More Malaysians may soon request one sugar instead of two in their teh tarik and opt for the bus rather than the car for their commute to work. On July 18, 2010, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s announced cuts to subsidies on items such as sugar and fuel. This is the first step in the government’s subsidy rationalization programme that it argues will save the country RM 750 million (over $233 million) this year. Money, they say, that can instead be used as resources for families, communities, and business growth. This comes at a time when the Malaysian economy has strongly rebounded from the global financial crisis with double digit growth and Najib’s administration enjoys a healthy public satisfaction rate of 72 percent. Read more »
In Asia recently spoke with Indian journalist Indrani Bagchi, diplomatic editor for The Times of India, the country’s largest English-language daily, on her way back from Washington, D.C., where she finished conducting research on U.S.-China relations and their impact on India, as an Asia Foundation Chang-Lin Tien Visiting Fellow. Bagchi speaks on rising print newspaper readership in India, President Obama’s upcoming visit to India, and more.
Q: What domestic and international issues are the Indian media covering well?
India’s domestic issues still remain the biggest thing that we cover. There is so much to cover within India on any given day in terms of crises, developments, politics. The quantum of stories from the domestic sector is just enormous. But for those of us who cover foreign policy, it’s always a fight for space with the domestic editors. At night, when everybody’s lobbying for last minute space, it’s a battle.
Q: Is this a reflection of a decrease in foreign coverage globally?
Possibly, but in India it also has to do with our newspaper’s revenue model. We are completely advertisement-led. Read more »
Just months ago, Choeung would never have dreamt of speaking in public. If told that he would speak in front of more than 300 people, including high-ranking officials, several deputy governors from seven provinces, and an under secretary of state, he would have laughed at such a good joke, and his fellow fishermen would have as well. But that was months ago, when Choeung and his colleagues from the community fishery of Stung Kambot in Kampong Thom province gathered for the first time to discuss constraints they faced in their fishing activities and how they could organize themselves to engage with the public sector and find ways to improve their businesses.
Community members from Cambodia's fishery and forestry sectors discuss common challenges and threats to natural resources at a cross provincial workshop attended by more than 300 people. Photo: Nicolas Axelrod/asiamotion.net
Early this month – less than nine months later – no one thought of laughing when Choeung took the microphone and stood in front of the large audience assembled in the Kampong Thom Provincial Hall. Read more »
In late 2008, in the midst of the financial and economic crisis, factory owners in Bangladesh showed remarkable confidence in the future of their industry in Bangladesh. Government officials were also confident of the capacity of the private sector to adapt and remain competitive while workers themselves were confident of their capacity to deliver quality products at a competitive price. But, although Bangladesh has done well in the garment and textiles sector, if the country wants to expand even more and remain competitive, finds the first paper in The Asia Foundation’s new “Occasional Paper” series, it will need to make investments in human capital and technology, rather than just reduce input costs. Research for this paper included extensive interviews with factory workers and government officials, and seven focus-group discussions with 33 factory workers.
The paper offers policy recommendations to improve efficiency at the factory level, including providing improved benefits to workers and developing coalitions between the private sector and local and international NGOs, as well as factories, to establish industry standards. It also suggests reforms of the business environment that could provide an overall boost, not only to the garment industry, but to the economy as a whole. Download the paper.
In March, USAID and The Asia Foundation co-hosted a regional conference on “The Role of Religious and Community Leaders in Advancing Development in Asia.” The conference provided a forum where over 70 religious and community leaders from 14 countries could share their views and experiences from their respective countries. “We have people from so many different religious backgrounds and so many different countries talking together in partnership with the U.S. government about religion and development,” explains Ari Alexander, deputy director of the Center for Faith-Based & Community Initiatives, in this new video in which participants share their perspectives. “For the first time in my life,” says Buddhist Maha Vihara Committee Member N.B. Dayananda, “I have come upon a scene where I have a fresh hope.”
Through the 18-month, USAID-funded pilot project Conflict Mitigation through Community-Oriented Policing (CMCOP), The Asia Foundation is playing a significant role in supporting both the police and Timorese communities to develop a new partnership, enhancing police legitimacy and responsiveness to community needs. CMCOP aims to improve the performance of police and build public trust by fostering collaborative community-police partnerships that use a problem-solving approach to respond to the security needs and expectations of the community. “For 24 years, until 1999, the police in Timor-Leste were under the command of the Indonesian military,” explains Asia Foundation Country Representative in Timor-Leste, Silas Everett, in this new video about the CMCOP program. “Today, people still hold memories of the fears they felt toward the police and the security forces at that time.”
