Abstract: The weeks leading up to the 24 March 2019 elections were a time of excitement; after almost five years of military rule following the 22 May 2014 coup d'état, Thais were finally free to express themselves politically. Around 51 million people were eligible to vote, while a record total of 80 political parties and 13,310 candidates from across the ideological spectrum were listed on their ballot papers. The polls, which generated immense enthusiasm among Thai voters, were full of sudden twists and dramatic surprises.The campaign excitement and sense of freedom that preceded the elections proved entirely illusory. The ruling junta, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), had no real intention of handing over ... Read More Keywords: Thailand; Elections; Political parties; Social media; Southeast Asia; China; Political culture; Democratization; Corporate state; Indonesia; Populism; Japan; United States; Islands of the Pacific; ASEAN; Civil-military relations PubDate: 2019-08-31T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: Thailand's March 2019 general election was not a normal poll that involved only contesting political parties: other significant actors on the country's political scene helped shape the electoral outcome. These actors include the monarchy and the army, whose strong alliance has become the most formidable force in Thai politics.The 8 February "political earthquake"—which saw the announcement of Princess Ubolratana's prime ministerial candidacy and its rapid retraction after the intervention of the King—showed that the so-called "network monarchy"—an influential political network of unelected members of the elite centred on the monarch—has undergone a significant transformation.1 On 8 February, Thai Raksa Chart, a ... Read More Keywords: Thailand; Elections; Political parties; Social media; Southeast Asia; China; Political culture; Democratization; Corporate state; Indonesia; Populism; Japan; United States; Islands of the Pacific; ASEAN; Civil-military relations PubDate: 2019-08-31T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: The Thai elections on 24 March 2019 witnessed two new game-changing factors: first-time voters and the impact of social media. Approximately 7.4 million people aged between 18 and 25 were eligible to cast their ballot for the first time; many of them felt no loyalty to existing political parties.1 These first-time voters had grown up in a period of political turmoil and societal conflicts, including the 2006 and 2014 coups and five rounds of major street protests. The turbulence of 2006–14 was followed by five tightly-controlled years under the junta, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). Moreover, the NCPO era was overshadowed by collective social uncertainty during the fin-de-siècle years of His ... Read More Keywords: Thailand; Elections; Political parties; Social media; Southeast Asia; China; Political culture; Democratization; Corporate state; Indonesia; Populism; Japan; United States; Islands of the Pacific; ASEAN; Civil-military relations PubDate: 2019-08-31T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: Bangkok delivered one of the biggest surprises of Thailand's March 2019 election, with the capital's fickle voters amplifying larger national trends. Though popularly viewed as a stronghold for the storied Democrat Party, the history of Bangkok's elections over the past 40 years has been distinctly mixed. Bangkok voters have shown an unparalleled willingness to embrace new parties—hence the landslide wins by Prachakorn Thai in 1979, Palang Dharma in 1992 and Thai Rak Thai in 2001. It was the Democrats that secured the majority of Bangkok seats in 2007 and 2011, on the strength of backing both from more affluent middle-class voters and low-income inner city communities in districts such as Bang Rak and Khlong Toei. ... Read More Keywords: Thailand; Elections; Political parties; Social media; Southeast Asia; China; Political culture; Democratization; Corporate state; Indonesia; Populism; Japan; United States; Islands of the Pacific; ASEAN; Civil-military relations PubDate: 2019-08-31T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: "Khao ao ngoen phai, ka lueak Pheu Thai khue kao" [It doesn't matter whose money they take, they will vote for Pheu Thai like before], a concession stand owner on campus told the author two days after the Palang Pracharat Party had held a mass rally at Ubon Ratchathani University—an unprecedented opportunity for any Thai political party. She had attended the rally, for which village-level coordinators had arranged transportation and collated the names of attendees. Upon being asked by the author whether the attendees would get paid, the concession stand owner merely smiled and said that she did not know. Instead of pressing for an answer, the author decided to wait anxiously for election day to find out whether the ... Read More Keywords: Thailand; Elections; Political parties; Social media; Southeast Asia; China; Political culture; Democratization; Corporate state; Indonesia; Populism; Japan; United States; Islands of the Pacific; ASEAN; Civil-military relations PubDate: 2019-08-31T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: The March 2019 elections saw Pheu Thai's longstanding dominance of constituency seats in the Upper North decline somewhat, while the Lower North saw a very strong showing by the pro-military Palang Pracharat Party—which had only been formed in 2018—demonstrating that a well-funded newcomer could make dramatic electoral inroads in the region.Northern Thailand is culturally and geographically divided into two zones of eight provinces: the Upper North (comprising Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Lamphun, Mae Hong Son, Nan, Phayao and Phrae) and the Lower North (comprising Kamphaeng Phet, Nakhon Sawan, Phetchabun, Phichit, Phitsanulok, Sukhothai, Tak and Uttaradit). The 16 provinces in the