Today
Jakarta
- 27 °C
Other Publications
RI must lead changes in post-Charter ASEAN
Lilian Budianto , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 10/10/2008 10:56 AM | World
Indonesia must play a leading role in the implementation of democracy and human rights values enshrined in the ASEAN Charter, to prevent the document from becoming toothless, experts said Thursday.
Indonesia, the largest democracy and economy in the regional grouping, is preparing to ratify the charter before the end of the month, and becomes the last of the 10 member states to do so.
Dewi Fortuna Anwar, senior researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said the prospects of the document bringing change for a better community relied heavily on Indonesia's role, despite the document's weaknesses.
"Indonesia should be more proactive, taking the lead in introducing the values of democracy and human rights, not only in junta-ruled Myanmar, but also in the Philippines and Thailand, which are currently reeling from political instability," she said.
She added Indonesia had to change its political attitude within the bloc by being more proactive in introducing democratic values, earned after the fall of former leader Soeharto and the 1997 financial crisis, to bring positive change to the region.
"Taking the lead to usher in democracy doesn't mean we should try to dominate the bloc. By voicing concern over the lack of human rights and democracy in other member states, we will be ensuring that the values observed in the ASEAN Charter are implemented," she said.
Rizal Sukma, deputy executive director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said Thursday while the charter did not bind members to comply, it could still exert political pressure on authoritarian members to embrace democracy.
"The (Indonesian) government now has a base from which to remind countries like Myanmar of the values of democracy within the charter they have ratified," said Rizal, a strong opponent of the charter's ratification.
"The future of the charter hinges on the will and the guts of the government to be strict toward disobedient member states. We don't want to lose the momentum to bring change to countries like Myanmar."
The charter will take effect 30 days after the deposit of the tenth ratification with the ASEAN secretary-general, and will turn the bloc into a rules-based organization that promotes and protects the values of democracy and human rights.
A regional human rights body is scheduled for creation by July next year.
Critics claim the charter lacks explicit rules on sanctions and is unclear on decision-making mechanisms.
ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said Wednesday in a press release made available to The Jakarta Post that, with Indonesia's ratification on track, he was optimistic about having a full ratification as scheduled for the upcoming ASEAN summit in Bangkok this December.
Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda expressed his appreciation Wednesday to the House of Representatives for agreeing to ratify the charter and for the number of recommendations to ensure "stronger cooperation in ASEAN" and "maximized benefits for Indonesia".
