Effects of crisis, globalization cast doubt on ASEAN<\/p>\n
This is the second of a two part article based on a keynote
\naddress by Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the
\nKingdom of Thailand at the conference on Transition and
\nGlobalization: Comparative Strategies, organized by The Institute
\nof Security and International Studies on Dec. 17, 1999 in
\nBangkok.<\/p>\n
BANGKOK: Another issue of utmost importance is that of human
\nresource development. This is an objective that I consider
\ncrucial to the efforts by developing countries to cope with the
\ntsunami of globalization. An investment in human resources is an
\ninvestment in human capital that, no doubt, will yield huge
\ndividends over the long term.<\/p>\n
In this regard, I have proposed that the Southeast Asian
\ncountries embark on a campaign to promote human resource
\ndevelopment within ASEAN. Such a campaign would draw on our own
\nresources in conjunction with the generosity and support of our
\nDialogue Partners. And I am glad to report to you that there has
\nbeen a great deal of interest in this human resource development
\nproject.<\/p>\n
During my travels overseas and in discussions with visiting
\ndignitaries in Bangkok, I have urged ASEAN's Dialogue Partners
\nand other interested parties to support the establishment of a
\n\"Human Resource Development Fund for ASEAN.\" Scholarships
\nprovided by the Fund would serve not only to prevent school
\ndropouts, necessitated by economic difficulties, but would also
\nassist in the retraining of workers.<\/p>\n
To my mind, it is no longer sufficient to create job
\nopportunities for the unemployed merely to become janitors and
\nsecurity guards at factories. Over the long run, we must aim at
\nequipping our people with the necessary skills and knowledge to
\nbecome the administrators and executives of these factories.<\/p>\n
One of the fundamental reasons for the crisis in Southeast
\nAsia was the fact that we do not have our own home-grown centers
\nof science and technology. We have to depend on outside centers
\nof excellence.<\/p>\n
As a result, we have become merely adjacent to, or an
\nextension of, the major economies of the world. If we want to
\nstand on our own feet, we need to have our own competing and
\ncomplementary centers of science, technology and excellence in
\nthe region, much like in North America, in Europe, and in
\nNortheast Asia, where scientific research can be conducted in
\nmany places but the results would flow into one main place.<\/p>\n
Examples of this are the high technology industry in Boston or
\nin Silicon Valley and the aerospace industry in Toulouse, France.
\nResearch can be carried out anywhere, but results are shared by
\nall.<\/p>\n
Is this the case in Southeast Asia? No. We take the technology
\nonly if it is deemed appropriate for us. We are allowed to take
\ntechnology that we are thought capable of managing. In the end,
\nwe produce only spare parts, rather than the whole automobile. We
\nneed our human resource development urgently.<\/p>\n
Such a program would be of great benefit to all the ASEAN
\ncountries by creating a human infrastructure for long-term
\nsustainable development.<\/p>\n
However, it would be particularly valuable to the newer
\nmembers of ASEAN by helping to enhance their integration into the
\norganization as well as into the mainstream of the region. Most
\nsignificantly, it would help in creating a new leadership for the
\nregion, which is adequately prepared to face the challenges of
\nglobalization in the 21st century.<\/p>\n
To be sure, we in ASEAN shall have to rely first and foremost
\non our own resources by training and educating our youth at local
\ninstitutions within the region -- here at Chulalongkorn,
\nThammasat, the University of Singapore, the University of Malaya,
\nthe University of Indonesia, and the rest.<\/p>\n
We have many distinguished universities throughout Southeast
\nAsia. However, the problems that each of our countries are going
\nto face in the future will be global problems requiring global
\nsolutions.<\/p>\n
For this reason, it will not be adequate for ASEAN's youth to
\nreceive their education and training in this region alone. Their
\nfresh minds will need to be exposed to new surroundings, new
\ntechnologies, new ideas, and new innovations -- the stuff of the
\nglobalized age.<\/p>\n
To cope with the challenges of the next millennium, they will
\nneed to attain international exposure and experience overseas --
\nin Paris, Stockholm, Tokyo, Seoul, Boston, London, Budapest,
\nWarsaw, Johannesburg, Delhi, and other learning capitals of the
\nworld.<\/p>\n
In short, my proposal does not involve a short-term project
\nthat will be realized during the next few years. Rather, it
\nconstitutes a major, long-term initiative to train, shape and
\nmold a new generation of leadership in Southeast Asia. There is
\nscarcely anything more valuable that we can hand down to our
\ngrandchildren than to ensure that the leaders of their generation
\nare more educated, more capable and more enlightened than that of
\nour time.<\/p>\n
And when we have a wise and competent leadership, this will go
\na long way towards fulfilling our vision of a prosperous,
\npeaceful and stable Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n
There is one other topic -- the important issue of security.
