A need for change

A need for change

After the trials of the past year, foreign ministers locked in a secret conclave for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum have a lot to mull over as they plan the way ahead.

But it will take a damascene conversion before conservative members accept the need for change. Yet political upheaval, economic collapse and environmental disasters have seen the message writ large.

Asian neighbors can no more stay aloof from each other's affairs than they can prevent smoke from distant forest fires blanking out their cities.

Non-interference poses more problems than it solves. It showed the 10-nation grouping to be disorganized and ineffective under stress. Restoring credibility means acknowledging globalization and the influence of information technology.

The Asian values philosophy that worked well over three decades is not tailored to the modern world. It has to be replaced by a more critical approach, because internal problems no longer stop at borders, and a larger, more diverse ASEAN faces other challenges.

For example, a timely word to Bangkok could have limited the fall out from the Thai financial crisis. Closer ties could allow states who weathered the storm to help and support those whose populations have been plunged into poverty.

Agreements on trans-boundary pollution are needed to protect human health as well as the environment, and Manila's proposal for a Code of Conduct for the South China Seas could prevent further trouble in that hotly disputed area.

The Taiwan issue, or possible devaluation of the yuan, remain potential threats. As a unified force, ASEAN can meet all challenges. Provided it agrees to adopt the "flexible engagement" approach so vigorously rejected at the last summit, but far more necessary now.

-- The South China Morning Post, Hong Kong