The end of ASEAN chairmanship is the beginning for Indonesia

Harold Siow Song Teng, Singapore | Mon, 11/21/2011 8:39 PM A | A | A |-Klipping The Jakarta Post

It is year’s end again when the joyous and celebratory mood sets in. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is also approaching the end of its 44th year, with Indonesia being the ASEAN Chair over the past 1 year.

The 19th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings were being held from Nov. 14-19, 2011 in Bali, Indonesia and concurrently this year, the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) were being held from Nov. 11-22, 2011 in Jakarta and Palembang, and is itself into the 26th edition.

The sixth East Asian Summit (EAS) followed suit, convened by ASEAN, hosted by Indonesia and for the first time included Russia and the United States. What makes this year a special year for ASEAN and in particular for Indonesia?

Indonesia is the world’s 16th largest economy and the largest democracy not just in Southeast Asia, but also in East Asia. As noted by many already, during its 2011 ASEAN chairmanship, Indonesia brought in several major new initiatives. The first initiative was the role played by Indonesia as a peacemaker in the Cambodia-Thailand conflict over the Preah Vihear temple.

The second was the country’s efforts urging fellow ASEAN members to provide steadfast support to Myanmar to help make the Myanmar government open up its political system and introduce other reforms more quickly. The third initiative, taken collectively within the context of EAS, strives to deliberate strategic issues for the region in economics, politics and security fields.

The fourth initiative also voiced by Indonesia collectively with ASEAN, strives to keep dialogue and negotiations on the implementation of the Declaration of Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea (DoC) moving ahead.

Amid all the above mentioned events and initiatives etc, as well as the challenges Indonesia faced (and still is facing) in its domestic economy, coupled with the financial and political worries in Europe, North America and elsewhere, Indonesia has done well.

As a prominent member of ASEAN and also of the Group of Twenty (G20), Indonesia has important duties to fulfill and leadership roles to play for itself, for ASEAN and the rest of the world.

As a major economy and power in ASEAN, Indonesia’s decisions and leadership initiatives will be listened to; considered more seriously; and implemented more readily by the existing regional institutions be it in ASEAN+3; ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF); ASEAN Defense Ministers Plus (ADMM Plus) and other International Organizations such as the United Nations (UN), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) etc.

ASEAN should also be able to contribute to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and G20 processes, more effectively with Indonesia’s leadership. These are tremendous challenges for ASEAN as a whole and Indonesia in particular.

As ASEAN’s largest nation and biggest economy, Indonesia can stand proud of its many achievements from having gained Independence in 1945, to establishing universal suffrage with a liberal democracy in 1999, and to winning the most gold medals in the SEA Games.

But the ending of the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2011 as well as winning the most number of gold medals in the SEA Games is only the beginning for Indonesia, as an ASEAN regional and global leader.

Coincidentally, it is the fourth time that Indonesia hosted the ASEAN Summit (having held it in 1976, 2003 and twice this year in 2011) and also the fourth time it hosted the SEA Games, (having held it in 1979, 1987, 1997 and this year). The ASEAN and East Asian Summits and SEA Games have started and concluded very well this year. It is indeed one more step forward for Indonesia.

ASEAN nations certainly look forward to more leadership from Indonesia and Indonesians can stand proud of the nation’s many achievements. The end of the ASEAN Chairmanship is only the beginning for Indonesia!

The writer is research fellow and administrative manager at the Centre on Asia and Globalization (CAG) at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. The views expressed here are his own.

Follow our twitter @jakpost
& our public blog @blogIMO
| | | | | | | | Post Comments | Comments (2)

access_access | Mon, 21/11/2011 - 15:11pm

i know that south korea is the world’s 15 largest economy with its products are widely known and highly appreciated across the globe but is it true that indonesia is world’s 16 largest economy, just one step behind south korea?

therefore, i’d really like be elaborated here what products is indonesia actually producing?; so that, it deserves to the world’s 16 largest economy as you’ve once put it eloquently? furthermore, i’d really like be elaborated here what major initiatives proposed by indonesia to settle its border dispute with one of its own asean members then? perhaps i miss the 60 minutes?

bali concord III, 2011 has formulized three important concords in politic and security, economy and socio-culture with their formulae respectively: regional conflict settlement, transnational crime and corruption eradications and nuclear disarmament; asean participation in global economy, the strengthening of asean economy capacity and access improvement and technology implementation; natural disaster, health, climate change and education.

will the bali concord III be powerful enough to settle the border disputes between the current asean chairman and one of its own asean members? i don’t think so for it’s been going on for ages already. will the bali concord III be powerful enough to settle the disputes over spratly islands among vietnam, malaysia and the philippine? i don’t think so. will the bali concord III be powerful enough to take the suspect nunun bacl to this so-called nation? i don’t think so. will the bali concord III be powerful enough to repatriate all of those corruptors from the tiny-dot country singapore to us? i don’t think so. but nuclear disarmament? which asean nation holds nukes anyway?

As a prominent member of ASEAN and also of the Group of Twenty (G20), Indonesia has important duties to fulfill and leadership roles to play for itself, for ASEAN and the rest of the world.

but you forgot to mention what indonesia should fulfill there? and do bear in mind that the fulfill is a transitive verb, which clearly means that it needs a direct object. and for millions of times already, i’d really like be elaborated here that indonesia is a major economy and power in ASEAN and why malaysia keeps torturing indonesia’s economy heroes/migrant workers?, why malaysia keeps moving those border poles up there in kalimantan; so that, it has the advantages of having more territory than before? why malaysia keeps telling the world that ambalat is theirs?

Report Abuse

access_access | Mon, 21/11/2011 - 14:11pm

and what contribution has asean under the current chairman contributed to the apec and g-20? and what are those tremendous challenges like you’ve once eloquently put it? and is this the fact that the current asean chairman is the asean biggest economy? and it even outpaces singapore and malaysia for real? and do you think that winning the sea games as the most gold medals is really an achievement this so-called nation as a whole has been able to? and what other achievements this so-called nation has so far? as the most bribery business people? or as the most corrupt in the entire region?

But the ending of the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2011 as well as winning the most number of gold medals in the SEA Games is only the beginning for Indonesia, as an ASEAN regional and global leader.

ASEAN nations certainly look forward to more leadership from Indonesia and Indonesians can stand proud of the nation’s many achievements. The end of the ASEAN Chairmanship is only the beginning for Indonesia!

but why did you think you had to say it twice then? that’s what they call redundancy if my memory serves me right, no?

ending of the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2011 as well as winning the most number of gold medals in the SEA Games is only the beginning for Indonesia? what next then? the current asean chairman will lead the UN, g-20, BRIC, world bank, imf, olympic as the most gold medals or asia by replacing the mighty china or what then?

i just need to be elaborated here.