Democracy & Civics

Low-caste Indian woman rising up through politics

By |

Kumari Mayawati, a low-caste Indian woman and chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, led an electoral charge in late July to topple India’s government and lost only by a handful of votes. According to The Age in Australia, Mayawati demonstrated considerable political clout in swaying votes against the Congress Party-led Parliament, and her actions resulted in the formation of a “third party” in the Indian political system. Her ambition has led many to believe Mayawati could be India’s first “untouchable” prime minister from the Dalit caste. Mayawati’s intentions are under scrutiny: She is chief minister of an enormous state that is home to 10 percent of the world’s poor, but her personal assets last year were valued at $12.3 million — gifts from her supporters, according to The Age. Nonetheless, the newspaper reports that her dalit constituency loves her, and her popularity seems to be growing beyond caste lines.

Democracy & Civics

Zimbabwe Troubles May Bust Borders

By |

Zimbabwe’s controversial re-election of President Robert Mugabe is bringing new pressure on South Africa to resolve the conflict, and raising military tensions with neighboring Botswana. Leaders of the G-8 and several African nations scolded South African Prime Minister Thabo Mbeki at a meeting in Japan Tuesday, saying his efforts to mediate Zimbabwe’s political crisis are not working, the Mail & Guardian of South Africa reports. With violence against the Zimbabwean opposition escalating, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are pushing for harsher sanctions. However, some African leaders, including Mbeki, warned against sanctions they said could potentially destabilize Zimbabwe, resulting in civil war. At a press conference during the G-8 summit, Tanzanian president and African Union chairman Jakaya Kikwete and President Bush agreed to an additional meeting on the subject in August.

Democracy & Civics

A Big Year for (Democratic) Drug Deals

By |

The pharmaceutical industry spent $168 million lobbying Congress in 2007 — a record sum that helped influence legislation and prevented new restrictions on drug advertisements, the Center for Public Integrity reports. Industry spending on lobbying has tripled since 1998, adding up to more than a $1 billion total in that time. CIR reports that 90 percent of the spending was by 40 companies and three industry groups, including Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the Biotechnology Industry Organization, and the Advanced Medical Technology Association. The big spending in 2007 may have been spurred in part by the Democratic takeover of Congress in November 2006, which saw industry critics, such as Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), ascend to leadership positions formerly occupied by Republicans. However, Ken Johnson, a spokesman for PhRMA, told CIR that a “difficult political environment” in Washington was not a result of partisanship.

Democracy & Civics

When is 'Voter Fraud' a Fraud?

By |

Willie Ray, a Texas grandmother and Democrat, says had been helping elderly shut-ins to vote for years when she was singled out by the state Republican attorney general and charged with voter fraud. “All I did was mail ballots for folks who couldn’t get to a mailbox themselves,” she told her state’s Democratic Convention last week, according to the Dallas Morning News. “The attorney general admitted there was no fraud, that no ballot was altered,” she said. “But Attorney General Greg Abbott charged me with a crime.” Ray’s case was part of what Abbott had called “an epidemic” of voter fraud in Texas.

Democracy & Civics

Household-Name Republican Fighting for Her Political Life

By |

With congressional elections coming up this fall, many Republican incumbents are looking vulnerable even in states where their party previously seemed to have a lock on the vote. Perhaps the most surprising of these is North Carolina, where polls show that the well-known Elizabeth Dole is virtually tied with her Democratic challenger, North Carolina State Sen. Kay Hagan. According to North Carolina’s WRAL, a poll of 500 likely voters earlier this month found Hagan with 48 percent support and Dole with 47. Just a month earlier, before primary elections, a similar poll had found Dole ahead of Hagan by 13 points. The race will mark the first time in North Carolina that two women have competed as party nominees for a U.S. Senate seat, according to the New Burn Sun Journal.

Democracy & Civics

A Political Resurrection in Malaysia

By |

Almost 10 years after he was driven out of office by a bizarre series of corruption and sodomy charges, Malaysia’s former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim returned to politics this week with a big rally and big plans. Anwar, who like many Malaysians goes by his given name, celebrated the expiration of a five-year ban on political activity with a midnight rally in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital. According to the New Straits Times, 10,000 people showed up to the unauthorized rally Monday night before it was shut down by police. According to Australia’s ABC online, Anwar dispersed the crowd by saying, “The police chief has asked us to stop so we are stopping, but remain peaceful, because soon we will be running this country.” Anwar also officially requested that Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi open an investigation into alleged abuses of power by the former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Democracy & Civics

An Investor's Guide to Presidential Candidates

By |

Pondering a donation to a presidential candidate? Looking for the right choice given the needs of your special-interest group? Friends — look no further than Opensecrets.org, a data-rich Web site published by the Center for Responsive Politics. Using a handy drop-down menu, Open Secrets provides a quick and easy reference guide to which special interest groups and which candidates are most copacetic. Lawyers and lobbyists prefer Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, with more than $15 million and $13 million in donations, respectively, as of March 20.

Democracy & Civics

Who Wants to Buy a President?

By |

Bucking the trend of “horse race” campaign coverage, the Center for Public Integrity’s latest edition of “The Buying of the President” does more than simply track vital statistics, such as poll numbers and the amount of money raised by each candidate. Instead, CPI delves into who, specifically, is donating — and what their motivations are. The site offers a wealth of regularly updated information and analysis of campaign spending throughout the 2008 season, with blogs tracking ad buys, campaign spending, and controversial, tax-exempt 527 organizations that aren’t quite political action committees, but still impact elections. There’s also an extensive look at the history of campaign financing and its abuses, plus an overview of “The Spoils” — the rewards given to the donors who backed the winning candidate, including “Access,” “Flights on Air Force One,” “Cabinet Posts” and more. Source:
“Buying of the President 2008”
Center for Public Integrity

Democracy & Civics

Tear Gas for Ethnic Protest in Malaysia

By |

Riot police greeted thousands of minority protesters in Malaysia’s capital of Kuala Lumpur, turning back their calls for increased social benefits with water cannons and tear gas. The protesters, primarily Tamils, seek business licenses, access to scholarships and “other privileges reserved exclusively for native Maylays,” reports Asia Times Online. Tamil activists also sought reparations from the United Kingdom for relocating their ancestors to Malaysia as indentured laborers 150 years ago, according to the Web site. The protestors represent a Hindu minority that makes up roughly eight percent of the population in the majority Muslim nation. Economic programs established in the 1970s have created a burgeoning middle class, but one that is limited to Malays.

Democracy

In Nigeria, an Election Gives and Takes

By |

UPDATED 5.30.07
Labor unions across Nigeria went on a two-day strike in protest of the recent presidential election, which was condemned by observers as “massively rigged.” The BBC reports that results were announced even for regions where no voting took place. On the heels of the inauguration, which was boycotted by seven outgoing state governors and the former vice president, the government announced a windfall of more than $700 million in crude oil profits. The funding is to be distributed to incoming federal, state and local administrations around the nation. The new president called for an end to oil-related strife in the impoverished Niger River Delta region, where kidnappings and violence are on the rise.