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government's petty harassment of opposition political figures and the degree to which it micro-manages
Singapore. He wrote a series of columns for the Age following Singapore's elections in 2006 in which he was critical of the process. Each column was answered by a published letter by Eddie Teo, Singapore's High Commissioner to Australia, providing readers of the Age with an interesting debate of a type that Singapore's government tries to deny Singaporeans. Backman made this point in a column by pointing out that prior to his appointment as high commissioner to Australia, Teo was head of Singapore's Internal Security Department and so had spent his time denying Singaporeans a free media of a type that he was now taking advantage of in Australia.
144:, one of three English-language dailies, ran a column in October by Australian writer Michael Backman that was scathing about Singapore's system of censorship. He criticised the information minister's meddling in editorial content, the system of publication licences and the regime's paranoia. The government's reaction was acrimonious. In a response published five days later, the information ministry insisted that the media system was suited to Singapore's circumstances. At the start of November, information minister Lee Bon Yang told the Press Club that foreign journalists should stay out of Singapore's politics. He said Backman had knowingly crossed the line and meddled in internal politics.
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government did not change its ways then that would be 'Malaysia Bodoh! (Stupid!)’ The column was published as UMNO, Malaysia's ruling party, was holding its general assembly. Dissatisfaction with UMNO was growing in
Malaysia and Backman's column was immediately spread widely in Malaysia and among expatriate Malaysians by the Internet. Journalists asked the then Trade Minister
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as "the most corrosive, devastating attack on Asian business practices I've ever seen. It was a real eye opener. I thought it was amazing stuff." Backman has said that legal advice prevented him from going even further. The
Economist named it as one of the "finest" non-fiction books of the year. Said
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Michael
Backman has written widely about the ills faced by Asia's economies, arguing for greater scrutiny and transparency and denouncing official corruption. He argues that a free and well-resourced media is one way in which greater transparency and accountability can be brought about. His bluntness
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Shortly after the column was published, the term
Malaysia Bodoh entered into popular Malaysian discourse. Malaysians critical of their government took to calling their country or at least its administration Bodohland and websites with political comment sprung up that made use of the terms boleh and
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when it was sued in a
Jakarta court by former President Soeharto for defamation over an article it published on 24 May 1999, called 'Suharto's Billions' in which Backman was quoted. Backman has since said that he did not support all of Time's findings in the article and that some he did not believe
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what she thought of
Backman's remarks. She said that she didn't care what Backman said because he was a foreigner and that she had better not catch a Malaysian saying such things. The minister's comments were reported in the Malaysian media and they caused still more anger among Malaysians annoyed
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Backman has written extensively about
Malaysia, often favourably. However, in 2006, Backman penned a column for the Melbourne Age newspaper in which he questioned the Malaysian government's wasteful spending. Playing on Malaysia's national catchcry 'Malaysia Boleh! (Can!)’ Backman said that if the
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of seeking to intervene in
Singapore's domestic politics. He said that Backman had "knowingly crossed the line" with his remarks. Lee's claim was widely ridiculed, and was the subject of an editorial in the Wall Street Journal which said that Lee's assertion that Backman had sought to intervene in
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quoted
Backman in his 1998 National Day Rally Address calling him an expert in overseas Chinese. For his part Backman has often praised Singapore in his writing but he has also been critical. He admires Singapore's lack of corruption but has been deeply critical of what he sees as the Singapore
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Backman has also played a role in the debate over his native Australia's relationship with Asia. Rowan Callick writing in the Australian Financial Review described Backman as "the brilliant young writer on regional business strategies" and one of the fresh names to drive debate over Australia's
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Backman wrote more columns on Malaysia in the lead-up to and in the aftermath of the historic 2008 elections at which the Malaysian government achieved its worst result in fifty years. These two were widely distributed and cited by commentators within Malaysia.
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Another recurring theme of Backman's is that business people seeking to do business in Asia must understand the cultural and political context of Asia and not just business per se. Accordingly, his books have included chapters on the role of women in Asia,
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He first came to notice with the Australian Government's publication in 1995 of 'Overseas Chinese Business Networks in Asia' of which he was the principal. Although a government publication, it received wide international media coverage such as in the
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Nonetheless, Backman has held up Singapore as a model for the rest of Asia when it comes to Asia, and has said repeatedly that Singapore embarrasses the rest of Asia when it is claimed that corruption is an unavoidable part of Asian culture.
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was examined too, leading to the matter being raised in the Australian Parliament. Senator Susan Knowles told the Parliament that Backman had raised in the book "extraordinarily important questions about the national interest".
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newspaper, he wrote that the Singapore government should loosen up media restrictions. The column attracted many letters to the editor in favour from Singaporean readers. But shortly after Singapore's Minister for Information
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Backman left the Australian government shortly after to write more books. These have looked at culture, politics and business in Asia. A recent book, Asia Future Shock looks at what Asia will be like in the coming decades.
43:, executions, and so on. Another theme is that Asian leaders must be accountable for their actions - to the citizens they are supposed to serve and that this is best guaranteed by an independent judiciary and a free media.
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that apparently a foreigner can comment on how Malaysia is run but Malaysians cannot. Meanwhile, the column continued to circulate and Backman reportedly received more than a thousand e-mails in support from Malaysians.
