Page 35 - The Ethics of ASEAN

A Model of ASEAN Ethics

culture even though they are built upon the widely recognised humanistic strengths of
Southeast Asian cultures.
Survey results of human development professionals enrolled in the AHDO certification
programme showed that they overwhelmingly believe that ethics is the most important
foundation for a human development professional. Surveys also show that professionals
believe that AHDO’s ethics should be based both on internationally agreed universal values
as well as regional cultures. 10
These ethical virtues constitute an ethical enterprise: they indicate a way of thinking
and acting in the workplace as ASEAN goes forward.
• Merdeka: is the word used in the political struggle from colonial independence
in Malaysia and Indonesia and in creation of an independent Singapore. The
cognate word maharlika in Tagalog was used in the Philippines’ struggle for
independence. In today’s ASEAN, merdeka means that people expect to exercise
freedom in their working lives and demand to be respected as equals.
• Gotong royong: Gotong royong is an Indonesian concept, also used in Malaysia
and Singapore, that means “mutual cooperation” (gotong) and “working together”
(royong). It is a strong capability in the ASEAN workplace as well as in politics and
for its effectiveness in making social harmony productive.
• Malasakit: is a Filipino word translated as “care”, “compassion” or “empathy.” In
Philippine culture. As an ASEAN ethic for work, malasakit means that leaders
take care of workers, but also that workers take care of the company. Malasakit
leaders think of how decisions will affect others. They are humane and self-
sacrificing for the team and the organisation. Malasakit defines ASEAN’s
empathetic humanism.
• Sanook: this Thai word is translated as “fun”, but in Thailand it is an intrinsic
value. To sanook (the word is a verb as well as noun and an adjective) means
building fun into all kinds of social contexts. It is an ethic for life and work. As an
ASEAN ethic, sanook means doing work that is interesting, enjoying relationships
and generating good feeling.
• Kiên cường is a Vietnamese word, pronounced “kyen kwong”, translated as
“resilience”. It is an ASEAN capability for dealing with change. The composite
word’s roots are kiên meaning “determined” and cường meaning “strong” – taken
together they illustrate Vietnam’s historically tested capability to step up to the
challenges of change and demonstrate a powerful determination to succeed. It is
an ASEAN ethic for persistence in overcoming obstacles and adapting to change.
• World-class: this English language term represents ASEAN’s ethic of excellence
and leadership on a world scale. In the book Leading Human Development in
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ASEAN I had described this as a capability that Singapore had mastered as a
nation. As an ethical concept, it has become more than just an aspiration for
developing nations. As a virtue it constitutes a competitive mindset and a vision
of ASEAN’s position in the world.

10 Survey results from the two founding cohorts of participants in the AHDO human development certification
programme in 2021 representing 38 individuals.
11 Leading Human Development in ASEAN by Bob Aubrey, McGraw-Hill (2019) ISBN: 9789814821308
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