Activism in Conservatism

I was thinking about this today, and wanted to see what other people thought.

Taking the example of contemporary Australian society, there's been a growing climate of conservatism - well, for the big red island it's a combination of economic liberalism + social conservatism. Everything is about the free market and raging capitalism - even if the country's wealth goes more and more only to those who need it less and less - but no you (asylum seeker) can't come in, and no you (woman) can't have an abortion, and no you (queer! you should be burned at the stake) can't get married.

Within such a socio-political framework, what are the risks/benefits of a more professional/institutionalised approach to political expression (ie. activism), as opposed to a more militant/confrontational style? (It's true the former is generally associated more with right-wing ideology, and the latter left-wing, but that shouldn't take away from the core of the question at hand.)

I was comparing the aussie labour movement, being the largest and broadest movement in terms of the sections of society it cuts across, against the queer movement, necessarily a lot smaller by virtue of its demographic (even with queer-friendly straights).

(But it's not just about size, either, right.)

What are people's thoughts about this?


Ps. No, I don't normally come up with such random philosophical shit (well...) but I was just thinking back to this course I did last semester, which dealt with a lot of these issues. (My favourite course, ever, I think.)

Technorati: politics, Australia, activism

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Political Cleansing: Enema Of The State

I'm too swamped to blog - but I bring your attention to a couple of issues that have given me furrows in my brows of late.

Latest proceedings in Singapore Rebel case

It's not actually a joke, which is funny in a painful way.

Ridiculous questions that police asked Martyn See, maker of Singapore Rebel

Featured news on Martyn's blog

Going a few weeks back... (yes this is my catch-up on Singapore news backlog, having been caught up with the WYC at the time..)


Singapore Presidential elections

In the little red dot, there are no elections, only selections. (By the political elite pixies and fairy god mothers who will not sue me for defamation, and friends, of course)

TODAY 9 Aug: Battle begins early for Andrew Kuan

CNA 9 Aug: PM Lee emphasises importance of electing the right person as President

CNA 11 Aug: JTC says presidential hopeful Andrew Kuan's work unsatisfactory

Andrew Kuan: Enigma on Singapore Ink

Reuter's interview with Andrew Kuan on Singabloodypore

Presidential contest: Panic in the PAP? on Sintercom

Presidential contest: the end on Sintercom

Nation Master entry on Andrew Kuan

Asia Times 17 Aug Singapore tries to be naughty
[Ed: this just added; an interesting article that might get the authoring journalist a defamation suit]

Technorati: Singapore, media freedom, democracy autocracy

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Agenda-Setting

What a hectic coupla days.

It’s been mad, mad emailing and calling – all around the one darn policy document which seems to have just taken over my life for now.

General gist: We (World Youth Congress) are aiming to promote the recommendations of the document to attendee governments as they prepare their agendas for the upcoming World Summit at the 60^th UN General Assembly (GA60) in New York next month. This forms part of our broader plans to lobby governments to, ultimately, incorporate youth into their national strategies for development. It's premised on the concept of Youth-Led Development – the underlying principle of the entire document.

How it’s relevant to Singapore youth (representation): The current youth delegation attending the GA60 come from 13 countries, none of which form any part of Asia – East, West, Central, South. Go "principles of equitable geogrphical distribution". I should note that Youth-Led Development is particularly relevant to Asia, considering Asia is home to almost 60% of the total youth population in the world.

This clearly presents a huge opportunity for Singapore to do something for Asian youth representation. And on the MDGs, too. Global topics don't get much hotter than this.

So it would be great – to understate – if one of two things happened:

i) Singapore sends to the GA a youth delegate, who gets opportunity to deliver a statement on YLD
ii) Singapore’s official delegate includes a para in speech on YLD

Certainly, the first is much more powerful than the second, but either one would still be rather instrumental in building legitimacy for the document, and its message – thereby more effectively advancing the recommendations of the document towards inclusion in countries’ national agendas.

