ASEAN and its future challenges<\/p>\n
By Jusuf Wanandi<\/p>\n
PETALING JAYA, Malaysia (JP): On July 20 to July 23, 1997,
\nASEAN-Institutes of Strategic and International Studies (ASEAN-
\nISIS) held its second ASEAN congress in conjunction with ASEAN's
\n30th anniversary in Kuala Lumpur. The congress was meant not only
\nto celebrate ASEAN's 30th anniversary but also to get more people
\nfrom ASEAN countries to participate and be involved in ASEAN'S
\nactivities in the future.<\/p>\n
This congress was in response to the idea of an ASEAN assembly
\nproposed by the then Thai foreign minister at the ASEAN Ministers
\nMeeting of 1995 at Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei. He proposed
\nthat ASEAN should not be only a cooperation among the
\nofficialdom, but that ASEAN people of all walks of life should
\nparticipate in ASEAN to strengthen the foundation of ASEAN and
\ntherefore make ASEAN a more viable regional organization for the
\nfuture.<\/p>\n
ASEAN-ISIS, being one of the nonofficial institutions
\nconsisting of think tanks of six ASEAN members plus a Cambodian
\ninstitution, but excluding Brunei which is still considering
\nestablishing its own institution, took up the proposal and
\norganized the ASEAN congress to start the process.<\/p>\n
The congress was attended not only by academics but also by
\nofficials, the private sector, parliamentarians, NGOs in the
\nareas of human rights, women and environment as well as other
\nsocial organizations. Above all there were many young ASEAN
\nparticipants.<\/p>\n
The fact that this gathering took place is in itself
\nencouraging. This gathering could in future be expanded into a
\nforum of broader-based ASEAN nonofficialdom. In addition, the
\ndiscussions and exchanges on ASEAN's achievements in the last 30
\nyears and ASEAN's challenges in the next few decades have been
\nmost interesting and rewarding. The fact that this kind of
\ndiscussion could be conducted in a frank and open way suggests
\nthat ASEAN has a bright future. Such discussions are important
\nbecause ASEAN faces many challenges, and an inability to overcome
\nsome of the challenges could severely weaken ASEAN.<\/p>\n
What are the most important challenges for ASEAN, and what
\nshould ASEAN do to cope with them?<\/p>\n
To address these issues, one needs to first reflect on what
\nASEAN has achieved in the last 30 years on behalf of its members
\nand for the whole of Southeast Asia. ASEAN's most important
\nachievement is that it has created peace among its members in a
\nregion which had been called \"the Balkans of Asia\" and where the
\n\"next dominoes were waiting to fall\". Regional peace has given
\nits members for the first time the chance to develop economically
\nand to build nation and state. It also has created an environment
\nin which wars between its members are virtually impossible.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, this achievement has enabled ASEAN to play an
\nimportant and influential role in Southeast Asia, the
\nAsia-Pacific and the world.<\/p>\n
Having achieved this, there are also many challenges to
\nASEAN's cooperation, stature and influence in the future. The
\nmost important and basic challenge is whether ASEAN can adjust
\nand change in the face of those new challenges.<\/p>\n
The first challenge relates to the enlargement of ASEAN. The
\npostponement of Cambodia's membership due to domestic conflict,
\nspecifically due to the use of force by one of the coalition
\nparties to change the government, is the most vivid example.<\/p>\n
The incident has shown that the principle of noninterference,
\nso jealously held by ASEAN governments as a basis of ASEAN
\nrelations, will have to be reviewed. In state-to-state relations
\nan exception was made in the case of Philippines in 1986, and
\nrecently in relation to the Cambodian conflict. In their
\n\"constructive engagement\" with Myanmar, ASEAN governments have
\ngiven advise to the SLORC on a private basis, with regard to the
\ndirection of Myanmar's domestic political development.<\/p>\n
It clearly shows the validity of the idea of Deputy Prime
\nMinister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, as reported in Newsweek, on
\nthe need for ASEAN to get into \"constructive involvement\" with
\neach other. This was proposed by ASEAN-ISIS in a memorandum in
\n1993 following a working visit to Cambodia.<\/p>\n
This is more than preventive diplomacy, because such
\nconstructive involvement must also involve technical and
\ndevelopmental assistance. It would also involve assistance in
\nstate and nation building. This is valid not only for Cambodia,
\nbut also for Laos and Myanmar in the future. To be able to do all
\nthis, ASEAN has to do two things. First, deepen its cooperation.
\nIt should not only be a \"neighborhood club\" for creating
\ngoodwill, understanding, and promoting cooperation as has been
\nthe case during the last 30 years.<\/p>\n
With an enlargement of its membership ASEAN countries are
\nbound to do more with each other, otherwise there would be the
\ndanger of a two-tiered ASEAN developing, one rich and one poor,
\nwhich would only exacerbate tensions and might create new
\nconflicts.<\/p>\n
Deepening of cooperation means a \"constructive involvement\" of
\nASEAN in other members' national development. To be able to
\nimplement this new function the organization should, of course,
\nbe adjusted.<\/p>\n
Second, ASEAN's cooperation should be based on certain
\nprinciples of regionalism. Deepening of ASEAN cooperation would
\nmean the establishment of a regional Southeast Asian community.
\nThe principles are already embodied in the ideals and
\nphilosophies of state of the ASEAN nations, such as Pancasila in
\nIndonesia's case.<\/p>\n
Common principles should be laid down based on these ideals
\nand made into norms and morality of ASEAN.<\/p>\n
Another important challenge is the increased participation of
\nASEAN nonofficial organizations and peoples in shaping ASEAN's
\nfuture cooperation<\/p>\n
To ignore this development and to depend only on state-to-
\nstate relations would only impoverish ASEAN, and might make the
\norganization less relevant, even irrelevant, in the future
\nbecause critical issues faced within ASEAN would be discussed or
\nsolved outside of ASEAN. At the very least, it would constrain
\nASEAN's ambition to play a greater future role in the wider Asia-
\nPacific region and the world.<\/p>\n
Since no more wars are expected to break out among its
\nmembers, ASEAN may cease to be taken seriously by its members.<\/p>\n
Only with greater support, participation and attention by its
\npeople as well as its non-governmental organizations and leaders,
\ncan ASEAN remain relevant in the future and become stronger and
\nmore cohesive to face its future challenges in Southeast Asia,
\nthe wider Asia-Pacific region and the world.<\/p>\n
This is the message of the second ASEAN-ISIS congress. Anybody
\nwho cares about ASEAN should take this message seriously and do
\nsomething.<\/p>\n
The writer is one of the founding directors of the Center for
\nStrategic and International Studies, Jakarta.<\/p>",
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