The ASEAN family behind closed doors

The ASEAN family behind closed doors

Meidyatama Suryodiningrat, The Jakarta Post, Vientiane

Ten middle-aged men and one woman gathered around a table behind
closed doors. With purpose and confidence each took a turn
circling the four-meter-wide wooden round table, elaborating on
issues that needed to be explained and suggestions that needed to
be proposed. Some spoke in English, others in a language that not
all could understand.

Despite the darkened room, the overhead spotlights clearly
illuminated every facial movement. They had little in common,
except for the fact that they were, arguably, the most powerful
people in Southeast Asia. The seemingly innocuous nature of the
proceedings belied the fact that the fate of over half-a-billion
people could hang on their every word.

Despite the potentially monumental repercussions of any
decision made, and the remarkable number of disputes and
disagreements that led to it, no one raised their voice in anger.
The only displays of negativity could be described, at best, as
veiled annoyance, but even of that there was little evidence.
That is "ASEAN speak": affable, unthreatening, coy and oblique.

The 10 leaders of the ASEAN member countries and the ASEAN
secretary-general were in Vientiane on Monday for their annual
powwow. In a one-and-a-half hour private session, the leaders
took stock of their 37-year-old grouping, the state of the
region, and, sometimes, boasted of their own domestic
accomplishments.

For three of the leaders -- Indonesian President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and
Malaysian President Abdullah Ahmad Badawi -- this was virgin
territory. While they may have been involved at some level with
ASEAN in their careers, none of the three had been involved as
intimately as this.

It was a solo flight for them -- unaccompanied by officials,
who were sequestered in an adjacent listening room. It could have
been a daunting and awkward experience for a "newbie" like
Susilo, but the president showed great poise, before and during
proceedings.

In the reception room before the summit began, leaders
gathered like schoolchildren huddled together in a corner of the
schoolyard. With confidence, Susilo animatedly launched into
conversation, hands flying back and forth in his now-customary
style, as if their were no ice to break.

During the closed-door meeting, the Indonesian head of state
introduced himself, and elaborated on what he defined as a
"historic moment" for Indonesia, resulting in the first
democratic election of the country's leader -- which, by
coincidence, is none other than himself.

Unwary of the sometimes overzealously guarded concept of
"sovereignty" Susilo also touched on developments in Aceh and,
without elaborating, claimed to be launching new initiatives to
resolve the issue.

As one foreign delegate remarked on Susilo's performance, "he
looks very presidential".

It was a gathering at which egos were massaged and sore points
carefully skirted. No one was there to embarrass another. No one
was forced to elaborate on issues that they did not want to.

The issue of south Thailand and Myanmar was conveniently
resolved outside the forum, to avoid putting anything on the
record, and key differences were deferred, to avoid embarrassment
before the hundreds of international media people anxiously
waiting outside, for signs of dissension.

This was ASEAN at its best, and possibly its worst.