Empowering ASEAN's grassroots

Empowering ASEAN's grassroots

Christine Susanna Tjhin, Centre for Strategic and International Studies
(CSIS), Jakarta

Around 200 participants representing the grassroots throughout
Southeast Asia gathered at the third ASEAN People's Assembly
(APA) from Sept. 24 to 27 in Manila. A diverse representation of
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including think tanks and
advocacy NGOs and officials, assembled to discuss a multitude of
issues pertaining to the region.

The APA endeavors to nurture a sense of ownership of ASEAN
among the region's peoples, a sense that has almost been non-
existent, given that civil society has virtually been left out of
policy formulation under the ASEAN mechanism. The Assembly
encourages participation by providing the space and networking to
generate policy inputs from the region's grassroots.

One of APA's most important action plans is to have a regular
people-initiated, concerted assessment of democratization in
Southeast Asia. With a regional civil society watchdog equipped
with a solid democratization assessment framework, Southeast
Asians would be better able to address issues of democratization
critically within the unique context of each country and the
region.

From there, the APA network would not only put greater
pressure on Southeast Asian governments, but also propose
relevant policy inputs to empower the grassroots level during the
period of democratic transition. These policy recommendations
could then be submitted to government leaders at the annual ASEAN
Summit where, hopefully, they will not fall on deaf ears.

For the NGO representatives, the APA is a fruitful sharing,
learning and networking forum, considering the diverse capacities
of these representatives from different countries, especially in
terms of the gap between those with a more advanced democratic
culture, such as the Philippines, and those yet to develop one,
such as Burma.

At this point, a draft framework for democratization
assessment has already been proposed. Its trial application, in
which Indonesia and the Philippines were case studies, has also
been presented.

Besides the reluctance of APA country representatives to make
the assessment, ASEAN governments' lack of political will remains
the most regrettable nuisance. The question is, how long will it
take for ASEAN leaders to start descending from their golden
thrones to face their people?

This call is directed principally to the Indonesian
government, which has recently been quite aggressive in
attempting to win back its title as the regional body's "natural
leader". Indonesia is hosting the ASEAN Summit from Oct. 7 to 8
in Bali this year, and flaunting the theme "Towards an ASEAN
economic and security community".

Is there actually any place for the people -- as in the real
people -- in that "community"?

What is often considered an important issue about the APA is
to what extent it could actually influence ASEAN policy-making
and the policy-making of its member states. Skeptics will
continue to demand tangible benefits from the APA, aside from the
piles of declarations produced at the ASEAN People's Assembly to
be submitted to the Summit.

The ASEAN People's Declaration produced this year at the
Assembly plainly sets out the need for people-oriented policies
and the extent to which these policies can successfully be
implemented, particularly in regards ensuring empowerment as an
integral part of the region's transition to democracy.

If it is difficult for ASEAN leaders to face their peoples,
what good, indeed, are these so-called "people's declarations"?
One should note that the original concept of an ASEAN Economic
and Security Community, the theme offered for this year's Summit,
actually emerged during a discourse among the APA network.

More imperative to the APA's existence is the extent to which
participants make use of this space. The key purpose of the APA
is to bridge governments and their people, as the Assembly is
more sensitized toward the practical realities of the region.
This sensitivity can only be nurtured through grassroots
participation, as they share their experiences and contributions
on a variety of regional issues and concerns.

Despite ASEAN's apparent reluctance and the ignorance of
member governments toward the need to involve and heed their
people's inputs in policy-making, local NGOs in the region should
embrace the available opportunity within the space provided by
the APA by taking the initiative through various activities.

The greater their participation in the People's Assembly, the
louder the Southeast Asian people's voice will ring.

The writer is also a research associate at the Indonesian
Pluralism Institute (IPI).