No new partnerships, ASEAN chief says
JAKARTA (JP): The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is not seeking new partnerships at the moment because its secretariat already has too much in its plate.
With hundreds of committees and meetings each year, the Jakarta-based secretariat is stretched to fulfill its commitments, Secretary-General Dato' Ajit Singh said.
"It's very difficult to make ends meet," Dato' Ajit told a luncheon of the Indonesian Executive Circle.
Asked by The Jakarta Post whether ASEAN could accommodate a new partnership or cooperation, he replied: "No, we are too stretched now."
"For us to take on new partners or establish new links, I think we need a little bit more time," he said.
Formed in 1967, ASEAN has grown into one of the most successful regional organizations in the world. It is made up of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The group holds annual talks with its "dialog partners" the United States, the European Union and Japan.
The slew of activities has inundated the ASEAN secretariat with projects. The secretariat, with an annual budget of $5.5 million, employs 30 managers. They are supported by an additional 80 local workers who undertake administrative and household duties.
ASEAN held 244 meetings in 1995. This year 286 meetings are scheduled. The secretariat is responsible for organizing most of these conferences.
As ASEAN delves into more areas of cooperation, the volume of meetings and activities is of course likely to increase. ASEAN's latest venture, functional cooperation, is expected to initiate even more projects.
Dato' Ajit told the luncheon that given the secretariat's capacity, it would be difficult to enter into more cooperation and talks with regional counterparts.
ASEAN did not want to enter into relationships "just to pat each other on the back", he said.
He suggested that ASEAN consolidate and reaffirm the commitments it has already made.
"We would like to make sure that we are able to service and do justice to all that we have committed ourselves to," Dato' Ajit said after the luncheon.
It is important to test if the various mechanisms already in place are sufficient to handle all these commitments, he added.
Asked if the multitude of meetings were really needed, he quickly answered: "They are all necessary."
He said he considered the workload a "challenge for us to see how we can reduce these committees. Maybe by using information technology."
This month alone there are 22 scheduled meetings and workshops in 10 cities throughout the region.
These include a meeting on transboundary pollution, a railway manager's conference, a subcommittee meeting on education, and a discussion on the Mekong basin development project. (mds)