This past weekend, twenty-one international Asian observers arrived in the Philippines. The Commission on Elections-accredited observers come from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia and were deployed on Monday, May 7th to each of the six provinces in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The observer mission is being coordinated by the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) and supported by The Asia Foundation with funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). During their deployment in the ARMM, the observer team members will be hosted by six local Muslim civil society groups that have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) on April 3, 2007. This MOA marks a full-fledged partnership between the Catholic-based PPCRV and Muslim organizations to conduct joint election monitoring. To read more, click here.

By Ruengrawee Ketphol (Jieb)

Ruengrawee Ketphol is a Senior Program Coordinator at The Asia Foundation’s office in Bangkok.

Mother’s Day will soon be celebrated in the United States, but in Thailand we celebrate this holiday on the Queen’s birthday, in August. On this occasion, I take time to reflect on another important, albeit, very sad, day in Thailand.

On December 26, 2004, as I watched on television the killer waves striking the Andaman Coast on television, I emotionally and consciously wanted to help the victims in this vast tragedy. Within two weeks of the tsunami disaster I traveled to Phangna province with colleagues from the Women and the Constitution Network in an exploratory assessment for The Asia Foundation.  We visited several camps filled with countless, exhausted survivors staying in thousands of tents. We talked with hundreds of people and observed the humanitarian assistance storming in.
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By Steven Rood

Steven Rood is The Asia Foundation’s Country Representative in the Philippines. 

On May 14th, Filipinos will make their way to over 250,000 precincts across the country in “mid-term” elections (that is, in the middle of the term for President).  Though the highest office in the land is not on the ballot, citizens will vote for 17,889 different positions at different levels:  Senators (twelve elected nationwide), Members of Congress (both district and party list), provincial governors, vice governors, and board members, and city or municipal mayors, vice mayors, and councilors.  Given that the ballot is entirely write-in, voters will laboriously write dozens of names (or officially recognized nicknames). The ballots are then, even more laboriously, tallied at the precinct level before being transported to over 1,500 city and municipal halls to be aggregated before being transmitted upward for final tallies.

The 2004 Presidential Elections revealed serious deficiencies in the current electoral process, and highlighted setbacks in the ongoing process of democratization in the country. Confusion, inefficiency, corruption, and cheating damaged the credibility of elections, and cast doubt on the democratic legitimacy of elected officials. 
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By Erik Jensen

Erik Jensen is The Asia Foundation’s Senior Legal Advisor.

About a decade ago, following the installation of the last caretaker regime of the “democratic era” in Pakistan, I suggested to a prominent Pakistani politician that the doctrine of necessity was one of Pakistan’s core jurisprudential principles.  To this he replied, “yes, too much necessity and not enough doctrine.”  Indeed, the Supreme Court has thrice justified transitions to military rule – in 1958, 1977 and 1999 - through a legal fiction known as the doctrine of necessity, more than any other fledgling democracy in Asia.  Essentially, the doctrine of necessity is invoked by courts when faced with the consequences of extra-constitutional transitions to avoid a break in the constitutional umbilical cord.  The reasoning goes that the Court must stay open for business in order to avoid plunging the country into deeper chaos.  As Justice Dorab Patel wrote many years ago with palpable frustration:  “how do you expect five men alone, unsupported by anyone, to declare martial law unconstitutional?” 

The removal of Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, the chief justice suspended by President Pervez Musharraff on March 9, sparked protests across Pakistan and posed perhaps the most serious challenge to the President during his tenure.  Mr. Chaudhry’s removal also stirred an old debate about the relationship of the military-executive with the judiciary. 
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Since January 2006, The Asia Foundation has supported a wide range of economic, legal, educational, and political empowerment projects to improve the status of women in Aceh, Indonesia. Building on more than three decades of collaboration with civil society organizations in Aceh, the Foundation has drawn upon the expertise of its own staff and that of its partners to implement programs in a culturally sensitive way.
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With Dr. James Klein, Country Representative in Thailand, The Asia Foundation

The Asia Foundation is pleased to invite you to a luncheon discussion with Dr. James Klein, who will provide first-hand insight and analysis of recent developments in Thailand, in particular political developments since the September 19, 2006 military coup, and Thai perceptions of the current environment.

Dr. Klein has been a long-time Southeast Asian specialist having lived in the region for over 25 years. Since 1996, Dr. Klein has been the Foundation’s resident Representative in Bangkok. Before then he served as The Asia Foundation’s Representative to Cambodia and Malaysia. His introduction to Asia came when he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Khon Kaen, Thailand from 1973 to 1976. Dr. Klein has a Ph.D. in History and Southeast Asian Studies from Northern Illinois University. 

Location:
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Building, Choate Room, Ground Floor
1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NW

RSVP:
To attend, or for more information, please contact Ms. Nicole Sayres at nsayres@asiafound-dc.org, or 202-588-9420 ext. 1313. If leaving a message, please include your name, title, affiliation, and contact details.

