Anthem for ASEAN

When representatives of the parliaments of the ASEAN countries came to Jakarta for a conference recently, we were reminded of the existence of the legislators' organization.

The ASEAN Internal Parliament Organization, founded in 1997, is supposed to serve as a forum for people in the region.

At the same time, one is reminded that the nine member countries each have a different system of government and politics, making ASEAN a mottled political kaleidoscope: republics, kingdoms, princedoms, open market systems, guided open market systems, socialist systems and others.

Likewise, the human rights record in ASEAN countries displays a spectrum of different variations in its application, ranging from conscientious to half-hearted and perfunctory, down to total indifference, measured by Western standards.

Yet ASEAN has proven itself to be a viable organization, and barring prolonged financial onslaughts on their currencies, the region will be an economic power to be reckoned with.

No one can say with certainty whether the financial crises have been the work of invisible hands of the free market system, still worshiped in many quarters as a sacred cow, or engineered by "abusers" of the system.

The crises could be a strong reminder that ASEAN economies are highly vulnerable to future vagaries of the free system. And what could be worse is that prolonged, economically damaging financial crises afflicting the economies of ASEAN could, in the long run, generate pressure on each ASEAN country to adopt "egoistic policies", to the great detriment of the ASEAN spirit or cooperation.

In connection with the recent 30th anniversary of ASEAN I suggest that the regional grouping create an anthem, like that of the European Union, to be played at ASEAN summit meetings. ASEAN has already got its flag.

EU's anthem is taken from Ludwig von Beethoven's 9th Symphony: Prelude to "the Ode to Joy".

I have a strong belief that an anthem should form part of an organization and be designed to be long lasting.

Finally, if one cares to look at the geographical map of Southeast Asia, one would be struck by an incongruous naming of a sea: the South China Sea. The sea is flanked on its three sides by Southeast Asian countries, and on its fourth and north side, it meets an open sea, the South China Sea.

From its geographical proximity alone the present name has definitely been a misnomer. However, we cannot blame ancient Western mariners and geographers of yore for this oversight, since names like China, India and also Japan are much older than Asia, let alone Southeast Asia.

Why not rename the sea then? Southeast Asia Sea, for instance, befits its geographical location.

SOEGIO SOSROSOEMARTO

Jakarta