December 25-31, 2023

NORTHEAST ASIA

Preserving democracy in the Taiwan Strait

As Taiwan rings in the new year, its president, Tsai Ing-wen, urged China to seek a “peaceful coexistence” with the self-ruled island, which will be holding its general elections in two weeks just as Beijing is pushing anew for reunification. 

In her New Year’s message – her last before she steps down in May – Tsai said she hoped that both countries “will jointly seek a long-term and stable way of peaceful coexistence under peace, parity, democracy, and dialogue.” At the same time, she also maintained that whatever relationship they will form with China “must be determined by our democratic procedures to make the final decision.” 

Tsai’s calls come as Taiwan is set to have its eighth direct presidential elections on Jan. 13. As expected, the island’s relationship with China – which claims Taipei as part of its territory even after the island split from the mainland after the 1949 civil war– is a major electoral issue as Beijing refuses to rule out a military attack to bring the island under the Chinese Communist Party’s control. 

The current frontrunner, Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), has promised to champion Taiwan’s continued independence from China and continue Tsai’s foreign policy. 

In recent days, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has reported occasional sightings of military balloons from China, which experts see as part of Beijing’s “grey zone” tactics to intimidate Taiwan with its military might. 

Also on Dec. 31, the same day as Tsai’s latest speech, Chinese President Xi Jinping called Taiwan’s unification with China a “historical inevitability” and that “all Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be bound by a common sense of purpose and share in the glory of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” 

In his own New Year’s message, China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait head Zhang Zhijun, toeing Beijing’s line, declared that the upcoming elections in Taiwan were “important choices between the prospects for peace and war, prosperity and decline” and urged Taiwanese people to “make a correct choice to promote cross-strait relations back to the right track of peaceful development.” 

Such rhetoric has infuriated Taiwan, which said it was set on publishing a record of China’s alleged attempts to interfere in its elections through influence and disinformation campaigns. Tsai has likewise previously warned against what she called China’s “cognitive warfare” tactics to sway her people into being pro-unification. 

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Calling for a just transition

A recent government decision to phase out the Philippines’ iconic jeepney – the colorful, crowded minibuses that are the country’s most popular mode of transportation – in favor of sleeker, more modern vehicles revived discussions about the need for a just transition for its drivers, who are often among the country’s poorest. 

On Dec. 29, hundreds of jeepney drivers and their supporters marched to the presidential palace to urge President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to reconsider a yearend deadline for the country’s 250,000 jeepneys to consolidate into cooperatives or corporations. 

It’s the first stage in the government’s public utility vehicle modernization program (PUVMP), which seeks to replace old diesel jeepneys with units that are compliant with Euro 4 emission standards, and therefore considered cleaner and more efficient. 

Ideally, the PUVMP would have also helped the country bring down emissions from the transport sector so it could better address the climate crisis. 

The government believes that jeepney drivers and operators would be better able to bear the costs of new jeepneys (pegged at PHP2.5 million each, or US$44,890) if they consolidated their fleets. But many fear that such a scheme could pave the way for a monopoly by large companies and crush single-unit operators. 

Transport and commuter groups estimate that around 140,000 drivers will be displaced should the government cancel the franchises of those who refuse to consolidate. 

Even more worrisome is the ripple effect of the jeepney phaseout: with drivers out of work, their children would likely have to stop schooling, while commuters will be subjected to even harder and costlier commuting conditions. 

It’s why advocates have been lobbying for a just transition for the jeepney phaseout: that is, the government should offer more subsidies and support so drivers can afford it. Currently, the government offers only PHP160,000 (US$2.870, or around 6 percent of the cost) as aid for each driver who shifts to a Euro-4 vehicle. Meanwhile, jeepney drivers earn only PHP600 to PHP700 (US$10.8 to US$12.6) a day. 

Last November, progressive transport group PISTON told U.N. special rapporteur for climate change Ian Fry that a truly “pro-people” PUVMP must be rooted in genuine and inclusive participation of the affected sectors; provide decent work and liveable wages; and must also promote national industrialization to support local vehicle makers and industries instead of relying on importation.

