The ASEAN Summit with the theme "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth" produced important points in the political-security, economic, and socio-cultural pillars. The agreement can be called the 'vision of ASEAN leaders' to make ASEAN an epicenter of growth that is relevant to the people, the region, and the world in general. The Summit in Labuan Bajo (10-11 May 2023) was attended by Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam as well as the ASEAN Secretary General and the PM. Timor Leste. Their document was written under the title "Chairman's Statement of the 42nd ASEAN Summit" with 125 important points.
ASEAN Centrality
ASEAN leaders began their statement by affirming their principles and commitment to strengthen ASEAN’s unity and centrality, admitting Timor Leste as the 11th member, upholding regionalism and multilateralism based on the principles of the UN Charter and “ensuring no one is left behind” (points 1-9). In simple terms: everyone wins, everyone benefits. ASEAN leaders also emphasized the building of the ASEAN community, ensuring the full and effective implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025. On the dynamics of the region and rapid global developments, their views were: “ASEAN must be responsive and adaptive” and the need for “a balance between pragmatism and ambition” so that ASEAN remains stable, progressive and true to its identity (points 10-16).
Economy
The ASEAN economy is believed to continue to grow in 2023 and 2024. The leaders saw that the ASEAN economy is expected to grow by 4.7 percent in 2023 and 5.0 percent in 2024 due to strong domestic consumption, exports, and accelerated recovery in the services sector. The important point is also: regional economic growth must be fair, inclusive, and sustainable amidst the multidimensional crisis (points 52-78). Economic growth cannot be separated from the quality of society. Investment in the human sector is considered urgent to be more competitive and agile towards the future (points 79-111). Healthy and collaborative people are also considered important in the current era. The role of young people who are proficient in technology is also important (points 85-87) to strengthen regional cooperation.
The relevant ministries need to prepare young people who are proficient in sports and young people who are healthy, competitive, digitally literate, educated, and can collaborate at the regional level evenly from various provinces in Indonesia. The development of an electric vehicle ecosystem is felt to be very urgent because it is safer for the future (point 23). In line with that, ASEAN is expected to be an important part of the world supply chain so that the world trend in electric vehicles continues to place ASEAN in a key position in industrial downstreaming. Another language, "ASEAN as a global production center" in the electric vehicle industry.
ASEAN leaders also see that promoting rural development and poverty eradication (also in point 101) is important. Talking about regional welfare cannot be separated from the acceleration of rural transformation. This means that urban and rural development needs to go hand in hand with a decrease in poverty rates, because eradicating poverty is almost impossible.
The wider community, especially at the grassroots level, really hopes that village transformation will be implemented and that they will benefit from the growth of the region. In point 38, the ‘ASEAN smart city network’ has been initiated with various investment projects and regular discussions related to industry, innovation, safety, security, and infrastructure. The smart city network needs to be accompanied by a ‘smart village network’ or what is referred to in point 22 as fast-track rural transformation. Remote areas need to be given special attention because they generally lack health, technological infrastructure, and road access.
Initiatives related to ASEAN integration are only discussed in point 33, namely reaffirming the importance of narrowing the development gap in ASEAN. The goal is to increase ASEAN’s competitiveness. ASEAN integration has actually been going on until now, except for the current issue that has not been progressive, namely the Myanmar crisis due to the military coup. However, the issue of integration, which was only discussed in one point, does not seem to be considered an important issue to discuss further. What is more important seems to be ASEAN connectivity as part of the epicenter of growth. Here, economic and socio-cultural factors are very important starting from the recovery of the region from the Covid-19 pandemic. This means that if this pandemic can really be overcome, then regional connectivity will run more progressively, thus having a significant impact on regional growth.
Regarding welfare, cases of human trafficking are still a problem in the region. The case is exacerbated by the misuse of technology (points 17-28). President Jokowi stated the need for firm action against the perpetrators; the victims must be protected. The Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2022 by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) stated that the majority of victims of human trafficking in East Asia and the Pacific are exploited for forced labor (54 percent), sexual exploitation for prostitution (38 percent), and other forms (8 percent). The majority of victims are women (58 percent), adult men (18 percent), girls (21 percent) and boys (3 percent).
US-China Rivalry
So far, the Southeast Asian region is still volatile due mainly to the rivalry between the US and China. This rivalry, if not managed, will bring disaster not only to the two countries but also to the ASEAN region. This rivalry is apparently not only related to the Pacific Ocean but also the Indian Ocean or what we know as the Indo-Pacific. The Indo-Pacific is a vast region of countries located in two large oceans, namely the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. The Indo-Pacific region stretches from the east coast of Africa and the Red Sea in the west, to the outer islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia, and Indonesia. Its northern boundary is the coast of the Korean Peninsula, southern Japan, and Hawaii. While its southern boundary is at the southern tip of the African Continent, Shark Bay in Western Australia and Sydney on its east coast.
