Teacher, Preacher, Soldier, Martyr

2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 315-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Sanagan

When Shaykh ʿIzz al-Dīn al-Qassām died in a gunfight with the Palestine Police Force in November 1935, the Government of the British Mandate for Palestine was ill prepared for the public outpouring of popular support and inspiration the imām from Haifa’s death would give to Arab Palestinian political aspirations. Al-Qassām soon became a powerful symbol in the nationalist fight against the British colonial power and subsequently the State of Israel. Al-Qassām remains a potent figure in Arab nationalist, Palestinian nationalist, and modern “Islamist” circles. The purpose of this paper is thus twofold: first, to provide an overview of the current state of the historiography on al-Qassām; and second, to add to that historiography with a recontextualized narrative of al-Qassām’s life and death. This latter part of the paper aims to fill some of the gaps with additional sources and place the findings alongside contemporary historical scholarship on political identity and nationalist movements in Palestine and the wider Mashriq. This article contends that the claims made on al-Qassām by contemporary Palestinian, “Islamic” nationalists have silenced the multiple contexts available if one considers the entirety of al-Qassām’s life. Viewed in this light, it is possible that al-Qassām never considered himself a “Palestinian” at all. 


Author(s):  
Pandelani H. Munzhedzi

Accountability and oversight are constitutional requirements in all the spheres of government in the Republic of South Africa and their foundation is in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996. All spheres of government are charged with the constitutional mandate of providing public services. The level of responsibility and public services provision also goes with the level of capacity of a particular sphere. However, most of the direct and visible services that the public receives are at the local sphere of government. As such, enormous resources are channelled towards this sphere of government so that the said public services could be provided. It is imperative that the three spheres of government account for the huge expenditures during the public service provision processes. The parliaments of national and provincial governments exercise oversight and accountability over their executives and administrations through the Public Accounts Committees, while the local sphere of government relies on the Municipal Public Accounts Committees. This article is theoretical in nature, and it seeks to explore the current state of public accountability in South Africa and to evaluate possible measures so as to enhance public accountability. The article argues that the current public accountability mechanisms are not efficient and effective. It is recommended that these mechanisms ought to be enhanced by inter alia capacitating the legislative bodies at national, provincial and local spheres of the government.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-81
Author(s):  
Andry Indrady

The Bureaucratic System of the Immigration Department of Hong Kong SAR is one of the legacies from British Colonial Government seen from legal and also immigration bureaucratic perspectives reflect the executive power domination over immigration policymaking. This is understandable since Hong Kong SAR adopts “Administrative State Model” which means Immigration Officer as a bureaucrat holds significant roles at both stages of policymaking and also its implementation. This research looks at transition period of the Immigration Department and its policies since the period of handover of Hong Kong SAR from the British Government to the Government of China especially throughout the concern from the public including academics about the future of immigration policies made by the Department that arguably from colonial to current being used as political and control tools to safeguard the interest of the Ruler. This situation ultimately will question the existence of Hong Kong SAR as one of the International Hub in the Era of Millennium.  


2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-348
Author(s):  
Joel Hodge

Abstract The Western discourse and norms around secularism, particularly Church-state relations, are foreign in many ways to the majority world, especially Asia. However, as the modern nation-state has taken root in Asia, different models of secularism have developed with interesting relationships to the particular cultural and religious context of each country. In the difficult course of forming a secular nation-state, Asian nations have had to address the dominant religious traditions and institutions of each nation, including Christian churches. This process has occasionally provoked conflict and has presented a particular dilemma to Christian churches in how to respond and relate to the developing nation-state. In order for theology to adequately address this situation (particular the context of modern secular discourses) and conceptualise the public shape and role of the church, a practical examination of the church’s relationship to and formation of culture and politics is required. To explore this process, this essay examines the case of Timor-Leste (or East Timor) and its relationship with the Roman Catholic Church, particularly in regards to the state-building process that has occurred after independence. The Church’s influence, which grew rapidly during the Indonesian occupation (1975–1999), has been contested since independence by some in the political sphere, such as in the 2005 dispute with the Government. By examining the 2005 dispute, the essay analyses the nature of the Catholic Church’s influence on Timorese cultural and political identity and her relationship with the new Timorese nation-state. The essay identifies the different models of secularism operative in Timor as they have relevance to the Asian context more generally.


