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Pledges to improve ASEAN rights system rings hollow
Ten years ago, the ASEAN Charter came into force. Its Article 14 on the establishment of its human rights body was said to be the most difficult section to bring all member states to consensus.
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Marching in: People take part in the ASEAN 50 Parade on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta. The parade displayed national and traditional cultures from ASEAN member countries. (JP/Ibrahim Irsyad)
T
en years ago, the ASEAN Charter came into force. Its Article 14 on the establishment of its human rights body was said to be the most difficult section to bring all member states to consensus.
The Making of the ASEAN Charter provides an interesting account on its debates among members of the high-level task force, comprising eminent individuals appointed by the 10 ASEAN governments. The topic itself was considered sensitive, let alone creating the mechanism to monitor human rights in member countries.
Singapore’s member Tommy Koh wrote in the book, published in 2009, that ASEAN countries were fragmented into three camps: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam opposed the creation of an ASEAN human rights commission, while Indonesia and Thailand were in favor, and Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore occupied the middle ground. Those who supported the establishment of an independent and protective commission on human rights were stigmatized as acting “holier than the Pope,” according to Myanmar’s Aung Bwa.
Bounkeut Sangsomsak of Laos reasoned that the debates were not about rejecting human rights, but on different understandings on the matter. Nguyen Trung Thanh of Vietnam argued that ASEAN had to establish its own human rights standards so it would not be used as an excuse by outsiders to intervene in ASEAN’s affairs. Voicing domestic pressure, Indonesia’s Dian Triansyah Djani insisted that a protective human rights mechanism is an imperative requirement for an ASEAN community.
