ASEAN pushing for change
ASEAN pushing for change
If encouraging messages about "bold initiatives" bandied about
before (Monday) night's formal dinner are translated into policy,
the leaders will have given a crucial boost to ASEAN's
credibility.
The outside world is looking for leadership, and the meeting
in Hanoi offers a great opportunity to show it. But should the
summit become just another forum for ideological debate and
economic fudge, the more go-ahead members may ask if there is any
point in continuing with a group which too often seems to debate
much but achieve little.
There does appear to be a new willingness to recognize that
frank dialogue and occasionally painful action is required to
solve the region's problems.
But can this disparate collection of nations agree on measures
-- such as foreign ownership of land or a fast-track opening to
foreign investment -- when there are so many divides within its
ranks? Some members, for example, have laws which prohibit
private ownership of land.
Even with a two-tier approach designed to give less-developed
economies breathing space, policy differences may intervene. But
at least the proposed bold plans do represent a real push for
change; this is healthier for ASEAN's image than endless wrangles
over Cambodia's admission. At a time when the organization's
relevance is at stake, days spent debating its proper size
suggest to critics that the leaders have lost touch with reality.
The past year's turmoil offers an opportunity for a fresh
start. Crises in Indonesia and Malaysia have shifted power inside
the group, and brought in new leaders with relatively radical
ideas.
The year has shown the strengths of the democratic system in
maintaining stability and aiding recovery; this may encourage the
more authoritarian regimes to recognize that trade liberalization
is one aspect of an escape from crisis.
The final test is whether all members will agree to the "bold
initiatives". If they decide to be bland one more time, even more
of their citizens will wonder what ASEAN is really all about.
-- The South China Morning Post, Hong Kong