CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Thailand’s political scene descended into chaos on Tuesday morning when supposed pro-democracy protesters stormed a television station, took over government buildings and blocked roads in an attempt to force the downfall of a democratically elected government. Samak Sundaravej, a generally unpopular prime minister, has stood firm but resisted using heavy-handed measures that could easily see the return of a military-led government. Oddly enough, a violent response may be exactly what the protesters, led by members of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) want. PAD leaders have called the protests “the final showdown” and machetes, sling shots, [...]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — It was a long time coming, but the dissident and sometimes mischievous politician Anwar Ibrahim has bloodied the nose of Malaysia’s ruling coalition by winning Tuesday’s by-election, marking his return to parliament and positioning himself for a tilt at the nation’s top job. “The message is clear,” he told thousands of cheering supporters. “We in Permatang Pauh and in Malaysia, we demand change for freedom and justice.” “We want an independent judiciary, we want the economy to benefit the vast majority and not corrupt the few,” he said to the chants of “reformasi” and “merdeka” which [...]
Moments of candor from sub-Saharan African politicians are rare, but they do occur. Near the end of 2005, Eriya Kategaya, then a former cabinet minister in Uganda, criticized the role of Western donors in supporting the personal rule of leaders like Yoweri Museveni. “Hinging the destiny of a country to an individual is absolutely not correct,” he said. Granted, Kategaya, once again a cabinet minister, delivered his lament while temporarily ejected from Uganda’s ruling party for opposing Museveni’s push to erase presidential term limits. But that should not blunt his analysis. The West and its development industry have serially backed [...]
