.
Focal points considered as area of cooperation are the following: as economy, technology, security, finance and national defense.
Notably, Bounnhang called Xi a close friend who is trusted by the party, government and people of Laos.
The important consensus reached by the two leaders during Xi’s visit in November is being implemented and it has led to a higher level of bilateral relations, he said.
I believe that President Xi Jinping called for joint efforts with Laos to build a community of a shared future for China and Laos to bring more benefits to the people of both nations.
From Laos’ perspective, China has been an ingredient of progress in economic development, social harmony, reform and opening-up and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.
China has played an important role in global and regional affairs and made prominent contributions to the peace and development of northeast Asia.
This is why Laos feels gratitude for China’s selfless support and help.
This is the same narrative of China towards Philippines since 2016 even after The Hague Ruling tilted in favor with Philippines.
As on old ally of China, Laos will continually make a good connection with China same with Cambodia. Remarkably, China and Laos are communists and share the same value at different level of public governance.
Under one communistic ideology, the concept of a community of a shared future for China and Laos has been widely accepted by the two parties and countries, and the concept has drawn the blueprint of a bright future for bilateral ties.
Will this be a way forward of China in making joint efforts with the Philippines to translate the concept of building a community of a shared future for China and Philippines into action?
We see China becoming stronger when it comes to tie-up with ASEAN especially that there is an upcoming 15th China-ASEAN Expo from 12-15 September 2018 at Nanning, China that will be hosted by Cambodia.
I can say that China will continue to tie-up with Philippines to enhance strategic communication, strengthen common political ground and launch dialogues in various areas.
The grand narrative here is somewhat may make or break the political grounds between two states and among ASEAN regional bloc.
But let me remind that we do not compromise with China but we respect the guiding thought on building a community of a shared future for China and ASEAN in the coming years to come along with other old and new allies that my contribute to Philippine’s development.
We can assume that there will more boosting of exchanges of governance experience, enhance cooperation in all areas and push the building of the Belt and Road in the region.

Jumel G. Estrañero,
Defense Research Analyst & College Faculty,
Manila,
Philippines

 

 

Political correctness over intellectual acumen In Malaysian universities The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 1 May 2018 First published in the Star, Tuesday 29 May 2018

Recent events involving the National Professors Council have brought to the fore the question of academic integrity and intellectualism in our higher education system.
The National Professors Council was originally envisaged as a think tank to advise the government through the Higher Education Ministry on pertinent educational matters towards achieving intellectual excellence.
At the same time, it was also to function as a watch dog in the implementation of educational policies as well as to further the interests of the academic community.
It was supposed to be nonpartisan and to serve as an interface between the Government (Higher Education Ministry) and academia. It was to be a professional body whose functions were based on the principles of academic integrity and intellectual competence.
However, this was not to be as the leadership used the platform to advance personal and sectarian interests.
It further degenerated into a partisan entity when it came under the ambit of the Prime Minister’s Department.
From then on, the chairman and heads of clusters, who prioritised their vested personal partisan interests, abandoned the objectives of an independent academic think tank to pander to the powers that be.
The conduct of the National Professors Council reflects the malaise that has become endemic in universities with a culture that emphasises political correctness over intellectual acumen.
Top level management in the universities are selected based on political correctness rather than intellectual excellence.
Unfortunately, the attitude of the National Professors Council and universities are symptomatic of a declining intellectual acumen that would hinder the development of an inquiring and thinking mind.
Thus, there is a need to develop an ecosystem that functions without fear or favour among the academic community to foster intellectual and critical engagement.
In that respect, universities should be managed by professionals with sound academic credentials and managerial skills irrespective of race or creed.
Therefore, with the new government that promises a fresh mindset, it is hoped that the academic community and especially the universities will revert to the original pristine objectives in guiding and allowing the exploration of knowledge from various perspectives and be accommodating of differing views of both the lecturers and students that challenge political, cultural and intellectual traditions.
In short, the universities should be spared any intrusions that tend to put a caveat on intellectual freedom and expression.

Mohamed Ghouse Nasuruddin,
Universiti Sains Malaysia,
Penang,
Malaysia