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House committee endorses ASEAN charter
The Jakarta Post | Tue, 10/07/2008 10:04 PM | Headlines
A special committee in the House of Representatives has agreed to all provisions in the landmark ASEAN charter and endorsed it for ratification in the next plenary meeting.
“The draft of the law on the charter ratification will be signed on Wednesday during which all 10 House factions will read their opinions. The draft will then be brought in the next plenary session for official ratification,” Marzuki, of the Golkar Party, told The Jakarta Post Tuesday night.
The House schedules plenary meetings every Tuesday and Thursday.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda would attend Wednesday’s session at the House.
Also on Tuesday, the Philippine Senate ratified the charter, making Indonesia as the only ASEAN member that has not ratified the pact, which promotes democracy and human rights in the Southeast Asian region.
One of the most significant pledges in the charter is to set up a regional human rights body.
Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations last year signed the long-overdue charter, which aims to formally turn the 41-year-old organization into a more regulated legal entity.
ASEAN, which was founded in 1967, now comprises of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The Associated Press reported that there had been concerns that ratification could have been derailed in the Philippine Senate. Some senators have criticized the lack of democracy in military-ruled Myanmar and demanded the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political detainees.
"It's a sham effort with which I do not wish to be identified," said Aquilino Pimentel Jr., the lone senator who opposed the ratification Tuesday.
Critics say such a body will have a limited impact if it is not empowered to punish governments, such as that of Myanmar, which violate the human rights of their citizens. (and)
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Habib (not verified) — Tue, 10/07/2008 - 11:55pm
Congratulations! go forward ASEAN....