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