Mehdi Jomaa, David Ellwood, Arab Spring, Middle East North Africa, Democracy
The Honorable Mehdi Jomaa, Former Prime Minister of Tunisia, addressed the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum on the process of transforming Tunisia into a democracy, after the events of the 2011 Arab...
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Mehdi Jomaa, David Ellwood, Arab Spring, Middle East & North Africa, Democracy - Video
Asia News Network Wednesday 4th March, 2015
The response came as Prayut tried to reassure the public that nothing in the draft charter is written in stone, including the article allowing for a non-MP to become prime minister and a fully selected Senate.
"If it's not accepted, then people cannot co-exist. It's up to them if they don't want to stay in their country," he said, adding that Thailand should not fall into what he calls a "democracy trap".
Prayut's remark came amid complaints that the new charter was not democratic.
"Don't forget that there's no such thing as a 100-per-cent democracy. We must look comprehensively when we talk about democracy. I see some institutions teaching people to be democratic, but what is democracy without notions like rights, liberty and duty? All these are necessary," the prime minister stressed.
Prayut said the draft charter would be reviewed again, adding that he was closely following the work of the Constitution Drafting Committee and hoped that some drafters would speak less in public so they did not stir up political divisions.
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Beware of democracy trap Thai PM warns
WAKAYAMA Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami says he regrets that Hong Kongs democracy protests did not bring the changes demanded by demonstrators, but their actions were not in vain.
The writer made the remarks on Monday in his online agony uncle column, responding to a question from a 22-year-old woman who said she took part in last years street protests in the semiautonomous southern Chinese city.
I regret that a lot of things did not go as hoped, said Murakami, 65, one of Japans best known writers, who has repeatedly been tipped as a future Nobel laureate.
But I think what you did for democratization will never be in vain. It remains a fact, and no one can ignore that fact. Please keep trying to change the world, even just a little. I give my support, he added.
The protests, which began in September and lasted for more than two months, began after Beijing said that candidates for the 2017 vote for Hong Kongs next leader would be vetted by a loyalist committee.
Campaigners described the decision as fake democracy, but leaders in Hong Kong and China made no concessions despite the 79 days of protests.
In November Murakami sent a message of support to Hong Kongs pro-democracy protesters, likening their struggle to the fight to bring down the Berlin Wall as he collected a prize in the German capital.
When he received the 2009 Jerusalem Prize, Israels highest literary honor for foreign writers, he obliquely criticized authoritarian systems in the Middle East for claiming the lives of innocent civilians.
In a recent interview, he also chided his own country for shirking responsibility over its World War II aggression and the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
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Novelist Murakami says Hong Kong democracy protests were not in vain
Heart Democracy [English Cover]
"But I know it #39;s only you who I need." Warning there #39;s flashing lights in this video. -------------------------- Happy belated Valen...
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Heart Democracy [English Cover] - Video
TK |
3 March 2015
Prague, March 2 (CTK) - Czech children should learn how democracy works in civics within a new project that is to be launched in selected schools as of next school year, daily Hospodarske noviny (HN) writes Monday.
The project reacts to the alarming results of some polls proving the lack of interest in politics and public life. They show that over one-quarter of Czechs do not care whether there is democracy or dictatorship in the country and only a half of students over 18, eligible to vote, plan to go to elections.
"People start rejecting democracy in this country, and we cannot accept this, deputy Jiri Mihola (junior government Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL), one of the project's main initiators, told HN.
An expert commission, comprising not only politicians and clerks, but also teachers and NGO representatives, will meet at the Education Ministry for the first time Monday to outline the new concept of civics. Seminars and trainings for civics teachers should be launched in the spring, HN says.
At present, civics at schools is largely based on memorising facts. Students learn by heart how many MPs the Chamber of Deputies has or how the state emblem looks like, but they are not trained to be critically pondering on and debating what is happening around them, HN writes.
It adds that some teachers as well as head teachers are opposed to such debates since they resist everything that evokes "political education" from the previous regime.
"This is a cliche. It must be free of any ideology. Each topic must be discussed from various viewpoints," Mihola said.
The students' parliaments will considerably influence the new civics content. NGOs should also participate in it. They have already prepared a number of projects focused on civic education, while the Centre of Civic Education has drafted methodology, HN says.
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HN: Czech children to learn democracy at school