How should ASEAN treat Myanmar?

By Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin

SINGAPORE (JP): The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been caught in a dilemmatic situation in the past year. On one hand, there is the ambition to increase the organization's membership to include all Southeast Asian countries. On the other hand, different views reign among its members. Some desire an immediate realization of their ideal, while others prefer to postpone it.

The idea of joining all Southeast Asian countries in a forum of cooperation has been there since the beginning. After the konfrontasi between Indonesia and Malaysia, with its impact on all non-communist Southeast Asian countries, they had perceived an ASEAN to ensure regional stability. They agreed that stability was the prerequisite for development in each country.

However, until a few years ago, one could not talk freely about the idea. One reason was that views on ASEAN were divided during the Cold War era. The founding member countries believed that there was a role to be played by the regional grouping. Other countries, like Vietnam, saw it as a tool of the United States. Burma (now Myanmar), whom Indonesia expected to join ASEAN from the beginning, shared this view, albeit citing an unwillingness to get involved in the hostility between the U.S. and China as its excuse.

After the Cold War, however, things took a new twist. Last year, Vietnam became ASEAN's seventh member. Now, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar are willing to join in, possibly after observing ASEAN's achievements over nearly 30 years. Therefore, an ASEAN-10 before 2000 is no longer an illusion. There will be a time when the divided view of ASEAN will fade away.

Nevertheless, there are still obstacles, like Myanmar's membership. There is no common understanding among founding members about it. Indonesia and Malaysia do not seem to harbor doubts about allowing Myanmar to join, unlike the Philippines and Thailand. The latter want Myanmar to democratize its political system first as a prerequisite to membership. Unlike the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, opinions aired in Manila and Bangkok suggest that Myanmar's preparations are not as good as those made by Cambodia and Laos.

The barrier to Myanmar's entering ASEAN stems from the concern of Western countries about its internal political situation. On the one hand, these champions of democracy perceive Myanmar's political system as tantamount to a state of emergency. On the other, they feel humiliated and openly challenged by its military regime. This is understandable, considering that the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) was set up in the wake of the student movement in September 1988, and is still there.

Furthermore, the West thinks there are no signs yet that Myanmar will develop its political and economic system. Also, the way SLORC is dealing with the pro-democracy movement under Aung San Suu Kyi's leadership has failed to win sympathy from Western countries. Instead of trying to understand the depth of the problems facing Myanmar, the West rejects the idea of offering Myanmar observer status in ASEAN, let alone full membership.

What should ASEAN deal with this issue? Is the argument of the West something to rely on?

Indonesia and Malaysia's stance is right. Isolating Myanmar will not bring any good to the country. ASEAN leaders need to be convinced that Myanmar will improve a lot through its interaction within ASEAN. And that development will push changes in Myanmar's political condition and system in the direction desired by its people.

ASEAN does not need to buy the West's point of view. Western countries have so far tended to be naive. Their assessment of Myanmar and that of other Asian countries is often influenced by two factors only: democracy and human rights. Apart from being naive, they are not impartial in applying those factors consistently to other prospective members of ASEAN. This may just be a case of arrogance, because they ignore the fact that the democratization issue also plagues countries without pro- democracy movements. Hence, their support of Vietnam for ASEAN membership.

The objection of Myanmar's membership by the Philippines and Thailand does not have a strong basis. Both countries should be reminded about the political situation in ASEAN countries when the organization was established nearly 30 years ago. We have witnessed how the countries developed into their present state. It is not impossible that such development will also take place in Myanmar.

The writer is a professor of social and political sciences at the University of Indonesia, Jakarta