Challenge to Asean

The 12th Asean summit in Cebu on Saturday, Jan. 13, makes for good study on the vagaries of international diplomacy – a president gasping for survival hosting a summit of an organization threatened with irrelevance.

The most important document expected to be signed in the Cebu Asean summit is a framework charter of the 40-year old organization. The leaders will just agree on the basic principles, not the charter itself. A final draft of the charter is expected to be presented to the leaders in the 13th summit in Singapore in December.

Last week, S. Jayakumar, Singapore’s deputy prime minister, warned “”If it just continues to do more of the same, I think over a period of time, Asean will just become one of those organizations which will slowly fade into the sunset.”

Jayakumar, as quoted in the Singapore Straits Times further said, “Asean — as an organization — will atrophy and become marginalized” unless it reinvents itself.

Jayakuma represented Singapore, Asean’s most economically advanced member in the Eminent Persons Group, an advisory group to the Southeast Asia grouping.
Former President Fidel Ramos, who represented the Philippines zeroed on the Asean’s policy of deciding by consensus which is a tedious decision-making process.

Ramos said consultation and consensus should be retained for sensitive and important issues. “But if consensus cannot be achieved, decisions may be taken through voting among members,” he said

If it’s a comforting thought, Asean has shown that it’s capable of adjusting to regional realities. Established in 1967, one its declared aims was include, “to promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law.”

With the five non-Communist countries in the region (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand) as its original members, the group were united in preventing communist Vietnam’s expansion in Indochina.

In 1998, Vietnam joined Asean, a reflection of the changing realities in the region. Aside from the original five and Vietnam, Asean now includes Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, and Myanmar.

In its first Asean summit in 1976, Asean came out with a Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia which set as their guideline the following fundamental principles:

· Mutual respect for independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all nations;
· The right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion or coercion;
· Non-interference in the internal affairs of one another;
· Settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful manner;
· Renunciation of the threat or use of force; and
· Effective cooperation among themselves.

Countries that are Asean’s dialogue partners have to accede to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.

The case of Myanmar, however, is challenging Asean how to carry out meaningfully its 1967 declaration of “abiding respect for justice and rule of law” while adhering to its principle of “non-interference in the internal affairs of one another.”

Ramos said “In exceptional circumstances the traditional policy of non-intervention may be adjusted and sanctions imposed for non-compliance.”

He added, “And yes, that may include suspension of a member state but not expulsion.”

Jayakumar was quoted as saying Asean must push ahead with the “hard-nosed decisions” to make itself more effective.”