CSEAS Seminar Programme, 2004
Week 2, Semester 1 - 11 March 2004
Chair: Dr Craig Thorburn
Speaker: Mr James Gomez, PhD candidate, Monash Asia Institute ( jamesgomez@hotmail.com or jgom3@student.monash.edu.au )
Topic: Dumbing Down Democracy: Trends in Internet Regulation: Surveillance and Control in Asia
Abstract
This paper argues that the trends in state regulation, surveillance and control of the Internet in Asia stand to effectively reduce political expression that has emerged over the Internet. A variety of international media watch and human rights organizations have noted that since September 11, 2001, a slew of anti-terrorism laws have been adopted in Asia, which place greater restrictions on the Internet. Laws against online pornography, gambling, hate speech and spam have been revised to cover online political content and mobilizing. Such measures limit and reduce the space cyberactivists have to push the democratic agenda online.
About the speaker
James Gomez is a writer and an activist. He founded the Think Centre (Singapore) on 16 July 1999 and published 'Self-Censorship: Singapore's Shame' in September that year. James also co-founded Think Centre (Asia) in Bangkok in August 2001. For his use of the Internet for political communication and mobilizing people, he was identified separately at various times in 2001 as one of "Asia's 50 most powerful communicators" by Asiaweek, "An Asian Trailblazer" by Newsweek and an "Asian Making a Difference" by FEER. His book, 'Internet Politics: Surveillance & Intimidation in Singapore' was released in 2002. James' most recent publication is a co-edited volume entitled 'Asian Cyberactivism: Freedom of Expression & Media Censorship' (2004). Between August 1998 and February 2004 he was Regional Research and Communications Manager, Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Regional Office, Thailand. He joined Monash Asia Institute as a PhD candidate on 1 March 2004.
Week 3 - 18 March 2004
Chair: Prof John Legge
Speaker: Dr Susan Blackburn, Senior Lecturer in Politics, Monash University (Sue.Blackburn@arts.monash.edu.au )
Topic: Democratic Leaps and the Political Representation of Women in Indonesia
Week 4 - 25 March 2004
Chair: Dr Penny Graham
Open Meeting to discuss Monash Centre of Southeast Asian Studies and its program for 2004.
New and continuing Monash graduate students, academic staff and interested members of the public, who have research interests that relate to Southeast Asia are invited to come along to
- meet other Monash postgrads & colleagues researching Southeast Asia
- see who won the postgraduate award for Research Excellence in 2003
- get invited to the Centre's annual 'at home' commencement party
- suggest potential visitors/speakers for the 2004 Seminar Series
- hear about plans for the 2004 Annual Indonesia Lecture Series
- contribute your ideas for the future development of the Centre
- nominate postgraduate student rep(s) for the Centre Standing Committee
- discover how to submit material for publication through CSEAS - Why not publish that spare thesis chapter as a CSEAS Working Paper?
A Concert by Indonesian pianist and humorist Jaya Suprana will be held on the same day at the Music Auditorium, Performing Arts Complex, Building 68, at 1.00 - 2.00 pm
Week 5 - 1 April 2004
Chair: Dr Bruce Missingham
Speaker: Rubi Ahmad, PhD candidate in Business and Economics, Monash University ( Rubi.Ahmad@BusEco.monash.edu.au )
Topic: Aspects of Malaysian Banking
Week 6 - 8 April 2004
Chair: Dr Robert Rice
Speaker: Mega Valensi, PhD candidate in Business and Economics, Monash University ( valensi_99@yahoo.com )
Topic: Indonesian banking
15 April 2004 Mid-Semester Break: No seminar
Week 7 - 22nd April 2004
Chair: Dr Craig Thorburn
Speakers:
Dr David Mitchell, Hon. Fellow of
Faculty of Medicine and CSEAS, Monash University, (david.mitchell@med.monash.edu.au
)
Dr Joost Cotè, Senior Lecturer in Indonesian Studies,
Deakin University
Topic: Dukuns, Doctors and Shrinking Penis Disease
Week 8 - 29 April 2004
Chair: Dr Stuart Robson
Speaker: Rabin Hardjadibrata, Hon. Fellow in Indonesian Section, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, Monash University (rabin.hardjadibrata@arts.monash.edu.au )
Topic: Writing Sundanese-Indonesian and Indonesian-Sundanese Dictionaries
Week 9 - 6 May 2004
Chair: Jane Drakard
Speaker: Dr Robert Rice, Senior Lecturer in Economics (Robert.Rice @BusEco.monash.edu.au)
Topic: The Indonesian Economy: Much Unrealised Potential
Week 10 - 13 May 2004
Chair: Professor Margaret Kartomi
Speaker: Christopher Basile, PhD candidate in Music, Monash University ( cbasile@labyrinth.net.au )
Topic: Tradition and Change in Sasando - Accompanied Song in Roti, with video and sound clips
Week 11 - 20 May 2004
Chair: Dr Robert Rice
Speaker: Rizal Damanik (Rizal.Damanik@med.monash.edu.au )
Topic: The Use of Torbangan Leaves as Lactagogue in Simalungun, North Sumatra
Abstract
The focus group study was first conducted to gather information regarding the practice and cultural beliefs of lactating Bataknese women in Simalungun, North Sumatera Indonesia in consuming Torbangun plant (Coleus amboinicus Lour). They believe that Torbangun stimulates breast milk production. Findings from this study then lead to an intervention study among Bataknese lactating women in Simalungun.
