October 10, 2012
Naughty Numbers: Power In Southeast Asia*
Numbers have played an critical role in Southeast Asia. States' make make use of of of numbers in sold has had the poignant stroke upon politics as good as society. It is critical to recognise that numbers can have domestic utility, generally when presented in demeanour that creates the dichotomous division. In this piece you will explore the range of issues in that numbers have been used by supervision to exercise their control over their citizens.
The sequence of the population in to dual graphic segments, or 'binaries', for e.g. the rebuilt vs. the uneducated or indigenous vs. migrant. Governments can effectively influence the ways in that adults perspective themselves as good as others as good as the way in that policy is constructed as good as implemented.
State-owned ride companies might systematise three classes of passenger seating, with initial difficulty being the most expensive. This form of sequence decides who should enjoy what line as good as services, as good as might inspire those who cannot afford initial difficulty to work harder. The numbers actually reflects amicable stratification, the multiplication of adults in to dual groups of people inside of the society, such as the tertiary- rebuilt or the educational elites as good as the non-tertiary rebuilt or non-academic elites, stressing the group that wields power.
These binaries have been used by states to legitimise their energy over people, in outcome they concede for the biased definitions of good as good as bad depending upon the bulletin of sold regimes. Binaries fail to yield the nuanced perspective o! f the em anate during hand. Their make make use of of dichotomises respondents in to the 'haves' as good as 'have-nots', providing the graphic black-and-white distinction, when most issues have been in actuality coloured grey. This ambiguity can lead to domestic chaos. Thailand's domestic conflict has been the prime e.g. of the binary in between red as good as yellow shirts.
A historical nonetheless still very relevant e.g. of binary in Southeast Middle East is the concept of Zomia addressed by James Scott, in that Upland as good as Lowland populations have been socially, politically as good as economically organised in very different ways. Official supervision interpretation collection reduces issues of temperament to the group of binaries, through formulating overpower as the equates to of amicable control. As an example, the choice in between male as good as womanlike in central interpretation can overpower the voices of those who identify outward of the gender binary. In turn, this can lead to the silencing of gender odd issues in domestic (and social) discourse.
Similar to make make use of of of the binaries, censuses as good as supervision census data have been critical tools of the supervision in consolidating as good as exercising power. Censuses have been used by governments to categorise, report upon as good as simulate their populations. The ensuing census data either they simulate taxation, possibilities for troops service, sacrament or gender binaries can be analysed or manipulated by governments to connect their energy as good as monopolise their bulletin setting capabilities.
A Southeast Asian e.g. of this make make use of of of census can be seen in the repudiation of Animism as the eremite difficulty in the Burmese supervision census. This not only excludes those who use such ideology though also reduces the stress as good as legitimacy of Animism as the belief system.
Government census data have been used to support the regime in last what aspects of the state h! ave been faring really bad or well. For instance, governments might try to identify what aspects of rural hold up have been not you do so good as good as try to repair them. On the other hand, the supervision might try to manipulate census data to keep itself in power. An critical e.g. is the Suharto government's make make use of of of mercantile census data to capture foreign direct investment as good as capture larger certitude from the public.
Government census data have been also used during elections to bring the public's 
attention to key issues (e.g. supervision debt). As you can assimilate from the government's make make use of of of census as good as central statistics, numbers yield good entrance to the lives as good as thoughts of the citizens, that can subsequently be used to connect as good as expand the government's own power.
There have been other ways in that numbers have been used. In Southeast Asia, dates paint the accumulation of absolute amicable constructs, in particular, those surrounding eremite practice. The widespread inlet of superstitious ideology equates to that both the population as good as the state pull upon portentous dates to time poignant domestic activity. For the Burmese troops junta, the timing of the shift the capital from Yangon to Napyidaw was made during 6:37am upon Novermber 6, 2005, the date that was deliberate astrologically auspicious.
Another e.g. of domestic wake up centred upon portentous dates can be seen in Thailand. Thailand has the history injured by domestic coups, both failed as good as successful. This has in essence altered the Thai domestic landscape by formulating conditions for rebellion. In particular, this has been seen in the successful coups of 1991 as good as 2006). The arrogance of portentous dates in propinquity to domestic fighting back im! bues res istant forces with the certainty to govern the coup. Along with certainty inside of the rebellion, theauspiciousdates also lead to certainty from the population. Thereby, the far-reaching acceptance of portentous dates allowed for successful coups where most had been formerly attempted.
Auspicious dates have been of stress inside of Southeast Middle East since of their make make use of of in domestic activity. Such dates have been utilised not only by statute powers though also by resistant forces. New Mandala
* This is the collectively created post rebuilt in difficulty currently by the group of nine students in the Southeast Asian Landscapes of Power course during the Australian National University, Canberra.
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