YLDA publishes book on Freedom

I'm very proud to be part of this book published by the Young Liberals and Democrats of Asia (YLDA) discussing the varied aspects of freedom. My latest published work entitled, "Creative Process Unleashed in the Art Room" can be seen on pages 24-28 of the book, Freedom Writers: Young Asians' Call to Freedom. This book, published in December of 2008, was written by writers of different nationalities (including an American) from the Philippines, Germany, India, Cambodia, Malaysia, Sweden and Thailand.

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The text below was taken from the YLDA website:

YLDA Publishes Book on Freedom

(Friday, January 16, 2009)

In commemoration of its fifth anniversary, the Young Liberals and Democrats of Asia published Freedom Writers: Young Asians’ Call to Freedom.

This book was made possible through the support of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty (FNF).

Mr. Siegfried Herzog, Resident Representative of the FNF Philippine Office, writes that the book “offers an interesting take on how young Asians look at the political world around them, at the current challenges, and at new paths to action.”

Chapter prefaces were written by Neric Acosta, Secretary General of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats, and Mu Sochua and Yim Sovann, members of parliament from the Sam Rainsy Party Cambodia.

The first chapter, on education and freedom of expression, includes contributions from Wendi Boxx, an American overseeing a project on legalized sex work, public policy and anti-human trafficking initiatives in Germany; Arvin Ello, a writer from the Philippines; and Renu Pokharna of the Liberal Youth Forum in India.

Asian values and human rights are tackled in the second chapter. Patrick Alcantara emphasizes that “democracy requires a cultural aspect that could only be the result of continuously building a national identity.” Khang Woon Ong writes about moving towards a civil society in Malaysia. Dashell Yancha, on the other hand, discusses how the “Filipino youth should be able to transcend the stifling effects of relationality in order to allow room for personal growth and advancement.”

The last chapter tackles youth empowerment and participation. The political crisis of the Thai student movement is explained by Pokpong Lawansiri. Vanessa Remoquillo writes about being confronted with questions about nationhood, while Mark Visda describes his idea of nationalism.

Through this publication, YLDA hopes “that the thoughts of our young people engaged in the struggle for freedom will in turn inspire our own efforts and fuel our own passions to secure a better future for the Asian continent.”

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“Freedom Writers: Young Asians’ Call to Freedom” will be formally launched at this year’s strategic planning workshop in April and distributed to workshop participants and member organizations. For more information, please e-mail secretariat@yldasia.org.

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