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An Asean community goes beyond declarations

AT the time of the formation of Asean, its founding fathers held that it should not take the character of a mere agreement couched in platitudes. Rather, they firmly resolved that the regional organisation should be rooted in a deep spirit of camaraderie. This in essence, has been the underlying strength of Asean.

In embracing a spirit of togetherness, Asean leaders held that the best way to ensure the grouping's success was by giving its political and security concerns a low profile. Their intent on keeping these sensitive matters away from the glare and blare of media publicity and international attention was also deemed expedient given the history of conflicts between and among the countries in the region.

Further, it was strongly felt that focus on such issues would overburden the nascent regional group and very well spell its doom. In downplaying them, the potential for inimical external quarters to frustrate progress would be lessened. Accordingly, they projected the economic character of the grouping as its priority.

Thus, whilst political and security issues were being quietly addressed, its economic aspirations were given disproportionately wider media coverage. A sense of a common destiny coalesced in the process as evidenced in the turbulent decades following Asean's formation. This largely explains why Asean's track record in the political front has been more demonstrative than its economic function, though outwardly, it was its economic character that was consistently stressed.

No doubt, around the early 1990s particularly, there was a concerted effort to catalyse the economic function of Asean. A key initiative was the establishment of regional economic hubs or growth zones. In addition, Asean industrial ventures such as the manufacture of an Asean car offering greater economies of scale and competitive advantage were mooted. These bold regional economic ventures have yet to achieve their full potential. The Asean Charter which encompasses specific economic integration goals such as the Asean Free Trade Area is expected to generate greater economic integration, albeit over a period.

However, it is not in the economic sphere, but in the political and security arena that the greater challenge to the establishment of the Asean Community rests. The Asean Community is an ideal that goes well beyond bold declarations and rhetorical statements articulated by leaders and officials. It demands a mental culture or consciousness of oneness that extends well beyond the confines of political leadership, bureaucratic machinery, the captains of business and industry and intelligentsia. Indeed, an Asean mental culture should percolate right through all strata of society. The spirit of togetherness nurtured at the political leadership level should permeate across all sections of society. For this to coagulate, three important ingredients readily come to mind.

The first is the inculcation of an Asean consciousness in the education systems right from the primary level. To focus on promoting Asean studies at the tertiary level is limiting and unlikely to ensure the internalisation of an Asean mind set among the masses across member states. The other is for member states to genuinely promote the free flow of peoples, goods and services across national boundaries to engender greater people-to-people contact, exchanges, understanding and confidence in the belief of sharing a common destiny.

The challenge is to render a people-centred Asean Community. The task ahead is to make Asean "felt" by the ordinary citizenry. Unless sufficient focus is given to this benchmark and adequate resources are committed by way of sustained and concerted projects and programmes this vital underpinning for an Asean Community would remain more an aspiration than a reality.

This brings us to the third and the most important challenge, the establishment of a common standard of governance among all member states. Among other things, this involves the strengthening of the rules and regulations as well as institutional frameworks in all aspects of governance in accordance with the larger aspirations of Asean. Ideally, national systems of government, administration and laws would have to comply with the commitments agreed upon by the 10 member states in the Charter. The Asean diplomacy of non-interference in the internal affairs of member-states which is also clearly inscribed in the Charter stands to obstruct the realisation of this pillar of the Asean Community. There is also the related issue of enforcement, for example, of imposing sanctions against any member-state which has violated the Charter such as the abuse of human rights.

The point to note here is that it was the vital painstaking process of confidence building through Asean's quiet diplomacy of togetherness that reinforced the national and regional resilience of member states. This would not have been possible if not for the strict adherence of Asean leaders in upholding as sacrosanct, the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of member states. It is now left to the political will of Asean leaders to address this inherent contradiction that stands in the way of an Asean Community.

Additional Information

Country: Association of South East Asian Nations
Website: http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/an-asean-community-goes-beyond-declarations-1.290212?ModPagespeed=noscript
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Source: www.nst.com.my
When: 03/6/2013

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