JAKARTA: Indonesia’s presidential candidates have pledged to strengthen the government’s anti-corruption agency, laying out their plans ahead of the country’s Feb 14 election, to counter pervasive graft in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. The candidates’ promises, made at a dialogue late on Wednesday (Jan 17), come as experts bemoan a slowdownContinue Reading
Since 2014, some of these municipalities have agreed to compensate dog meat retailers for closing dog meat stalls in traditional markets. However, now that a full ban is coming into effect, dog meat farmers are requesting compensation schemes as this new law will directly affect their livelihoods.
The Korean Dog Meat Association has been arguing that the Bill represents an abuse of power that overlooks the perspective of many South Koreans, and that it infringes on the right to choose what one wants to eat. Last December, the Association demanded compensation for farmers of 2 million won per individual dog and a grace period of 10 years after the ban.
While the ban may be good news for Korean dogs, dog lovers and for animal protectionists, it adversely affects those whose livelihoods depend on the domestic trade and who have practised the profession for generations.
The change does not necessarily mean an end to the consumption of dog meat in South Korea. Dog meat consumption will continue to be lawful (presumably supplied by imported meat).
Still, this is a milestone for the Korean relation to dogs that cements the dog’s privileged status, in contrast to other animals whose commodification as meat remains normalised and invisible.
Julien Dugnoille is Senior Lecturer in Anthropology, University of Exeter. John Knight is Reader in Anthropology and Ethnomusicology, Queen’s University Belfast. This commentary first appeared in The Conversation.
Anies kicked off his opening statement with an attack on Prabowo’s track record in Cabinet.
Anies, the former Jakarta governor, chided Prabowo that the defence ministry has a large budget but couldn’t protect its website from a 2023 hack. In a bid to up the ante, and apparently referring to Mirage jet fighters from Qatar, Anies said the ministry that Prabowo leads plans to buy used primary weaponry hardware but half its troops don’t have housing.
According to the 2024 state budget, the defence sector is allocated 139.1 trillion rupiah (US$9.27 billion) or 5.6 per cent of total central government expenditure.
Ganjar piled in, also questioning the purchase of used jet fighters, which would require three years training for air force personnel as part of the technology transfer.
Appearing ruffled, Prabowo explained that military aircraft and warships have a 25 to 30 year life span. The plan to buy Mirage fighters from Qatar, he said, was no problem as they could still fly another 15 years, and buying new planes requires a longer delivery period of up to seven years.
Ganjar then sought to turn the debate to defence strategy, declaring he would prioritise naval capacity.
“No attack will come overland as Indonesia is an archipelago. Thus, the sea must be fortified,” Ganjar replied to a question from Prabowo on what defence area he would prioritise and how the budget would be increased to satisfy that need.
He said the Indonesian Navy has told him it needs sensor technology and sonars to guard the country from seaborne attack. Ganjar pledged to increase the defence budget up to 2 per cent of Indonesia’s gross domestic product – up from 0.78 per cent presently. This can be achieved by boosting economic growth from the present 5 per cent to 7 per cent, Ganjar said, allowing domestic defence industries to build tanks, helicopters and submarines, and enhance cyber technology.
Second, local governments enjoy soft budget constraints. They have easy access to extrabudgetary financial resources, which are essential for them to fund investment projects and accommodate investment hunger.
Although the central government has strengthened its control over local government debts in recent years, soft budget constraints continue since ensuring economic growth remains to be one of the key performance indicators for local governments.
Third, China has a simulated financial market – key financial activities are orchestrated by the government. China’s central and local governments not only own and control most financial institutions, but they also possess the power of appointment and removal of executives.
The simulated financial market is essential to reinforce soft budget constraints and political objectives, so dominant players are not motivated by profit. Credit risks and counterparty risks are difficult to assess because they are strongly influenced by government decisions.
When risks cannot be appropriately assessed, it is difficult for financial products to be reasonably priced.
Furthermore, the heavy control of the government also means that the private sector has very limited access to formal financial resources and must rely mainly on informal channels which increase borrowing costs and uncertainties.
In the 1980s and 1990s, China was able to remove key institutional barriers to establish the goods and services market and the labour market, thereby releasing pent up energy to allow for rapid economic growth over the last 40 years.
China’s economy has also successfully integrated with the global economy under favourable international conditions, especially after its World Trade Organization accession in 2001.
However, China’s economy still has strong Hungarian characteristics, and there is no significant progress in developing the financial market, which is the most essential mechanism in allocating resources productively.
WASHINGTON: The Biden administration on Wednesday (Jan 17) returned the Yemen-based Houthi rebels to a list of terrorist groups, US officials said, in the latest attempt by Washington to stem attacks on international shipping. Officials said the “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” (SDGT) designation, which hits the Iran-aligned group with harshContinue Reading
Eleven of those aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait’s median line, or areas close by, working with Chinese warships to carry out “joint combat readiness patrols”, the ministry added. The strait’s median line once served as an unofficial barrier between the two sides, but Chinese planes now regularly fly over it.Continue Reading
Thaksin was ousted from power in a 2006 military coup and has been at the heart of 17 years of on-off turmoil in Thailand, influencing politics from exile. Thaksin, a former telecoms tycoon and owner of Premier League football club Manchester City, was accused by the military of corruption, cronyismContinue Reading
“There were deaths, we are checking how many people died,” police colonel Theerapoj Rawangban told AFP. “We do not see more damage toward other houses or people who live in the (nearby) community,” he added. There was no indication of what may have caused the explosion. Images shared by theContinue Reading
MOSCOW: Russia is developing its relations with North Korea in all areas, including “sensitive” ones, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday (Jan 17). North Korea’s foreign minister lauded comradely ties with Russia on Tuesday and then held rare talks in the Kremlin with President Vladimir Putin, who has beenContinue Reading
All 379 people on board the JAL Airbus escaped just before the aircraft was engulfed in flames. Five of the six people on the smaller aircraft, which was helping in a relief operation after a major earthquake in central Japan, died. Then on Tuesday, the wing tip of a KoreanContinue Reading