A street named ASEAN

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.