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Backman has frequently criticised media restrictions in Asia. He has blamed many of Asia's political and economic problems on a lack of transparency and accountability. He said in a speech to the National Press Club in
86:. A reviewer in Fortune magazine recommended it in favour of John Naisbitt's Megatrends Asia. The Australian trade minister cited the report in the Far Eastern Economic Review as one of his favourite books of the year.
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family's business empire. His figure of 1,251 companies in which members of the Soeharto family had significant interest has been widely quoted in media and studies around the world.
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included the book in his list of 109 books that all Thais should read. His books have been translated into Chinese, Indonesian and Spanish as well as being available in English.
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debate as self-serving on the part of its proponents and has pointed out that those most identified with the debate – Singapore's leadership – are largely drawn from the
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The Economist, "Backman really understands why business evolved the way it did in Asia". Praise also came from some surprising quarters. Thailand's then Prime Minister
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Backman has said that he first developed his interest in Asia while at university in Australia. Many of the other students were from Asia, particularly from Malaysia.
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in 1999 in the middle of the Asian economic crisis that "If Asia had a little more bluntness – a little more truth – it would not be in the economic mess it is now."
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Case, W., 'Painted Black', Far Eastern Economic Review, 18 February 1999; and Khoo Boo Tiek, 'Mahathir, Foreign media no bitter foes', The Nation, 5 August 1999.
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has been criticised for example. But then perhaps not surprisingly, Backman's support was quoted approvingly in a speech by Malaysia's then Transport Minister
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Backman had earlier penned a column in which he criticised Rafidah's allocation of permits to import cars into Malaysia. Then opposition leader
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Financial Times, 'Majority stake of Chinese minorities', 16 August 1995; and Kraar, L., 'A Megatrend or Megamuddle', Fortune, 19 February 1996
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published Backman's column showed that some in the Singapore media agreed with him and wanted to carve out more independence.
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coupled with his knowledge of Asia has drawn both public praise and opprobrium from political leaders and others in Asia.
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Backman's main book on corporate governance in Asia – Asian Eclipse – was described by one commentator in Hong Kong's
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Canberra Times, 'Asia needs more bluntness, more truth in business, says author in economic critique', 22 April 1999.
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See Backman, M., The Asian Insider: Unconventional Wisdom for Asian Business, Palgrave-Macmillan, 2004, chapter 11
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Hansard, 'Matters of Public Interest- Mr Paul Keating', The Senate, Australian Parliament, 28 April 1999.
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Backman, M., Asian Eclipse: Exposing the Dark Side of Business in Asia, John Wiley & Sons, 2001.
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domestic politics showed that Singapore was politically repressed. It also said that the fact that
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Backman, M. 'While Malaysia fiddles, its opportunities are running dry', The Age, 15 November 2006
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Callick, R., 'Fresh faces to drive debate in region', Australian Financial Review, 1 January 2002.
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Backman is not without his critics. The support he has offered Malaysia's former Prime Minister
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Ling Liong Sik, Media release: 'Dr M’s vision brought progress in education', 13 January 2002.
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Taylor, L., Australian Financial Review, 'The Lobby that loved Indonesia', 16–7 October 1999.
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family's business dealings. The link between Soeharto and Australia's then Prime Minister
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had quoted from Backman's article in the Malaysian Parliament to embarrass the minister.
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community whose values draw on the paternalism of Victorian England rather than on Asia.
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Backman, M., 'Asians and Victorian Values', Far Eastern Economic Review, 30 March 2000
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See for example, Teo, E., 'Singapore enforced law with Review', Age, 16 October 2006.
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Mitchell, T., 'Tales from the Asian dark side', South China Morning Post, 5 May 2003.
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He has been critical of the degree to which academics in Australia were captured by
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26:. Much of his writing relates to Asia's economies, business, culture and politics.
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22:(born 19 September 1967) is an Australian-born writer who now resides in
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Backman, 'Soeharto, bribes and a culture of corruption', 23 January 2008
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Asia Future Shock: Business Crisis & Opportunity in the Coming Years
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Please help rewrite or integrate negative information to other sections
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Hansard, Malaysian Parliament – 'Rang Undang-Undang', 27 September 2005
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Far Eastern Economic Review, 'Our favourite books', 28 December 1996.
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and were beholden to former President Soeharto's New Order regime.
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Backman, M., 'Is Singapore being paranoid?’, Today, 8 October 2003
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Backman, M., 'Downsides devalue Singapore Inc', Age, 31 May 2006.
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Asian Wall Street Journal, 'I will if you will', 25–26 June 1999.
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The Nation, 'Homework assignment from the kingdom', 24 May 2005.
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The affair was taken up by international media freedom watchdog
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The Star, 'Rafidah plays down Aussie barbs', 19 November 2006.
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The Economist, "Our reviewers' favourites", 4 December 1999.
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Goh Chok Tong, 'National Day Rally Address', 23 August 1998
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The Asian Insider: Unconventional Wisdom for Asian Business
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Reporters Sans Frontières, Singapore – 2004 Annual Report.
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Asian Eclipse: Exposing the Dark Side of Business in Asia
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His book Asian Eclipse contains several chapters on the
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