Democratising Democracy in Southeast Asia
Cambodia’s Media Clampdown
In this episode, we will talk about media shutdowns and shrinking democratic space in Cambodia, how media workers and the public alike are dealing with the situation, and how regional solidarity is really important to create change.
Highlights
Eroding Press Freedom: Media Crackdown in Cambodia
The move of Cambodia’s former prime minister, Hun Sen, to shut an independent media, Voice of Democracy (VOD), ahead of the 2023 general elections reflects the 2017 media crackdown playbook. Along with the intimidation and harassment against independent journalists, it erodes Cambodia’s press freedom and democracy.
The Threats of Anti Terror Law in The Philippines
In this episode, we will talk about the Kyllene and Maximino investigation, the ATA law in the Philippines, and what we can do as Southeast Asians to support the persecuted activists and to vigorously fight for the repeal of said law.
The Struggle to End Child Immigration Detention in Malaysia
In this episode, we will talk about children in Malaysia’s immigration detention centres, what the deal is with the holdup in the Malaysian government, and what researchers and non-researchers can do to help advocacy moving forward.
Principles of Democracy: Majority Rule, Minority Rights
Democracy is the rule of the people, for the people, and by the people. But what happens when the people disagree? The majority can easily tyrannise the minority, hence it must be balanced by minority rights. Just as democracy must guarantee the expression of the popular will through majority rule, it must guarantee that the…
New Naratif is a movement democratising democracy in Southeast Asia. Our vision is to foster an inclusive Southeast Asia community where all peoples are fully engaging and participating in building democracy. We build capacity for this through our three-step process: engage, educate, and empower Southeast Asians.
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The Principles of Southeast Asia Democracy
Democracy means “the power of the people”, but do Southeast Asians feel they have the power? Do their governments genuinely represent them? Are their voices heard or taken into account? We have elections, therefore we are a democracy.” This isn’t sufficient proof that democracy exists. As the history of Southeast Asia shows, democracy is more than elections. The people need to play an active role in decision-making and be able to express their opinions.
Story Fellowship 2023: Mobility, Home, and Belonging Across East and Southeast Asia
We believe that real human stories play a crucial role in raising awareness, understanding, and sympathy towards migrant communities and stateless people alike. Those who are immobile or involuntarily mobile have been stripped of basic rights and privileges we often take for granted.
Agenda Warga Indonesia
Di tengah percakapan dominan tentang elektabilitas politisi, manuver politik partai, dan siasat para kandidat jelang Pemilu 2024: bisakah urusan politik mikro—perkara kehidupan warga sehari-hari—mendapat cukup ruang dalam “pesta demokrasi”?
Agenda Warga adalah ruang menyuarakan keresahan dan kepedulian, sekaligus untuk memperkuat partisipasi politik kita sebagai warga negara.
Keanggotaan dengan Rupiah
Sebagai sebuah hub untuk demokrasi, New Naratif berfokus pada penguatan komunitas. Kini kamu bisa bergabung sebagai anggota New Naratif dengan pembayaran Rupiah.
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latest
Democracy Classroom: Inequality in Singapore Event Recap
Posted by Rifqi Muzakki This is Community Corner, a space for our members to catch up on events that they have missed, read team recommendations, and write to us! The…
The Constitutional Amendment Creep: Perpetuating Statelessness in Malaysia
The Malaysian cabinet plans to table a bundle of constitutional amendments in the year-end parliamentary session. One amendment would allow children born abroad to Malaysian mothers to access citizenship, but…
The Pegasus Threat: Unlawful Surveillance of Indonesian Citizens Approaching 2024 General Elections
What is Pegasus? This comic is a 101 explainer of the military-grade spyware and the recent IndonesiaLeaks investigation that unveils its threat in Indonesia and what it might mean for…
ON REFUGEES AND MIGRATION
A Tale of Queer Migration in Indonesia
This episode is based on their short comic trilogy called “The Rites of Passage: A Tale of Queer Migration” by Asmara S. Wigati. In this episode, Asmara and Bonni discusses…
A Tale of Queer Migration – Homeward
In this very personal comic trilogy, visual artist and ethnographer Asmara S. Wigati takes us on their journey migrating across islands in Indonesia in search of a better life. This…
A Tale of Queer Migration – Transition
In this very personal comic trilogy, visual artist and ethnographer Asmara S. Wigati takes us on their journey migrating across islands in Indonesia in search of a better life. This…
A Tale of Queer Migration – Separation & Liminality
In this very personal comic, visual artist and ethnographer Asmara S. Wigati takes us on their journey migrating across islands in Indonesia in search of a better life. This first…
Quarantined Feelings: A Short Film
In this short film produced in collaboration with BEBESEA, Bradley Jason Pantajo tells us a story of a mother separated from her family and dealing with physical, psychological, and emotional…
The Struggles of Refugees in Malaysia
In this episode, we will talk about refugee struggles in Malaysia, Joshua Low’s previous and current work, and the broader issues at hand.