The important thing about the dynamics of the Indo-Pacific region is the affirmation of common interests to maintain and advance peace, stability, and prosperity in the wider Southeast Asia, Asia-Pacific, and Indian Ocean regions (points 29-32). ASEAN centrality will benefit the Indo-Pacific. The rivalry between these two giants, the US-China, is indeed more sophisticated than the old 'cold war' (US-Soviet), because currently both are equally strong countries with extraordinary global influence. China's progressive influence in this region especially after the United States' reduced attention because it was focused on the Middle East due to the 9/11 terror that killed around 3000 people.
In the US-China rivalry, ASEAN countries may have different views on certain issues. The formation of the AUKUS security alliance (Australia, the US, and the UK) in 2021, for example, ASEAN countries are divided into two, namely supporters (the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam) and opponents (Indonesia and the Philippines). As part of a trilateral pact to counter China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific, currently in Australia, AUKUS is even building three Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (Class SSN-774) that combine stealth technology, intelligence gathering, and the latest weapons systems.
The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs hopes that the presence of the submarine will not have an impact on violating nuclear non-proliferation, namely the July 1, 1968 agreement that limits the ownership of nuclear weapons to only 5 countries, namely France, China, the US, the UK, and Russia. Australia must of course remain consistent in accordance with the nuclear non-proliferation rules. My point is, it is not easy for ASEAN countries to have one voice on all issues, but on the issues agreed upon at the 2023 ASEAN Summit, it is worth maintaining by all ASEAN leaders and becoming a reference for the ASEAN community.
Myanmar Crisis: Stop Violence and Build Constructive Dialogue
In the case of Myanmar, ASEAN leaders agreed to implement the //Five-Point Consensus//(5PC) agreed upon at the ASEAN Leaders Meeting (ALM) in Jakarta (April 24, 2021). Also present at that time was General Min Aung Hlaing, a senior general who carried out a coup the day before the planned inauguration of the Myanmar parliament resulting from the November 2020 Election. At that time, the military junta also detained President Win Myint, State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyu, party figures, activists, and other members of the public.
The five consensuses that were reaffirmed are as follows: (1) Violence must immediately cease and all parties must exercise utmost restraint (2) constructive dialogue among all parties concerned to find a peaceful solution for the benefit of the people, (3) the special envoy of the ASEAN Chair will facilitate the mediation of the dialogue process with the assistance of the ASEAN Secretary-General, (4) ASEAN will provide humanitarian assistance through The ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA), and (5) the ASEAN special envoy and delegation will visit Myanmar to meet with the parties concerned.
Formulating and Strengthening ASEAN Civilizational Values
The promotion of shared values of tolerance and respect for diversity is emphasized in point 102. Indonesia plans to hold the ASEAN Conference on Shared Civilizational Values which aims to identify and foster greater understanding of shared civilizational values derived from cultures and religions in the region. The conference is expected to provide recommendations on how shared civilizational values can play a significant role in maintaining a region of peace and as an epicenter of growth.
The idea for this conference came from the proposal of PBNU General Chair Yahya Cholil Staquf after meeting President Jokowi on March 24, 2023, who saw that Southeast Asia has shared civilizational values that make ASEAN a peaceful and strong region amidst the diversity of civilizations and religions. Searching for and re-understanding, and strengthening shared values in the region are culturally important in addition to economic growth. This means that the epicenter of ASEAN growth will be increasingly perfect with cultural strengthening of the understanding that we have diversity of religions, ethnicities, affiliations, and so on, which must be accepted and utilized for the common good.
The role of religious communities
Religious communities need to be involved in maintaining integration, centrality, growth and peace in ASEAN. The promotion of shared values in point 102 of the 2023 ASEAN Summit requires synergy and collaboration between state actors and non-state actors in the ASEAN Region to jointly support the decisions of ASEAN leaders for peace and prosperity together. Ambassador Bunyan Saptomo's idea regarding the importance of forming an Interfaith Forum for the ASEAN Community (mirror.mui.or.id, January 14, 2023) is reasonable, not only because of the human diversity factor but also because of the important role of religion in creating tolerance, peace, and stability in the Region. Collaboration between the Indonesian Government and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) is very important for this.
The factor of 'religion as a solution' cannot be seen as a human 'escape' from uncertainty - such as Malinowski's view regarding the Trobriand people's shift to belief when they could not control the wind and weather while sailing at sea (Kottak, 2015). Here, religion even becomes an inherent factor for various human growths, namely economic, socio-cultural, or political. This is because Southeast Asians are religious people, a place where many religions thrive.
