Asean must grab opportunity to avoid becoming a ‘pawn’

Today marks the first day of the much talked about United States (US)-Asean Summit. From February 15-16 , US President Barack Obama hosts the 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) at the Sunnylands estate in Rancho Mirage, California.

This unprecedented two-day gathering is a follow-up from the 2015 Asean Summit in Malaysia, where the Asean leaders and Obama agreed to heighten their relations known as the Asean-US Strategic Partnership.

While some might be skeptical as to how such a meeting could produce any constructive outcomes, Obama’s attempt to bring Southeast Asia closer to US in the first-ever summit hosted by the US is however symbolic in terms of the US's rebalance to Asia strategy.

In 1967, Asean was established for one simple ambition, and that is to maintain peace among its members with the key principle of non-interference.

Despite the continuous political challenges in the Southeast Asia region, many might wonder why is Asean in such high demand? Apart from the geostrategic significance of Southeast Asia, there are several other reasons.

With its Asean Community aspirations, Asean is envisaged to play a central role in the region’s security landscape in the 21st century. Moreover, with the Asean Economic Community (AEC) being the most “advanced” pillar among the three pillars in the Asean Community, Asean will potentially have a huge role to play in global economic growth.

With a total population of more than 600 million people today, a solid Asean will not only benefit regional growth but also the global economy.

Nevertheless, the long-standing dispute over the South China Sea and the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are two issues that need to be appropriately managed.

China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, the Philippines, and Taiwan are the claimants in the South China Sea dispute. Tension has increased significantly in recent years due to China’s growing aggressiveness, which could possibly tear Asean apart if it is not handled cautiously.

Four Southeast Asian states – Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Vietnam – are part of the TPP. Now that the TPP has been signed, the other Southeast Asian states are now considering being a part of this trade agreement.

With much debate on these two issues, this raises more questions.

Can Asean overcome its own internal challenges to contain external pressures? How does Asean position itself so as not to risk being a pawn in a big power game?

A statement issued by parliamentarians in Southeast Asia under the Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) rightly pointed out that “human rights, democracy and basic dignity cannot take a backseat to economic or security prerogatives".

From a pragmatic perspective, concerns on strategic and economic growth are often prioritised at the expense of many other issues, such as human rights.

Regionally, it is a fact that there are flaws in how Asean implement its socio-cultural and political pillars. Furthermore, a people-centred Asean remains an illusion for Asean citizens.

As the US and other countries continue to engage with Asean actively, it is precisely the right time for Asean to grab the opportunity and position itself as a regional organisation that is capable of living up to its own aspirations. – February 15, 2016.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer, organisation or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.