Page 10 - Fifty-fifty Aug 2021 (1)

How Indonesians should see the ASEAN and its 54th Anniversary

B y W a h y u T r i w a h y u d i

On 8 August 1967, the Indonesian Foreign Minister Adam Malik with five other foreign ministers of Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore, and Thailand signed the Bangkok Declaration which established the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN).
ASEAN membership was further expanded with the inclusion of Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.

Ever since the primary school era of the 1980-90s, most Indonesians have learned about the history of the establishment of
ASEAN: its founding fathers, and its importance in the region. I was taught to remember the names of all foreign ministers who
signed the declaration and of the chairmen/women of ASEAN.

But maybe many will ask: “So, what is the importance of ASEAN now? What does it do?”
I am not an expert in foreign or geopolitical affairs. But I like to think that without ASEAN, it is impossible for us in Indonesia, and
in other countries in the Southeast Asian Region, to live in peace as we do now. There is no way we can fly with AirAsia from
Bandung to Siem Reap (Cambodia) or from Jakarta to Chiang May (Thailand). There is no way we can easily do a culinary trip to
Penang (Malaysia), strolling around and catch the wind in Marina Bay (Singapore), or go island hopping in Ha Long Bay (Vietnam).
I know, we can’t do that at the moment due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, but I’m talking about the time just before it

Without ASEAN we would not be able to enjoy the freedom of movement and the sense of security from the threats of
neighbouring countries.

Try looking at the Middle East. Not for a moment can the countries of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Yemen live in
as peace as we do now in Southeast Asia. Let’s think of Europe. It only became peaceful after two world wars, and how peaceful is
it really now? Before the existence of the European Union, France went to war with Germany, Romania went to war with Bulgaria,
Austria went to war with Italy, and then Germany went to war with nearly all its neighbours in WW2.

I understand that my comparison might sound absurd as there are many aspects and issues in the Middle East and in Europe that
are not comparable to those in Southeast Asia, but my point is that ASEAN has contributed to minimise conflicts and to promote
peace and stability in the region.

War and conflict have been a natural part of life. Our past and present times are full of stories about them but I naively hope not in
the future. Southeast Asia was almost like the above regions as about 50 years ago, there was a high risk of war. At that time,
there were many regional and border problems, also complicated by the spirit of nationalism. There were regional conflicts such as
the Confrontation between Indonesia and Malaysia (1962-1966). Some of you may recall President Sukarno who declared a
movement of “Ganyang Malaysia” (crush Malaysia).
Various efforts to overcome the problem of nationalism and create “regionalism” had been made previously, such as the
Association of Southeast Asia (ASA) and MAPHILINDO (a partnership of Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia). But nothing
succeeded until the establishment of ASEAN in 1967.
Fast forward to the present: ASEAN is celebrating its 54th anniversary this month. It means the celebration of Southeast Asia as a
safe and secure community that rejects violence and prioritises cooperation and partnership. With the existence of ASEAN, I hope
that there will no longer be large-scale conflicts such as the Confrontation. But, let’s not ‘take for granted’ the five decades of
security we have enjoyed.

The anniversary should be especially important for Indonesia as the country that proudly hosts the ASEAN headquarters (i.e.,
ASEAN Secretariat) in its capital Jakarta. Indonesia is also the place where ASEAN’s humanitarian and emergency relief agency is
stationed and coordinated. We celebrate Indonesia as the country that is entitled to a position of leadership and it has generally
been recognised by the other ASEAN members as first among equals (Emmers, 2014). We celebrate Indonesia’s strategic role in
conflict management among ASEAN members in easing security tensions in the region (Rattanasevee, 2014). And most
importantly, the ASEAN anniversary is our moment to remember that our geographic and economic significance in the region
shows how powerful and influential Indonesia is. So, the ASEAN anniversary should be another driver to make us proud to be
Indonesians!

References:
Ralf Emmers 2014: Indonesia's role in ASEAN: A case of incomplete and sectorial leadership. https://doi.org/10.1080/09512748.2014.924230 Published online: 06June 2014
Rattanasevee, P. (2014). Leadership in ASEAN: The role of Indonesia reconsidered. https://doi.org/10.1080/02185377.2014.895912 Published online: 20 March 2014

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