ASEAN moves to cross region's digital divide

ASEAN moves to cross region's digital divide

SINGAPORE (AFP): The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) took a step towards bridging the region's digital divide
Friday with the signing of an agreement to link its members
electronically.

But regional leaders admitted the "e-ASEAN framework
agreement" would not be enough to close the yawning gap between
an Internet-savvy society like Singapore and a dirt-poor country
like Laos.

Economic disparities, uneven command of English and political
restrictions were seen as stumbling blocks to the group's efforts
to give their half-billion citizens easy access to computers and
telecommunications.

The pact seeks to liberalize trade in information and
communication technology (ICT) products, services and
investments, promote cooperation among public and private
sectors, promote "knowledge-based" societies, and create an
"ASEAN Information Infrastructure."

The 10-member ASEAN pledged to create high-speed Internet
connections, develop "ASEAN content" for the web and take steps
to boost electronic commerce, including mutual recognition of
digital signatures.

Leaders signed the e-ASEAN agreement the traditional way, by
hand, and then witnessed a demonstration of the ink-free digital
signatures, forecast to become an essential part of international
business in the 21st century.

The chairman of the e-ASEAN task force, former Philippines
foreign minister and telecommunications executive Roberto Romulo,
admitted the agreement on its own was not enough.

"Even under the best circumstances, it will be difficult for
ASEAN to overcome the digital divide," Romulo said. "Funds will
always be a problem."

The initiative, designed to help ASEAN members compete in a
global economy, will "transform ASEAN into one seamless,
borderless market of 500 million consumers instead of 10
fragmented markets," an ASEAN statement pledged.

Romulo painted a less rosy picture, saying that compared to
Malaysia and Singapore, the rest of ASEAN was behind in its
development of information technology, with some economies "well
behind."

Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said the ASEAN summit
paid particular attention to how the six strongest ASEAN members
can assist with capacity and manpower development in Cambodia,
Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

"But I think it will take some time for these countries to be
able to actually take advantage of e-ASEAN," he said.

Goh, addressing the key issue of language, said the ASEAN
leaders "discussed the need for all the ASEAN people to master
English because unless we are able to master English, we will not
be able to get our population to use IT ... and take advantage of
the new economy.

"So the decision was taken that we should emphasis the
importance of English in our respective countries," he said.

"This is a decision by the leaders that you need to have
English for the countries to be able to transit to the knowledge-
based IT economy so as to be able to compete with other
economies."

Romulo called for private-sector involvement, saying
"governments will have to provide the political will to make it
happen (but) they don't have the money."

Development of the Internet in developed nations has raised
fears in some quarters of a new discrimination, between those who
are online and those who are not.

Politics could also stand in the way of promoting freedom of
communication.

Officials of army-ruled Myanmar, where mere ownership of a fax
machine requires a license, refused to directly answer questions
on Internet access, resulting in an embarrassing moment for the
launch of e-ASEAN.

Myanmar's Economic Minister David Abel was evasive when
questioned by reporters on what would be the requirements to have
Internet access.

"We have the Net set up in Myanmar but we don't have the law
yet. We are writing up the law, so the Net is available and it is
set up as required," Abel said.

The use of the telephone and fax machines "has to be worked
out according to the law," he added.