Opinion

To no one’s real surprise, politics since the March 24 election has been all about politicians and not the genuine needs of the people. Horse-trading and gamesmanship have been the hallmarks of the race by rival camps seeking to form the next government, which once again appears likely to be dictated by the outcomes of bargaining, vengeance and backstabbing – anything but concern for the ordinary man’s wellbeing and the future of our nation. What is worse, however, is that our extremely divided populace appears to be only vaguely aware that the power plays underway serve neither them nor the country in the slightest. We note with chagrin that, for example, no one is talking about who is best qualified to serve as finance minister at a time when the world economy is in turmoil fuelled by the US-China trade war, which is crippling Thai exports as well as threatening global security. On the contrary, deal-making MPs-elect are debating only about which party should get … [Read more...] about Welcome to a grim political future

Described as the most powerful and divisive Indian leader in decades, Modi in his re-election is likely to have significant implications for regional geopolitics given his jingoistic rhetoric. His election campaign largely revolved around projecting himself as India’s “chowkidar” or watchman, and bashing Pakistan. Secularism falls, nationalism rises India is increasingly politically polarised as Modi tries to turn the country into a Hindu nation. Secularism, which kept the multi-ethnic and multifaith country united, has weakened – that is likely to have a direct bearing on India’s regional policy under Modi 2.0. If his electoral mandate is strong, as expected, we can expect significant societal change in the country. The prospect of Modi’s return to power is most distressing for India’s minorities. The BJP’s politics, rooted in Hindu supremacist groups, have polarised this heterogeneous country, raising fear and tensions. Mob … [Read more...] about Indian voters boost Modi’s ambition for a ‘Hindu nation’

A fisherman turned “steward of the sea” who runs a restorative ocean farm growing seaweed and farming shellfish, Smith is one of dozens of characters who appear in “Ice on Fire”, an eye-opening environmental documentary at the Cannes film festival.  Produced by Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Leila Conners, who worked together on 2007 climate documentary “The 11th Hour”, the film offers a fascinating look at the innovations and people working to significantly reduce carbon in the atmosphere.  Take kelp. Not only does it soak up five times more carbon than plants on land, it is one of the fastest growing plants on earth and can be widely used for everything from food to fertiliser and even animal feed. “If you provide a seaweed diet to cows, you get a 90 per cent reduction in methane output,” says Smith, in what could play a key role in reducing the huge quantities of methane produced by livestock, a … [Read more...] about Climate change can be reversed, DiCaprio’s ‘Ice on Fire’ claims

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued new regulations to facilitate the country’s crowd-funding system for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as tech startups, in a move that will help promote the growth of digital economy and society via the issuing of capital shares and debentures. At this stage, crowd funding is still a relatively new method of raising money from the investing public to finance technology and related ventures that cannot meet the requirements of traditional funding methods such as Initial Public Offerings. The SEC, which is empowered to regulate capital markets, has invited qualified entities to apply for licences to operate crowd-funding platforms to help drive the growth of SMEs and start-ups. Each one is allowed to mobilise up to Bt40 million in an issue of equity shares and debentures. The SEC regulations also set out conditions on individuals and juristic persons wanting to invest in crowd-funding platforms, and SEC … [Read more...] about SEC’s timely move paves way for crowd funding

This has  to be said: the biggest winner of the recently concluded polls was President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. The last elections produced pro-Duterte super majorities in both chambers of Congress. His supporters occupy the overwhelming majority of provincial and municipal executive posts. The only group that positioned itself as the “opposition” was totally obliterated. Set this against what is more usual in our electoral history. Midterm elections are usually occasions for voters to express their disenchantment for the sitting president. They usually provide platforms for the counter-elite to position for the next presidential elections. With the exception of elections held under the dictatorship, the opposition routinely trounced the administration candidates. The last time the opposition was completely shut out during a midterm election was when Manuel Luis Quezon was president. That was 80 years ago. Duterte might not have Quezon’s sterling oratory or his … [Read more...] about Winner