ASEAN stuck in moral quandary

ASEAN stuck in moral quandary

Obviously, ASEAN ministers have chosen the surest path. That
is, it is better to stick together rather than to stick one's
head out, even for a good cause. The final communique from the
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) meeting in Jakarta
reaffirms the supremacy of the ASEAN way of not airing its dirty
linen.

The grouping's position on Myanmar -- endorsing the ongoing
national convention there to draft a new constitution -- is
disgraceful. Myanmar's opposition party leader, Aung San Suu Kyi,
and her National League of Democracy, did not take part. ASEAN's
position will inevitably only strengthen Myanmar's intransigence.
In a nutshell, ASEAN is betting its future on this pariah state.

Interestingly, ASEAN is ready to clash with the European Union
over Myanmar. ASEAN ministers think they will prevail because the
EU does not have the guts to stand up to ASEAN. Does it? The
Asia-Europe Meeting in October in Hanoi will surely find time to
discuss this issue.

Beyond Myanmar, ASEAN has demonstrated little difficulty in
getting along in other areas. The action plan for the ASEAN
Security Community, which had been heavily watered down before
the meeting, was approved.

It was understandable that Indonesia's President Megawati
Soekarnoputri was more vocal at this ASEAN meeting than in the
past. She urged ASEAN to do more on security cooperation and to
amend the non-intervention principle.

She knows full well what ASEAN is all about. However, her
comments were not forceful enough. If she wanted changes in
ASEAN, she has already missed her chance. She should have engaged
the top ASEAN leaders and pushed for changes at the Bali summit
last year.

ASEAN ties with the big Asian powers, especially China and
India, are moving forward rapidly. The accession of these two
nuclear powers to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) has
certainly boosted ASEAN's regional standing.

Russia is also planning to accede to the TAC. These powers
know that the only way to improve relations with ASEAN is to
accept a regional code of conduct, especially in the age of
international terrorism. The U.S. has also sought closer
cooperation with ASEAN on the anti-terrorism campaign and other
security issues. But Washington is not willing to accede to the
TAC. -- The Nation, Bangkok