The International Conference to be held by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) on "religion, peace, and civilization" (Hotel Sultan, Jakarta, 21-23 May 2023) is strategic to reaffirm the values of peace based on religion and shared cultural values not only at the ASEAN level but also the world. At the conference, participants came from various religions, as well as national backgrounds which of course can produce a universal formulation as a basis for creating a peaceful world for all. Diplomacy Wasathiyyatul Islam MUI plays an important role in international events like this. Back to the role of religion, it is quite important for ASEAN countries (and even the world) to build sustainable interfaith partnerships. A peaceful world should be the dream of all communities, all countries, all religions, all civilizations, and all humans who inhabit this planet earth.
Creating a Peaceful Region
ASEAN and external partners need to work together to create a safe, stable and prosperous region. For this, constructive dialogue and concrete cooperation are needed. On the situation in the South China Sea, ASEAN leaders emphasized the need for mutual trust and restraint from attitudes that could potentially complicate the situation and escalate disputes. The agreement of ASEAN leaders is ideal as an agreement based on shared values. Furthermore, the agreement needs to be implemented by the parties, and no less important is how the people in ASEAN countries understand ASEAN's position in the 125 points. ASEAN as the epicenter of growth is a progressive idea and deserves our joint support. So it is time for all parties to translate the agreement into various implementative and practical steps in order to achieve a peaceful, safe, stable, and prosperous ASEAN for all.
The North and South Korean conflict is also an important concern, especially with the surge in intercontinental ballistic missile testing and increasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. So far, leaders expect the parties to exercise full restraint, avoid military retaliation that could worsen the situation, and continue peaceful dialogue towards lasting peace. Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is an important point in it.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is also a concern that has not been resolved for decades. ASEAN leaders choose a comprehensive, fair, and sustainable solution to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East. Negotiations between Israel and Palestine need to be carried out actively and positively. The solution is: two states. The two countries live side by side peacefully and safely based on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine (point 123). This solution has long been an option, but in fact it is not easy to reach an agreement because of the complexity of the problem. The MUI's steps to build the Indonesian Hospital Hebron (RSIH) are an important part of Indonesia's role for Palestine. Consistently and periodically, the MUI continues the agreement with the Mayor of Hebron regarding the construction of the hospital which is estimated to cost around Rp. 87 billion.
Regarding the Ukrainian war, which has claimed the lives of around 62,295 people, ASEAN leaders are of the opinion that the war needs to be ended immediately with a cessation of hostilities and the beginning of a peaceful resolution (point 124). In principle, ASEAN respects sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity. Since Russia launched a military operation against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the situation has also had a negative impact on ASEAN. One important thing in my observation regarding politics-security (points 39-51) is the affirmation of the commitment to preserve the Southeast Asian region as a nuclear-weapon-free zone and free from all weapons of mass destruction. There are concerns that nuclear weapons will damage and destroy humanity, at least from the case of the world's first nuclear bombing on August 6, 1945, which destroyed and killed 140 thousand people in Hiroshima and 70 thousand in Nagasaki.
It is important to continue to voice peace by states or non-states. The important role of women in peace is also important in this section which focuses on the role of women in peace, security, and empowerment in all jobs (point 97). Exchange programs to strengthen the capacity of ASEAN women are important. The program can be in the form of exchanges between figures, between jobs, or other sectors.
Maintaining Friendship, Becoming an 'ASEAN Family'
It is interesting to see how ASEAN was formed and its role as a 'community of nations' from the perspective of the anthropology of friendship. Friendship is at least formed by identity and social networks (Miller, 2017), part of kinship (Beer & Garner, 2015), and formed by a sense of trust and loyalty (Beer, 2001). Friendship even plays an important role in human life and complex socio-cultural relationships (Crapanzano, 2003). The ASEAN Summit 2023 document is a document of friendship between countries in ASEAN. The meeting in Labuan Bajo showed familiarity, trust, loyalty, and family. As an 'ASEAN family', Indonesia—as Chairman of ASEAN 2023—wants to be a protector for all, including becoming a mediator in the Myanmar crisis.
If we maintain the spirit of friendship between countries, of course it will have a positive impact not only on relations between countries, but also on communities and on people in the region. Moreover, if we add that friendship with the spirit of family as an 'ASEAN family', where all families in one house must see each other, respect each other, help each other, and support each other.
YANUARDI SYUKUR
https://mui.or.id/baca/mui/asean-summit-perdamaian-dunia-dan-peran-mui
No comments:
Post a Comment