ASEAN's helpful work needs notice

By L. Amrih Jinangkung

JAKARTA (JP): Are people really aware of the role of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in maintaining peace and security in the region, and do they have the sense of belonging to the association? Or are people even aware there is an association of 10 Southeast Asian countries?

Of course, most people know of its existence. Yet it is equally certain that most do not understand what the association has done for them so far.

There is no doubt that ASEAN has done much in maintaining peace and enhancing prosperity in the region. At the time the agreement to set up the association was reached, Indonesia and Malaysia had only recently ended their confrontation, Singapore and Malaysia undergone their traumatic separation and Malaysia and the Philippines remained in conflict over Sabah.

There was a war in Indochina involving the then Eastern and Western superpowers. Thailand felt threatened by the spillover effect of the war. Up to the present, issues such as the Spratlys and border disputes among several countries remain contentious.

When ASEAN was established by the five original members -- Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand -- it seemed that peace and security were luxuries. Conflicts existed that could have triggered war among them.

But there have been no wars among ASEAN countries. They have enjoyed peace and stability since the association was established three decades ago. People also enjoyed better lives. Some demographic data, such as life expectancy, mortality and literacy rates, show significant improvements in social conditions. People also are economically better off. Before the crisis, the region enjoyed 8 percent annual economic growth for many years. In sum, the region has been relatively stable politically and economically dynamic for the last three decades.

Were the political and economic gains due to ASEAN?

It should be realized that in maintaining the region's political stability, ASEAN is not the only actor. It has to work with countries outside the region, its dialog partners, particularly China, Japan, the United States and Russia (other dialog partners are Australia, Canada, the European Union, India, Republic of Korea and New Zealand). It also has to cooperate with other countries and economic groupings such as Japan, the U.S., the EU to develop its economy. In this regard, ASEAN has successfully facilitated its neighbors' positive involvement in ASEAN's business.

It is not easy to measure the exact percentage of those neighbors' contribution to the peace, stability and prosperity of Southeast Asia. However, ASEAN plays the most significant role in developing the region. Since the establishment of the association, member countries have shown their strong political will to work together despite respective national interest. This was clearly reflected in the Bangkok Declaration, as the objectives of the association included promotion of regional peace and stability and the acceleration of economic growth and social progress in the region.

Again, the question is do the people recognize the important success of ASEAN, or do they realize the key role played by ASEAN?

It is not that important to answer the question merely for the sake of knowing the people's opinion. ASEAN needs no medals for what it has done so far. However, for future development, such as for realizing the ASEAN Free Trade Area in which more people's involvement in the ASEAN programs and activities is required, ASEAN awareness among its people should be enhanced in order to have greater people-to-people interactions.

ASEAN leaders in their informal summit held in Kuala Lumpur on Dec. 15, 1997, charted a vision for ASEAN in facing the third millennium. The vision charts directions of ASEAN toward the year 2020, called ASEAN Vision 2020. It is a vision of ASEAN as a concert of Southeast Asian nations, outward looking, living in peace, stability and prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a community of caring societies.

The goal outlined in the vision clearly needs the support of society. Participation of the people is pivotal to establish such a community of caring societies.

The vision was set up when ASEAN was experiencing an economic boom. The subsequent crisis that hit the region not only resulted in the economic downturn but also affected the social lives of the people. It has been a setback for ASEAN. It will take years to get the economy back in order, and even longer time is needed to restore the social impact of the crisis. More importantly, it makes it even harder to make the vision a reality.

The crisis has proven, as far as Indonesia is concerned, that the people should be empowered, economically and politically. They should be involved in the development process of the region. The people's involvement should not be finished when the crisis is over, but it should be supported to move forward in realizing the ASEAN Vision 2020.

Without knowing what ASEAN is, what it is doing and what it is established for, it would be difficult for the people to take part in ASEAN's activities. So far, dozens of agreements have been signed, hundreds of books published and hundreds of meetings held. But the public knows very little about this as news about ASEAN rarely makes it into the media and few students study the organizations. It seems that promoting ASEAN awareness among its people is not an easy task.

As the international community's involvement in ASEAN's activities is conducive to the organization's success story, promoting awareness in the international community also is a must.

The Sixth ASEAN Summit held in Hanoi on Dec. 15, 1998, adopted the Hanoi Plan of Action (HPA), the first in a series of plans intended to implement the long-term Vision 2020. It is the first "road map" to build up to the realization of the goals of the vision. It directs how to strengthen macroeconomics and financial cooperation; enhance greater economic integration; promote science and technology development and develop information technology infrastructure; and promote social development and address the social impact of the financial and economic crisis.

It also gives direction on promoting human resource development, protecting the environment and promoting sustainable development and strengthening regional peace and security. There also are provisions on enhancing ASEAN's role as an effective force for peace, justice and moderation in the Asia-Pacific region and in the world, and on promoting ASEAN awareness and its standing in the international community.

The ASEAN Vision 2020, together with the HPA, are among the most important documents that should be known by the public. They give directions on where ASEAN is heading. ASEAN is a G-to-G cooperation in nature but the guidelines embodied in the Vision 2020 and the HPA require that people should be involved in the development process. ASEAN awareness, in this regard, is not only needed but a prerequisite.

The writer is an alumnus of Cornell University and currently works at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The opinion expressed in this article is his own.