The Southeast Asian grouping of ASEAN has reaped considerable grievances as it approaches its 42nd anniversary on Aug. 8, in a world that has already slipped into economic crisis and is facing different challenges than it did decades ago.
Activists have ratcheted up pressure on the ASEAN human rights body to be more powerful and asked the ASEAN government to push Myanmar to release thousands of its political prisoners; business groups have asked what the grouping can do now to ease the global crisis that has affected purchasing power of the people.
Meanwhile, to the people of some half a billion living in Southeast Asian countries, ASEAN might sound distant and the grouping is deemed to be a mere political gathering despite the new ASEAN Charter, which entered into force last December.
The Chapter pledged to facilitate some transition into a more united ASEAN, with possibilities of having the chance to live under one regulation and system in the coming future. Although, it was yet to be one community like the European Union, it could have a promising future ahead.
"I really have no idea what kinds of benefits it has to offer for working class people like us," said Linda Tan, an auditor with the PriceWaterHouseCoopers.
"But if it is meant to ease the regulation of people movement and working terms, it sounds great. It's not all about politics, then."
The ASEAN first anniversary after the coming into force of ASEAN Chapter might skip the attention with the minimal publication of benefits of moving into one regional community.
The notorious Myanmar has also most of the time taken the center stage in the grouping's agendas, overshadowing the progress in the economy and socio-cultural fields.
Under the Charter, the government has sought to streamline migration procedure for skilled migrant workers. Skilled migrant workers are subject to a certain period of stay within ASEAN countries and they are required to extend their working visa.
By 2015, Indonesian professionals are expected not to be subject to this rule anymore.
For the business community, they could enjoy tariff-free exports under the ASEAN Economic Community. For students, they could have more chance to study abroad under the ASEAN Cultural Community.
As ASEAN is comprised of some developing member-states, the opportunity might seem a chance to experience the better life offered by other member-states.
For those living in a country led by a dictator, it could sound like a chance to pave ways for better systems.
"I have to say that people of Myanmar feel secure that they were grouped under ASEAN... As for when our government acts erratically, it seems like we have somebody to remind our government *of how to act*. We still think democratic countries like Indonesia should have led ASEAN to act tougher on the Myanmar government" said a journalist from Myanmar who refuse to be identified.
Myanmar is ruled by a military junta, Brunei Darussalam is under the rule of an absolute monarch, Laos and Vietnam have single-party systems, Singapore and Cambodia observe elections with predictable results, Malaysia restricts political rights under its draconian Internal Security Act, leaving Indonesia and the Philippines as the main democracies in this region of more than 570 million people.
Critics say ASEAN has mistakenly continued to protect military-ruled Myanmar by watering down the mandate of the future ASEAN human rights body, while the West has slapped economic sanctions for the junta's notorious chokehold on democracy.
Senior researcher of Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) Dewi Fortuna Anwar said in a recent interview that although the new ASEAN under the recent Charter was still deemed toothless, it was nonetheless an important step to better rights enforcement.
"We might say that ASEAN is a failure in many things, but that doesn't mean we should forget about it. The challenges are harder in politics and security because they involve high political issues with a great level of sensitivity.
In the economy, we have some common goals, such as lowering tariffs and opening up the markets. But when it comes to politics, with goals of enhancing demo-cracy, we might face challenges from countries with great political sensitivity.
"However, it has to be remembered that those are the challenges that make ASEAN relevant. If everything is good, we do not need ASEAN."
