Page 115 - The Ethics of ASEAN

Ethics of Freedom in ASEAN

national boundaries and allow student movements to organize and coordinate themselves.
At the same time, he acknowledges the polarisation of political discourse on social media
and how internet “trolls” and even “troll armies” target and distort free speech.
Vincent specifically notes the mismatch between communication and ethical action
in today’s youth. Social media algorithms divide rather than unite people and are used
by forces that increasingly control and limit political discourse and the ability of youth
to coordinate and organise themselves. Vincent has personally studied misinformation
campaigns like “troll farms”, where large numbers of “users” disseminate false information
and banned users simply reappear under a different identity.
Vincent reflects on the comments of Maria Ressa noting that in Philippines,
information on atrocities are not well-documented and historical narratives are distorted
to fit a state agenda. He advocates in order to combat these practices and hopes that
media literacy and critical thinking will be taught in education.

Ethical Takeaways

The takeaways from the statements of individual speakers are the following.
Ramos-Horta declares that his commitment to democratic principles, justice, and
freedom have not diminished since his days as Foreign Minister at the age for 25 for
Asia’s newest nation. His advice to ASEAN youth is that freedom to speak out should not
be sacrificed by falling into a “pragmatic mindset” of passive acceptance that ends up
encouraging political bullying and the elimination of freedom. He sees democracy facing
more difficulty and in a reverse trend. In ASEAN he sees the example of Myanmar and the
inability of Member States to agree on concerted communication and action as a failure
to protect ASEAN democratic principles. His basis for hope is the observation that young
people in Southeast Asia are coming together and advocating for freedom and human
rights and believes that ASEAN must support its youth so that they are not betrayed.

Maria Ressa agrees with Ramos-Horta that there is a global “roll back” in democracy.
As an expert and a victim, she is very clear about the dangers in using social media to
spread misinformation and the unethical use of algorithms that generate the user’s
emotions of anger and hate. These practices embolden overt abuses of power from
leaders and she defends freedom of the press to ensure truthful information. Her message
to youth is to figure out what their values are and what they are willing to fight for. She
encourages them to preserve their own free will and agency no matter how difficult. In
answer to a student’s question about whether it’s a good idea to study journalism, she says
there has never been a better time to become a journalist.
Yuyun Wahyuningrum, Indonesian Representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental
Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) explains the role and evolution of this institution
for freedom and human rights but notes it needs to do more. She notes that all ASEAN
Member States are currently classified either as “Flawed Democracy” or “Authoritarian” by
international rankings of nations on freedom and democracy. The disconnect is explained
by the fact that while all national constitutions refer to human rights, with the exception
of Brunei, they do not enforce certain rights and freedoms in practice. Ms Wahyuningrum
stresses that real progress has been made by the human rights body at the regional level

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