Good governance and transparency discussed at ASEAN meeting

By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat

BANGKOK (JP): Human development and nontraditional pursuits such as good governance were underlying themes at the opening of the 33rd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting here on Monday.

Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) showed greater fortitude in talking about the need to enhance the relevancy of the association by ensuring people in the region benefited from ASEAN's undertakings.

As the 10 ASEAN foreign ministers took turns to address the opening of the two-day annual meeting, most highlighted this greater focus on making a concrete connection between ASEAN and its peoples.

"ASEAN's cooperative thrusts must result in more concrete opportunities for human resources development, poverty eradication, food security, development of social safety nets and raising social welfare," Philippine foreign minister Domingo L. Siazon said in his opening address.

He took it one step further by noting that now the association's nontraditional pursuits such as people's empowerment and promotion of human rights should be manifested in ASEAN's policies.

"ASEAN should now begin to actively contemplate promoting the principles of good governance, such as transparency, accountability and predictability in our institutions and policies, and learning from the best practices that we can all share and benefit from," Siazon said.

Formed in 1967, the association comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

In its formative years, it focused mainly on harmonizing economic policies and ensuring a peaceful and stable climate for development.

However, in recent years the association has increasingly began shifting its rhetoric and is realizing the need to forge an ASEAN identity.

The realization of a more people-oriented approach has come about as a result of the debilitating effect of the economic crisis which has directly effected its peoples.

On Tuesday, ASEAN foreign ministers are due to sign a Joint Declaration for a Socially Cohesive and Caring ASEAN.

The document enshrines the ministers' will to promote awareness of social problems resulting from the regional economic crisis.

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab in his opening speech on Monday noted the need to make full use of the region's assets. He described its half a billion people as "the most valuable asset of the ASEAN region".

Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, who officially opened the meeting, highlighted the need for ASEAN "to reach out to its people" and be "more in tune and responsive to our people's needs".

"Our policies and development endeavors should be more people centered," the Thai head of government said, adding that ASEAN should consider establishing a special fund to support human resources development.

Singapore foreign minister S. Jayakumar said ASEAN risked a "sunset" unless members could restore international confidence by embracing transparency and the rule of law.

The association was still perceived as "very feeble" and "drifting apart," Jayakumar said in his address.

While most of the major economies of ASEAN, except Indonesia, had bounced back from the Asian financial crisis, investors were still watching the quality of recovery.

"We may not like these perceptions of ASEAN as ineffective and a sunset organization. We may question whether it is justified. But they are political facts," Jayakumar said.

This human agenda was, at least officially, part of the talking points of the afternoon session, under the theme of a Comprehensive Development Agenda.