ASEAN should open to criticism

ASEAN should open to criticism

By Adi Sasono

This article is an excerpt from a paper presented at the third
ASEAN Young Leaders' Forum in Singapore from Oct. 25 to 26, 1995.

JAKARTA (JP): ASEAN is often portrayed, especially by western
journalists, as relentlessly pursuing economic growth, while
disregarding human rights, environmental degradation and
practicing undemocratic politics.

Although this is not a balanced view, we should give it
serious consideration as we develop our own vision for the future
of economic and political development.

Every member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) is concerned with human rights and democracy but, in
implementing these principles, we need to take account of the
level of economic and political development in each country.

We cannot automatically adopt the standards of human rights
and democracy held by the West -- we have to determine our own
pace.

We realize that, sometimes, economic development is better
served by political stability than democratic politics. This does
not mean we sacrifice political democracy altogether, it is
simply a matter of priority.

ASEAN has now reached a stage of economic development where it
can afford to pay more attention to human rights and democracy.
The challenge is how to adopt these principles in ways that match
our own cultural values, which are often mistakenly attacked by
our critics.

When we talk about our values and cultures, we should not be
defensive against western principles, but open to any positive
influence that may contribute to the development of our society,
economically, socially or environmentally.

In the fast-changing world, where information flows freely, we
cannot isolate ourselves from the values of the outside world.
But we must be careful not to readily adopt them, without first
assessing the risk they may pose to our way of life and our
existence as a sovereign nation.

These days, the role of the international -- especially
western -- media has quite a strong influence on the opinions of
educated people in Southeast Asia. And news about human rights
violations, environmental degradation and the misconduct of
bureaucrats often features prominently.

ASEAN governments complain that the western media focuses more
on the bad things that happen in the region than the good. This
happens, possibly, because the economic success of ASEAN nations
creates a feeling of envy in some parts of western society. It
could also be attributed to a tendency for the western media to
feel it has a duty to lecture Asian countries about human rights
and democracy.

Nevertheless, we have to acknowledge that there is often an
element of truth in what the western media says. Thus, in some
cases, their criticism deserves our serious attention, if we are
to further the cause of political democracy here.

The challenge for ASEAN is how to maintain high economic
growth while opening up our society, domestically as well as
internationally.

An open society means greater respect for individual rights,
freedom of speech and freedom to participate in politics.

There is concern among several ASEAN countries that, by
nurturing greater political participation, they will fall victim
to social disorder, which could disturb economic development.

We should not be worried about this. Having a more open
society does not mean neglecting social order, nor other
important values, like family and religion.

For us, freedom of speech -- or any other right -- is not
above social order or social harmony. We must find a way to be an
open society without losing our affection for family and
religious values, which are strongly embedded in our social life.

An open society does not mean a western society. It means we
can communicate and share what we believe in and what other
societies believe in, so that we can live in peace and harmony in
an integrated world. What we need is mutual respect between
different cultures, so that we can work together for the benefit
of humanity.

But, to avoid economic penalty, political openness has to go
hand-in-hand with efforts to sustain high economic growth. In
fact, democracy can even broaden the opportunities for the
private sector to indulge in more dynamic economic activities.

Most ASEAN nations are at the stage of development where
labor-intensive production is being replaced by technology and
higher levels of skill. As such, any effort to enhance
competitiveness entails greater concern for human resource
development.

There is evidence that human resource development in ASEAN
countries contributes significantly to economic growth and
equity. Universal enrollment in elementary schools and increasing
enrollment in secondary and tertiary schools are important
factors in creating sustainable economic growth in Southeast
Asia.

The challenge for many ASEAN nations is to increase the
quality of schooling and encourage private participation in
education and training. For Singapore, and to some extent
Malaysia, private sector involvement in training and
apprenticeship is an important link between education and the
labor market. In other nations, Indonesia included, private
participation in training is still very limited.

And in terms of technology, ASEAN is still behind East Asian
countries like Korea and Taiwan, where many export products are
made using advanced electronic systems. Success on the global
market is no longer determined by resource endowment but by the
availability of skilled labor and technology.

The extent to which ASEAN members cooperate, especially within
the private sector, on issues of human resources and technology
will determine our level of competitiveness as we enter the 21st
century. Such cooperation is not easy considering the level of
technology in the region as a whole. Nevertheless, cooperation in
technology transfer and research and development will not only
mean costs can be shared, but also that certain technologies can
be mastered more quickly.

The growing importance of human capital and technology in the
economy can only be good for overall productivity. This is
contrary to the opinions of some American economists, who say
that growth within ASEAN, and East Asia, does not involve any
significant efficiency and productivity gains. But, clearly, it
is not physical capital, natural resource or unskilled labor that
determine sustainable growth, but human capital and technology.

The writer is chairman of the Center for Information and
Development Studies.