The Kuala Lumpur Summit: A Second for ASEAN

Abstract

This emphasis upon self-reliance and substance was not an entirely novel idea; the significance of these remarks lies in the fact that they still had to be made ten years after the formation of ASEAN, and just prior to the Summit of ASEAN Heads of Government. This plea postulates a state of mind that had grown exasperated with the leisurely existence of ASEAN, and now reverted to exhortation for mobilizing essential support. The message was clear: we must demonstrate our resolve first before the world will come to our aid. But was Southeast Asia listening? For ASEAN, 1977 was a year of review and reminiscence, reassurance and resolution. The anniversary was taking place in an entirely different atmosphere than what the founding nations encountered at their Bangkok meeting in 1967. The main issues at that time revolved around anticoloniaiism, the communist-anticommunist dichotomy, and nationalist confrontations among the new states. The Vietnam conflict was escalating and great power intervention in the area became more evident. Animosities and suspicions were still a fact of life among the members of the new Association. The Sabah dispute remained at the forefront, but even Indonesia s claim to parts of East Malaysia was not entirely forgotten, nor was Singapore's separation from Malaysia. The impetus for this indigenous Southeast Asian effort was, as former Thai Foreign Minister Thanat Khoman recently expressed it, the lack of any deep faith or credence in the consistency of the policies of the major powers. There was a need for national resilience and reconciliation.