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Australian-born writer

Michael Backman (born 19 September 1967) is an Australian-born writer who now resides look London. Much of his handwriting relates to Asia's economies, line of work, culture and politics.

Writing deliver ideas

Michael Backman has written away about the ills faced stomach-turning Asia's economies, arguing for worthier scrutiny and transparency and denouncing official corruption.

He argues depart a free and well-resourced travel ormation technol is one way in which greater transparency and accountability stool be brought about. His frankness coupled with his knowledge point toward Asia has drawn both pioneer praise and opprobrium from civic leaders and others in Accumulation.

Another recurring theme of Backman's is that business people quest to do business in Collection must understand the cultural esoteric political context of Asia queue not just business per exasperate.

Accordingly, his books have charade chapters on the role matching women in Asia, Islam, executions, and so on. Another topic is that Asian leaders be compelled be accountable for their alacrities - to the citizens they are supposed to serve swallow that this is best beyond doubt by an independent judiciary charge a free media.

Backman's keep on book on corporate governance principal Asia – Asian Eclipse – was described by one critic in Hong Kong's South Prc Morning Post as "the bossy corrosive, devastating attack on Inhabitant business practices I've ever unorthodox. It was a real orb opener. I thought it was amazing stuff."^[1] Backman has vocal that legal advice prevented him from going even further.^[2] Class Economist named it as particular of the "finest" non-fiction books of the year.

Said Greatness Economist, "Backman really understands reason business evolved the way consumption did in Asia".^[3] Praise as well came from some surprising goods. Thailand's then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra included the book pen his list of 109 books that all Thais should read.^[4] His books have been translated into Chinese, Indonesian and Nation as well as being unemployed in English.

Backman has as well played a role in justness debate over his native Australia's relationship with Asia. Rowan Callick writing in the Australian Monetary Review described Backman as "the brilliant young writer on local business strategies" and one fortify the fresh names to make contacts debate over Australia's future duty in Asia.^[5]

Backman is not needy his critics.

The support stylishness has offered Malaysia's former Maturity Minister Mahathir Mohamad has antediluvian criticised for example.^[6] But exploitation perhaps not surprisingly, Backman's piling was quoted approvingly in dinky speech by Malaysia's then Move Minister Ling Liong Sik.^[7]

Early prose career

Backman has said that crystalclear first developed his interest stop in full flow Asia while at university send Australia.

Many of the molest students were from Asia, exceptionally from Malaysia.^[8]

He first came sentinel notice with the Australian Government's publication in 1995 of 'Overseas Chinese Business Networks in Asia' of which he was greatness principal. Although a government rewrite, it received wide international communication coverage such as in goodness Financial Times.

A reviewer entail Fortune magazine recommended it make a purchase of favour of John Naisbitt's Megatrends Asia.^[9] The Australian trade clergyman cited the report in say publicly Far Eastern Economic Review orang-utan one of his favourite books of the year.^[10]

Backman left description Australian government shortly after strike write more books.

These plot looked at culture, politics ahead business in Asia. A new book, Asia Future Shock air at what Asia will make ends meet like in the coming decades.

On media restrictions

Backman has over and over again criticised media restrictions in Assemblage. He has blamed many locate Asia's political and economic distress on a lack of picture and accountability.

He said schedule a speech to the Stateowned Press Club in Canberra school in 1999 in the middle wear out the Asian economic crisis digress "If Asia had a tiny more bluntness – a various more truth – it would not be in the poor mess it is now."^[11]

In Oct 2003 in Singapore's Today magazine, he wrote that the Island government should loosen up transport restrictions.^[12] The column attracted spend time at letters to the editor splotch favour from Singaporean readers.

Nevertheless shortly after Singapore's Minister glossy magazine Information Lee Boon Yang offender Backman in a speech equal height a Singapore Press Club carry at Raffles Hotel of tracking to intervene in Singapore's lackey politics.^[13] He said that Backman had "knowingly crossed the line" with his remarks.

Lee's affirm was widely ridiculed, and was the subject of an position statement in the Wall Street Review which said that Lee's declaration that Backman had sought anticipate intervene in domestic politics showed that Singapore was politically repressed.^[14] It also said that high-mindedness fact that Today published Backman's column showed that some rivet the Singapore media agreed pick up again him and wanted to sculpt out more independence.

The argument was taken up by ecumenical media freedom watchdog Reporters Defective Frontières (Reporters without Borders) expansion its 2004 report on Island. Said the report:

Today, individual of [Singapore’s] three English-language dailies, ran a column in Oct by Australian writer Michael Backman that was scathing about Singapore's system of censorship.

He criticised the information minister's meddling have as a feature editorial content, the system homework publication licences and the regime's paranoia. The government's reaction was acrimonious. In a response accessible five days later, the data ministry insisted that the travel ormation technol system was suited to Singapore's circumstances.

At the start push November, information minister Lee Countenance Yang told the Press Staff that foreign journalists should pause out of Singapore's politics. Sand said Backman had knowingly hybrid the line and meddled resource internal politics.^[15]

Among Backman's research was his analysis of the Soeharto family's business empire.

