ASEAN solidarity at stake as leaders meet for summit<\/p>\n
By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat<\/p>\n
HANOI (JP): When ASEAN leaders sit down for their annual
\nsummit on Tuesday, the eyes of the region and the world will look
\nto them to produce concrete results and a show of solidarity in a
\ngrouping facing a crisis of confidence.<\/p>\n
Unlike the 1995 ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, in which the grouping
\nwas the epitome of poise and calm, the leaders now meet under a
\ncompletely different regional setting.<\/p>\n
The nine leaders' meeting will be filled with ironies and
\ndilemmas as teething problems erode much of the grouping's
\nstature.<\/p>\n
Even long-held ASEAN principles such as nonintervention are
\ncoming under direct attack as a result of the Cambodia question.<\/p>\n
ASEAN foreign ministers were anything but united with the
\nacclaimed ASEAN spirit of compromise nowhere to be found, leaving
\nthe leaders to decide what has become the summit's most
\ncontentious issue.<\/p>\n
In the past, such obstacles seemed unthinkable. When Myanmar
\nwas accepted as a full member in July 1997, ASEAN brushed aside
\nthe international outcry for warmly welcoming a government
\naccused of blatant human rights abuses.<\/p>\n
Nonintervention in member states' internal affairs was once a
\nsacred principle that was never compromised, and the dilemma now
\nis whether national interests should override one of ASEAN's
\nbasic tenets.<\/p>\n
If the leaders fail to reach a consensus on such a fundamental
\nissue as membership, it will signify a lack of synergy in a
\ngrouping which has always prided itself on its cohesiveness.<\/p>\n
Indonesian foreign minister Ali Alatas admitted there was a
\nfear by many members that the Cambodia issue could be seen as
\nblatant domestic interference.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless he rejected the suggestion that as a result,
\nASEAN was going through an identity crisis.<\/p>\n
\"No, not at all. It's not as serious as that,\" he told The
\nJakarta Post. \"Anyway don't be too quick to say crisis, we have
\ntoo much of that already\".<\/p>\n
An undercurrent of friction continues among some ASEAN leaders
\n-- for example Philippine President Joseph Estrada and Indonesian
\nPresident B.J. Habibie have cold-shouldered Malaysian Prime
\nMinister Mahathir Mohamad over the latter's treatment of his
\ndismissed deputy Anwar Ibrahim.<\/p>\n
Other ASEAN leaders due to attend the summit are Vietnamese
\nPrime Minister Phan Van Khai, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah,
\nLaoian Prime Minister Sisavat Keobounphanh, Myanmar's Senior
\nGeneral Than Shwe, Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and
\nThai Premier Chuan Leekpai.<\/p>\n
Declaration<\/p>\n
The results of the summit will be published in two main
\ndocuments: the Hanoi Plan of Action and the Hanoi Declaration.<\/p>\n
The Hanoi Plan of Action is a lengthy document of more than a
\ndozen pages, designed to be a six-year blueprint for ASEAN Vision
\n2020.<\/p>\n
Adopted in December 1997, the Vision aims to achieve a concert
\nof Southeast Asian nations which is outward looking, living in
\npeace, bonded together in a dynamic development outlook and
\nexisting in a community of caring societies.<\/p>\n
The Plan of Action covers a wide range of areas from
\nmacroeconomic and financial Cooperation, through social
\ndevelopment and environmental protection, to regional security.<\/p>\n
The core element of these documents, which will include a
\nStatement on Bold (economic) Measures, is aimed at expediting
\neconomic recovery through concrete medium and short-term
\nmeasures.<\/p>\n
Through an acceleration of the ASEAN Free Trade Area and the
\nprovision of investment incentives, ASEAN leaders hope to
\nresuscitate their economies and make the region a leading
\ninvestment area.<\/p>\n
Foreign direct investment into ASEAN declined from US$31.4
\nbillion in 1996 to $19 billion in 1997.<\/p>\n
Among the measures set to be given the go-ahead is the
\nacceleration of the ASEAN Free Trade Area from 2003 to 2002,
\nalong with the ASEAN Investment Area from 2010 to 2003.<\/p>\n
The \"bold measures\" for investors include an array of
\nincentives in the manufacturing sector for qualified investors
\napplying between Jan. 1, 1999 and Dec. 31, 2000.<\/p>\n
These include a three-year corporate income tax exemption or a
\nminimum 30-percent corporate investment tax allowance, 100-
\npercent foreign equity ownership and duty-free imports of capital
\ngoods.<\/p>\n
The Hanoi Declaration, as it presently stands, is a 29-point
\nstatement affirming the leaders' general conviction on a number
\nof regional economic, political and security objections.<\/p>\n
These include moving ASEAN to a higher regional plane of
\ncooperation and economic integration along with a promise to
\nreform shortcomings in members' respective economies.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/asean-solidarity-at-stake-as-leaders-meet-for-summit-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}