ASEAN Blues

Since its founding as an anti-communist bloc in the 1960s, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, has grown a lot. It now has achieved its dream of putting in its fold all the 10 countries in the region as depicted by the group’s logo –– 10 stalks of rice tightly bundled together.

Its big size, however, has not really led to greater strength. Rather, it has brought problems and ironies that could threaten to rip off the bundle holding the rice stalks.

The group is now a confusing jumble of democracies, aristocracies, police states, military states and half states with diverse cultural backgrounds. Truly, it is a sight to see when their rulers hold their annual summit and towards the end line up and lock their arms before the press, smiling like long lost brothers.

A lot of people are asking how they have been able to stand each other for a long time. The reason is not really a secret but is enshrined as a founding principle of the group –– it is forbidden for any member to mind another member’s faults. With a rule like that, the group can invite Taiwan and China in and not worry about having a fight in the house.

When Indonesian troops, for example, arm and train militias to slaughter crowds and torch East Timor for dreaming to become free, other ASEAN members, including the Philippines and Thailand, which like to project themselves as Asia’s voices of democracy, look the other way or keep their mouths shut.

The Philippines, specifically, has been good at it. When the United Nations held a vote on whether to investigate the atrocities in East Timor, which has a high possibility of later incriminating Indonesia, the Philippines voted no. Philippine officials said they prefer that Indonesia investigate, a scenario similar to Adolf Hitler investigating the holocaust.

Crisis after crisis, ASEAN has survived simply by ignoring them. Well, there are problems that they tackle harmlessly together like the regional currency upheavals and the stubborn forest fires of Indonesia and Malaysia. Without much of a practice at facing problems together, it is interesting to know how they’re doing. It’s not really difficult, just grab a newspaper and read how Asian currencies continue to fluctuate like a child’s yo-yo two years after Asian countries awakened to the nightmare of currency speculation and portfolio investments.

Despite all the grumblings around, ASEAN leaders and foreign ministers put up a straight face when they talk dreamily and proudly about doing things “the ASEAN way.” Well, tell that to Aung San Suu Kyi or the East Timorese mother I saw on television whose children were slaughtered by pro-Jakarta militias. Who was it who said that for evil to triumph, it is only necessary for good men to stay silent?

ASEAN proponents say that by just being together and engaging each other economically and opening communication lines. The bloc has done much to prevent wars and to improve regional economies. Well, let’s not talk about Cambodia or Myanmar or Anwar Ibrahim. In my mind, the carnage in East Timor has become an ugly black eye for ASEAN that would linger at the back of the minds of people for a long, long time.

Come to think of it, when I took a second look recently at ASEAN’s logo, I noticed the rice talks appeared to have been too tightly tied it looked like the stems would break loose anytime and scatter aimlessly in every direction.