| Greetings from FNF South Asia |
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| Welcome to the
second edition of the FNF South Asia eNewsletter for 2009! |
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Dear Friends of
FNF South Asia,
The liberal community is saddened to
have lost an inspiring guide and eminent creative thinker—Lord Ralf
Dahrendorf. In remembrance, I share a note on the life and impact of a
great former Chairman of FNF.
In past months, FNF, along with its
partners, hosted Dr. Philipp Rösler, Minister of Economic Affairs in
Lower Saxony, and Dr. Tom G. Palmer, CATO Institute. The interaction
with both visitors provided ample opportunities for intellectual
exchanges as well as for networking and discussion of best liberal
practices.
The power of youth in advancing
freedom, shaping new forms of political leadership and creating space
for their voice in their countries’ governance is evident from the
innovative projects being run by our youth partners in India, Pakistan
and Sri Lanka. Have a look at the details given below! |
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In the upcoming
months, we will continue with our focus on economic freedom, police
reforms, and good governance. To an eventful and fruitful time ahead! |
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Please also do
visit our homepage at www.southasia.fnst.org, and the Foundation's German
homepage at www.freiheit.org/
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- Dr. René Klaff, Regional Director, FNF South Asia |
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| Recent Events |
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LYF launches its Campus Pulse Project 2009
FNF partner, Liberal Youth Forum (LYF)
has launched its Campus Pulse Project 2009. With the longer term
objective of having young liberals in the Parliament, this initiative
aims to provide a platform for liberal youth activists to undertake
governance projects on their campuses. More... |
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Liberals come together in Delhi and Hyderabad
Addressing a group of over
thirty liberals, IFAN alumnus, Dr Parth J. Shah (Centre for Civil
Society) explained that though mechanics of the crisis or the sequence
of events that led to the crisis were not in dispute, the difference of
opinions lay in the assigning of the blame. More... |
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Democracy begins to show vital signs
Leaders of tomorrow appeal to
politicians to uphold democratic norms and value.
This turned out to be a big day for
Pakistani children, as they had a parliament of their own in place. More... |
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Magic World of Parliamentarians turns real
The sweet words of democracy,
equal chances, fair governance, tolerance, inclusion, responsibility
and integrity finally began to appear more meaningful to the FNF
moderator, Munazza Batool at the training session of the Children
Parliament of Pakistan. More... |
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FYG dissects unavoidable challenges
Djim is for Jihad, K is for
Kalashinikov. The text books by extremist organizations are more than
sufficient to corrupt the tender minds at beginners’ schools. More... |
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Terrorism-desperate desire of definition
Terrorism & New Wars-the
current main topic in Pakistan was accordingly the main interest of
Liberal Forum Pakistan (LFP) and Future Youth Group (FYG) when members
met for their first Liberal Club session at the Women Media Center in Karachi. More... |
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First Liberal Club sparks enthusiasm
The Liberal Club is a
brand-new get-together of Pakistani Liberals to discuss liberal issues
and topics. More... |
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Training of Trainers by the Liberal Academy for
Political Leadership
On 13 June 2009, FNF partner, the
Liberal Academy for Political Leadership organized a Training of
Trainers for a selected group of members from the Liberal Youth Guilds
(LYGs) spread island-wide. More... |
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'Stand on your own feet' going from strength to
strength
The journey began seven years ago
mainly focusing on school children of formative years. More... |
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SMED Key Person's Forum
On 21 May 2009, Mr. Pradeep
Kariyawasam, Director General, Telecommunication Regulatory Commission
of Sri Lanka, addressed the SMED Key Person’s Forum. More... |
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A Life between Politics and Academia:
Lord Ralf Dahrendorf (1.5.1929 - 17.6.2009)
Shortly after his 80th birthday, Lord Ralf Dahrendorf, arguably one of the most
renowned liberal thinkers of our time, died in Cologne on 17th June. The international
family of liberals lost one of its most influential and unique
intellectuals, and the Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit a
great former Chairman. Read
more... |
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German Foreign Policy from a Liberal
Perspective
Dr. Guido
Westerwelle’s speech about German foreign policy at the German Council
of Foreign Relations (DGAP). Dr. Westerwelle is leader of the liberal
party Free Democratic Party (FDP) and leader of the opposition within
the German Bundestag. Download speech... |
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| Upcoming Events |
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‘SAARC Government’s Commitment to Economic Freedom in South
Asia’ Seminar by FNF Partner EFN, August 2009, Islamabad |
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Launch of EFN Research Study ‘Deregulating Zoning Laws:
Unleashing Domestic Commerce in Cities’ August 2009, Islamabad |
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‘Asian SME 2009’ Summit by FNF Partner SMED, 6-8 August
2009, Colombo |
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‘Prospects of self-governance for Kashmir’ Intra-regional
conference by FNF Partner CDR, August 2009, Jammu & Kashmir |
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‘Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002’ conference by
FNF Partners CHRI, Shehri-CBE and Liberal Forum Pakistan, August 2009,
Karachi |
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Launch of Praja’s Dialogue Project by FNF Partner Praja,
August 2009, Mumbai |
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‘Overcoming the Global Financial and Economic Crisis: The Rule of Law as
the Key to Economic Freedom?’ conference by Economic Freedom Network
Asia, 8-11 October 2009, SiemReap |
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| Publications |
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Liberal Perspectives in South Asia
The latest publication brought out by
the Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit together with the
Foundation Books (Cambridge University Press India Pvt. Ltd.) discusses
the essentials of Liberal Philosophy, while also indicating how
appropriate it is in the South Asian context. Liberalism was the only
ideology side-tracked by almost all political parties in the
post-colonial period in South Asia. Recently, many political parties
have implemented liberal policies on an adhoc basis and without a
proper framework to guide them.
More... |
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Feudal Forces: Reform Delayed
From the Khyber Pass to the Burmese
border, and from the Himalayas to the Pearl of the Orient, the state of
policing throughout Commonwealth South Asia is abysmal.This
publication by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) examines
the current state and pace of police reforms in Bangladesh, India,
Pakistan, and Sri Lanka and what concrete steps can be undertaken to
transition policing in the region from a force to a service. More... |
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Beyond Borders
In 2004, participants of a series of
dialogue meetings and conferences within the state of
Jammu & Kashmir voiced the need of
meeting people across the Line of Control. The year had started with
the launch of the Vajpayee-Musharraf peace process. This was a window of
opportunity to facilitate a civil society dialogue parallel to meetings
between the Governments of India and Pakistan. Finally in 2005, the
first Intra-Jammu Kashmir Dialogue was held in Srinagar with
participation from AJK and Gilgit and Baltistan. The conferences were
held by the Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation (CDR) and supported
by FNF. "Beyond Border, In Search of a Solution for Kashmir" reflects
the discussions and agreements reached during these conferences.
Download... |
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