No new partnerships, ASEAN chief says
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)