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Why ASEAN should remain center stage
Coming straight off its Group of 20 presidency, Indonesia has a unique opportunity to strengthen ASEAN's unity and relevance when it takes over the regional grouping's chairmanship next year.
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Leaders of ASEAN and its dialogue partners link hands during a photo session on Nov. 4, 2019 during the 14th East Asia Summit, held on the sidelines of the 35th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, Thailand. (AFP/Manan Vatsyayana)
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SEAN celebrated its 55th anniversary earlier this month, at a time when the world was confronting its worst crisis. A series of ministerial meetings within ASEAN and with the group’s dialogue partners were held in Phnom Penh to address the crisis and its impacts on the region.
Needless to say, ASEAN is facing an uphill battle. While a worsening political and humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Myanmar, multidimensional challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific are coming to the fore at the same time.
It is, nevertheless, fair to look at ASEAN from a “glass half full” perspective. Those challenges are indeed unprecedented, and have therefore put the group’s effectiveness and relevance to the test. Only through stronger and consistent resolve, as well as stronger unity and centrality, can ASEAN prevent tensions from exploding into a military conflicts.
ASEAN has been gradually transforming over the decades in its efforts to maintain peace and stability and promote prosperity. The community has catapulted to become the world’s fifth largest economy, with continuous growth and a dynamic middle-income population. The challenges in the coming years remain complex and multidimensional.
Past experiences in navigating the world’s worst financial crisis, natural disasters, geopolitical tensions and the impacts of unresolved overlapping territorial disputes have given ASEAN’s resilience a boost. Making ASEAN a community for all should not only be about opportunities, but also about its continuous capability to confront challenges rather than sweeping them under the rug.
ASEAN’s failure to adopt a joint communiqué a decade ago should be a significant lesson learned in negotiating the challenges against its unity and centrality amid the geopolitical divide. The latest is the deteriorating situation in Myanmar, which cannot be treated as business as usual.
Unity and credibility should be upheld against any attempts to undermine the values and common vision enshrined in the ASEAN Charter. The regional grouping should not stop at strong slogans, but needs to walk the talk. The most recent foreign ministerial meeting and the ASEAN Day celebration should represent growing confidence that ASEAN matters to its peoples and to the international community.