So far, at the country level, it’s been up and down. The kick start from Edgar Koh’s helpfulness, unfortunately, has been met with rather uninspiring response from Prof Tommy Koh and His Excellency George Yeo. Foong Hin Cheong is away til next week. And Mr Tharman and Dr Balakrishnan bo hew me. Boo hoo.

Ironically, it’s been the people overseas who’ve been the most helpful – Peace Child International, Oxfam HK. I’m hoping to get some local NGO support also; from Samy at Think Centre, Irvin at Kopitiam, Braema Mathi at AWARE, and a few others.

Just read the last email I sent to [Special Advisor to George Yeo], and I was surprised by my own extremely pro-active [read: bordering on aggressive] tone of message –

..
The reason I'm so actively pursuing this with you is because of your positioning in the MFA, which is ultimately key to Singapore's representation to the UN.

If youth are to speak up, as Dr Vivian Balakrishnan has so fervently encouraged, what should we do to bring our voice to the international community, if not through our own ambassadors? I ask this question genuinely, because I am also seeking your advice on other ways to go about doing this, in the case that this is deemed not an appropriate method.
..

I’m a little nervous about opening my inbox tomorrow. But determined to keep hounding following up. With all of them.


Ps. We've just formulated a full-on elaborate game plan to really promote the damn document in a bigass way. More on that later.

Technorati: United Nations, MDG, youth, development

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Circumventing the mainstream media

Oh, wow.

I have *just* received a reply from Edgar Koh, editorial chief of the UNDP.

Thought I'd try my luck with a long shot, since none of the local (Singapore) mainstream papers - even if we all know they are the one corporate entity - picked up on the original media release on the WYC Policy Document.

But you never know what you get if you don't try.

This gives me much more momentum when I send my loving package, replete with fresh media release, cover letter + policy document, off to PM Lee's office and Dr B in about... half an hour.

So, my point - and this goes out to WYC delegates (and all youth activists!) from countries that don't take their youth seriously enough - is this:

Find other ways. Get people in higher places to help you. Use contacts to get there.

Be shameless.

ps. The darned Policy Document is up! Check it out here.

Update: Back in Oz:

VSU was taken off the agenda for the most recent sitting of Parliament, for both House of Reps and the Senate - as per our anticipation in the event that dissidents in the Coalition and Nelson's office couldn't converge. Apparently, for the last couple of weeks, Nelson has been meeting with the dissidents nearly everyday in a bid to reach some mutually agreeable deal - which clearly hasn't been reached (yet).

The anti-VSU campaign is having an effect. Amazing.

AAP 22 Aug: Students, police defend debate action
Australian 20 April: VSU will keep foreign students overseas

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Strip Evacuation

I could not not say something about this.

Netzarim was one of the first settlements erected in Gaza, and now the last one that's just been evacuated, 2 decades later.

It seems the political analysts have been more concerned with the (re)structuring of post-evacuation Gaza and the Palestinian people, while the media have showcased the more violent and emotive aspects of the operation. (Yeah, kudos on the sweeping generalisations.) For me, though, I wonder what life will be like for the evacuated settlers as they (try to) find new homes - especially since settlers who did not leave voluntarily risk getting a lot less help from the government.

Palestinian critics say that there will be no sudden democratic utopia, of Gaza. It isn't the presence of illegal settlements that is oppressing the Palestinians - it's the disempowerment from the control of their own land. Unless control is given back to the Palestinian people, there is no real (socio-political) significance of the entire evacuation operation.

In David Samuels' latest for Atlantic (unfortunately I couldn't read it as I'm not a paying subscriber), he raises the question of Arafat as a 'destroyer' of Palestine. That his failure to use the Oslo Accord in 1993 for the creation of a Palestinian state, and for reconciliation between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, robbed Palestine of 10 years of economic development. I found his insights on his interview with NPR quite sombering, although his perspective is probably one shared by many other Arafat critics.

Now, Arafat's power is seriously threatened in the face of the military group Hamas claiming the evacuation as a victory, as well as Abbas of the Palestinian Authority - even if the latter isn't considered a terribly charismatic leader among the people.