As seating is limited, please RSVP by Tuesday, May 15th.

With Dr. James Klein, Country Representative in Thailand, The Asia Foundation

On September 19, 2006, military leaders in Thailand staged a bloodless coup to overthrow the administration installed by Thaksin Shinawatra. The coup was welcomed by most Thai citizens, who deemed it necessary to rid the nation of systemic corruption and restore democracy, but condemned by the international community as a blow to democracy. Seven months later, as promised, a military-appointed Constitution Drafting Assembly has proposed the draft of a new constitution that will be open for public comment until May 26, 2007.

Has the coup in fact been “good” for Thai democracy, and will the new constitution help ensure the coup’s promises of ending political divisiveness, corruption, and the violence in southern Thailand?

Please join The Asia Foundation’s Country Representative in Thailand, Dr. James Klein, a renowned Thailand expert who — with over 30 years of experience in the country — is widely published on Thai democracy, rule of law, and conflict resolution.

Co-sponsored by Asia Society Northern California. 

Location:
The Asia Foundation, Haydn Williams Conference Room
465 California Street, 8th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94104

To attend or for more information, please e-mail rsvp@asiafound.org.
 

With Hamid Sharif, Country Representative in Pakistan, The Asia Foundation

The Asia Foundation is pleased to invite you to a breakfast discussion with Mr. Hamid Sharif, who will provide first-hand insight and analysis of recent political developments in Pakistan. His presentation will cover Pakistani perceptions and response to US foreign policy, preparations for the upcoming elections, and the situation in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
 
Before joining the Foundation in 2005, Mr. Sharif served as the Assistant General Counsel for South Asia, and law and policy reform at the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Mr. Sharif’s career also includes professorships at the Lahore University of Management Sciences and at the International Islamic University in Islamabad. In 2004, Mr. Sharif co-authored a study on Devolution in Pakistan that was published by the ADB, the World Bank, and the Department for International Development.  Mr. Sharif received an LL.M from Cambridge University U.K. and qualified as a barrister-at-law from Lincoln’s Inn, U.K.

Location: 
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2nd Floor
 (Corner of 18th Street and Massachusetts Avenue, NW)
1785 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

RSVP: 
To attend or for more information, please contact Mr. Guyltone Sukawati at gsukawati@asiafound-dc.org, or 202-588-9420 ext. 1304.
If leaving a message, please include your name, title, affiliation, and contact details. 

As seating is limited, please RSVP by Wednesday, May 16th.

With George Varughese, Deputy Country Representative in Afghanistan, The Asia Foundation

The Asia Foundation is pleased to invite you to a breakfast discussion with Dr. George Varughese, who will discuss The Asia Foundation’s recent study, “State Building, Political Progress, and Human Security in Afghanistan: Reflections on a Survey of the Afghan People.”

This 2007 study examines areas of intense, current interest in Afghanistan, and describes how Afghans view their personal situation, democratic values, trust in formal and informal institutions, political progress, human security, and women’s advancement.  This survey, the culmination of a three-year research program, is the companion piece to The Asia Foundation’s November 2006 public opinion poll, “Afghanistan in 2006: A Survey of the Afghan People.” This research seeks to initiate discourse on public opinion in Afghanistan by providing a citizen perspective on the changes that are transforming Afghan society and politics.

Dr. Varughese’s expertise is in governance, rule of law, access to justice, human rights, conflict and post-conflict situations, and public policy analysis and formulation. Dr. Varughese formerly served as the Foundation’s assistant country representative for Nepal. Prior to joining the Foundation, he was country program advisor for the United Nations Development Program in Nepal, responsible for program research, development, and management related to local governance. Dr. Varughese received his doctorate from Indiana University.

Location: 
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2nd Floor
 (Corner of 18th Street and Massachusetts Avenue, NW)
1785 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

RSVP: 
To attend or for more information, please contact Mr. John Stinner at jstinner@asiafound-dc.org, or 202-588-9420 ext. 1301.
If leaving a message, please include your name, title, affiliation, and contact details.

As seating is limited, please RSVP by Monday, May 14th. 

With George Varughese, Deputy Country Representative in Afghanistan &
Hamid Sharif, Country Representative in Pakistan, The Asia Foundation

Hosted by the World Affairs Council of Northern California, Peninsula Chapter
Note: This program is in Los Altos, CA - 37 miles south of San Francisco.   

For over 50 years, The Asia Foundation has maintained an on-the-ground presence for programming with Afghanistan and Pakistan. The San Francisco-based nonprofit’s representatives in each of these two countries will provide first-hand insight and analysis of recent political developments. The discussion will include a presentation on findings from a recently-released poll of Afghan public opinion on democracy, security, religion, and their future and the preparations for Pakistan’s upcoming elections.

Location: 
Los Altos Public Library
13 South San Antonio Rd.
Los Altos, CA

To attend or for more information, please e-mail kbrown@asiafound.org.