SOUTH ASIA

In dire straits

A Nepali watchdog has sounded the alarm on the country’s media, which it says is in a “sink or swim” situation following a year of advertising slumps, further attacks on the press, and the unbridled spread of mis- and dis-information.

“At any cost, the Nepali media industry needs immediate rescue (through a more) favorable legal/policy environment and financial support so that press freedoms would survive and be protected and promoted,” said Freedom Forum in its annual media report released on Dec. 31. 

The report details a higher number of press freedom violations in 2023 (52 this year compared to 2022’s 45,). One reporter, Motiram Timalsina, received death threats after his outlet, Nepal Samacharpatra Daily, published a story about a provincial minister’s involvement in gold smuggling. Another, Shankar Tiwari, was personally threatened by a parliamentarian with arrest if he continued publishing critical stories about him. 

This happened as newsrooms also suffered from an economic downturn. In the last year alone, the report said, over 100 media outlets from seven provinces have stopped their operations while over 240 media workers have quit their jobs. Many traditional media also had to cut down their newspaper pages, closed their regional offices and laid off their staff as advertisers shifted to social media and other digital apps.

These trends tracked with Nepal’s declining press freedoms 15 years after a civil war paved the way for a democratic federal republic there. While the South Asian country ranks 95th out of 180 countries in the world in terms of press freedom according to the annual Reporters Without Borders index, the Nepalese government itself is a major media owner and tends to channel its advertising funds to friendly outlets. 

Meanwhile, a series of restrictive amendments on Nepal’s penal code, which now bars listening to conversations, publicizing private information, and taking and publishing photos without consent, has limited investigative reporting and critical reports on public officials..

The report recommends a closer collaboration between the private sector and the government to increase advertisements for media. It also urged the state to ensure that its advertisements are “fairly and proportionally distributed” to all media.

It also urged parliament to act on proposed media-related bills, including the pending National Mass Communications Bill and the Media Council Bill, both of which seek to establish a body that would regulate licenses, enforce professional ethics and self-regulation among media workers. More importantly, the group urged the government to make sure that inputs from journalists are taken into account so that such regulations do not threaten press freedoms in Nepal. 

GLOBAL/REGIONAL

A never-ending struggle for press freedom

The fight for press freedom continues into the new year, as 547 journalists around the world are still in prison for their reporting.

This stark reality is highlighted by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a French media watchdog, which continues to advocate for their release and urge authoritarian governments to put an end to the legal harassment of reporters.

“Each journalist in prison is by definition a journalist prevented from working. But it’s also a journalist who will be intimidated in the future. And It’s hundreds or even thousands of colleagues feeling a threat hanging over their head. So, the right to news and information of millions of people could be violated,” said RSF secretary general Christophe Deloire. 

The organization’s year-end report paints a sobering picture of the ongoing struggle for press freedom. At least one journalist has been detained in connection with their work in 86 countries over the past five years, with 2022 witnessing a record high of 569 detained journalists. 

The year 2023 alone saw at least 779 journalists incarcerated at some point, with 547 currently imprisoned or under house arrest in a total of 45 countries. The duration of these sentences varies widely, ranging from a mere week to a staggering 20 years. 

Even worse, six of the eight longest sentences handed down this year were passed onto women journalists, including Iran’s Elaheh Mohammadi and Niloofar Hamedi (12 and 13 years in prison respectively); Belarus’ Maryna Zolatava, Liudmila Chekina and Valeriya Kastsiuhova, who are facing 10 to 12 years.

Source: Reporters Without Borders 2023

China remains the world’s worst offender when it comes to imprisoning journalists, with 121 currently detained within its borders. Myanmar, which saw its civilian government overthrown by a military junta in 2021, follows closely behind with 69 imprisoned journalists. 

In a particularly egregious case, Myanmar sentenced photojournalist Sai Zaw Thaike to a staggering 20 years in prison on charges of “disinformation” and “sedition.” Vietnam (43 journalists arrested; 36 still in detention) and Afghanistan (21 journalists arrested; three still held) were also flagged for the dozens of journalists they arrested this year.