Page 152 - The Ethics of ASEAN

The Ethics of ASEAN

from the results for making future decisions. Why this is a priority today stems from the
fast-moving political and economic shifts in the world around ASEAN.
The second cause of poor effectiveness stems from ASEAN’s historic position as
a follower in scientific research and new technologies. ASEAN has not been a leader
in physics, genetics and other scientific areas requiring heavy investment in research
facilities and large numbers of top scientists. In technology, ASEAN has not been a player
in computer sciences, space technologies or electric vehicles. For these reasons it has
been natural to follow what the leaders are doing when it comes to issues like human
cloning or data privacy.
That situation is changing rapidly as the quality of science and technology improves
in ASEAN to world-class levels. In the areas of sustainability and biodiversity what ASEAN
does or does not do to preserve its life systems, slow carbon emissions and curb waste and
pollution has consequences for the rest of the world. Dealing with these issues is difficult
enough for a national government which has its own infrastructure for policies, public
debate, legislation and enforcement. For ASEAN which has to coordinate the response of
ten countries, ramping up effectiveness is a challenge in itself.
In Part Two of this book, the discussion of ethical issues in technology, sustainability,
business, work and human development has shown that ASEAN is doing its job to create
awareness and organise ethical discussion. A renewed focus on processes to reach
common ethical commitments and decision-making process and action is where the
opportunity lies.

To take an example, the speed of innovation and applications in artificial intelligence
throws up new ethical dilemmas almost every day including bias, automated decisions and
most recently lethal autonomous weapons or “killer robots.” Existing ASEAN coordinating
organisations are too slow for studying these new issues, developing new ethical
arguments, discussing early actions to take and enforcing policies and regulations on a
regional scale. New platforms and processes are needed.
Not all emerging ethical issues develop fast. The growth of inequality in ASEAN does
not require setting up a war room to track new issues day by day. Effectiveness here is not
speed but setting up an ethical framework to track the growth in inequality, the effects of
inequality on society in ASEAN, formulating ethical arguments for policies to counteract
inequality, and getting commitment to take action across ASEAN’s Member States.

Developing the next generation of ASEAN ethical leaders
I leave for the end what is the best assurance that ASEAN ethics will continue to develop
in the next generation and beyond – leadership. Capability and institutions are certainly
needed. But they can all be undone if the next generation of leaders fails to take
responsibility for positive ethical outcomes for ASEAN.
In Part One, we saw how in ASEAN’s early leaders played an essential role in ethics.
The best known still today are founders of the new nations of Southeast Asia. There are
also the founders of ASEAN itself.
Other Southeast Asians have been ethical leaders on the global stage. The best
known during that period is U Thant of Myanmar, the third secretary-general of the United

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