http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/EC22Ae02.html
ASEAN: Looking ahead to new relevance
By Khoo How San (AsiaTimes Online, 22 March, 2003)
Not unexpectedly, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers could not cobble together a unified position on Iraq at their recent two-day retreat in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. When agreeing to disagree itself poses problems, just ducking the issue seems to work.
Moreover, ASEAN is still grappling with its relevance. ASEAN needs to get its priorities right to stay relevant, and two recent reminders of this came in the form of a visit to a "new" member by a leader from an "old" member, and remarks by the leaders of a "wanna-be" member.
Singaporean Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's working visit to Vietnam early this month may be seen as a reminder to fellow ASEAN members that the economic rationale for the soon-to-be-36-year-old grouping is now even more critical. The agenda for his trip was trade, investments and stepping up the pace of ASEAN integration.
At about the same time, President Xanana Gusmao and Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta of Timor Leste (the official Portuguese name of East Timor) unequivocally rejected playing to populist sentiments when they criticized a United Nations-financed judicial unit's indictments against eight Indonesians, including ex-general Wiranto, for alleged involvement in atrocities against East Timorese before and after the 1999 independence vote.
Gusmao, himself a victim of past Indonesian injustice, spoke with measured statesmanship when he said that peace and stability "greatly depend on the relationship we will forge" with Indonesia. He has made reconciliation a priority since his election as president last year. Ramos-Horta, on a visit to Jakarta, similarly said his newly independent country's ties with Indonesia were too important to be undermined by issues such as the indictments. He felt justice could be pursued without creating misunderstandings with Indonesia.
Put simply, both Goh and the Timor Leste leaders reminded ASEAN that in the still-evolving geopolitics and geoeconomics of the post-post-Cold War era, members of the grouping had no choice but to hang together - or hang separately.
There is one more act of painful pragmatism that ASEAN must do: while its creation of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in 1994 was diplomatically useful at the time, it must stop pretending that the ARF has not become outmoded. The ARF has degenerated into a mere talk-shop and ASEAN should acknowledge the reality that the major powers with a stake in East Asia's security have become more proactive in shaping a new security architecture.
To return to Goh's visit to Hanoi, his call for renewed economic cooperation and especially his pledge to help the newer ASEAN members - Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar - integrate, and thus avert their lapsing into a "second tier" status, is nothing short of timely. At the time of ASEAN's creation in 1967, the grouping's economic purpose was modest. Globalization had not reached today's level, intra-ASEAN trade was not yet significant or an imperative, and China was not yet a competitor for trade and investments.
Since becoming ASEAN-10 (that is, a community of 10 members), the grouping has initiated a slew of economic cooperation cum integration measures: the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI), the Hanoi Action Plan (HAP), etc. Moreover, ASEAN collectively has renewed efforts to reach out to key economic partners, especially the United States, China, Japan, and the European Union.
But for every ASEAN economic initiative cited, less than satisfactory intra-ASEAN unity of purpose lurks nearby. AFTA, for example, faced members' demands for special concessions. The "growth triangle" idea was stymied from perceptions of unequal benefits to its participants.
ASEAN has to face the reality that its core economic purpose now is to generate a momentum of trade and investments to ensure an expanding pie for all. Not all slices of this pie may be equal, because of differing comparative advantages, but every slice that is enlarged ensures jobs or provides room for restructuring.
Can ASEAN members put aside economic nationalism for this community goal?
The Timor Leste leaders, in their gesture of reconciliation with Indonesia, reminded ASEAN of its core political purpose - indeed, the raison d'etre for its existence and continued relevance. In 1967, ASEAN was created primarily to reconciliate the non-communist countries of Southeast Asia (against a backdrop of belligerent and externally supported communist Southeast Asian countries).
Despite many a "one step forward and two steps back", the "old" ASEAN members managed to reconcile reasonably well, and even look out for each other along the lines of what I would describe as a "neighborhood watch group".
Today, the real estate of the expanded neighborhood (ASEAN-10) should command a higher value than in 1967, provided the entire area does not become a slum and neighbors don't throw stones at one another's houses. Sometimes stones do get thrown, as occurred recently in the row between Thailand and Cambodia over a Thai starlet's allegedly disparaging remarks. The row has dissipated, but observers will be watching to see if the two neighbors can resolve the matter in the "spirit of ASEAN".
For sure, Timor Leste will need to be assured that its prospective membership will see it welcomed as "one of us". Can ASEAN members put aside the baggage of historical differences?
