Consensus mechanism of APEC forum questioned
JAKARTA (JP): The consensus mechanism of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum has come under much scrutiny, with member countries suggesting several interpretations of the heralded decision making process.
Thailand's Deputy Foreign Minister, Supachai Panitchpakdi, yesterday questioned whether the forum could progress if it held strongly to the purest form of consensus, in which every single member would have to agree before a decision could be reached.
"I don't think we can go by consensus basis in that every one of the 18 countries would have to agree on particular dates or particular work programs," Supachai told journalists.
The consensus decision making procedure has been given much attention lately, with agreements becoming more difficult to reach as the forum embarks on increasingly ambitious programs.
APEC groups Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan and the United States along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei and Indonesia.
Early this week the forum was at odds in concluding an investment code due to the objection of just one member of the group.
With the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting (AELM) in Bogor looming just three days away, questions are beginning to be raised as to whether they can reach an agreement on a free trade deadline under the current consensus mechanism.
Supachai said that the two-day Ministerial Meeting which ends today is a watershed meeting since it will have to do a lot of soul searching.
"A lot of soul searching on the consensus basis. Can we move ahead with a few countries not agreeing on certain principles?" he asked.
"I think we are moving towards what I would call a pragmatic consensus," Supachai remarked.
He explained that issues should be defined according to certain classifications, with the general ones, which do not infringe on the principles of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), being accepted.
Indonesia
Indonesia's MinisterState Secretary Moerdiono, after a meeting between President Soeharto and Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah here on Thursday, revealed that the President expressed his own perception of consensus.
Moerdiono explained that due to the varying interests of member countries, the President considers the best way to reach a decision would be one based on a broad consensus.
"This means that the decision would as much as possible become a general consent, with those countries ready to implement it doing so immediately, while those which are less prepared can follow later on," he said.
Many have interpreted these remarks as referring to the trade liberalization deadline to be proposed during the AELM.
"This is the kind of spirit to be fostered in the AELM," Moerdiono added.
Indonesia's Mari Pangestu, an observer of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) at yesterday's meeting, said that a number of countries are of the opinion that the forum might be more efficient if consensus was dropped.
"But I believe that the region, especially ASEAN, would be more inclined to consensus," she said.
Mari was of the opinion that the developing countries would prefer consensus because this would prevent them from being pressured by the developed ones. (pwn/fhp/mds)