Introduction: ASEAN — Facing the Fifth Decade

Abstract

At its formation forty years ago on 8 August 1967, ASEAN (created by a joint political declaration rather than a formal charter) was an association of just five Southeast Asian nations in a Southeast divided by the Cold War. In the immediate aftermath of konfrontasi, Singapore's separation from Malaysia and the Philippines' claim to Sabah, the top intra-mural concern of the time was rebuilding mutual confidence. It took nine years before ASEAN was able to convene its first summit-level meeting at which a blueprint for regional cooperation, the Bali Concord, was unveiled and the norms of neighbourly behaviour, written into the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) adopted. Since 1987, when the treaty was opened to accession by extra-regional states, there have been twelve non-ASEAN signatories including all the external partners in the East Summit process. A second summit in Kuala Lumpur the following year marked the end of ASEAN's first decade. The third summit was stalled by the negative vibes in bilateral relations between Malaysia and the Philippines (the expected host by alphabetical rotation) on account of the lingering problems caused by the latter's claim to the Malaysian state of Sabah. Meanwhile in 1984 a newly independent Brunei became ASEAN's sixth member. The third summit was eventually held in Manila in ASEAN's 20th year (1987) in an atmosphere of anxiety following the overthrow of the Marcos regime by a people's power revolution. ASEAN's third decade witnessed the gradual winding down of the Cambodia conflict. Regional reconciliation culminated in the historic admission of Vietnam--a hitherto regional adversary--into ASEAN. Vietnam's membership in 1995 was a significant milestone in the ending of the regionalized Cold War. One Southeast Asia would have been attained in ASEAN's 30th year but for the untimely coup against a coalition partner in the Phnom Penh government. Cambodia was eventually admitted in 1999, two years after the entry of Laos and Myanmar. Meanwhile, ASEAN had also begun to regularize its summitry into an annual event following the fifth gathering of Heads of Government in Bangkok in 1995. At the start of its fourth decade, ASEAN was afflicted by the contagious effects of the Asian financial and economic crisis with deep political consequences for certain regimes in the old ASEAN core--Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. For Indonesia, the linchpin of ASEAN, the crisis culminated in the fall of President Soeharto who had played a pivotal role in stabilizing his country's relations with its neighbours through regional association. The 13th ASEAN summit scheduled in Singapore in November 2007 falls in ASEAN's 40th anniversary year. Those ASEAN economies afflicted by the 1997-98 economic crisis are well on the mend. The region has not only recovered but seems poised for a significant make-over with the promise of an ASEAN Charter which will to be signed at this summit meeting. With the Charter a more integrated, rule-based regional community (in the political/ security, economic and social-cultural dimensions) with enhanced institutional capacity including dispute settlement mechanisms and, at long last, legal standing in international law can be expected. Significantly, the Charter in seeking to promote a people-oriented ASEAN has among its stated objectives, the strengthening of democracy, enhancement of good governance and the rule of law, as well as the promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms. There is even provision for a human rights body, albeit with terms of reference to be subsequently determined by the Foreign Ministers. The regional decision making structure, as well as the ASEAN secretariat which has been incrementally strengthened over the years, will be further enhanced. But ASEAN will eschew supra-nationalism a' la the European Union. Forty Years of ASEAN Several observations may be drawn about ASEAN in over forty years of regional cooperation. …