Finally, the creation of the ARF in 1994 saw ASEAN play the crucial role of matchmaker in getting the United States, China, Japan and Russia to "dialogue" when post-Cold War East Asia was still in flux. Today, these major powers are in the process of working out a security mechanism for East Asia among themselves and it is painful to see ASEAN's prestige diminished by its insistence on driving the so-called "ARF process".
Can ASEAN reinvent its role within this emerging mechanism so that its members' interests are taken into account? One is reminded that whether elephants make war or make love, it is the grass that must learn to avoid being trampled on.
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This page one lead story below in TODAY (14 July 2012) is a sorry but not unexpected vindication of my point that the ARF has outlived its usefulness and indeed, may become an embarrassment to ASEAN with the passage of time...
http://www.todayonline.com/Hotnews/EDC120714-0000046/Severe-dent-on-ASEANs-credibility
'Severe dent on ASEAN's credibility'
Foreign Minister Shanmugam regrets bloc's inability to agree on common statement on South China Sea dispute
04:46 AM Jul 14, 2012
PHNOM PENH - The Association of South-east Asian Nations' (ASEAN) failure to reach consensus and issue a joint communique at the end of its meetings in Cambodia this week - a first in the bloc's 45-year history - has put "a severe dent" on its credibility, said Singapore's Foreign Minister K Shanmugam.
The failure underscores deep divisions within the 10-member bloc amid conflicting territorial claims in the resource-rich South China Sea involving four of its members plus China and Taiwan.
Some members have traded blame on the failure while several officials have expressed disappointment with the outcome, which has cast doubt on plans to establish a regional economic community by 2015.
"To put it bluntly, it is a severe dent on ASEAN's credibility. We talk about issues in the world in past communiques, but we are unable to deal with something that's happening right here in the neighbourhood and say something about it," said Mr Shanmugam.
"It is absolutely clear to all of us that we ought not to take any sides on any disputes. That is out of the question.
"The question is whether we can come up with a consensus or form of reflecting a desire to move forward on these issues in a way that is win-win for everyone. … It is sad that we are not even able to agree on that. We talk about ASEAN centrality, ASEAN neutrality, ASEAN connectivity, ASEAN community in 2015, but before all of that, is the central issue of credibility."
The bloc's inability to agree on a communique is unprecedented, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said. "This is strange territory for me," he told reporters. "It's very, very disappointing that, at this 11th hour, ASEAN is not able to rally around a certain common language on the South China Sea. We've gone through so many problems in the past, but we've never failed to speak as one."
The ministerial summit broke down on Thursday. Participants had earlier agreed on key aspects of a draft maritime Code of Conduct but talks foundered after China insisted the ASEAN forum was not the appropriate place to discuss the matter. An emergency meeting called for early yesterday morning failed to break the deadlock.
ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said the Philippines and Vietnam wanted the communique to include a reference to a recent standoff between China and the Philippines at a shoal in the South China Sea claimed by both countries.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement yesterday lambasting host Cambodia - a close ally of China - for "consistently opposing any mention of the Scarborough Shoal".
Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said his government does not support any side in the disputes, adding that the failure to issue a statement lies with all ASEAN members, not just Cambodia. "I have told my colleagues that the meeting of the ASEAN foreign ministers is not a court, a place to give a verdict about the dispute," he said.
However, Mr Yang Razali Kassim, Senior Fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said: "Cambodia has to take responsibility for this debacle, which has crucial lessons for ASEAN unity going forward."
He added: "This failure to display a united ASEAN stand on strategic issues when under pressure reflects Cambodia's leanings towards China, which Phnom Penh seemed to favour, over solidarity with fellow ASEAN members over the territorial dispute. In so doing, Cambodia as the ASEAN chair shows its lack of experience and diplomatic skill as chair to preserve ASEAN solidarity."
Associate Professor Antonio Rappa, Head of Management and Security Studies at SIM University's School of Business, said that in the next few weeks, "it will be important for ASEAN to reassert its position" and "come together".
The differences represent a learning experience for ASEAN, said Mr Surin, who added that the failure to issue a communique - which serves as a record of decisions at the summit - means that ASEAN will not be able to proceed on some of the action points it agreed to, such as a joint institute for peace and reconciliation to be located in Jakarta.
Mr Shanmugam also elaborated on the implications to Singapore. "I have previously remarked the international political environment is one where the rules are often unclear between big and small countries. We are a small country and, for us, the more rules of engagement and a structured framework within countries particularly in the region have to operate, the better it is for us. Otherwise, the smallest country on the totem pole would be left without rules." Agencies.
