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India is set for a series of important state elections in the next few months.

‘Tis the season for elections.  That the Indian Parliament’s rambunctious final session of 2011 ended in a near washout on 29th December was probably no big surprise, given that the major parties were jostling for advantage ahead of a series of key state assembly elections due in the next couple of months.

There had been expectations that Parliament would pass several important bills in its winter session, including a trio meant to address corruption, the centrepiece of which was the Lokpal Bill to set up a national system of ombudsmen.  The latter became a national issue in August 2011 when the government was forced to resurface the previously neglected bill after a high-profile hunger strike by a civil society activist riding on public sentiment against a venal political class.

The ruling party makes some internal adjustments, but deeper changes are needed.

Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) had an unaccustomed annus horribilis in 2011, clocking its worst ever electoral result in May’s General Election – unprecedentedly losing several ministers in the process – and seeing its favoured candidate squeaking into office during the subsequent presidential election in August by the slimmest of margins.  With anti-incumbency sentiment fuelled by issues including immigration, inequality, elite insolence and instances of incompetence, the PAP’s dominance appeared shaky for the first time in living memory.

The following is a blog post by the Minister for National Development (MND), Mr Khaw Boon Wan, on the MND blog, Housing Matters.

MND introduced the Interim Rental Housing (IRH) scheme in 2009 as a pilot, to help needy families with temporary housing at subsidised rates, while they work out a more permanent solution. The scheme is run by private operators, not HDB. To cover costs, the operators are allowed to lease out a portion of the flats at each IRH site at market rental rates to other Singaporeans and foreigners working and studying in Singapore.

The Singaporean government understood that developing programs to counter terrorist recruitment efforts is a crucial part of any counterterrorism strategy. Otherwise law enforcement and intelligence operatives can be drawn into a never ending "cat and mouse" game if terrorists are allowed to continue hijacking local grievances for support and recruits. While in some countries investing money and effort on rehabilitation programs is seen as being soft, the Singaporeans see it as an important weapon. They understand that it goes hand-in-hand with intelligence and law enforcement work, and is an important (if forgotten) tool.

The impact of the program on the community has been positive. The Muslim community feels it is part of the effort to protect Singapore from outside terrorists and corrupters. The threat from JI has diminished. Together with colleagues, as part of a study sponsored by the Qatar International Academy for Security Studies, we looked at Countering Violent Extremism programs around the world and found Singapore's to be very effective.

Read the full article on the Wall Street Journal.