Description

Asia has gone through several stages of constitution-making since the late nineteenth century, with decolonization in particular spurring a flurry of activity in this regard. In more recent years, a new wave of constitution-making has been taking place: East Timor, for example, adopted the nation’s first constitution in 2002. More recently, Thailand and Nepal have adopted new constitutions, while Sri Lanka and Myanmar are currently debating the initiation and design of national constitution-making processes. As compared to the earlier epochs, a significant feature of this latest stage is that these processes take place in the context of globalization.

Convened by Assoc Prof Maartje De Visser (SMU Law) and Dr Bui Ngoc Son (NUS Law), the Workshop aims to explore how selected Asian nations have conducted, or are conducting, constitution-making in the face of pressures associated with globalization, with reference to the following questions:

• What is the nature and origin of the global and local factors that shape the design of constitution-making processes?
• How do such factors interact: are they mutually constitutive of specific procedural choices or do they point in opposite directions, possibly injecting (more) tension in what often already is a complex and sensitive undertaking?
• What are the consequences, both in terms of drafting processes and the eventual text of the constitution, that can be attributed to the interplay between global and domestic imperatives?

Speakers and Commentators

• Bipin Adhikari (Kathmandu University School of Law)
• Bui Ngoc Son (National University of Singapore)
• Maartje de Visser (Singapore Management University)
• Mark Findlay (Singapore Management University)
• Andrew Harding (National University of Singapore)
• Venkat Iyer (Ulster University)
• Nyi Nyi Kyaw (National University of Singapore)
• Rawin Leelapatana (University of Bristol)
• Austin Pullé (Singapore Management University)
• Cheryl Saunders (Melbourne University)
• Suri Ratnapala (University of Queensland)
• Kevin Tan (National University of Singapore)
• Thio Li-ann (National University of Singapore)
• Joanne Wallis (Australian National University)