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ASEAN in need of ‘candid’ introspection at critical juncture
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ASEAN flags flap in the wind in front of the ASEAN Secretariat office in Jakarta on Jan. 8, 2016. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
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mid an increasingly uncertain geopolitical landscape and recurring internal problems still plaguing ASEAN after decades of its existence, the bloc is at a juncture and must transform itself out of deadlock, diplomats and analysts have warned.
A dismal forecast of Southeast Asia’s geopolitics over the next few years was presented at the Seventh ASEAN Media Forum on Tuesday, where several officials, experts and ex-diplomats convened in a day-long conference addressing dozens of journalists from across the region.
Among the top discussion points at the forum was the internal mechanism of ASEAN, which was deemed to be still lackluster in ensuring the group’s agility amid the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China, and the seemingly never-ending Myanmar crisis, which has gradually chipped away at the group’s perceived integrity.
ASEAN, as it stands, still has much to prove despite tremendous efforts put in under Indonesia’s chairmanship this year, the panelists said.
“I think today we are at a juncture [with] important dynamics out there where more of the same may not suffice,” said former Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa during the media forum.
It was during this critical juncture, Marty and some other panelists said, that Indonesia’s leadership should have strived to “shape and mold [ASEAN] beyond its chairmanship for decades to come”.
While Jakarta has attempted to do so during its leadership, such as through the issuance of documents that laid the groundwork for ASEAN to maintain its relevance ahead of future challenges, key tasks to revamp the group including the review of its charter remained undone, said senior National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) analyst Dewi Fortuna Anwar.
