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