The significance of the Asia-Africa commemoration

The significance of the Asia-Africa commemoration

Jusuf Wanandi, Jakarta

The 50th anniversary of the Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung,
or the Bandung conference, provides a good opportunity to take
stock of what the results have been of such a bold and strategic
move.

The success of the 1955 conference was a remarkable
achievement for developing nations during the period of
decolonization after World War II. Its aim was to support and
quicken the process of decolonization, particularly on the
African continent, by showing solidarity among the developing
parts of Asia and Africa.

Two things have to be mentioned here:

First, historically the idea of decolonization originated with
the U.S., through the insistence of President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt that the process after World War II had to be taken
seriously by the colonial powers, which had been saved by the
U.S. against the Nazi Axis that instigated World War II.

Second, the Bandung conference was the first time the People's
Republic of China had been given a platform and introduced to the
world and the Asia-Africa region as an independent nation and a
potential leader.

What has also become obvious over the last 50 years is the
divergence between East Asia and Africa in their development. In
geo-political and geo-economic terms East Asia might include
India, Australia and New Zealand. Economic development in East
Asia has been following the "flying-geese" pattern, led by the
Japan, which moved from light industry exports to the heavy,
high-tech and service industries. It was followed by the newly
industrialized economies (NIEs, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and
Singapore) and then the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN), and last, but not least, China.

The 1997 financial crisis in East Asia put the brakes on the
fast growth of the previous 25 years, and brought about new
challenges for the region. Though, five to six years on, most of
the crisis-affected countries had managed to get back on their
feet and resume their economic development. China was not
affected by the crisis and is still moving forward, and possibly
will continue to do so for the next 20 to 30 years.

India's economy is now catching up, after growing five to six
percent annually in the last decade.

In a sense, state-building might be slightly stronger in East
Asia than in Africa, because stronger cultural history and
traditions have existed in most parts of Asia. This includes the
process of state-building, in the form of old traditions such as
kingdoms, but also empires in the cases of China and India.

After the first successful Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung,
the second one in 1965 was aborted due to Boummedienne's coup
d'etat in Algiers against Ben Bella. However, there were already
some divisions within the group, when the non-aligned movement
was established in 1960, the Chinese-India border war broke out
in 1962, and amid China's political and economic turmoil
resulting from the great 1958-1960 leap forward, which was
followed by the cultural revolution in 1966. Furthermore, the
Vietnam War created a division in Southeast Asia from the mid
1960s until the late 1970s.

What is the significance of the Asia-Africa spirit, aside from
a sense of solidarity, as has been expressed in variations on the
South-South Cooperation and the Group of 77 at the United
Nations?

It has not been an all-encompassing legacy. What has emerged
is a sense of regionalism and sub-regionalism that has become a
more effective mechanism to face common challenges. In Africa
there was the Organization of Africa Unity (OAU), now the African
Union, which has given Africa a sense of solidarity and
cooperation. In East Asia, the establishment of ASEAN in
Southeast Asia gradually developed into wider regional solidarity
toward an East Asian community.

On the basis of these regional institutions, broader based
cooperation among Asia (East Asia) and Africa (or an effective
part of it) could be promoted. In that sense, the commemoration
of the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference will have positive impacts for
the future.

The two sides could exchange experiences after being apart for
most of the 50 years since the Bandung conference. While Asia has
moved forward, not many in Asia are aware of how Africa has been
faring (not too badly, according to the media). They can learn
from each other and explore areas that would be mutually
beneficial to develop.

It is important that Asia and Africa open up communications
and exchange ideas for future cooperation. This should not be
limited to governments and the bureaucracy, but should include
the people, politicians, civil societies, academic circles and
businesspeople. Particular attention should be given to the
younger generation.

In relation to the South-South Cooperation, Indonesia has had
trilateral programs between donor countries such as Japan and
Saudi Arabia, where Indonesian experts and professionals assist
with various kinds of technology transfers in some African
countries. This kind of cooperation is relevant and feasible and
can be expanded as follow-up to the Asian-African Summit. The
stages of development and technology of many Asian countries
would no doubt be relevant to developing Africa, since they are
not very far ahead.

Africa has a long-term vision for the future and through the
African Union it tries to achieve this step-by-step. African
nations are more advanced than their Asian counterparts in their
willingness to "intervene" in each other affairs. They have
regional peace-keeping forces, a human rights court and other
relevant institutions. If they can embark on sustained economic
development efforts and can overcome some of their intransigent
problems, such as the slow development of political institutions
and human resources, and disabling diseases (HIV/AIDS, malaria
and other viruses/diseases), they will soon be on the way to
becoming the next NIEs.

Cooperation between Asian and Africans nations could be one of
the catalysts for the development of this potential, and to
achieve much quicker and more solid development.

The writer is Co-founder, Member of the Board of Trustees, and
Senior Fellow, Centre for Strategic and International Studies
(CSIS), Jakarta.