A lot of people are sick and tired of blame games for 'understanding' Palestinian suffering. Thing is, wanting to just move forward... is it not almost impossible, without the consideration of Arafat's corruption (and the implications of that on Abbas' popularity), or other failings from a political leadership that just didn't build enough credibility among the people.

It boggles my mind how the actions of so very few can affect, so profoundly, the lives of so many. And often without even being themselves scathed.

***
Last week, Gaza. From today, the West Bank. It will be interesting to see how the anticipated resistance in the West Bank will play out, relative to Gaza.

Let's hope it won't get too violent.


Technorati: Gaza, Israel, Palestine, disengagement

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48 Hours

2 days isn’t a very long time.

Yet, to think in terms of conventional chronology, and the otherwise surreptitious brevity, is precisely that which deceives. After the equivalent of say, 2 working days, you expect to come back to, well, maybe Friday deadlines. Or the weekend. Or something equally predictable. Routine that hasn’t changed; routine that you can count on. Things that stay the same.

Truth is, for the most part, they do. It’s only the eyes we see them with, that have changed.

London will never be the same again.

London will be as it has always been. Bustling cosmopolitan tourist hub, city of beautiful old buildings (since the Great Fire of 1666, anyway). My memory of the city, however, will now flash back to me with renewed eyes, holding for me a very different significance.

Like Chinatown. And how-to-use-chopsticks lessons, for the shao ya tang mian.

Like wandering all over Covent Garden, enthralled by all the sights and sounds of the colourful markets – no, really – just distracted worrying about our flights (with enough pay phone calls to last the rest of the year). And by that street performer who kept bagging out that American guy, and who just couldn't quite get his act together.

She looks like she’s looking at a dove in a tree… that just pooped.

Like that whimsical seafood lunch, where we somehow started musing about the path ahead; career, life, love, and all that jazz… whet all the more by that gorgeous garlic butter, and bread. Of course, the moments following that are now a floaty haze of silly giggles to me, thanks to my embarrassing choice of going the one Chardonnay (– or was it? I can’t remember now.) Which I know was priceless, to you. It was anything but, to me. *face palm*

2 kids, 1 dog, and a Sony television set, huh.

Like walking through the Frida Kahlo, which just blew us both away. She’s now my favourite artist, by the way. For reasons of course, purely artistic, and politik – not symbolic. To be ironic. [Sic].

Just a li’l bit.

Like walking for ever, along the Thames, in our accustomed stream-of-consciousness rambologue which seemed to pass off, pretty well, for conversation. And the path, lined with trees that had blue baubles on them, despite Christmas being 4 months away. And… that moment.

Like how my vulnerabilities led to our first ‘fight’(!), on the way to Heathrow – for the last time. Not that I really put up one, ever. But that’s not the point.

Because this image… will become a ghost in time.

***
It’s Monday now, and – impossibly – an entire week since. The contrast of this ‘reality’ of regularity and clockwork whizzing past all around me, while I – almost in defiant disbelief – remain suspended in mid-air, is an excruciating reminder that those 48 hours weren’t, well, inserted into memory by dream or experimentation.

As I step into the shower, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I step closer to the mirror and I swear, I can see – *shock horror* – lines around my eyes. (Oh, the stealthy crevices of time.) And yet, I take a step back, and notice an odd, vague, effervescence in them – there’s a strange openness about them that almost carries a certain sort of… vigour.

To anyone else, my eyes probably look no different than they did 3 weeks ago. For me, though, something’s definitely changed.

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Paradigm Shift

Yes, folks... I am home.

Thanks to everyone for your concern, encouragement and interest; it has been sincerely appreciated.

I have since slept some, but suspect I'll be needing more to recover from/cope with this... paradigm shift. A particularly whimsical and oddly beautiful experience of the last few days has touched me in a way that refuses, on all levels, comparison or parallels. It is also making this transition - back to earth - amazingly difficult.

I feel like I'm gonna need to lie low for a little bit while I collect myself - 'cool my jets', if you will. If it's ever possible. Like that was ever possible.

