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