An HTML-version of this newsletter is available at http://www.fnf.org.ph/enewsletter/ltm012005.htm
************************************************************** Liberal Times Manila A monthly newsletter of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation’s Philippine Office ************************************************************** Dear friends of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, 31/1/2005 A big crowd joined us for the New Year’s reception which we celebrated together with our partner, the Council of Asian Liberal and Democrats (CALD) at our joint premises in Makati City on January 13. The undisputed star among the many guests from the Liberal Party (LP), its allied organizations, the academe, media, civil society and the diplomatic corps was Governor Grace Padaca of Isabela Province. She recently joined the Liberal camp after scoring an impressive victory in last year’s election and has become a heroine of progressive politics in this country. The gathering of political friends and partners also gave me the opportunity to pay my respects to a political associate who I have known for 15 years and who has left the helm of the LP headquarters at the beginning of the year. On behalf of the liberal Foundation, I presented a plaque of appreciation to former Liberal Party Director General Eleazar “Eli” Quinto who for many years has been an unfailing partner of the Foundation’s work in the Philippines. A collection of snap shots is available at http://www.fnf.org.ph/News/newyear2005/newyears_reception.htm In politics networks are often crucial. One of the networks we have set up is the Friedrich Naumann Foundation Alumni Group, a loose association of individuals who have attended programs of the International Academy for Leadership (IAF) in Germany. Over the years more than 120 Filipinos have travelled to Europe for these workshops. You may read a selection of their reports and view an updated 2005 IAF schedule at http://www.fnf.org.ph/seminars/iaf2005.htm Attention IAF-alumni: our first gathering in the New Year will be held at our office this coming Thursday, February 3, 2005 at seven o’clock. While liberal philippines is putting the final touches on the next issue of the magazine, the group hosted a highly informative dinner forum with Land Reform (DLR) Secretary Rene C. Villa on January 26 in Makati City. In a speech entitled “Advancing the Liberal Agenda in Land Reform,” Villa, who is one of three Liberals in the cabinet of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, provided a comprehensive and candid assessment of the government’s land reform program. The secretary managed to move away from the legal technicalities of this important social issue and present to the audience a political context and importantly also a liberal perspective. “If all our politicians were as he is, our country would be better off,” whispered one Philippine participant to me after Villa’s talk. The well attended event with the Land Reform secretary was the first in the magazine’s “Liberal Secretaries in Focus” series. It will also feature the two other LP Cabinet secretaries: Michael Defensor of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Florencio “Butch” Abad of the Department of Education. Drop us a line and we will put you on the mailing list for these informative political events. A summary of the talk of Secretary Villa is available at www.liberal-philippines.com. At one of our recent activities, a new friend of the Foundation presented me with his plans to set up a think tank. The dialogue with this fine gentleman inspired me to put to paper some thoughts on the role of think tanks and their relationship with civil society and political parties. I am attaching excerpts of that commentary to this note. You my find the full text in the opinion section of: www.fnf.org.ph. Thank you for your kind interest and best regards (Dr. Ronald Meinardus) ************************************************************* The monthly Liberal Times Manila newsletter informs about activities of the Friedrich-Naumann-Foundation in the Philippines and beyond. This issue has been sent to 1271 individuals and organizations. If you do not wish to receive our messages anymore, please return this note and put “unsubscribe” in the subject. More information on recent FNF-activities is waiting for you at www.fnf.org.ph. ************************************************************** Think Tanks and Political Parties (excerpts) … There are 3,000 think tanks operating all over the world today. About half of these are based in the United States and 20 percent are in Europe. Critics say that there are twice as many conservative think tanks as liberal ones in the U.S. and the conservative institutes are better funded. Arguably, the conservative or "neo-conservative" institutes have major influence in Washington, D.C. as evidenced by their support for the war in Iraq. It doesn’t end there: Anyone interested in U.S. policies on the Korean peninsula, the Taiwan Straits or any other international hotspot should carefully study the materials and statements coming from conservative think factories in Washington, D.C. While various think tanks are driven by different ideological motives, all have one common objective: to actively influence policy making by shaping public opinion and the intellectual climate in which politicians operate. In this regard, think tanks are similar to lobbyists. But unlike lobby groups, which usually prefer to operate in the background, think tanks are keen on publicity and, therefore, media advocacy and publications are central elements of their strategy. As think tanks aim at pushing a specific political agenda, their relationship with politicians and political parties becomes crucial. Actually, politicians and parties are often their main target group - and the main source of their business. In some democracies, political parties have set up their own think tanks. Germany, where every major political party is entitled to public funding for a "party foundation," is a case in point. Political think tanks with close relationships to political parties and different forms of government support are also found in other European countries and in the United States. Typically, these partisan institutes engage in three main functions. First, they give policy advice to the leadership of the political parties they are allied with. Second, they train and educate party members and candidates for public office. Finally, they provide a network of politically likeminded individuals and experts and are, thus, also perceived as recruitment grounds for prospective political leaders. … While only a few independent political think tanks operate in this part of the world, the number of political institutes with a direct link to a political party is even smaller. "Politicians in the Philippines usually get their advice from outside. They don’t need the party," said Ramon Casiple, head of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform, one of the few independent political think tanks in Manila. "We have weak political parties," he said, "and the concept of think tanks is not institutionalized." Many think tanks in the Philippines and other Asian countries are sponsored by foreign donors. In many cases, these donors are political think tanks themselves. Therefore, in a way, you have a situation in which a wealthy think tank from the west gives money to a less privileged partner institute in Asia. The financial support is hardly ever unconditional. Usually, the foreign donor assists the local partner in promoting specific objectives, such as political reforms, economic deregulations or human rights. Traditionally, foreign donors have given the bulk of their money to civil society groups, that is, organizations, movements and networks that operate independently from the government and the state. Thus far, political parties and their allied organizations have not been among the main beneficiaries. "Due to the unique political roles of political parties, international resources should be re-allocated in a more equitable manner," Krishna Kumar wrote in a paper published by the Netherlands Institute of International Relations on international political party assistance. There are indications that this is already happening, as more western donors have discovered the strategic role that modern platform-based political parties play in the consolidation of democratic governance. The Korea Times: January 20, 2005 © All rights reserved - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Internet and Democracy Across Asia: MAY 2001 Online Trends in Governance, Civil Society and Media More information at: http://www.e-democracy.org/do Rule: No more than two posts a day per participant. 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