I will be busy picking up the fragments of my scattered melancholy, while I try to eke out - and piece together - some semblence of sense and normalcy, if those words should apply to me still. In the way they used to, anyway.

Let this be a prolonged open thread - make of it what you will. Be creative!

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Media Release

For those who asked - excerpts from the post-WYC media release, including comments by Bernise Ang.

Singapore was represented at the recently concluded World Youth Congress (WYC) in Stirling, Scotland ..

The main outcome of the WYC constituted a policy document drafted by a committee .. on which Singaporean delegate .. served as a representative for Asia and the Pacific.

The WYC policy document will be presented at the upcoming UN World Summit in New York next month, in review of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). [Bernise Ang, a Singaporean delegate at the WYC,] emphasises, “The policy document represents a voice of today's global youth and addresses how youth can - and should - be a major force in both developed and developing countries’ national and international strategies for development.”

“As such, this document needs to be referred to in Singapore’s position as well as MDG progress report, when our country delegation addresses the UN Summit next month,” urges Ms Ang.

“In Singapore, many of us have the luxury of economic privilege, relative to many of our neighbours. Let us use that privilege for forming and strengthening global partnerships towards eliminating abject poverty for our less fortunate counterparts in other parts of the world.”

Poverty reduction is the first of 8 goals, as outlined by the MDGs.

Ms Ang remarks on Singapore youth: “Our youth is the largest untapped resource that has potential just waiting to be unleashed. Programs such as the Youth Expedition Project of the Singapore International Foundation demonstrate the capability of our youth to shine as leaders in meaningful development work in areas where it is most needed.”

“Back home, the sheer strength of volunteers in CDC initiatives such as the recent Taman Jurong Painting Competition reveals the energy and desire of our youth, to make a difference in our communities.”

“The concept of youth participation can be so much more meaningfully realised in spaces and structures where youth can be more effectively involved not just in implementation (as volunteers) or consultation (in youth consultation exercises), but also in significant decision-making capacities.”

Technorati: WYC, Singapore, youth, development

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Stranded in London, Part II

I have simply not been able to escape drama, this trip.

I am now stuck at LHR once more, in Terminal 1 this time.

It seems there has been an "industrial action" – or strike – involving staff related to all BA flights. At this point, all UK domestic and Europe flights have been cancelled. BA has advised affected passengers to source accommodation which would be reimbursed at a later stage.

There is a huge swarm of tired, angry and impatient people on the ground floor of Terminal 1.

I’m just finding this all too amusing.

But also a little concerned – all my connecting flights from Helsinki to Bangkok and Sydney are going to be missed. I’ve since sent an email to my travel agent, and am wondering what news he’ll have for me, come Sydney morning in about, oh, 5 hours.

On the upside, I get to book myself in at a decent hotel room tonight. Yay for not sleeping with strangers who rummage through my backpack while I’m away. And hopefully I’ll have dinner or breakfast with a friend or two.

For now, the smoke at this airport pub (of sorts) is getting to me (and my contacts), so I’m gonna get my ass outta here.

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Serendipitous Connections

Sometimes, in the most unexpected meanders of aimless wandering, connections are made that make me feel as though the entire world could be my (or anyone else's) friend.

30 hours ago I met a bunch of guys from Australia, USA, South Africa - on the train from Heathrow to central London. [Ed: In the pic, South African on the right, American on the left.] 10 hours ago some of us went drinking - and then dancing - near Chinatown. Turns out one of them is an orthopaedic surgeon from an entire family of doctors, and is interested in researching orthopaedic hand surgery. The things you don't see when you have only appearances to (mis)guide you. On Dr McGuire's consistent insistence, by the end of the night I had not paid a cent, from the first drink to the cab ride back.