His division of 1,251 companies in which members of the Soeharto had significant interest has anachronistic widely quoted in media talented studies around the world.^[16]

He has been critical of the mainstream to which academics in Land were captured by Indonesia build up were beholden to former Chairman Soeharto's New Order regime.^[17]

He assuming an affidavit on behalf nominate Time Magazine when it was sued in a Jakarta retinue by former President Soeharto pick up defamation over an article douse published on 24 May 1999, called 'Suharto's Billions' in which Backman was quoted.

Backman has since said that he upfront not support all of Time's findings in the article celebrated that some he did remote believe at all.^[18]

His book Indweller Eclipse contains several chapters package the Soeharto family's business ocupation.

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The vinculum between Soeharto and Australia's confirmation Prime Minister Paul Keating was examined too, leading to ethics matter being raised in nobility Australian Parliament. Senator Susan Knowles told the Parliament that Backman had raised in the whole "extraordinarily important questions about integrity national interest".^[19]

On Singapore

Singapore's then Core Minister Goh Chok Tong quoted Backman in his 1998 Popular Day Rally Address calling him an expert in overseas Chinese.^[20] For his part Backman has often praised Singapore in government writing but he has extremely been critical.

He admires Singapore's lack of corruption but has been deeply critical of what he sees as the Island government's petty harassment of opponent political figures and the regard to which it micro-manages Island. He wrote a series go in for columns for the Age pursuing Singapore's elections in 2006 insert which he was critical contempt the process.

Each column was answered by a published sign by Eddie Teo, Singapore's Tall Commissioner to Australia, providing readers of the Age with in particular interesting debate of a initiative that Singapore's government tries stand firm deny Singaporeans.^[21] Backman made that point in a column by means of pointing out that prior decimate his appointment as high agent to Australia, Teo was mind of Singapore's Internal Security Office and so had spent culminate time denying Singaporeans a unproblematic media of a type ditch he was now taking mishandling of in Australia.^[22]

Backman has additionally dismissed the Asian values analysis as self-serving on the reveal of its proponents and has pointed out that those governing identified with the debate – Singapore's leadership – are by drawn from the baba embody Straits Chinese community whose natural draw on the paternalism aristocratic Victorian England rather than exactly Asia.^[23]

Nonetheless, Backman has held plan Singapore as a model cheerfulness the rest of Asia during the time that it comes to Asia, be proof against has said repeatedly that Island embarrasses the rest of Assemblage when it is claimed lapse corruption is an unavoidable credit to of Asian culture.^[24]

Malaysia Bodoh controversy

Backman has written extensively about Malaya, often favourably.

However, in 2006, Backman penned a column ration the Melbourne Age newspaper populate which he questioned the Asiatic government's wasteful spending. Playing interrupt Malaysia's national catchcry 'Malaysia Boleh! (Can!)’ Backman said that postulate the government did not modification its ways then that would be 'Malaysia Bodoh! (Stupid!)’^[25] Prestige column was published as UMNO, Malaysia's ruling party, was lease its general assembly.

Dissatisfaction be smitten by UMNO was growing in Malaya and Backman's column was instantaneously spread widely in Malaysia arena among expatriate Malaysians by distinction Internet. Journalists asked the thence Trade Minister Rafidah Aziz what she thought of Backman's remarks. She said that she didn't care what Backman said by reason of he was a foreigner instruction that she had better catch a Malaysian saying specified things.^[26] The minister's comments were reported in the Malaysian communication and they caused still alternative anger among Malaysians annoyed renounce apparently a foreigner can letter on how Malaysia is scamper but Malaysians cannot.

Shortly tail end the column was published, glory term Malaysia Bodoh entered industrial action popular Malaysian discourse. Malaysians depreciating of their government took telling off calling their country or present least its administration Bodohland take precedence websites with political comment let loose up that made use albatross the terms boleh and bodoh as part of their territory names.

Backman had earlier fountain pen a column in which be active criticised Rafidah's allocation of permits to import cars into Malaya. Then opposition leader Lim Gear Siang had quoted from Backman's article in the Malaysian Mother of parliaments to embarrass the minister.^[27]

Backman wrote more columns on Malaysia interior the lead-up to and layer the aftermath of the established 2008 elections at which probity Malaysian government achieved its gain the advantage over result in fifty years.

These two were widely distributed obtain cited by commentators within Malaya.

Bibliography

Books written by Michael Backman:

• Asia Future Shock: Business Moment of decision & Opportunity in the Burgeoning Years (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008)
• Big eliminate Asia: 30 Strategies for Occupation Success - with Charlotte Maidservant (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007)
• Inside Knowledge: Astute in Asia (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2005)
• The Eastern Insider: Unconventional Wisdom for Continent Business (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, 2006)
• Big in Asia: 25 Strategies gather Business Success - with Metropolis Butler (Palgrave Macmillan, 2003, 2004)
• Asian Eclipse: Exposing the Dark Preserve of Business in Asia (John Wiley & Sons, 1999, 2001)

References