Indonesian chairmanship`s role and ASEAN agenda

Wednesday, 19 January 2011

ANTARA News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Since it was funded by the Association of Southast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indonesia has played an important role for the regional forum uniting all its ten member countries.

With its motto "One vision, One identity, One community", ASEAN was formed on August 8, 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand which then expanded with five other countries, namely Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

ASEAN aimed at accelerating the region`s economic growth, social progress, cultural development among its members, the protection of peace and stability of the region, and provide opportunities for member countries to discuss differences peacefully.

At its ninth Summit in October 2003 the Association of South East Asian Nations announced its intention to create an ASEAN Community based upon three pillars: Security, Economic and Socio-Cultural Communities.

According to Indonesia Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, in 2003 Indonesia came up with the ASEAN Community concept.

The concept was actually set to establish the community by 2020, but it was made earlier to 2015, and now, ASEAN only have four more years to go in establishing its people centered community,

With the Indonesian chairmanship in 2011, Indonesia hopes to create ASEAN cooperation to a higher level by upholding the current forum`s theme, ASEAN Community in the Global Community.

"Since the beginning, Indonesia has always been a country that shows its leadership, not its chairmanship, because its all two different meanings," Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said on the a sidelines of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting Retreat that was held in Lombok West Nusa Tenggara on January 15-17, 2011.

Indonesia`s main focus is to create reach progress in achieving the ASEAN Community in 2015 with four more years to come, to ensure that ASEAN and its region to "drive" the Asia Pacific summit and to create a dynamic equilibrium according to the recent theme ASEAN Community in the Global Community.

The ASEAN Community

With four years remaining, the ASEAN Community is not aimed to be formed within this year, but at least Indonesian chairmanship will contribute to a significant progress.

ASEAN vision post in 2015 a community establishment is that ASEAN can perform cohesively in handling world`s issues.

"I think this is a prevalent, planned and arranged step as in 2003 Indonesia held the chairmanship we proposed the formation of an ASEAN Community," Marty said.

Based on three ASEAN pillars consisting of Economy, Socio-Culture and Politic Security, each pillar has provided its own cooperation blueprints to create integrity.

"In the economic sector, ASEAN aimed to create an integrated trade area, which is also shown by two other sectors," said Marty.

But in the end, the ASEAN community wanted a mutual togetherness, love and ownership that cannot be turned into a law by any decree or regulation it must grow by itself within the community`s members.

"Therefore, ASEAN is offering a People Centered ASEAN to create the togetherness feeling, and mainly we must ensure these steps can provide real benefits to the community," Marty said.

If with the Indonesian 2011 chairmanship a significant progress achieved for the ASEAN Community, then Indonesia will be able to upgrade the efforts beyond its implementation by the 2020 when the chairmanship returns to Indonesia.

"We have created a foundation for 2015, the ASEAN Community, and another foundation of the `ASEAN Community in the Global Community,` which we have placed from now," Marty said.

All the ASEAN member countries must not see the world as it is today, but also look further in 2020 and beyond, to be ready to compete with other world organizations such as the European Union and the African Union.

"If we didn`t make the move in 2003, we only become an `association` of Southeast Asian countries that will be left behind," Marty said.

Because, according to Marty, the regional organization will be the world`s actor, not a single country, therefore we will need an organization that not only talks for each country`s interest, but as one identity, ASEAN.

Indonesia`s 2011 chairmanship in ASEAN shall be maximized in order to create a cohesive community that is in accordance with the ASEAN motto "One vision, One identity, One community".