The intervention study was conducted to compare the effects of Torbangun with Moloco+B12™ and Fenugreek tablets on breast milk production. Moloco+B12™ tablets and Fenugreek capsules are supplements used by lactating women in Indonesia and in European countries, respectively, in the belief that they stimulate breast milk production. It was observed that Torbangun improved the quantity and retained the quality of breast milk. The use of Torbangun might be suitable for lactating women in general.
About the speaker
Muhammad Rizal Martua Damanik joined the Monash Asia Institute as a PhD candidate in Clinical Nutrition in March 2003. Prior to that he was a lecturer at the Department of Community Nutrition, Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB), Bogor Indonesia. Mr Rizal completed a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M), the Veterinary School of IPB in 1988 and a Master's of Reproductive Sciences, Institute of Reproduction & Development, Faculty of Medicine, Monash University in 1994.
Week 12 - 27 May 2004
Chair: Professor Margaret Kartomi
Speaker: Vicki-Ann Ware, PhD candidate in Music, Monash University ( v_ware@ozemail.com.au )
Topic: "Boy Thai" - Border Crossings in Thai Music and an Example of Modern Thai Identity
Week 13 - 3 June 2004
Chair: Prof John Legge
Speaker: Mr Wihana Kirana Jaya, PhD candidate, Business and Economics, Monash University ( Wihana.Jaya@Buseco.monash.edu.au )
Topic: Economic and Institutional Dynamics in the Transition towards Greater Regional Autonomy in Indonesia
Abstract
This thesis aims to explore the impact of the institutional change in the context of regional autonomy and fiscal decentralisation. More specifically, the research addresses the following questions
- How does institutional change in the context of regional autonomy affect kabupaten fiscal powers, and what opportunities have these changes created for local government officials?
- How do kabupaten elites respond to institutional change in the context of regional autonomy?
- How does institutional change in the context of regional autonomy affect kabupaten entrepreneurs?
This study is informed by a theoretical framework based on a number of paradigms including approaches derived from the new institutional economics, decentralisation theory and theories about corruption, rent seeking and lobbying. The methodological approach will include in-depth case studies of selected regional communities, governments and legislatures using a combination of surveys and interviews of key decision-makers, political figures and administrators.
This study concludes; first, kabupaten governments continue to have weak fiscal power. They also have very limited access to locally generated revenue (LGR). Moreover, institutional changes brought about by regional autonomy seem to have provided benefits only to kabupaten governments located in urban areas. It is also argued that the transfer of fiscal power to kabupaten has resulted in the officials at this level becoming revenue-hungry. Second, the transfer of power from central government to kabupaten government in Indonesia has included the transfer of the abuse of power. The evidence indicates that decentralisation has not only created multiple channels of reporting and overlapping authority but also opened new channels for abuse of power. It also confirms that in acquiring these new powers, regional elites have formed multiple alliances with, for example civil servants, businessmen and other regional council (DPRD). Third, it is also argued that the differences in the degree of predictability of institutional framework may indeed be an important factor in explaining differences in kabupaten entrepreneurs' perceptions. Most respondents in three regions indicated a number of institutional obstacles for doing business. The presence of these obstacles confirms that doing business at the kabupaten level is now costlier than before.
