IS ASEAN COMMUNITY SLOWLY TAKING SHAPE?

By M.Santhiran

JAKARTA, Oct 14 (Bernama) -- Have you ever wondered how convenient it will
be to travel to your neighbouring countries without passports and while there,
spend using the same currency that you use back home?

While this may sound far fetched, this is what people in Europe are
doing after the different nations in the region came under the European Union
(EU), an economic and political union of 27 European nations.

Closer to home, Asean leaders have been harbouring high hopes that the 10
nation grouping will one day realise a similar setup to EU, the Asean Community
(AC).

However, is this just another pipe dream especially when many Asean member
nations lack the will to ratify a number of conventions towards greater
integration?

Despite the reservations, Asean diplomats and their EU counterparts
believe the AC is achievable and the ball has already started rolling with the
ratification of the Asean Charter on Dec 15, 2008.

Realising the urgent need to engage the people of the region in achieving
the AC vision, the Asean secretariat in Jakarta sought the assistance of the
region's media practitioners during a two-day workshop on Asean-EU relationship.

The workshop provided greater exposure on the ongoing efforts of the Asean
Secretariat in adopting some of EU's successful formula and stories, in
achieving greater integration among Asean nations and its people.

LESSONS FROM EU

The Deputy Secretary-General of Asean Community and Corporate Affairs Bagas
Hapsoro said that there were many things to learn from EU and its member states.

"What EU has achieved so far is not something achieved overnight and
we at Asean secretariat strongly believe that we can learn from their
experience of how countries that are politically, economically and socially
diverse can be integrated as a single entity as what we witness today," said
Bagas responding to a question posed by a journalist at the two-day workshop.

"We are not going to adopt in total whatever policies or mechanism of EU,
we just want to share their experiences and come up with our own mechanism and
policies in ensuring that Asean remain as a strong regional organisation,"
stressed Bagas.

For record, currently EU's total population is estimated at 500 million
compared with Asean at 592 million and the EU GDP per capita stands at 26,000
euro compared with Asean standing at 1,800 euro.

The EU has developed a single market through a standardised system of laws
which apply in all member states and ensures the free movement of people, goods,
services, and capital. Sixteen member states have adopted a common currency, the
euro, constituting the euro zone.

The special adviser to the EU delegation in Indonesia Jan-Willem Blanket
noted that Asean needs more attention from EU and added that EU could play a
crucial role in realising AC as early as 2015.

"The flow of trade and people among Asean's 10 member states should be
worked out in more detail and we are already seeing some results towards this
with cheaper rice, this is not possible without greater integration of Asean,"
noted Jan-Willem.

TAKING THE AC INSPIRATION TO THE PEOPLE

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry's Director-general for Asean-Indonesia
Ddjauhari Oratmangun noted that: "We need to engage with people of our
respective countries, in Indonesia we will be holding road shows at major
cities, we bring Asean to the people by showcasing how the Asean Community 2015
blueprint is to benefit them.

However, he agreed that member countries also need to look into "external
factors" and greater political commitment in tackling whatever outstanding
issues including border disputes.

"Even though we can't simply neglect out internal agendas, we need to do
more work to achieve what we intend to in Asean by 2015," he added.

On the other hand, Malaysia's Permanent Representative to Asean Hsu
King Bee noted greater political will and more funding are needed to strengthen
further the Asean secretariat.

She said EU has nearly 27,000 staff attached with its secretariat but
the Asean secretariat is under funded and employs less than 300 staff.

"To achieve what is stated in the blueprint of Asean Community by 2015, we
require better resources and funding."

"At the moment most member countries need to look at their national
challenges, before they can look at the blue print," pointed out Hsu.

JOURNALIST VIEW ON AC

Meanwhile, senior journalist Don Pathan of The Nation daily in Thailand
stressed on the need to translate the diplomatic language into a simpler
language that gives the true picture to the common people.

"Its totally different situation from what was being said by most of the
Asean diplomats on the ambitious target of Asean Community by 2015, where the
reality on the ground is different."

"In some countries, you reach certain point (conflict zones) where guns
are being pointed at you," added Don.

The Asia correspondent for the Frankfurter Allemeine Zeitung (FAZ) daily
published in Frankfurt, Germany, Jochen Buchsteiner told participants of the
workshop that while he noted Asean making some progress towards realising AC, it
is not really there yet.

Buchsteiner pointed out the Europeans in general are still not fully aware
how important the Asean region is.

Meanwhile the Associate Editor of The Star daily in Malaysia Bunn Nagara
concurred on the urgent need to inform the people of Asean on policies and
challenges faced by countries of the region.

"Media in Asean, generally lack understanding on Asean and even Malaysian
media practitioners do not give good coverage on diplomatic issues of the
region.

IN THE BIGGER PICTURE

The Head of EU delegation in Indonesia Julian Wilson said in 25 years time,
EU will be the largest exporter to Asean.

He said the road towards greater partnership of EU-Asean already started
with European banks channeling almost 5 billion euro to the region since the
past two years.

"EU-Asean partnership in the next 25 years will help the region to emerge as
a respectable economic power in the world, where some 800 million people of
Asean could benefit from it," said Wilson.

He said with greater integration of Asean, member countries should also look
into a single currency which he believes is achievable by 2035.

"AC will equally allay the increasing global concerns over China and
India that are emerging as new economic powers in this part of the world," added
Wilson.

-- BERNAMA