The Politics of Elections in Southeast Asia (Woodrow Wilson Center Press)

Though Most Governments In Southeast Asia Are Widely Described As Authoritarian, Elections Have Been A Feature Of Politics In The Region For Many Decades. This Volume, Bringing Together Ten Separate Case Studies By Leading Authorities, Examines The Countries That Have Conducted Multiparty Elections Since The 1940s - Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma/myanmar, And Singapore. It Identifies The Common And Distinguishing Features Of Electoral Politics In The Region. The Contributors To This Volume, Unlike Most Earlier Students Of Politics In Southeast Asia, Conclude That It Is Not Something Peculiar To The Political Culture Of The Region That Shapes Its Political Behavior. It Is, Rather, The Same Forces And Structures That Shape Politics In North America And Europe. Introduction: Elections And Politics In Southeast Asia / R. H. Taylor -- 1. Elections And Participation In Three Southeast Asian Countries / Benedict R. Anderson -- 2. A Useful Fiction: Democratic Legitimation In New Order Indonesia / R. William Liddle -- 3. Elections Without Representation: The Singapore Experience Under The Pap / Garry Rodan -- 4. Elections' Janus Face: Limitations And Potential In Malaysia / K. S. Jomo -- 5. Malaysia: Do Elections Make A Difference? / Harold Crouch -- 6. Contested Meanings Of Elections In The Philippines / Benedict J. Tria Kerkvliet -- 7. Elections In Burma/myanmar: For Whom And Why? / R. H. Taylor -- 8. Elections And Democratization In Thailand / Suchit Bunbongkarn -- 9. A Tale Of Two Democracies: Conflicting Perceptions Of Elections And Democracy In Thailand / Anek Laothamatas -- 10. The Cambodian Elections Of 1993: A Case Of Power To The People? / Kate G. Frieson -- Afterword / Daniel S. Lev. Edited By R.h. Taylor. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Though most governments in Southeast Asia are widely described as authoritarian, elections have been a feature of politics in the region for many decades. This volume, bringing together eleven separate studies by leading authorities, examines the countries that have conducted multi-party elections since the 1940s and 1950s -- Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma/Myanmar, and Singapore. It identifies the common and distinguishing features of electoral politics in the region. The contributors to this volume, unlike most earlier students of politics in Southeast Asia, conclude that it is not something peculiar to the political culture of the region that shapes its political behavior. It is, rather, the same political forces and structures that shape politics in North America and Europe.