Page 83 - The Ethics of ASEAN

Ethical leadership of ASEAN and in ASEAN

According to Jamesun, the current situation of ethical
leadership for ASEAN students is shaped by opportunities
to take action and the ability to speak out. On the one hand,
ASEAN students have tremendous passion and commitment to
participate in social movements. On the other hand, students
in ASEAN higher education experience what he calls “pressure
to thrive”.
There are limited spaces in ASEAN for youths to speak out
or to take part in decision-making on policies at national and
regional levels. Especially in politics, clashes of ideology and
values often occur between leaders from older generations
and youth activists.
Over time, we have been seeing the region’s young
people getting directly involved in major social and political
movements. In 2020, for example, we saw the rise of the online Figure 6: Mr. Jamesun
“Milk Tea Alliance” which consisted of thousands of proactive Wacnang Bejarin, political
youths from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Thailand who pushed science student at Ateneo
for democratic values, human rights and equality in their de Manila University
3
respective countries .
Concerning the situation in Myanmar, youth with
democratic aspirations have been joining protests and militant
4.
groups in hope of returning their nation to democracy
Another area of student ethics concerns the awareness
of inequality of access to resources and education that have
hindered vulnerable groups in ASEAN from participating in
society. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the sudden shift to
online learning required students to have access to devices
and internet connection but those who live in rural areas as
well as those who cannot afford such devices fell behind in
education.
ASEAN young people are being overwhelmed by the
demand to do better on all fronts. The ethics of youth
leadership is to channel energy and ideas into initiatives that
create impact. Leadership is focused on proactive youth
engagement.
Fortunately, we are seeing increased efforts by the public
and private sector in promoting positive and ethical leadership
development among the region’s young people through official

3 Yamahata, Y. (January 2022). Towards Intersectional Solidarity In The Digital
Age: The Milk Tea Alliance. Retrieved from https://www.humanrightspulse.
com/mastercontentblog/towards-intersectional-solidarity-in-the-digital-
age-the-milk-tea-alliance on 9 May 2023
4 Falise, T. (March 2023). Rebel youth risk life and limb in Myanmar’s cruel war.
Retrieved from https://asiatimes.com/2023/03/rebel-youth-risk-life-and-
limb-in-myanmars-cruel-war/ on 9 May 2023

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