A street named ASEAN

The informal summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta this weekend marked another phase in the region's evolution into a community. In the world community, Southeast Asia is a neighborhood. It is a street on which there are 10 houses, where 10 families live, some large and some small, some wealthy and some less so. In a neighborhood, it is imperative for the heads of family to meet now and then, not only to discuss common problems, but also for a chat to renew and strengthen acquaintances.

The informal summit on Saturday, the first of its kind, was like a neighborhood forum. The leaders wore batik shirts just as one would here to a neighborhood meeting. The Bentley limousines and the luxury surroundings of the venue, as well as the reporters and the blitz of camera lights, did not spoil the relaxed atmosphere designed to allow the leaders to discuss whatever subjects they wanted to raise. There was no prepared agenda, but we can be sure that everyone came with their own list of things to discuss.

From various statements issued over the weekend, we can gather that the topics discussed included the association's admission of Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, ASEAN relations with the European Union, and the inaugural meeting of the World Trade Organization in Singapore this month.

Within this Southeast Asian neighborhood, seven families have formed a club they call ASEAN. This is a formal forum to discuss cooperation programs in various fields, from politics and economics to sociocultural affairs. ASEAN is also the main vehicle or channel through which the seven members voice their aspirations to the world community. Their collective voices carry far greater weight than their individual voices, and is therefore more effective. ASEAN has been so effective on this front that it is recognized as one of the most successful regional groupings in the world. This makes ASEAN a prestigious club to join.

Prior to the informal summit, there was talk about the admission of Myanmar into ASEAN. Pressure came from non- governmental organizations in and outside the region, as well as some non-ASEAN governments, for ASEAN to reject Myanmar's entry on the grounds of Yangon's human rights record, especially concerning its treatment of pro-democracy groups.

The seven leaders, as widely expected, reiterated that Myanmar should be allowed to join. ASEAN is after all a club where the chief criterion for membership is living in the neighborhood. By geographical definition, Myanmar, like Laos and Cambodia, has an automatic right to join. Of course, they need the consent of the existing ASEAN members, but this is a formality. Their entry is simply a matter of time and is likely to occur once they are acquainted with the various ASEAN processes.

It has been an ASEAN dream, since its founding in 1967, to bring into the fold all of the 10 countries in the region. Now, with the demise of the Cold War and its ideological underpinnings that once divided the region, the dream of a Southeast Asian community is closer to reality.

The message that came out of Saturday's summit was clear: the domestic affairs of Myanmar, in spite of international urging, will not be a factor in considering Myanmar's membership into ASEAN. No one can blame ASEAN's members, particularly Indonesia, for sticking to the long-held principle of not interfering in the affairs of other countries.

Then again, this neighborhood we call ASEAN does not live in a vacuum. If people on other streets are expressing concerns about what is going on in one of the houses on our street, surely we ought to listen.

If anyone should feel the heat of Myanmar's domestic troubles, it will be its neighbors more than those living on some distant streets. By the same token, if anyone can have any influence on Myanmar, it is its next-door neighbors. The Myanmar government is more likely to listen to its sympathetic neighbors should there be concerns about its domestic affairs.

Though ASEAN's members will decide for themselves how they want to use their individual relationships with Myanmar, they cannot ignore international opinion altogether.