Surprising ASEAN
Surprising ASEAN
The foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) deserve high praise for their surprising courage
to depart from the group's rigid non-interference principles and
rebuke the Myanmar military junta, which still stubbornly refuses
to release the country's pro-democracy icon, Aung San Suu Kyi.
By taking that decision, the ministers have proved that ASEAN
can handle its own business with maturity, and adjust itself to
the international values of democracy and humanity.
Clearly, the ministers also cannot just turn a collective deaf
ear to international outcries protesting Myanmar's tough stance
on Suu Kyi, and they have responded positively to these protests.
Because of their new stance on Myanmar, ASEAN is now in a much
better position to meet with their 10 counterparts, including
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, in the two-day ASEAN
Regional Forum (ARF) starting on Wednesday. Powell has openly
urged Yangon to immediately release the opposition leader from
detention, while Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi has
also threatened to cut off aid to Myanmar if Suu Kyi is not
released.
And, honestly speaking, it was against our expectation -- and
it even surprised Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung -- that
Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, the staunchest supporters of
non-interference, would be so proactive in seeking Suu Kyi's
release.
"What can I say? This is the first time that ASEAN has
commented on the internal affairs of one of its members. But for
the sake of ASEAN solidarity, I had to agree," Win Aung
commented, in a rather grumbling mood, after attending the two-
day meeting in Phnom Penh.
Win Aung was right in saying that he could not defy the ASEAN
decision. We want to remind the ruling Myanmarese generals that
they have only themselves to blame for the embarrassment, having
slapped ASEAN in the face with their refusal to free the Nobel
Peace Prize laureate before the ministerial meeting.
They wrongly thought that their neighbors would not bother
with their mistreatment of Suu Kyi, and now have no choice but to
fulfill the demands of their neighbors. If they fail, they will
be totally isolated from the world, because even their nearest
neighbors have lost their trust in the country's military
leaders.
The ministers have created a very far-reaching precedence for
the future of ASEAN. Now ASEAN members, especially those that are
still not fully democratic, can no longer so easily shield
themselves behind the pretext of "domestic affairs" in facing
criticism from other members of the group and from the world.
In their joint statement, the ministers said they "looked
forward to the early lifting of restrictions placed on San Suu
Kyi". Despite the soft wording, it was strong criticism against
the Myanmar military junta.
It is a situation not unlike that in a neighborhood, where
people have to act against a neighbor who continually beats his
wife. The neighbors can no longer look passively on, or pretend
not to know what is happening to her, because it could endanger
her life and it has also disturbed the neighbors'.
There is a need now for ASEAN to draw a line on how they
should behave if they face such a situation in the future,
because obviously the group cannot retract the new precedence.
During their annual summit in Bali this October, ASEAN leaders
need to discuss the issue further. They have taken a courageous
decision to show that they care about the fate of the Myanmarese
people, because it was impossible for the ministers to take the
decisions without prior approval from their superiors.
This is a lesson for the 10-country grouping. They must accept
the new international norms of democracy and respect of human
rights, and they can no longer hide behind their neighbors' backs
to protect their wrongdoings.
As Indonesia is the largest and strategically most influential
member of the association, her leaders and the people now have to
realize this country can also be scolded by its neighbors when
her domestic problems disturb the peace.
This is just an example: One day, if the situation in Aceh
remains unresolved, it is not impossible that our neighbors will
say that Indonesia must do something to restore the peace in the
province, because their security is directly affected by the
upheavals in the province.
Finally, we would like to extend our sincere appreciation to
the 10 foreign ministers for their historic decision. Hopefully,
Suu Kyi will not only soon enjoy her freedom, but also regain the
opportunity to serve her nation, which has been waiting for her
to take the helm since her 1990 landslide victory.