--------------------------------------------------------
I would like to wrap up this blog entry on a more uplifting note. My former pastor, Rev Dr Kang Ho Soon, sent this link...
Someone who cares
"We make a living by what we get,
but we make a life by what we give.
You made a difference!"
http://play.simpletruths.com/movie/someone-who-cares/?cm_mmc=CheetahMail-_FR-_-07.13.12-_-SomeoneWhoCaresMovie&utm_source=CheetahMail&utm_campaign=SomeoneWhoCaresMovie#.UAFiqn7a4ec.gmail
The failure underscores deep divisions within the 10-member bloc amid conflicting territorial claims in the resource-rich South China Sea involving four of its members plus China and Taiwan.
Some members have traded blame on the failure while several officials have expressed disappointment with the outcome, which has cast doubt on plans to establish a regional economic community by 2015.
"To put it bluntly, it is a severe dent on ASEAN's credibility. We talk about issues in the world in past communiques, but we are unable to deal with something that's happening right here in the neighbourhood and say something about it," said Mr Shanmugam.
"It is absolutely clear to all of us that we ought not to take any sides on any disputes. That is out of the question.
"The question is whether we can come up with a consensus or form of reflecting a desire to move forward on these issues in a way that is win-win for everyone. … It is sad that we are not even able to agree on that. We talk about ASEAN centrality, ASEAN neutrality, ASEAN connectivity, ASEAN community in 2015, but before all of that, is the central issue of credibility."
The bloc's inability to agree on a communique is unprecedented, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said. "This is strange territory for me," he told reporters. "It's very, very disappointing that, at this 11th hour, ASEAN is not able to rally around a certain common language on the South China Sea. We've gone through so many problems in the past, but we've never failed to speak as one."
The ministerial summit broke down on Thursday. Participants had earlier agreed on key aspects of a draft maritime Code of Conduct but talks foundered after China insisted the ASEAN forum was not the appropriate place to discuss the matter. An emergency meeting called for early yesterday morning failed to break the deadlock.
ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said the Philippines and Vietnam wanted the communique to include a reference to a recent standoff between China and the Philippines at a shoal in the South China Sea claimed by both countries.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement yesterday lambasting host Cambodia - a close ally of China - for "consistently opposing any mention of the Scarborough Shoal".
Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said his government does not support any side in the disputes, adding that the failure to issue a statement lies with all ASEAN members, not just Cambodia. "I have told my colleagues that the meeting of the ASEAN foreign ministers is not a court, a place to give a verdict about the dispute," he said.
However, Mr Yang Razali Kassim, Senior Fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said: "Cambodia has to take responsibility for this debacle, which has crucial lessons for ASEAN unity going forward."
He added: "This failure to display a united ASEAN stand on strategic issues when under pressure reflects Cambodia's leanings towards China, which Phnom Penh seemed to favour, over solidarity with fellow ASEAN members over the territorial dispute. In so doing, Cambodia as the ASEAN chair shows its lack of experience and diplomatic skill as chair to preserve ASEAN solidarity."
Associate Professor Antonio Rappa, Head of Management and Security Studies at SIM University's School of Business, said that in the next few weeks, "it will be important for ASEAN to reassert its position" and "come together".
The differences represent a learning experience for ASEAN, said Mr Surin, who added that the failure to issue a communique - which serves as a record of decisions at the summit - means that ASEAN will not be able to proceed on some of the action points it agreed to, such as a joint institute for peace and reconciliation to be located in Jakarta.
Mr Shanmugam also elaborated on the implications to Singapore. "I have previously remarked the international political environment is one where the rules are often unclear between big and small countries. We are a small country and, for us, the more rules of engagement and a structured framework within countries particularly in the region have to operate, the better it is for us. Otherwise, the smallest country on the totem pole would be left without rules." Agencies.
--------------------------------------------------------
I would like to wrap up this blog entry on a more uplifting note. My former pastor, Rev Dr Kang Ho Soon, sent this link...
Someone who cares
"We make a living by what we get,
but we make a life by what we give.
You made a difference!"
http://play.simpletruths.com/movie/someone-who-cares/?cm_mmc=CheetahMail-_FR-_-07.13.12-_-SomeoneWhoCaresMovie&utm_source=CheetahMail&utm_campaign=SomeoneWhoCaresMovie#.UAFiqn7a4ec.gmail
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