But of course I'd gotten the street name wrong, and ended up getting off the cab no less than 3 stations off. So it was an refreshing turn of events when, wandering and lost at 2 in the morning, I managed to score an unsused bus pass from an extremely helpful transvestite/transsexual (I wasn't sure) person who gave me directions to the bus stop I needed. Before we parted, I couldn't help saying, "You are so beautiful." And the utter sincerity and appreciation in receiving that one little compliment.. just warmed my heart. All too often, it seems that we don't notice the battles that others struggle with, against the prejudices of society that sometimes we - as the (relatively) dominant - are ourselves guilty of.

Soon after, at the bus stop, I met a Persian guy doing his MBA at Westminster College. The bus ended up going so fast it didn't see us, and after deliberating between walking a half hour and waiting a half hour for a bus that might not stop for us, we ended up walking to Paddington (my station), en-route to Notting Hill (his). He apparently wants to change degrees and do architecture instead, rather than go down the beaten business track. I told him that I respected his courage in following his interests (at the wrath of the benefactors of his education - his parents), and he seemed surprised at the implicit encouragement from being a 'deviant'. Of course, I understood (that aspect of) his dilemma only too well.

***
Right now, back at the backpackers', the sun is rising, and I am falling from consciousness.

It's been an interesting night.

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HND

To the one country I have so much grief over, and yet continue to love with such a passion.

Yours always.

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Outcomes and victories

The finalised policy document was presented at the Scottish parliament today.

The Congress received extremely encouraging feedback from the First Minister, and all the other speakers at this morning's gathering.

The proceedings and the document should be available somewhere on the WYC website shortly. Translations in French and Spanish will be available too.

I am SO glad about the outcome of the policy document - after the past 5 days of little sleep, much (often heated) discussion, and knuckling down in front of the computers. Delegates finally seemed (at least) somewhat pleased about the final version, after much (mostly constructive) critique and much modification.

World, get ready for the next buzzword in international development - Youth-Led Development: concept of youth being not mere beneficiaries, but active partners in collaboration towards development and poverty reduction, for the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals - and beyond.

If any of the commitments and (hopefully implemented) recommendations of the document - and the brilliant and passionate activists seen here at the Congress - are anything to go by, youth will be a major force in the work towards achieving the MDGs til 2015, and a damn good long time after.

[Ed: I hadn't mentioned this before, but there were (about) 15 people on the first draft committee, from which 4 were selected for final drafting. Unfortunately there wasn't much Asian representation - I was the only one from the whole of East and Central Asia, on both teams. Still, I'm glad there was a Singaporean voice at all.]

ALSO!

Wollongong finally has a queer space!! One that doesn't flood, is centrally located, and will actually allow queer activists to organise. This is a fantastic victory - so much effort has gone into this campaign. Special congrats to Annaliese Constable and Karlee Jones.

One thing though - I thought it was oddly interesting that there hasn't seemed to be any media coverage on this, in Wollongong Uni media and a google news search. Unfortunately this does not terribly surprise me.

In any case, I'll leave you with the story from Annaliese, while I go soak up some superb Scottish sun that is just screaming to be enjoyed.

yes yes it's all true

oh my, such happiness. such joy. such good timing for the NDA. such need to get to business and write media releases.

wollongong queer collective has been offered a new queer space on campus. the space is in the arts building which is centrally located. the space is about the size of two offices and is next door to the NTEU office.

apparently it does NOT flood...we will wait to see but that is the word on the street.

we are going to have a HUGE fuck off opening party and will post all the photos of me drunkenly dancing on podiums or similar.

what happened?

well, contrary to popular belief the campaign has been continuing although it slowed down at the start of the year. in recent months it has regained momentum thanks mostly to karlee jones - superstar extraordinaire.

one of the direct results from the occupation last year was the creation of an 'equity and diversity' committee.

recently the student union/Unicentre (as opposed to the student's association (SA) was allocating empty spaces within their building. the SA met with Unicentre to discuss the prospect of allocating one of these spaces to the queer collective on friday...we were refused, instead the Unicentre chose to allocate yet another general student lounge (because the bar and the other lounge already in their building just isn't enough space to browse through jays jays catalogues and do heterosexist quizzes in cosmo).

