Apr 9, 2014

Is ASEAN ready for AEC 2015? check this @Diplomat_APAC: Cambodia Leads Doubts Over AEC

Recently, @Diplomat_APAC has published an article about doubts and risks among the ASEAN countries heading towards the ASEAN Economic Community 2015. Interesting piece and a quick review to understand the problems faced by the region in creating a single and integrated economic bloc like EU.
Cambodia Leads Doubts Over AEC | The Diplomat

However, doubts have persisted over their insistence, particularly in regards to poorer members like Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar. This is in part due to the marked cultural differences within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Brunei stunned many in the region when it announced that it would shortly impose Sharia law. Thailand remains on the perennial brink of a political meltdown while the ethnic and religious divides in Malaysia have rarely been greater.
As great as those cultural differences is the economic gulf between rich and poor.

Apr 8, 2014

Second post on Indonesia's presidential lack of policy platform, this time is @reuters

Remember last week, there was a opinion in the Straits Times about the lack of policy of Jokowi?

Today, in the Reuters, similar reports shows up:

Indonesia's presidential favorite lacks only one thing - a policy platform

http://reut.rs/1qeV1rf

"Jokowi's a blank page right now: inexperienced at national politics and with populist tendencies," said one executive at a foreign business lobby group who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.

"What is Jokowi going to do for Indonesia, do we know?" said one senior Gerindra official who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak on the subject.