ON media freedom
Journalism in Vietnam: Walking the Tightrope Between Communism and Capitalism
Media and journalism in Vietnam are facing a challenge when it comes to publishing stories about the government. On the one hand, the single-party government has absolute power to control…
Engendering Media: Findings from Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei
Given the increasingly hostile climate for media workers in Southeast Asia, New Naratif’s Media Freedom Insights publications set out to better understand their lived experiences. This report focuses on the…
The Red Zone: Threats and Murders of Journalists in North Sumatra
North Sumatra sees the highest number of cases of violence, including murders of journalists in Indonesia. Most media companies are reluctant to provide appropriate aid, while the police remain the…
Queerphobia in the Newsroom: Beyond the News on LGBTQIA+
Indonesian national media outlets often opt not to publish news on LGBTQIA+ issues. When they do, they tend to perpetuate the stigma on the queer community. This condition is worsened…
Research as Activism
In this episode, Bonnibel Rambatan and Wai Liang Tham we’ll be talking about Research as Activism. But essentially, rather than simply applying a theoretical framework, this approach platforms marginalised voices,…
community corner
/ba.ca/ with New Naratif: Finding Home Event Recap
Last year, New Naratif joined forces with Better Engagement Between East and Southeast Asia (BEBESEA) and invited members of communities in or from Southeast and East Asia to pitch their…
New Naratif Townhall: The Citizens’ Agenda Malaysia Event Recap
Posted by Cameron Tjoe This is Community Corner, a space for our members to catch up on events that they have missed, read team recommendations, and write to us! The…
Democracy Classroom: SOGIESC Equality Event Recap
On 26 April, New Naratif held yet another Democracy Classroom; this time, we turned our focus to SOGIESC equality, bringing together a small group of participants to discuss the struggles…
Southeast Asia faces severe challenges to media freedom in the form of hostile regulatory, legal, and commercial environments.
Here at New Naratif, we believe that independent media is vital to building Southeast Asian democracy, and as part of the Media Freedom in Southeast Asia Project, the Media Freedom Network (MFN) is our response to these challenges.
/ba∙ca/ with New Naratif is a reading group series that invites members to come together to discuss selected stories published by New Naratif. Discussions are led by New Naratif team members and feature guest speakers and contributors.
/ba∙ca/ with New Naratif aims to bring our community together to discuss complicated issues and take collective action.
podcasts
Pegasus Spyware di Indonesia
Dalam episode kali ini kami bersama Ika Ningtyas (AJI Indonesia) dan Imal (SAFENet) akan membahas tentang laporan Indonesia Leaks, dampak Pegasus terhadap hak asasi manusia di Indonesia, dan peran masyarakat sipil dalam situasi ini.
Pegasus Spyware in Southeast Asia
In this episode, we will talk about The Citizen Lab reports on Pegasus spyware, the lawsuit against NSO and Thai government, the impact of Pegasus on human rights, and the role of civil society.
Videos
Features
Introduction: What is Southeast Asian Democracy?
As Southeast Asians, we all agree that we should have rule of the people, but we disagree on whether it is actually occurring. Thus, what is in dispute is not whether we should be democracies but what democracy is, and how it should be defined and practised in Southeast Asia. What, then, is Southeast Asian…
Principles of Democracy: Self-determination and Consent of the Governed
A common false dichotomy argues that there is a trade-off between self-determination for individuals and self-determination for the country as a whole. But these are not mutually exclusive—on the contrary, they are one and the same: Self-determination for the collective is achieved through seeking self-determination for each and every individual within the collective.
See all features in other languages:
Bahasa Indonesia | Bahasa Melayu | 中文 | ဗမာစာ | Tiếng Việt
COMICS
The Journey of a Filipino Seafarer in Taiwan
Due to low wages in the Philippines, Kuya Ver was willing to take the risk of becoming a seafarer in Taiwan. However, the abuse that he and his crewmates suffered led to a man’s death and almost his own. Now, he is pushing for justice—and you, too, can help stop these cases from happening again.
Courage is Collective: A Retrospective for Transgender Day of Visibility 2023
Editorial Manager Bonnibel Rambatan presents a personal experimental short comic on the idea of visibility, courage, and collective care for this year’s Transgender Day of Visibility.
Answering Your Top Three Questions on the Aftermath of Malaysia’s GE15
Ram Anand speaks to Professor James Chin, University of Tasmania’s Professor of Asian Studies, to answer the top questions on what comes next after Malaysia’s fifteenth general elections: the Anti-Hopping Law (AHL), the Unity Government, and the impact of the upcoming six state elections.
Honouring Trans Lives in Southeast Asia: Artists Respond to Transgender Day of Remembrance 2022
New Naratif’s Editorial Manager Bonnibel Rambatan talks to five other trans artists who have made works of art to commemorate this year’s Transgender Day of Remembrance.
See all comics in other languages:
Bahasa Indonesia | Bahasa Melayu | 中文 | ဗမာစာ | Tiếng Việt
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