1978 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pnina Lahav

Israel's press plays a distinctive role in the country's political structure. Comprised of 27 dailies and 135 magazines, some with distinctive partisan affiliation and others committed to political neutrality, it has wide circulation and enjoys considerable political influence.Israeli newspapers were not always as independent as they are today. During the struggle for liberation, the press placed itself at the disposal of theYishuv(Jewish community) leadership, to be used as a political tool for promoting the objectives of the Jewish population in Palestine. Only in the fifties, after the establishment of the sovereign state of Israel, did the press begin to develop consciousness of its distinct and autonomous role in the political process.Several institutions founded by the press itself have moulded it into a politically viable establishment: the Editors' Committee, the Press Council, the National Union of Journalists and the Union of the Daily Papers. The Editors' Committee is the most powerful and long standing of the four. Organised in 1948 by the chief editors of the Hebrew dailies, it functions as an intermediary between the Government and the public in matters concerning important policy decisions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feisal Khan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the current state of corruption in Pakistan and evaluate attempts by the government to combat its entrenched corruption culture. Design/methodology/approach – The paper shows that Pakistan’s legacy of British colonial rule, its ethno-linguistic conflict and alternating civilian governments and military coups have weakened institutional capabilities, hindered capacity building and allowed systemic corruption to flourish there. Pakistan’s many anti-corruption efforts failed because they were used to attack political foes instead of strengthening institutional capabilities. Findings – Pakistan has maintained its highly authoritarian form of governance inherited from the British in 1947. The ruling elite view the state as a milch cow for their personal enrichment and this attitude is also reflected in the performance of its bureaucracy. Existing rules of conduct and administration are not enforced as citizens encounter corruption in their dealings with officials. At the policy level, key decisions are often made to benefit the decision makers. The paper concludes that without political will no significant improvement in the state of corruption in Pakistan is likely to occur. Originality/value – This paper will be useful for scholars, policy-makers and anti-corruption practitioners who are interested in corruption in Pakistan and whether the apparent institutionalization of parliamentary democracy has reduced corruption there.


Author(s):  
Robert L. Tignor

This chapter details how, at the end of 1952, shortly after returning from a tour of Asia where his intellectual breakthrough led to the article on unlimited supplies of labor, W. Arthur Lewis received an invitation to advise the government of the Gold Coast on industrialization. The invitation came not from British colonial offices in the Gold Coast, but the rising nationalist party, the Convention People's Party (CPP), led by its charismatic political leader, Kwame Nkrumah. The vitality of the Gold Coast nationalists impressed Lewis, and the opportunity to advise Africans, rather than British officials, was new and exciting. Although he spent only several months of 1952 in the Gold Coast, preparing the report, and immediately returned to his teaching position at Manchester, his stay linked him to the Gold Coast and its leaders. From then onwards, British officials and Gold Coast nationalists alike regarded him as the top expert on their economy and turned to him to evaluate economic projects. Ultimately, the decision to advise the Gold Coast on its industrial prospects led Lewis away from purely academic endeavors and placed him squarely in the public arena.


Author(s):  
I. Shkolnyk ◽  
O. Miroshnichenko ◽  
Yu. Havrysh ◽  
A. Ivanchenko

Transparency in public finances is one of the main features of a mature democratic society, as well as one of the main tools for reducing corruption in the country. The level of transparency in the formation and use of budget funds at the state and local levels affects the effectiveness of financial policy in the country. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to determine the current state of transparency in the formation of the state budget of Ukraine. The article conducted a comprehensive study of the level of transparency of public finances at the macro level. The dynamics of changes in the qualitative level of transparency of legislative and executive bodies during the period of Ukraine's participation in the international organization of monitoring the publicity of the government before the public is analyzed. In particular, the authors analyzed the dynamics of the budget openness index in comparison with other countries and the integrated assessment of budget transparency for the period from 2008 to 2019. In addition, the level of public participation in budget formation at different stages of the budget process was studied. There is a positive trend of improving the level of openness of public authorities in Ukraine in the formation and use of public finances. This, in turn, is part of a global trend. The article presents a description of the main documents that serve as indicators of informing the public about the state of the budget, the level of its implementation, the formation of the budget for future periods and the budget process in general. It is determined that the system of transparent and accessible public accountability for the formation and use of public finances has not been formed yet. The results of the study can be the basis for developing measures to increase the level of transparency of public authorities in Ukraine. According to the study, a high level of transparency becomes the basis for public support for the government, provided that the government does not abuse its powers, or conversely becomes an incentive for active public participation in political and economic life to improve or change government. According to the results of the research, a system of measures of priority importance is proposed.


