ASEAN unfolds its vision for the 21st century

ASEAN unfolds its vision for the 21st century

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): ASEAN leaders yesterday issued their vision of the nine-nation group in the 21st century, but the harsh economic realities of 1997 overshadowed their immediate dream of the future.

The seven-page ASEAN Vision 2020 calls for an outward-looking Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), living in peace, stability and prosperity in a dynamic, caring community.

ASEAN leaders commissioned the document at a summit in December last year in Jakarta -- six months before financial turmoil caused economic crisis through the region.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, host of the ASEAN summit in the group's 30th anniversary year, spoke on the disparities of wealth as the current century drew to a close.

He said the leaders of ASEAN, and of China, Japan and South Korea who are also attending the three-day summit, had noted at a joint meeting on Monday the greatest achievement of the 20th century was the decolonization of colonial territories.

But Mahathir added that many decolonized nations had remained primarily commodity producers and suffered from unequal distribution of global wealth.

"The 21st century should be a fairer century in which everything should be done in order to ensure that the distribution of wealth would be fairer," he said.

Singapore's Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said in a written comment that he believed the Vision 2020 statement was important.

"Although it may get less attention in the media than the currency crisis, it actually contains many bold ideas for ASEAN integration," he said.

The Vision, which calls for greater economic integration within ASEAN, pledges to maintain regional macroeconomic and financial stability and saw the group as "an effective force for peace, justice and moderation in the Asia-Pacific and in the world".

It envisages a "clean and green" ASEAN with agreed rules to deal with problems on a regional scale, including pollution, drug trafficking, trafficking in women and children and other transnational crimes.

"We see an outward looking ASEAN playing a pivotal role in the international fora, and advancing ASEAN's common interests," it says.

Mahathir was asked at his news conference why there was no mention of democracy and human rights.

He replied that many things were not specifically mentioned in the document.

"It is impossible for us to mention everything, especially those things that we take for granted. We believe in democracy...neither do we reject human rights. We believe in human rights," he said.

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