(13 January 2012)
2011, the year that Asia seemed to have discovered ‘people power’, has drawn to a close. But the people’s demand to be heard on a range of issues from graft to governance show no signs of abating. In particular, issues surrounding financial security may find increased resonance as Asian economies show signs of slowing down.
On New Year’s Day, thousands of protesters in central China’s Henan province came together in anger over multi million-dollar investment scams in the province. Challenging the 1,000-strong armed police to fire on them, the angry mob converged on a train station in Anyang city, and threatened to board trains to Beijing to petition the central government. The protest came after a government crackdown on illegal investment schemes in September and appears to be motivated by frustration with inadequate governance.
Over the festive period, residents in the southern Chinese village of Wukan took over the village to demand an end to forced sales of collective land and rigged elections, forcing provincial officials to step in.
About 65% of “mass conflicts” happen in the rural areas, figures from the China Academy of Social Sciences suggest.
However, prominent protests have also erupted in urban areas. These include July 2011, when protestors gathered after the crash of a high-speed train in Wenzhou in southern China, putting pressure on Beijing to conduct a transparent investigation on the accident. In August 2011, protests in the prosperous northern city of Dalian led local authorities to shut down a chemical factory over inadequate safeguards.
Across the border, India’s anti-corruption pulled off an even bigger coup by forcing the nation’s political class to convene a historic, special parliamentary session to discuss an anti-graft bill.
Inspired by the success of the on going citizens’ campaign against corruption, tens of thousands of protestors in September 2011 converged at nuclear power plants at Jaitapur in Maharashtra state and Koodankulam in Tamil Nadu state and forced a dialogue between India’s federal government and the agitators.
Governments across Asia are braced for more protests as demands for good governance continue to rise.
The first anniversary of Japan’s devastating tsunami on March 11 could see voices rally again to call for the abandoning of atomic energy in the earthquake-prone country. Tens of thousands already marched for the cause on September 19 last year, and public pressure over the mishandling of the disaster has forced the resignation of Naoto Kan as prime minister.
The Thai public are also closely watching the government’s handling of massive flood relief and rehabilitation funds in the wake of the devastating floods that left large parts of the country submerged for months. Protestors marched last year in the aftermath of the floods to call the government to task for its mismanagement. There is no reason that they will not march again if Yingluck Shinawatra government’s fails to improve and threaten her nascent administration.
Asia’s list of grievances is long and include issues relating to displacement, food, water and sanitation. Any one of these can spark a protest, particularly in a year when several countries are undergoing a change of political leadership. Governments, whether voluntarily or under public coercion, appear to be sitting up and listening, with the full awareness that Asians are willing and more ready than ever to speak up.
2011, the year that Asia seemed to have discovered ‘people power’, has drawn to a close. But the people’s demand to be heard on a range of issues from graft to governance show no signs of abating. In particular, issues surrounding financial security may find increased resonance as Asian economies show signs of slowing down.
On New Year’s Day, thousands of protesters in central China’s Henan province came together in anger over multi million-dollar investment scams in the province. Challenging the 1,000-strong armed police to fire on them, the angry mob converged on a train station in Anyang city, and threatened to board trains to Beijing to petition the central government. The protest came after a government crackdown on illegal investment schemes in September and appears to be motivated by frustration with inadequate governance.
