EDITORIAL: Real Asean citizens, please stand up

BANGKOK (The Nation/ANN) - Just a few days into the official era of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) and the journey for Asean people has just begun.

Just a few days into the official era of the Asean Economic Community (AEC), this new start has been nothing more than a baby. By that, it means the road is very long and this significant journey of Asean people has just begun. The AEC may be a baby step itself, the region’s all-encompassing yet fledging efforts towards a true economic, cultural and social blending. We can’t tell what the future holds because the grand scheme has only been underway for a few days.

There is a lot more to come, problems to solve and tests to undergo.

The AEC is arguably Asean’s most crucial venture since the regional grouping came into existence in 1967, when different political ideologies were reinforcing borders and paranoia dictated economic policies. Now that political tensions between countries have abated and economies have become more intertwined, the region is embarking on something truly ambitious, which is taking place after years of debate, painstaking preparations, and swings back and forth between scepticism and optimism.

What really differentiates the AEC from the original Asean? Ask businessmen and they will say one thing; ask artists or students or job seekers and they will say another. The bottom line is that AEC hopefully will take Asean away from the diplomats and politicians and engage more ordinary people in the region.

Asean has been virtually limited to meetings of top leaders who have locked arms at the end of their “summits” after agreeing on policies that few people cared about. The AEC is a lot more than that, which means its success or failure is up to everyone, not just government officials.

Increasing trends in labour migration, lower taxes or tax exemptions, unprecedented joint education programmes implies the AEC is in uncharted territory. The issue of trust or mistrust will no longer be limited to the “top”. Several programmes will rely absolutely on the people involved. Of course, the politicians or diplomats will still come up with initiatives, but they no longer hold the regional future in their hands.

For example, it used to be mostly the politicians, or the politicisation of particular issues, that determined ties between Singapore and Malaysia. Thailand’s relationship with Cambodia was another case in point. The AEC should be able to dilute how government-level politics have dictated cross-border relations.

When politics is out of the way, people will handle things the way they are supposed to be handled, hopefully.

Politicians and diplomats should serve as AEC facilitators and troubleshooters. The AEC presents great economic opportunities, but the road will certainly be bumpy, not least because competition for jobs could be fiercer; for instance, each country’s farmers will be producing the very same thing as their neighbouring counterparts. Problems, complaints and conflicts could take place on a daily basis. Income inequalities could undermine many efforts. As we all know, competition can begin constructively and then slide down a slippery slope.

To sum it up, the AEC needs everybody’s help. A baby step has been taken but the implications are huge. The regional grouping is no longer limited to leaders sitting around a table to discuss Myanmar or the Spratly Islands. A lot more people – students, businessmen and maids, to name just a few – will be actively involved in this endeavour. Asean’s real citizens will take pride if this AEC programme becomes a success. On the other hand, if it fails, the finger can no longer be pointed exclusively at the politicians or diplomats.

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