2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 264-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Ndenje-Sichalwe ◽  
Patrick Ngulube ◽  
Christine Stilwell

In Tanzania, the Records and Archives Management Act of 2002 established the Records and Archives Management Department (RAMD) to provide for the proper administration and better management of public records and archives throughout their life cycle. This article is based on findings from an ongoing study of the government ministries of Tanzania which examines the current state of records management practices in fostering accountability in the implementation of the Public Service Reform Programme (PSRP) in Tanzania. A total of 120 registry personnel, 24 senior ministerial officials and National Archives personnel were involved in the study. The study established that although the introduction of the PSRP had resulted in some efforts in reforming the records management practices in the government ministries, records in the government ministries were not managed a strategic resource. The findings of the study revealed that current records management practices in the government ministries were accorded low priority. The absence of specific budgets allocated to registry sections, lack of support from senior officers, lack of records management policies and low levels of training for registry personnel were among the records management problems in the government ministries. Further, records surveys were conducted irregularly and the majority of government registries lacked records retention and disposition schedules which led to the congestion of records which were also disorganized and poorly managed. In order to manage records as a strategic resource, the article recommends the restructuring of existing records management systems.


Author(s):  
Alexandre Cavalhero ◽  
Lia Caetano Bastos

In the world of organizations, computerized systems have become indispensable as tools to support management. With regard to public service, people management requires the use of these systems to meet the expectations of its users and its customers — both the government workers themselves, and the population — through functionalities that meet the demands of the decision, strategic, tactical, and operational levels. This paper focuses on research of the Information Quality (IQ) involved in the routines and processes of the Integrated Human Resources Management System, Sistema Integrado de Gestão de Recursos Humanos (SIGRH); managed by the Santa Catarina Department of State Administration, Secretaria de Estado da Administração de Santa Catarina (SEA); or more specifically, by the Directorate for the Management and Development of Government Workers, Diretoria de Gestão e Desenvolvimento de Pessoas (DGDP). The objective of the research was to verify the current state of IQ through its dimensions and categories, the identification of items with low quality levels, and the correlation between the dimensions. The research method used was the application of the House of Quality (HoQ) tool, adapted to the specifics of the organization selected by the authors. Finally, it is through the consequent analysis of the results obtained that it was possible to suggest actions of improvement to be taken by managers.


NORMA ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Muhammad Firdausy Maulana Witapratama

Concerns about Covid 19 by notaries in doing the Deed. This study aims to examine the Implementation of the Notary Position in Doing Deeds Before and during the Covid-19 Pandemic Period, and to Assess Obstacles in the Duties of Notary Positions in Doing Deeds during the Covid-19 Pandemic Period). The type of research used by the author is descriptive type research. Descriptive research is a problem-solving procedure investigated by describing or describing the current state of the subject and object of research based on existing facts. The results of the research in the Assignment of Notary Positions in Doing Deeds Before and during the Covid 19 Pandemic Period differed from the difference in the health protocol and the presence of the appeasers based on SK Number 65/33-III/ PP-INI/2020 dated March 17, 2020, regarding the matter referred to In the main point of the letter, the Central Management of the Indonesian Notary Association (PP-INI) and all of its staff expressed concern over the massive development of the spread of Covid-19 which directly affected the implementation of the duties of a Notary public in providing services to the public and in this regard, this PP urges all members to follow the health protocols set by the government to overcome the spread of Covid-19.Keywords: CoronaViruses, Notary, Decree.


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