northern region contain 62 ... Read More Keywords: Thailand; Elections; Political parties; Social media; Southeast Asia; China; Political culture; Democratization; Corporate state; Indonesia; Populism; Japan; United States; Islands of the Pacific; ASEAN; Civil-military relations PubDate: 2019-08-31T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: A time-tested truism holds that, even if the Democrat Party put electricity poles up for office, the voters in the Upper South of Thailand would still elect them.1 The 24 March 2019 polls called that truism into question. As the Upper South has represented a crucial Democrat electoral bailiwick, the results of those polls have implications that transcend the region. They force us to confront the possibility of a significant change in the way that the provinces of Thailand's Upper South figure on the national political landscape.2In the Thai elections of July 2011—the last successfully completed national polls before those of March 2019—voters in the region's 11 provinces chose members of the lower house of ... Read More Keywords: Thailand; Elections; Political parties; Social media; Southeast Asia; China; Political culture; Democratization; Corporate state; Indonesia; Populism; Japan; United States; Islands of the Pacific; ASEAN; Civil-military relations PubDate: 2019-08-31T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: The 2019 general election in Thailand's Deep South—comprising the three southern border provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, where an armed insurgency has been raging since 2004—was primarily a contest between two newly-created parties: the Palang Pracharat Party, a pro-military political party, and the Prachachart Party, which positioned itself as a pro-democracy party. Prachachart was the biggest winner in the Deep South, winning six of the 11 constituency seats. While the Democrat Party won ten of the 11 seats in the 2011 general election, it only managed to hold on to one in 2019 through Anwar Salae, a former Democrat MP who defeated prominent former senator Worawit Baru of Prachachart by just 4.83 per ... Read More Keywords: Thailand; Elections; Political parties; Social media; Southeast Asia; China; Political culture; Democratization; Corporate state; Indonesia; Populism; Japan; United States; Islands of the Pacific; ASEAN; Civil-military relations PubDate: 2019-08-31T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: Soon after the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) received accreditation from the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT), this author was invited to join the network's election observation mission (EOM) as an official international observer. Coming from Nepal, a country which has experienced significant political upheavals over the past 13 years—including the end of a decades-long insurgency, a popular people's revolution that abolished the monarchy and the promulgation of a new Constitution—it was exciting to observe Thai citizens exercising their democratic rights.I flew to Ubon Ratchathani province to observe the elections a few days before the polls. While ANFREL was among a number of international ... Read More Keywords: Thailand; Elections; Political parties; Social media; Southeast Asia; China; Political culture; Democratization; Corporate state; Indonesia; Populism; Japan; United States; Islands of the Pacific; ASEAN; Civil-military relations PubDate: 2019-08-31T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: China's engagement with and influence in Southeast Asia, including through the framework of ASEAN-China dialogue relations, have grown considerably since the early 1990s. This growth is both a natural function of China's phenomenal economic growth, historical ties to the region and geographic proximity to Southeast Asia, and the fruition of Beijing's decades-long investment in building regional relationships, both bilaterally with the ASEAN member states and multilaterally through ASEAN and the ASEAN-led regional architecture. Over the past few years, China's regional engagement has been branded under the slogan "ASEAN-China Community of Common Destiny" (ASEAN-China CCD) which was first articulated by Chinese ... Read More Keywords: Thailand; Elections; Political parties; Social media; Southeast Asia; China; Political culture; Democratization; Corporate state; Indonesia; Populism; Japan; United States; Islands of the Pacific; ASEAN; Civil-military relations PubDate: 2019-08-31T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: For much of the last two decades, comparativists and country experts have praised Indonesia's democratic progress and stability. Free, fair and competitive elections are held regularly throughout the country, ensuring that officeholders from village heads to the president are chosen directly by citizens. Indonesia boasts rich associational life and its media is largely free. Writing in 2009, noted democracy scholar Larry Diamond applauded Indonesia for achieving the status of a "stable democracy—with no obvious threats or potent anti-democratic challenges on the horizon".1 Diamond also described Indonesia as "a relatively liberal democracy". Like Diamond, other comparativists continue to see Indonesia as a healthy ... Read More Keywords: Thailand; Elections; Political parties; Social media; Southeast Asia; China; Political culture; Democratization; Corporate state; Indonesia; Populism; Japan; United States; Islands of the Pacific; ASEAN; Civil-military relations PubDate: 2019-08-31T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: Japan's relations with Southeast Asia are at a crossroads. Faced with rapid changes in US-China relations, Japan has begun to reevaluate the utility of the existing political and security frameworks in East Asia, including regional institutions led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the US-Japan alliance. Potentially, this