International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS)

231.

Panel Title            : MULTILATERALITY THE CASE OF ASEAN

Chair                      : Nicholas Tarling

Participants         :

Kazuhisa Shimada

Paper Title            : The Political and Cultural Origins of the ASEAN Way

Abstract                :

The ASEAN Way is at the heart of the decision-making process in ASEAN. Indeed, the paper argues that it is crucial to the effectiveness dispute-prevention in Southeast Asia since the end of the Cold War. With the withdrawal of Soviet power and the removal of large numbers of US troops in the region, the regional security concept needed to be re-shaped from a military-based to a non-military-based one. The ASEAN Way suited this purpose well. However, and surprisingly, a definitive interpretation and analysis of the origins of the ASEAN Way has yet to be explored. It is therefore meaningful to focus on its formation process and development in the context of ASEAN's security policy, and, thereby, an exploration of non-military security cooperation. The paper argues the ASEAN Way originated from Pancasila (based on the Javanese Five Principles, including the expression of consensus decision-making). Although Indonesia's first President Sukarno proposed Pancasila, he failed to establish it in Indonesian political arena, or internationally. In the latter context, and in the shape of Maphilindo, he failed to apply consensus decision-making because he could not establish friendly relationships amongst the members of that grouping. Part of the problem here was his aggressive and arrogant behaviour, which did not sit well with the organisation's outlook. Sukarno's successor General Suharto took over the concept of Pancasila and successfully established Pancasila democracy in Indonesia itself; establishing the foundations of consensus decision-making based on a pervading sense of general harmony. He was successful in one other respect: extending this new political form to ASEAN via the introduction of the ASEAN Way (using his approach of low-key diplomacy in the critical formative period of ASEAN).

Raj Shekhar

Paper Title            : Myanmar's Democratic Movement and ASEAN Response

Abstract                :

The proposed paper would be an attempt to explore and analyze the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) response towards the ongoing restoration of democratic movement in Myanmar. It becomes important to analyze the ASEAN response on Myanmar's Democratic Movement after Myanmar's military government decision to relinquish its turn to be the Chair of ASEAN in 2006 at ASEAN Foreign Ministers summit in July 2005 held at Vientiane. In recent years with the establishment of pressure groups like - ALTSEAN Burma (Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma) and ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Caucus on Myanmar (AIPMC) in Kula Lumpur in November 2004 by elected parliamentarians from ASEAN member countries such as -Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Cambodia, it is important to analyze that how ASEAN is responding to its commitment of Article 2 (C) of "Non-interference in the internal affairs of one another" declared in Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia at Bali in 24th February, 1976. When Myanmar was admitted into ASEAN in July 1997 with the support of Mahathir Mohammad of Malaysia, the hopes were raised that the ASEAN's ‘way of life' and its ‘constructive engagement policy' would reform the ruling military junta towards the realization of democracy. However despite the long years from 1997 and the pressure from world powers like USA, UK etc. within ASEAN as a dialogue partner and other inter-continental regional forums like ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) and efforts of UN Special Rapporteur with ASEAN leaders, the democracy is yet to be realized in Myanmar. In this background the proposed paper would try to evaluate that whether the military junta's response towards democracy in Myanmar is flippant or real with the fledge ling progress of National Convention since January 9, 1993 in the light of her ASEAN membership and before?

Nicholas Tarling

Paper Title            : From ASA to ASEAN

Abstract                :

ASA, formed on the initiative of newly-independent Malaya, was designed above all to cope with the potential threat of Indonesia, which had armed itself to cope with internal revolt and to exert pressure on the Dutch to leave West Irian. The formation of Malaysia, however, provoked Confrontation, while also prompting the Philippines claim to Sabah, which disrupted ASA soon after it was set up. When Confrontation ended, and the Sukarno regime was destroyed, Indonesia was keen to take the initiative in a new organisation which would represent what the late Michael Leifer called its regional 'entitlement' in a different form. Yet ASEAN -the outcome - borrowed economic plans and political practices from its predecessor, though that had been created to counter a more aggressive pursuit of that entitlement. The foreign policy archives of the Southeast Asian states are largely closed, but those of the interested powers are being opened under the thirty-year rule, and offer, our use of relevant British records. The present paper adds some material from New Zealand archives.