The main contribution of this study is the first in-depth analysis of institutions theory in the context the regional autonomy reform in Indonesia. Second, the study also presents empirical evidence showing that institutions matter in the case of regional autonomy reform in Indonesia. Third, this study improves our understanding of the dynamics of regional autonomy in Indonesia, a critical factor in conceptualising the long-term stability of this highly varied and strategically important country.
Week 1, Semester 2 - 22 July 2004
Topic: South Korea and the ASEAN plus three
Ms Geetha Govindasamy, PhD Candidate, Monash Asia Institute
To a large extent, the effects of the economic crisis of 1997 dramatically altered the trajectory of South Korea's policy towards Southeast Asia. Compared to Japan and China, South Korea is currently at the forefront of defining a closer partnership with ASEAN not only in political affairs and in security issues but also in terms of economic cooperation. The creation of ASEAN Plus Three (APT) in 1997 which encompasses ten member countries of ASEAN with China, Japan and South Korea is a testimony to a new form of economic synchronization in the Asia Pacific region. The APT contributes roughly to 2 billion consumers that could very well translate into the world's second largest economy and gradually it is expected to consolidate into an East Asian community.
The talk will explore a number of key questions- why is Southeast Asia becoming more important to South Korea and how Seoul will benefit from a greater East Asian grouping. Lack of previous integration with ASEAN, differences in stages of economic development, internal strains, and lingering mutual suspicions between Korea and other Northeast Asian neighbours, are likely to have an effect on the vision, and principles of APT as a regional cooperative mechanism. In a nutshell, the Korean involvement is directly related to the question of whether the APT will be a workable solution to strengthen Asia Pacific economy and integration.
About the speaker
Ms Geetha Govindasamy joined the Monash Asia Institute as a PhD candidate at the end of June 2004. Her main research interests focus on the East Asian international relations and security of Asia Pacific. She is currently involved in two projects entitled 'The Korean Connection in the Look East Policy' and A Preliminary Study of South Korea's Involvement in ASEAN Plus Three' under the ASEAN-Korea Academic Exchange Programme 2001. Her doctoral work at the Monash Asia Institute focuses on Perceptions of Korean Security.
Week 2 - 29 July 2004
Chair: Dr. Wendy Smith
Speaker: Prof. Michael Leigh (michaeleigh@hotmail.com )
Topic: Polls, Parties and Processes: Shaping the Outcome of the Malaysian and Indonesian Elections
(This seminar is jointly organised by the Centre for Malaysian Studies and the Centre of Southeast Asian Studies).
Week 3 - 5 August 2004
Chair: Mr James Gomez
Speaker:
Mr David M. Jones, University of Queensland (d.jones2@uq.edu.au
)
Topic: Asean: Problems and Prospects
Week 4 - 12 August 2004
Speaker: Assoc Prof Tim Lindsey, University of Melbourne (t.lindsey@unimelb.edu.au )
Topic: Towards a Fundamentalist Islamic State? Aceh's New Syariah Codes
Week 5 - 19 August 2004
Chair:Mr Ganemy Kunoo
Speaker: Ms Naw Zipporah, General Secretary, Karen Women's Organisation (wildbee@arts.monash.edu.au )
Topic: Shattering Silence: Karen Women Speak Out about the Burmese Military Junta Mistreatment of Women in the Karen State
Week 6 - 26th August 2004
Chair: Mr James Gomez
Speaker: Mr Peter O Toole, University of Melbourne (o_toolepeter@hotmail.com )
Topic: Media Coverage of the Vietnam War in the English Press in Singapore and Malaysia
The Vietnam War was one of the crucial events in the modern history of Southeast Asia. Unfortunately most scholarship has focussed on the role of the main protagonists to the detriment of a better understanding of the conflict's impact in the region. During most of this period Singapore and Malaysia shared not only security concerns, but a thriving English language press. While they did not participate directly in the war, both nations were closely concerned with events as they unfolded. English language newspaper coverage of the war not only reveals the attitude of an important element of both societies, it also gives some insight into the role of the press in both nations as it evolved in the crucial post-independence period.
Week 7 - 2 September 2004
Chair: Ms Victoria Yew, Singapore Studies Project, Monash Asia Institute, Monash University and RMIT
Speaker: Ms Puvaneswari Arumugam, Deakin University
Topic: What is the meaning of losing ethnic identity? - Cultural hybridity in Singaporean Malays.
