SS: In her Bloomberg Opinion piece, Karishma Vaswani argues that Southeast Asia is witnessing a troubling resurgence of political dynasties, with power increasingly concentrated among entrenched families. This trend is particularly evident in countries like the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia, where political leadership often passes from one generation to the next, sidelining broader democratic participation. Vaswani highlights how figures like Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Paetongtarn Shinawatra, and Hun Manet have risen to power by capitalising on their family legacies, often to the detriment of true democratic governance. She warns that while dynastic politics may offer short-term stability, it risks alienating the region’s dynamic youth and eroding the foundations of democracy.
I think it gets lost outside the west how important family structures are and people don’t see this as odd even at high levels of politics.
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SS: In her Bloomberg Opinion piece, Karishma Vaswani argues that Southeast Asia is witnessing a troubling resurgence of political dynasties, with power increasingly concentrated among entrenched families. This trend is particularly evident in countries like the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia, where political leadership often passes from one generation to the next, sidelining broader democratic participation. Vaswani highlights how figures like Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Paetongtarn Shinawatra, and Hun Manet have risen to power by capitalising on their family legacies, often to the detriment of true democratic governance. She warns that while dynastic politics may offer short-term stability, it risks alienating the region’s dynamic youth and eroding the foundations of democracy.
I think it gets lost outside the west how important family structures are and people don’t see this as odd even at high levels of politics.