reassessment of regional security could lead Japan to re-orient its regional strategy in the future.Over the past decade, Japan has significantly enhanced diplomatic and security cooperation with ASEAN, particularly since 2013, when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited all ten member states and ASEAN and Japan held a commemorative summit the same year.1 In 2016, Japan issued ... Read More Keywords: Thailand; Elections; Political parties; Social media; Southeast Asia; China; Political culture; Democratization; Corporate state; Indonesia; Populism; Japan; United States; Islands of the Pacific; ASEAN; Civil-military relations PubDate: 2019-08-31T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: Indonesia is a relatively modern nation, established by proclamation in August 1945. What is easily forgotten is that the 1945 Constitution established the country as "a state based on the rule of law" to be governed by a president and vice president "elected as a pair by the people directly". Article 7 states that they can serve a five-year term and be re-elected for another five-year term only.For the first 20 years of its existence, Indonesia was mostly governed this way—although the country's first president, Sukarno, progressively clipped the wings of the country's democracy, styling it as a "guided democracy" and allowing gradual military interference. The last truly democratic elections were held in 1955. ... Read More Keywords: Thailand; Elections; Political parties; Social media; Southeast Asia; China; Political culture; Democratization; Corporate state; Indonesia; Populism; Japan; United States; Islands of the Pacific; ASEAN; Civil-military relations PubDate: 2019-08-31T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: China's Footprints in Southeast Asia is an edited volume which tries to assess the effectiveness and impact of China's soft power in Southeast Asia. In doing so, the contributors employ Joseph Nye's concept of "soft power" and develop the notion of China's "footprint" in the region, defined by the editors as "the tangible presence, mark or effect of China's exercise of soft power" (p. 16). The book also attempts to address the politics of Southeast Asian countries' dependency on China. The edited volume suggests that China's soft power is imbued with "invasive" characteristics, which in turn produces a "disruptive rather than benign effect" on regional states (p. 16).The introductory chapter by the three editors ... Read More Keywords: Thailand; Elections; Political parties; Social media; Southeast Asia; China; Political culture; Democratization; Corporate state; Indonesia; Populism; Japan; United States; Islands of the Pacific; ASEAN; Civil-military relations PubDate: 2019-08-31T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: Despite the multitudes of political parties in Southeast Asia, and their immense expenses and financing needs, there is surprisingly little information in the existing literature on how political parties in the region raise money. While recent studies have examined party politics, election campaigns and money politics in individual countries in the region, an in-depth study on political party financing across Southeast Asia was lacking. Wolfgang Sachsenröder's Power Broking in the Shade is a welcome attempt to fill that gap.How do political parties support themselves' What are the consequences of political parties' financing practices on governance and policies more generally' Is Southeast Asia particularly unique ... Read More Keywords: Thailand; Elections; Political parties; Social media; Southeast Asia; China; Political culture; Democratization; Corporate state; Indonesia; Populism; Japan; United States; Islands of the Pacific; ASEAN; Civil-military relations PubDate: 2019-08-31T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: Due to the diverse characteristics of Southeast Asia's armed forces, as well as the complexities of political systems and levels of democratization, deciphering civil-military relations in the region is not an easy task. Aurel Croissant's monograph, Civil-Military Relations in Southeast Asia, attempts to examine the subject. The author provides cogent insights and a timely analysis of the region's civil-military relations. The monograph provides empirical discussion on the topic as well as an alternative framework to western-based civil-military relations models. In addition, his analysis provides meaningful insights into the history of Southeast Asian militaries and their political adventurism. He also highlights ... Read More Keywords: Thailand; Elections; Political parties; Social media; Southeast Asia; China; Political culture; Democratization; Corporate state; Indonesia; Populism; Japan; United States; Islands of the Pacific; ASEAN; Civil-military relations PubDate: 2019-08-31T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: Cambodia: Return to Authoritarianism explains Cambodia's regime performance and evolution since 1993 when the United Nations (UN) intervened to help democratize the war-torn country. The author makes three pertinent arguments.The first argument, which will not come as a surprise to those who closely follow political developments in Cambodia, is that the country's authoritarian regime has regressed from an electoral authoritarian regime to a hegemonic authoritarian one. Between 1993 and 2017, the government was an electoral authoritarian regime in which there was real contestation for power via regular multiparty elections, albeit with some restrictions on civil liberties and an uneven playing field. However, in ... Read More Keywords: Thailand; Elections; Political parties; Social media; Southeast Asia; China; Political culture; Democratization; Corporate state; Indonesia; Populism; Japan; United States; Islands of the Pacific; ASEAN; Civil-military relations PubDate: 2019-08-31T00:00:00-05:00
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