It would not be an understatement to say that Singaporeans have adopted a hybridised national identity based on the practices and value systems of the four main races that occupy the country owing to the nation building strategies implemented by the one party Singapore government, People's Action Party (PAP). Having been made the victims of what many critics and sociologists describe as "social engineering", hybridisation has taken form in all shapes and sizes, ranging from food to daily habitus in the lives of Singaporeans. While hybridised food may sound palatable, hybridised cultural identity and ethnic identity does not have a palatable effect when it can impact greatly on an ethnic group's socio-cultural and economic development. This paper explores the extent of hybridisation among Singapore Malay theatre practitioners over the last forty years paying particular attention to contemporary theatre productions which exemplify signs of cultural hybridity. In particular, this paper will explore what the Malays have lost in terms of ethnic identity in order to function effectively in multicultural Singapore. Starting with the Government's nation building strategies, the paper will attempt to explore the extent, the effect and the affect of change that resulted in the social displacement of the Malay community for a good twenty years before it could be part of the Singapore psyche and examine the extent of shifts in cultural paradigm among the Malays in Singapore through the working mechanisms of two prominent Malay theatre groups in Singapore.
Week 8 - 9 September 2004
Chair: Prof. Michael Skully
Speaker: Ms Kym Brown, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University,(Kim.Brown@buseco.monash.edu.au )
Topic: The Performance of Indonesian Banks
Abstract
The
Indonesian banking system has undergone massive structural changes
since the 1997/98 Asian financial crises. Indonesian banking can
be defined as liberalised but having suffered from poor supervision.
This paper aims to analyze the efficiency performance of Indonesian
commercial banks. Categories analysed include state-owned banks,
privately owned banks and mixed ownership banks, which may include
foreign ownership. Results indicate that the mixed-ownership banks
consistently perform better, than State Owned Banks (SOBs) and privately
owned banks respectively. SOBs have increased in size and also improved
in efficiency performance. Future reform therefore is best directed
at perhaps privatisation of SOBs as a preferred option for Indonesian
banking.
Week 9 - 16 September 2004
Speaker: Professor Robert Cribb, The Australian National University,(Robert.Cribb@anu.edu.au )
Topic: The 1965 Killings in Indonesia and Debates on Genocide?
Week 10 - 23 September 2004
Chair: Mr Basoeki Koesasi
Speakers: A group comprising 7 Senior Students and 2 Lecturers from the International Relations Dept., Faculty of Social and Political Science, Padjadjaran University, Bandung, Indonesia will speak on this topic. They will start with explanation of the structures and materials used for their study on International Relations at UNPAD.
Topic: An analysis of current issues on Indonesia's relations with Australia and Southwest Pacific Countries
27th September - 1 October 2004
Mid Semester Break: NO seminar
Week 11 - 7 October 2004
Chair:Dr Wendy Smith
Speaker: Mr David Chin, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University, (david.chin@buseco.monash.edu.au )
Topic: Servant Leadership in Malaysia
Management theory is now focusing on ethical issues in corporate culture and business practice. There is a clear trend towards emphasizing positive aspects of organizational behaviour: transparency, corporate responsibility, spirituality and management, servant leadership. Servant leadership is to lead with service above self and for others' benefit. Popular press accounts show that CEOs with servant leadership qualities are able to lead their corporations to prosperity through practising high levels of corporate and individual morality and empowering employees. This paper focuses on the nature of servant leadership practised in Malaysian organizations.
(This seminar is jointly organised by the Centre for Malaysian Studies and the Centre of Southeast Asian Studies).
Week 12 - 14 October 2004
Chair: Prof. John Legge
Speaker: Professor David Chandler, ( David.Chandler@adm. monash.edu.au )
Topic: The Emergence of Modern Southeast Asia Project: A Participant's View
Week 13 - 21 October 2004
Speaker: Prof. Barbara Hatley, University
of Tasmania, (Barbara.Hatley@utas.edu.au
)
Topic: Performing Javanese Identity in
the New Democratic Indonesia
Seminar organisers
Prof Margaret Kartomi
(Margaret.Kartomi@arts.monash.edu.au
)
A/Prof Bob Rice (Robert.Rice@BusEco.monash.edu.au
)