\nIt should be noted that during the previous Cold War era,
\noverriding concern that preoccupied most nations was that of
\nmilitary security. However, in this day and age of globalization,
\nthe primary consideration is increasingly turning towards human
\nsecurity.<\/p>\n
The concept of human security, as I asserted in my statement
\nbefore the United Nations General Assembly this past September,
\ngoes far beyond the traditional definition of security since it
\naddresses the concept from every dimension, be it economic,
\nsocial, environmental, political or military. The full scope of
\nhuman security is not yet clearly defined, but the most important
\npoint is that we must place people at the center of our
\ndefinition of security.<\/p>\n
Accordingly, in order to keep up with the challenges and
\ndemands of globalization, it is essential for ASEAN to be more
\npeople-centered and responsive to the needs of its peoples. In
\nthe words of the ASEAN Vision 2020, we need to create a community
\nof Southeast Asian nations \"bonded together in partnership in
\ndynamic development and in a community of caring societies.\"<\/p>\n
On the subject, I draw great inspiration from the wisdom of
\nUnited Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who shares with us
\nhis vision of the future in the current edition of Newsweek
\nmagazine.<\/p>\n
Secretary-General Annan observes that \"ours in a world in
\nwhich no individual, and no country, exists in isolation.\" Faced
\nwith global threats, he points out, it is necessary for the world
\nto give more concrete meaning to the term \"international
\ncommunity\" and to join together in identifying areas where
\ncollective action is needed to safeguard global interests.<\/p>\n
For, in the final analysis, the main element that binds us all
\ntogether as an international community is \"a shared vision of a
\nbetter world for all people.\"<\/p>\n
If there is a great lesson to be learned from this great
\ncrisis here in East Asia and in ASEAN, it is this.
\nInterdependency -- no man, no country, is an island entire of
\nitself any longer.<\/p>\n
Given the great interdependence among all countries in this
\nglobalized world, it is therefore incumbent upon us to increase
\nour linkages and join hands in order to face globalization
\ntogether as a group. We must devote ourselves to helping any weak
\nlinks in the global chain since such links could create
\nvulnerabilities for the entire system.<\/p>\n
And I, from Thailand, say this out of our own experience. The
\n\"Tom Yum Kung Syndrome\" started here. Remember? Countries in this
\nposition must be given adequate encouragement and scope to
\nappreciate, realize and recognize the ultimate threat or
\nopportunity of globalization.<\/p>\n
We in Thailand share the Secretary-General's optimism and his
\nvision of a better world. We are aware that during the decades
\nahead, the nature of threats confronting our region is
\nundoubtedly going to change. Rather than armed conflict and
\nhostilities, new dangers will be posed in the form of economic
\ndisruptions and transnational problems.<\/p>\n
These include international crime, trafficking in illicit
\ndrugs, men, women and children, environmental degradation, and so
\nforth. In a world without borders, these problems are likely to
\nbecome increasingly acute, and we must be fully prepared to
\nconfront them together.<\/p>\n
At the regional level, we attach great importance to ASEAN's
\nHanoi Declaration which states that the ultimate goal of economic
\ndevelopment is \"to raise standards of living and to promote
\ndevelopment in all its dimensions, so as to enable the people of
\nASEAN to have the fullest opportunity to realize their
\npotential.\" We have therefore attached utmost priority to the
\npromotion of adequate social safety nets and the development of
\nhuman resources as steps in this direction.<\/p>\n
At the global level, we strongly believe that the nations of
\nthe world must join hands to promote \"globalization with a human
\nface.\" Among other things, we need to ensure that globalization
\nleads to greater equity amongst peoples of all nations, enhanced
\nprotection and preservation of our environment, greater
\nprotection and promotion of human rights, and, perhaps more
\nimportantly, a better life for all peoples.<\/p>\n
Whether we like it or not, globalization has become the
\npredominant and overpowering force shaping the domestic politics,
\neconomic policies and foreign relations of virtually every
\ncountry in the world today. How we cope with the challenges posed
\nby globalization can mean the difference between greater
\nprosperity and well-being for some countries and increased
\npoverty and hardships for others.<\/p>\n
For this reason, it is extremely important for countries to
\ntry to study and understand the experiences of others who have
\ngone through or are undergoing the process of transition and
\nreform in all its different dimensions.<\/p>",
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