In 2013, the elections in Cambodia ended in a surprising result with the opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), getting almost as many votes as the main party, the Cambodia's...Show moreIn 2013, the elections in Cambodia ended in a surprising result with the opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), getting almost as many votes as the main party, the Cambodia's People Party (CPP). Since 1993, no political party had been able to be an actual threat for the CPP. In this thesis, the reasons for this sudden rise in popularity of the CNRP will, therefore, be identified. It will be shown that the rise in social media and youth political participation positively influenced the rising popularity of the CNRP.Show less
After centuries of colonial suppression by the Portuguese, followed by decades of brutal Indonesian occupation, Timor Leste finally became independent in 2002. However, Timor Leste is up until this...Show moreAfter centuries of colonial suppression by the Portuguese, followed by decades of brutal Indonesian occupation, Timor Leste finally became independent in 2002. However, Timor Leste is up until this day, dealing with the aftermath of this cruel period and finds itself underdeveloped with a dysfunctional government. This has become evident when in 2006 new conflicts emerged between East and West Timor Leste about political and social disagreements. Coping mechanisms to deal with the traumas experienced by the Timorese people are mostly found in artistic outlets, such as martial arts, dance, music, and poetry. But especially in street art. For the younger generations of Timor Leste in particular, street art is very important, as it is a perfect way to tell their story and to show what their future hopes and aspirations are for their country. This thesis will focus and analyze the role of political street art and its significance in portraying these political and social struggles of the Timor Leste’s society after independence in 2002.Show less
In this thesis the author examines the attitudes of the Singaporean government and societal groupings towards Singlish. By assessing the change in the predominant themes explicated in the...Show moreIn this thesis the author examines the attitudes of the Singaporean government and societal groupings towards Singlish. By assessing the change in the predominant themes explicated in the government’s stance towards Singlish, as well as the main themes present in the societal representation of Singlish amongst both the establishment leaning and non-establishment leaning sectors of society, the author attempts to ascertain whether Singaporean government policy regarding Singlish is at odds with the societal attitudes towards Singlish. Additionally, this thesis seeks to determine whether there is a divide within Singaporean society regarding Singlish. In order to do this the author uses thematic analysis of three main forms of sources, namely governmental speeches, letters to editor in the Straits Times online newspaper and user-generated content posted on YouTube. This thesis concludes that Singaporean government policy has changed regarding Singlish, becoming much less aggressive in its demotion of the dialect. The thesis also finds that there is a divide between the attitudes expressed in the traditional media and YouTube, with views on YouTube being decidedly more pro-Singlish in outlook. Indeed, this thesis also finds that young Singaporeans view Singlish as integral to identity construction and government attempts to demote the use of Singlish as misguided. These findings have implications more generally for the traditionally invasive style of governance adopted by the Singaporean government.Show less
The purpose of this study is to analyse the relationship between Islamisation and democratisation in democratic Malaysia post-independence. It seeks to answer the research question ‘How do changes...Show moreThe purpose of this study is to analyse the relationship between Islamisation and democratisation in democratic Malaysia post-independence. It seeks to answer the research question ‘How do changes in the Islamic political landscape help shape Malaysian democracy?’ The analysis is threefold: the study focuses on political society, female representation in Malaysian politics and the role of civil society in promoting political Islam.Show less
The relationship between Britain and Singapore was tied under colonial history, and it is known that post- colonial relationships are sensitive in nature. In order to determine the nature of the...Show moreThe relationship between Britain and Singapore was tied under colonial history, and it is known that post- colonial relationships are sensitive in nature. In order to determine the nature of the relationship, there is another significant figure that shared parallel political endeavours with Lee Kuan Yew, and that is Britain’s first female prime minister Margaret Thatcher. On top of that, both prime ministers shared the same reputation of being tenacious and often acted dictatorially. Among two other British prime ministers during Lee Kuan Yew’s tenure, Margaret Thatcher had a significant relationship with the Singaporean prime minister. They also both ended their premierships on the same day, 28th November 1990. A country’s prime minister can act as the main representative of the government and often the leader reflects the country’s policy. Therefore, this BA thesis will analyze the questions: How does the relationship of Lee Kuan Yew and Margaret Thatcher illustrate the alliance between the former coloniser and the colonised? And how did they perceive each other as prime ministers?Show less
Commonly recognized as the oldest cosmological text in Thai, the Traiphum Phra Ruang has traditionally enjoyed considerable prestige in Thailand. However, this is not only because of the text’s...Show moreCommonly recognized as the oldest cosmological text in Thai, the Traiphum Phra Ruang has traditionally enjoyed considerable prestige in Thailand. However, this is not only because of the text’s literary or historical relevance. As the text outlines the origin of kingship and the moral basis for Theravada Buddhist society through describing the workings of kamma, it has proven to be a valuable source of theoretical legitimacy for the Thai monarchy. This thesis examines how the text has been used for the restoration of king Bhumibol’s legitimacy after the student revolts in the 1970s. The following argues that this has been done through a tacit promotion of the text as the prime symbol of Thai cultural heritage and national identity, and the inculcation of the norms and values displayed within it by presenting the text as a tradition.Show less
Currently India is the thrid most poluting country in the world. With a major share in global geographical coverage and thereby, abundant natural resources, India has great potential for...Show moreCurrently India is the thrid most poluting country in the world. With a major share in global geographical coverage and thereby, abundant natural resources, India has great potential for electricity generation from a diverse set of renewable energy sources. This thesis brings forward, the potential of seven different renewable energy sources in India, based on regional geographical and demographical charcteristics.Show less
Urban heritage spaces in Bangkok and Singapore have long been subjected to much debate regarding what these spaces represent to the general public and how they have been maintained by particular...Show moreUrban heritage spaces in Bangkok and Singapore have long been subjected to much debate regarding what these spaces represent to the general public and how they have been maintained by particular political structures in the two respective cities. In this thesis it will be reflected how these ongoing processes are reflective of the particular nation-building processes that the Thai and Singaporean governments have undertaken. Moreover, how these process have served to maintain the dominant nationalist ideologies.Show less
Mother Tongue Based – Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) programmes in a broad spectrum of varieties have improved access to education for millions of children, by providing them access to literacy...Show moreMother Tongue Based – Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) programmes in a broad spectrum of varieties have improved access to education for millions of children, by providing them access to literacy in their home languages and ensuring a stable bridge to the official language(s) of a particular country. In Timor-Leste, a country with a complex multilingual situation, children on average need eleven years to complete up to grade 6, drop-out rates are high and levels of listening comprehension in both official languages Tetum and Portuguese are low. Recognizing these issues and aiming to improve the countries’ education system, Timor-Leste recently evaluated an MTB-MLE pilot initiative in twelve schools in three districts. As a newly independent nation with strong foreign influences as well as internal linguistic diversity, positions of different languages within society are still being negotiated with decisions on language in education being able to strengthen or weaken positions of speakers. Although the debate on MTB-MLE in Timor-Leste is about what would be best for children’s education, political motives are involved as well. At this stage between experimentation and implementation, the short term results and practical application of the programme in selected locations are visible, giving an introduction to a story of which the remainder is still subject to imagination. For both those who support and oppose the programme this imagination lies in the application of the programme in Timor-Leste’s rural areas. Challenging and multilingual as they are, they are used as arguments for both success and failure of national implementation. No studies however, connect these arguments to local data and sociolinguistic information about the areas referred to. This study makes a start with that, connecting arguments of both sides to sociolinguistic data of one district, Lautém, and the literature available on multilingual education and Timor-Leste.Show less