following this we composed a letter outlining the OHS breaches and the responsibilities the university and Unicentre had toward all students including the floating rotting queers across the road. the SA president took thsi letter with him and presented it in a meeting with uni admin on wednesday.

friday the 'equity and diversity' committee met. during this meeting the equal employment opportunity officer from the university, robyn weakes, announced that she could "no longer contain (herself)" and delivered the wonderful news that a new queer space had been found for us.

then karlee ran to the SA to spread the word. she called me. i, funnily enough was already half way pissed at a work christmas in july party (which yes, i know was in august) and i proceeded to cry with happiness in front of nearly all of my colleagues and since that point have been staring blankly into space at random intervals with big cheesy grins on my face.

the following is an excerpt from karlee's email:

oh my god progress fucking progress

THE QUEER SPACE CAMPAIGN HAS A RESULT

so fucking excited right now - cant head and bofy and arms etx not workgin properly

i just had a meeting for the campus eauity education committee and they reported that, apart from some final detiails [like security and emptying the actual room] WE HAVE A NEW QUEER SPACE!!!

the proposed room is in buuilding 19, is quite large, has two entry/exit doors, is very visible and IS ON CAMPUS

GET EXCITED QUEERS!!!

karlee j
xoxox


end email from karlee -
reboot annaliese -

welcome back.
...
i will be sending out media releases tomorrow morning and making sure it gets
coverage just in case the uni tries to back out. anyone with any media contacts please email or call me.

hopefully NUS will send out media releases as well. i really think we should utilise this win to further the anti VSU campaign. we have a solid win and we have to use it.

DIRECT ACTION GETS THE GOODS.
...
now we have to maintian that resolve.
because....

V
S
U

you

are

next


such love and happiness

annaliese "oh my god we won" constable

XXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

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25 Minutes

In less than half an hour, we will be presenting our first draft to the Congress floor of 600.

Between going over how we are going to get people excited about giving input and taking ownership, and mentally preparing to get rained on by pellets of disagreement and objection, it's a fun time to be on the daft, I mean draft.

Anyhow, at lunch today the team will be meeting up with the Deputy Minister for Education. Wonder what he'll have to say about what we've done. More importantly, wonder how much he'll listen to what we have to say about education policy. And if he'll do anything about it.

Good times.

Ps. Keep the input coming in. Particularly, input from developing (country) perspectives would be extremely useful.

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Youth, raise your voice!

I have been placed on the WYC policy document drafting committee. The policy document will be going up to the World Summit of the UN General Assembly in September, the follow-up review on the 2000 Millennium Summit.

What we want to do with this document, is to put youth at the forefront of the UN Millennium Development Goals, by being specific about what governments can and need to do in order to provide the channels and structures for youth involvement.

We've just finished the preliminary research phase, which leads us now to gather intelligence on various regions' needs assessment.

So that's my ulterior motive for putting this post up: We need your voice. In particular we are lacking input from Russia, developing ASEAN, and the Middle East.

If you are familiar with any of the country issues within these regions, please pop me an email with what you know to ipanema [dot] garota [at] gmail [dot] com. As this is a policy document, your input will need to be fairly specific in terms of what governments will be able to tangibly commit to or implement. For example, rather than merely listing education as a pressing issue in India, a recommendation might possibly go along the lines of,

Calling on the Indian government to increase funding by x% or $x m/billion [statistics not absolutely crucial] towards the establishment and expansion of educational infrastructure as well as training of youth for peer-to-peer youth-led teaching.

Just as an example.

It would be useful to take into consideration what efforts governments and/or NGOs have already undertaken on the various issues.

This briefing on the policy document will help give some context and direction. A particularly helpful resource on that same page, among a few others, is the MDG youth white paper.

The document will be presented to Congress floor this saturday 9am GMT+1. So I look forward, soon, to hearing from anyone reading this from the listed regions.

***
On a totally random note, did you guys know that the sun sets here at 10pm! Totally wicked. Also thanks for messages comments and emails. Pardon my anti-social tao-ness for this period.


Ok. Back to drafting meeting.


Technorati: UN, MDG, global issues

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