Ajit Singh optimistic about ASEAN's future<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): It was 30 years ago today when five foreign
\nministers signed their name on a document now called the Bangkok
\nDeclaration, formerly signifying the birth of the Association of
\nSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN).<\/p>\n
The grouping from its original membership of five --
\nIndonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand --
\nhas now grown to include Brunei, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.<\/p>\n
ASEAN Secretary-General Dato' Ajit Singh has much to be proud
\nof as he helms an association that has become one of the
\nstrongest and most respected in the world. But with the admission
\nof new members and the coming of a free-trade era, there are now
\nnew challenges for the association.<\/p>\n
\"I think one of the most important issues we'll be facing
\nis ... how to integrate the new countries,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Laos and Myanmar, and eventually Cambodia when it is finally
\naccepted, are transitional economies and lack the pace of
\ndevelopment their other ASEAN brothers share.<\/p>\n
It will be a major task for ASEAN to help these new members
\nshift from centrally planned economies to market economies, which
\nare often characterized by high inflation rates and weak
\nfinancial institutions.<\/p>\n
\"But I'm not pessimistic about that. I'm optimistic we'll be
\nable to assist these countries to integrate into ASEAN through
\ncooperation -- not only cooperation and assistance from ASEAN,
\nbut also aid from multilateral agencies,\" he said.<\/p>\n
While 30th anniversary celebrations are a time to look back
\nwith pride at the association's accomplishments, many ASEAN buffs
\ncannot help but feel a little bit saddened that unforeseen
\ndevelopments in the past month prevented Cambodia from being
\nadmitted during an ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Kuala Lumpur last
\nmonth.<\/p>\n
The political turmoil in Cambodia forced the postponement of
\nits membership.<\/p>\n
For Ajit Singh, who ends his five-year term as secretary-
\ngeneral at the end of the year, it must have also been a
\ndisappointment since his dream was to oversee the inclusion of 10
\nSoutheast Asian states into the grouping.<\/p>\n
But Ajit remains optimistic: \"Now it's only a question of time
\nbefore Cambodia can enter.\"<\/p>\n
\"I hope that since we are going to have this 30th anniversary
\ncelebration for a whole year, from this August until next
\nAugust, ... that we'll be able to bring Cambodia in by the end of
\nthe year or whenever conditions permit,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Ajit will be replaced by Filipino Rodolfo Severino on Jan. 1,
\n1998.<\/p>\n
What homework does ASEAN have left?<\/p>\n
\"ASEAN has so many things on its plate,\" Ajit said as he
\npointed to the establishment of the ASEAN Free Trade Area, the
\nASEAN Regional Forum and other areas of cooperation.<\/p>\n
But as many problems have been overcome in the past 30 years,
\nAjit highlighted the fact that the ASEAN spirit and the ASEAN way
\nwill also prevail, no matter what obstacles lie ahead.<\/p>\n
\"The whole idea of the 30th anniversary celebration of ASEAN
\nis that we have developed a strong ASEAN identity, there is a
\nstrong feeling of mutual trust and confidence in each other,
\nthere is a strong habit of consultation and reaching decisions by
\nconsensus,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"We have never fought with each other. This is something that
\nwe can't overstate because if you look at the history of other
\nregional organizations, they always have problems between
\nmembers,\" he explained.<\/p>\n
He then pointed to ASEAN's ability to seek avenues for
\nresolutions, or at least suspensions, of territorial conflicts.<\/p>\n
Ajit also denied when asked if the consensus decision-making
\nprocess in ASEAN would become more difficult. \"I'd say that the
\ndecision-making process will not be more difficult than what it
\nhas been for the last 30 years,\" he replied.<\/p>\n
So what direction will ASEAN go in coming years? More
\npolitical security?<\/p>\n
\"No, you cannot divorce political issues from economic issues,
\nboth are very important, because we need political stability and
\npeace in ASEAN to be able to keep making economic progress,\" Ajit
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"The fact that we've had peace and stability for the last 30
\nyears has enabled us, enabled ASEAN, to make economic progress,\"
\nhe added. (10\/mds)<\/p>\n
Integration -- Page 12<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ajit-singh-optimistic-about-aseans-future-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }