Moral magnet

Moral magnet

According to a Japanese theory, many businesses, in particular
medium scale ones, have lost their competitive edge because they
failed to recognize the need to stop growing at a certain point
and saw their energy burst into thin air like a balloon.

The ASEAN cluster of nations, originally consisting of
Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Brunei about 20
years ago, keeps on growing, with membership now at 10.

Amid contrasting ideologies, its cohesion is getting weaker
and losing its original trademark of what the Western press
originally termed "anticommunist". Still, its spirit of
solidarity remains remarkably tangible. This magnetic cohesion
may also serve as an example to other groupings of nations
wishing to exist peacefully with each other through close
economic and cultural cooperation.

The Southeast Asian (SEA) Games reflects such solidarity. In
organizing an "extravaganza" amid the present economic hardship,
the richest in per capita income have saved the day. It seems
that if the ASEAN athletes are running, jumping and swimming to
break records, the economic problems disappear automatically.

ASEAN has now shifted its involvement from
the economy to more politically volatile and complicated
mediation efforts, such as in the case of Myanmar. This is at
least what the international community now expects from this
cluster of nations.

It should be careful not to explode from growing too big and
wanting to play a role bigger than its resources could support.
The more it is involved politically and economically in matters
outside its own immediate interests, the more its image of a
moral magnet may suffer.

The policy of accommodation, so far its strongest asset,
should never be compromised and replaced by confrontation, even
in consideration of ASEAN morality. Its best role remains keeping
as many parts of the world as possible part of the nuclear-free
zone, as I am sure nobody can forget the Hiroshima catastrophe of
August 1945.

GANDHI SUKARDI

Jakarta