Good governance and transparency discussed at ASEAN meeting

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.