ASEAN VOICES ON ASEAN IDENTITY

ASEAN VOICES ON ASEAN IDENTITY

"The ASEAN integration is too slow. Look at what the European
countries have done though the region includes nations of
different development levels. Meanwhile, although ASEAN has
embraced all the countries in this region, its 10 members are
basically separated countries. I, myself, a Vietnamese, know very
little about ASEAN countries like Philippines and Brunei." --
Nguyen Thi Gam Huong, 23, a program administrator of Operation
Smile Organisation, Vietnam.

"ASEAN countries need to develop more political, economic and
social linkages to promote ASEAN integrity. The poll suggests
mobility among ASEAN people is still low. To promote greater
mobility among ASEAN people, ASEAN government could relax
immigration procedures. I am not saying this should be
implemented immediately but Europeans travel within the European
Union without passport." -- Prof Jayum Javan, Universiti Putra
Malaysia political science lecturer, Malaysia.

"The ASEAN identity is still in the formal level and not yet
embedded in the society. It is only for diplomats and decision
makers and we still need more people-to-people contact. The
problem is, are ASEAN country members willing to place their
national interests under the regional interest. We know that
monetary policy can stimulate economic growth. Are they ready to
hand over this power?" -- Dr Makmur Keliat, executive director,
Centre for East Asian Cooperation at the University of Indonesia.

"As I see it, the financial basis for a common currency do not
exist. The currencies of individual ASEAN countries are not
sufficiently strong to contribute to a common regional currency.
It is worthwhile noting that it took the EU nearly fifty years to
decide on a common currency. Even then, some countries,
particularly the UK, are still not part of the Euro." -- K.
Kesavapany, director, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies,
Singapore.

"Clearly a lot of work still has to be done to promote a sense
of ASEAN identity in the region. Why do the majority want to go
to a non-ASEAN country for treatment? And why do they prefer to
work in a non-ASEAN country to work?

In some instances, the people of certain countries may be
suffering from what we call in the Philippines "colonial
mentality". Or they may be suffering from an ethnic inferiority
complex." -- E.Y. Maniaul, businessman, Philippines

"It is my understanding that ASEAN has become the synonym for
Southeast Asia. The concept of ASEAN identity and community
interests has been increasingly recognised as complementary to
national interests." -- Kitti Wasinondh, Director General Of
ASEAN Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand.

"ASEAN could be a potent economic, social and cultural force
if it were a more solid, cohesive bloc. Let's hope that the pace
at which ASEAN countries grow closer could be acclerated in the
near future." -- Juan Sarmiento, statistician and writer,
Philippines