This year the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) celebrates its 44th Anniversary. Forty-four years of living and maintaining peace and stability in one of the most dynamic regions in the world is a remarkable achievement for an association that was built in the midst of the Cold War.
However, as the Cold War came to an end, the forces of globalization and interdependence became something inevitable for most countries around the world, including ASEAN member countries. Therefore, to strengthen its cooperation and cohesion, they have decided to go further beyond its original form. ASEAN wants to make a solid community under the umbrella of the ASEAN Community, which consists of three pillars, namely: the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC), and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC). The deadline set for the establishment of this new form of cooperation among Southeast Asian countries is 2015.
This article has been published by The Jakarta Post (August 14, 2011)
All three pillars have their own challenges toward 2015. This commentary will be focused on the last pillar, the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community with emphasis on people-to-people interaction in the Southeast Asian region.
People-to-People Contact: A Vital Factor for the Establishment of the ASEAN Community
The ASCC Blueprint has stated that building an ASEAN Identity is one of the characteristics of ASCC. Thus, the ASCC aims to promote awareness and the common values of ASEAN to its people, as well as to create a sense of belonging, mutual understanding, and togetherness. By doing so, ASEAN hopes that its citizens will give their full support towards the establishment of the ASEAN Community by 2015.
Citizens’ support is a vital precondition needed to establish a solid network and cooperation among ASEAN member countries. Without it, cooperation at the elite level will be “soulless” because their people, which are their ultimate reason to cooperate with each other, will not be aware of the cooperation’s benefits, and even bring pessimism and skepticism towards the cooperation. In short, without its citizens’ support, cooperation among the governments of Southeast Asia will be less effective, if not useless.
One of the many ways through which this support can be obtained is people-to-people contact. People-to-people contact can bring strong support for ASEAN governments to form any kind of positive cooperation among them. Through interactions citizens in ASEAN countries can get to know each other better, build mutual understanding, develop the sense that they are facing common problems, and ultimately seek for common solution to their problems. The latter is where governments play their role by cooperating with each other to create common policies or programs, which can be accepted and implemented by all members of ASEAN, because they are sure that it will bring benefits to its people.
People-to-people interaction does not necessarily mean direct interaction (though it is the most effective way). Indirect interaction through various channels such as the mass media, online community, or through social networking media like Facebook and Twitter can be alternatives to bridge communication among Southeast Asians.
Interaction among ASEAN citizens is still very low. There are indeed so many meetings, policies, and programs already carried out with the aim to increase interaction between ASEAN citizens, some examples include the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Youth (AMMY), the ASEAN Committee on Women, the ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting, ASEAN Foundation’s programs, the ASCC Blueprint, free social visit visa for citizens of ASEAN countries (except in several member countries), and many other forms of cooperation. In essence, Governments of ASEAN countries are trying their best to serve the needs of ASEAN people.
However, most Southeast Asians are still not aware about those meetings, policies, and programs. The reason is that there are not so many and intensive news coverage on ASEAN issues or intensive socialization and dissemination of information carried out the government to the general public.
With only four years left to go until 2015, people-to-people interaction to increase social cohesion among Southeast Asians needs to be accelerated. Otherwise, ASEAN Community 2015 will only be like most ASEAN cooperation in the past. It ended at the elite level and the people are left behind.
Some Suggestions to Increase People-to-People Contact
Some solutions can be suggested to foster people-to-people interaction in the region.
First, considering mass media is one of the most effective channels to disseminate information to broader audiences, the governments of Southeast Asia need to be more focused on efforts to embrace and engage with the mass media in ASEAN countries. Thus, intensive, innovative, and integrated media relations programs need to be developed immediately. Intense engagement of the media could evoke them or the press community to write more about ASEAN.
Second, the governments of Southeast Asia need to increase the number of activities such as youth exchange and youth camp, teacher or lecturer exchange, and other activities that could provide direct interaction among community leaders or opinion makers from ASEAN member countries. Those activities should be evaluated from time to time and networks built among the participants should be maintained.
Third, the governments of Southeast Asia need to provide more support to the non-government and private sector’ efforts which would help to promote people-to-people interaction among ASEAN citizens. If the governments cannot support in terms of funding, they can at least facilitate and provide easy access to their needs to cooperate with partner institutions from other ASEAN member countries.
Finally, the governments of Southeast Asia need to utilize the power of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, or other media to generate support from ASEAN people. These social media can be employed and they are powerful tools for people to get to know each other better, exchange ideas, share experience, and seek for common solutions.
Hopefully, by 2015, ASEAN can establish a solid ASEAN Community with the full support of its citizens who share the same idea: “Think, Feel, and Act ASEAN”. Congratulations ASEAN.
Published in Jakarta Post
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