Thailand’s Election
The people of Thailand, through their ballots of 23 December, had clearly expressed their desire to have the country run by a coalition government under the “populist policy” of the two parties: the People Power Party and the Democrat Party. The People Power Party won the election with 233 seats in the Parliament, when the Democrat Party got only 165 seats. No party wins enough votes to form a new government, therefore, a coalition with other small parties that won election has to be formed. This is a big change from the days when the Thaksin’s Thai RakThai “one-party-rule system” dominated the parliament and the country. The Election Commission is to be congratulated for conducted a fair election, without violence. Tulsathit Taptim in his article, “The nation’s head and heart spoke at once” in the Nation newspaper, was correct in saying that this election was a “bye-bye to the military”, but not a “welcome home Thaksin”. When Thaksin returns to the country, he will have to go straight to Court to fight the various corruption cases that he and his family were accused of. For sure, political polarization will continue in Thailand. But like in other democratic countries, Thailand will have to learn how to govern through negotiations and compromises between the two political poles of these two dominant parties in public interest. Fighting each other in the streets will lead the country to nowhere.
Filed under Thailand | Comment (0)Preference For Sons - Girls Gone Missing
Preference for sons has long been part of Asian’s culture and tradition based on believing in male-superiority in society. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) alerts us that one of the most alarming change in Asia’s population dynamics in recent decades has been a dramatic increases in the proportion of males within its local populations. There is now an average of 120-130 male born for every 100 female born per year in India and China and similar trend in other countries. At the Fourth Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights, held in Hyderabad, India, two months ago, UNFPA presented the study “Sex-ratio Imbalance in Asia: Trends, Consequences, and Policy Responses”. After analyses of the consequences of the growing gender imbalances in the population of four studies conducted in India, China, Viet Nam and Nepal, the participants came to a conclusion that gender discrimination, son preference and the resultant unequal status of women and girls have contributed to an increasing demand for sex selection services. As a way forward, they recommended that governments and civil-society organizations should take priority action to eliminate sex selection. I agree that sex selection, with assistance from new ultrasound and amniocentesis technology, can lead to the problem of “Girls Gone Missing” through the abortion of female fetus. But I disagree with their way forward recommendation to elimination sex selection altogether. Stopping the abortion of female fetus, as practiced by a small group of women in the population, is not the same as stopping all the people from sex selection/services and access to information and technology. It is wrong for the participants to encourage governments and civil society organizations to take action against the right of parents to have the freedom to choose the size of their own family, the sex of their child, and the use of modern technology to improve the quality of their own lives. I have been working for years in population information, education and communication field in programs and projects where sex selection information was provided freely to parents along with information on family planning methods. We should keep the free flow of information to the people, especially, when we see success such as the Thailand Family Planning Program, which is based on the provision of unrestrictive information makibg use of available modern technologies. Authoritarian force must not be used by anyone to solve the problem of missing girls in the population. Instead we should use persuasive methods and give advice on appropriate technology for sex selection, while at the same time, provide gender equality and human rights education for all people from childhood to adulthood. Parents will then be able to make their own free choice about the number and sex of their children based on knowledge and understanding of the equal value of the male and female child. Without change in respecting women’s integrity and their right to be in charge and control of their own body, authoritarian government and religious authority will not succeed in stopping the women to abort female fetus from their own body.
Filed under Gender Issues, Thailand, United Nations | Comment (0)Dignity and Justice For All
In six days, we will be celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. And yet last month we heard disturbing news on human rights abuse in Saudi Arabia.. a 19 years old girl, identified as “Qatif girl”, has to spend six month in jail and suffered 200 lashes because she was gang raped. This action by the Saudi Court is violence against women. I join friends in the Human Rights Watch around the world to urge the Saudi King Abdullah to void the verdict and drop all charges against “Qatif girl” and other rape victims. Human rights issues include women’s right, arbitrary detention, and discrimination on the ground of sex. On 10 December, the Human Rights Day, Ban Ki-Moon, the United Nations Secretary-General will ask all of us around the world to take part in the campaign to celebrate 60 years that the world has come together to recognize the importance of respect of civil and political rights of each person, including economic, social and cultural rights. There are many ways for all of us to join in this campaign and bring about dignity and justice to women and men, no matter where they live. There are more than 50 ideas for commemorating the Universal Declaration of Human Right. Any of us can pick and choose to act from them as suggested by the human rights educators from five continents at their 1997 meeting. We can celebrate 2007 Human Right Day by joining force to help the Saudi woman fights gang rape ruling.
Filed under Gender Issues, United Nations, World Affairs | Comment (0)The Bali Meeting on Climate Change
Actions by the people and all states are very important to mitigate and to adapt to climate change The intergovernmental process in the context of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol begins on 3 December in Bali. Negotiations by 180 country representatives, with the help of world scientists, and with facilitation by United Nations staff will continue for two weeks ending on the 14th. China, India and the United States are three biggest contributors to the problem of climate change. People around the world expects them to make changes in their policies to play a constuctive role in the negotiation to come up with a new treaty to follow-up Kyoto protocol, which will end in 2012. Their constuctive participation in the meeting will result in heading off forcast by the scientific communities that our world will face catastrophic floods and droughts resulting from the melting of the ices and glaciers in the North and South Poles. Developing countries need assistance to avoid these disasters which will kill millions. I join others in hoping for a success outcome when participating government representatives agree to sign a new Climate Change Treaty. I wish the Indonesian Government best wishes in organizing this important global meeting.
Filed under Environment, United Nations, World Affairs | Comment (0)