Effects of crisis, globalization cast doubt on ASEAN

This is the second of a two part article based on a keynote address by Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand at the conference on Transition and Globalization: Comparative Strategies, organized by The Institute of Security and International Studies on Dec. 17, 1999 in Bangkok.

BANGKOK: Another issue of utmost importance is that of human resource development. This is an objective that I consider crucial to the efforts by developing countries to cope with the tsunami of globalization. An investment in human resources is an investment in human capital that, no doubt, will yield huge dividends over the long term.

In this regard, I have proposed that the Southeast Asian countries embark on a campaign to promote human resource development within ASEAN. Such a campaign would draw on our own resources in conjunction with the generosity and support of our Dialogue Partners. And I am glad to report to you that there has been a great deal of interest in this human resource development project.

During my travels overseas and in discussions with visiting dignitaries in Bangkok, I have urged ASEAN's Dialogue Partners and other interested parties to support the establishment of a "Human Resource Development Fund for ASEAN." Scholarships provided by the Fund would serve not only to prevent school dropouts, necessitated by economic difficulties, but would also assist in the retraining of workers.

To my mind, it is no longer sufficient to create job opportunities for the unemployed merely to become janitors and security guards at factories. Over the long run, we must aim at equipping our people with the necessary skills and knowledge to become the administrators and executives of these factories.

One of the fundamental reasons for the crisis in Southeast Asia was the fact that we do not have our own home-grown centers of science and technology. We have to depend on outside centers of excellence.

As a result, we have become merely adjacent to, or an extension of, the major economies of the world. If we want to stand on our own feet, we need to have our own competing and complementary centers of science, technology and excellence in the region, much like in North America, in Europe, and in Northeast Asia, where scientific research can be conducted in many places but the results would flow into one main place.

Examples of this are the high technology industry in Boston or in Silicon Valley and the aerospace industry in Toulouse, France. Research can be carried out anywhere, but results are shared by all.

Is this the case in Southeast Asia? No. We take the technology only if it is deemed appropriate for us. We are allowed to take technology that we are thought capable of managing. In the end, we produce only spare parts, rather than the whole automobile. We need our human resource development urgently.

Such a program would be of great benefit to all the ASEAN countries by creating a human infrastructure for long-term sustainable development.

However, it would be particularly valuable to the newer members of ASEAN by helping to enhance their integration into the organization as well as into the mainstream of the region. Most significantly, it would help in creating a new leadership for the region, which is adequately prepared to face the challenges of globalization in the 21st century.

To be sure, we in ASEAN shall have to rely first and foremost on our own resources by training and educating our youth at local institutions within the region -- here at Chulalongkorn, Thammasat, the University of Singapore, the University of Malaya, the University of Indonesia, and the rest.

We have many distinguished universities throughout Southeast Asia. However, the problems that each of our countries are going to face in the future will be global problems requiring global solutions.

For this reason, it will not be adequate for ASEAN's youth to receive their education and training in this region alone. Their fresh minds will need to be exposed to new surroundings, new technologies, new ideas, and new innovations -- the stuff of the globalized age.

To cope with the challenges of the next millennium, they will need to attain international exposure and experience overseas -- in Paris, Stockholm, Tokyo, Seoul, Boston, London, Budapest, Warsaw, Johannesburg, Delhi, and other learning capitals of the world.

In short, my proposal does not involve a short-term project that will be realized during the next few years. Rather, it constitutes a major, long-term initiative to train, shape and mold a new generation of leadership in Southeast Asia. There is scarcely anything more valuable that we can hand down to our grandchildren than to ensure that the leaders of their generation are more educated, more capable and more enlightened than that of our time.

And when we have a wise and competent leadership, this will go a long way towards fulfilling our vision of a prosperous, peaceful and stable Southeast Asia.

There is one other topic -- the important issue of security. It should be noted that during the previous Cold War era, overriding concern that preoccupied most nations was that of military security. However, in this day and age of globalization, the primary consideration is increasingly turning towards human security.

The concept of human security, as I asserted in my statement before the United Nations General Assembly this past September, goes far beyond the traditional definition of security since it addresses the concept from every dimension, be it economic, social, environmental, political or military. The full scope of human security is not yet clearly defined, but the most important point is that we must place people at the center of our definition of security.

Accordingly, in order to keep up with the challenges and demands of globalization, it is essential for ASEAN to be more people-centered and responsive to the needs of its peoples. In the words of the ASEAN Vision 2020, we need to create a community of Southeast Asian nations "bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a community of caring societies."

On the subject, I draw great inspiration from the wisdom of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who shares with us his vision of the future in the current edition of Newsweek magazine.

Secretary-General Annan observes that "ours in a world in which no individual, and no country, exists in isolation." Faced with global threats, he points out, it is necessary for the world to give more concrete meaning to the term "international community" and to join together in identifying areas where collective action is needed to safeguard global interests.

For, in the final analysis, the main element that binds us all together as an international community is "a shared vision of a better world for all people."

If there is a great lesson to be learned from this great crisis here in East Asia and in ASEAN, it is this. Interdependency -- no man, no country, is an island entire of itself any longer.

Given the great interdependence among all countries in this globalized world, it is therefore incumbent upon us to increase our linkages and join hands in order to face globalization together as a group. We must devote ourselves to helping any weak links in the global chain since such links could create vulnerabilities for the entire system.

And I, from Thailand, say this out of our own experience. The "Tom Yum Kung Syndrome" started here. Remember? Countries in this position must be given adequate encouragement and scope to appreciate, realize and recognize the ultimate threat or opportunity of globalization.

We in Thailand share the Secretary-General's optimism and his vision of a better world. We are aware that during the decades ahead, the nature of threats confronting our region is undoubtedly going to change. Rather than armed conflict and hostilities, new dangers will be posed in the form of economic disruptions and transnational problems.

These include international crime, trafficking in illicit drugs, men, women and children, environmental degradation, and so forth. In a world without borders, these problems are likely to become increasingly acute, and we must be fully prepared to confront them together.

At the regional level, we attach great importance to ASEAN's Hanoi Declaration which states that the ultimate goal of economic development is "to raise standards of living and to promote development in all its dimensions, so as to enable the people of ASEAN to have the fullest opportunity to realize their potential." We have therefore attached utmost priority to the promotion of adequate social safety nets and the development of human resources as steps in this direction.

At the global level, we strongly believe that the nations of the world must join hands to promote "globalization with a human face." Among other things, we need to ensure that globalization leads to greater equity amongst peoples of all nations, enhanced protection and preservation of our environment, greater protection and promotion of human rights, and, perhaps more importantly, a better life for all peoples.

Whether we like it or not, globalization has become the predominant and overpowering force shaping the domestic politics, economic policies and foreign relations of virtually every country in the world today. How we cope with the challenges posed by globalization can mean the difference between greater prosperity and well-being for some countries and increased poverty and hardships for others.

For this reason, it is extremely important for countries to try to study and understand the experiences of others who have gone through or are undergoing the process of transition and reform in all its different dimensions.