Asia First

Asia First

The summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) in Manila this weekend is of great importance for the
region and for Indonesia. It will be the last summit before we
move into a new millennium, with all the exciting and
unpredictable challenges facing the world and the region. It will
be the first summit for the region as it recovers from a
devastating economic crisis, a setback which has in retrospect
put the region on a stronger economic if not political footing.
For Indonesia, this is the first ASEAN summit after tumultuous
changes, marked by the shift from a repressive to a democratic
government.

The Manila summit is essentially a chance for the 10 ASEAN
leaders to chart the course of the region into the next
millennium. It is just as well that they have invited their
counterparts from China, Japan and South Korea. With ASEAN
leaders currently considering the idea of political and economic
integration, to be truly effective, the association should expand
its boundaries to encompass the whole of Asia, or at the very
least, the East Asia region.

The integration of East Asia, even with all the challenges
which this process would entail, must be initiated now if the
region is to survive the vigorous competition which the
globalization process has unleashed. Asia is falling behind the
two other major regions. Europe is leading in this game of
political and economic integration to the point of having a
common currency. The Americas is forging ahead with the North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which include South
American countries. Argentina, for example, is even considering
getting rid of its own currency in favor of the U.S. dollar.

Admittedly, Asia is far less homogeneous, and far more diverse
than these two other geographical areas, that political and
economic integration will be that much more difficult. Asia has
also witnessed some of the most destructive wars since World War
II, and it hosts some of the major hot spots that could
potentially erupt into devastating conflicts, such as the ones in
the Taiwan Strait, the Korean Peninsula and the South China Sea.
These tensions have made the process of promoting integration
even more challenging. However, they should not deter the region
from promoting the much-needed integration.

One of the major lessons from the 1997 Asian financial crisis
is the need for the region to reduce its heavy reliance on the
U.S. dollar in trade and investment. Such dependence on one
single currency exposed Asian economies to the volatile world
currency markets. Talks have already started among Asian
countries about realigning their currencies to one of their own.
While it may be decades before this idea gains popular currency,
it is encouraging to note that people are talking about it.

Underpinning the difficulty of economic and political
integration within Asia is of course lingering distrust among
countries in the region. This is a legacy of both World War II
and the Cold War. Overcoming mutual suspicions remains the
biggest challenge facing the region. So long as it exists, it is
difficult for the two most powerful countries in the region --
Japan and China -- to provide the leadership that is needed to
push the idea of political and economic integration.

This is precisely the point where ASEAN comes in. The
association remains the only institution in East Asia that has
the credibility and capacity to take the initiative, if not the
leadership, in major issues of concern to the region. ASEAN has
demonstrated this ability in the past, and in spite of the
setback caused by the economic crisis, it surely has the capacity
to play that role again now.

In turn, Indonesia can and must provide leadership within
ASEAN. As the largest member in the group, Indonesia's leadership
comes with the territory. This has always been the case, but with
one big difference: we now have a new democratically elected
government in Jakarta.

Under President Abdurrahman Wahid, this will be a more
confident Indonesia, one with far less political baggage than the
Indonesia under Soeharto. Assuming that Indonesia can resolve its
domestic problems and begin the economic recovery process, then
it is well positioned to take up leadership of ASEAN.

President Abdurrahman was correct in his decision to make Asia
his first foreign policy priority. This weekend in Manila, he
will have the chance to move beyond slogans to turn the Asia
First concept into reality. He must seize the initiative, if not
the leadership, to push for economic and political integration.
For Indonesia and the rest of Asia, there is no other alternative
for surviving the next millennium.