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.