Measuring up to Asean
I have returned recently from Colombo after attending a plenary meeting of the South Asian Free Media Association and the South Asia Media Commission Conference. They were held on a parallel track with the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Summit Conference. This permitted me to have a deeper insight into the way Saarc is functioning as an institution.
The Saarc has now been in existence for more than two decades. It has in the recent past, in addition to expanding its membership, also taken the positive step of trying to widen its engagement by taking on board several dialogue partners as observers. This was undertaken as a constructive measure.
In this context, I thought that it would be meaningful to reflect on Saarc and compare it with the steps undertaken by the foreign ministers of Asean in their 41st Asean ministerial meeting held in Singapore towards the end of July.
I did so not only to evaluate the Saarc process but also to highlight the comparative seriousness with which Asean is engaging itself in regional cooperation as opposed to the efforts being undertaken by Saarc. I believe that this was necessary; given the modest areas of agreement reached by Saarc during its recently convened summit held in Colombo and its past history in being unable to implement its decisions expeditiously.
Both Saarc and Asean have reaffirmed their common desire to ensure peace, stability, prosperity and social progress in the region, but Asean has gone one step further. The have recognised the need for creating a sense of belonging so critical for integration efforts.
In this context, Asean has noted that while Asean members may be pre-occupied with pressing domestic issues, it is vital that they continue to move forward on Asean integration, even if the pace may sometimes vary. Very correctly, Asean understands that their thriving region will then be courted by the major powers for its economic potential and valued as a partner for dealing with larger regional and global issues.
I do not know if the existing internal rivalry within Saarc will ever allow such an equation to emerge in South Asia. The recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India and the subsequent recriminations have definitely not helped.
Secondly, Asean has now taken the bold and pragmatic step of agreeing that each Asean member state will appoint a permanent representative to Asean at the level of ambassador in Jakarta, with effect from January 1, 2009. This decision has been taken to strengthen the Asean secretariat and to provide it with adequate resources. It will also explore the idea of an Asean laissez-passer for Asean secretariat staff as a valid travel document among Asean member states.
Such decisions connote seriousness in terms of engagement. Can we not replicate this within Saarc? Such a step on our part will then indicate that Saarc believes in being a practical and an action and result-oriented, rules-based organisation.
Thirdly, Asean, unlike Saarc, appears to have garnered sufficient political will to develop concrete programs and activities to implement measures and enhance international and regional cooperation to combat trans-boundary environmental pollution.
This they aim to achieve through capacity building, enhancing public awareness, strengthening law enforcement, promoting environmentally sustainable practices, as well as combating illegal logging and its associated illegal trade.
They have also reaffirmed their commitment to intensify their cooperation with other international organisations in the areas of disaster relief and management. Comparably, very little appears to be taking place within the matrix of Saarc. There are bilateral efforts but nothing of collective substance has emerged.
Fourthly, in accordance with its development agenda, Asean is attaching special importance to the integration of its education priorities. This is being done to hone the skills and talents of their citizens and to boost that region's overall competitiveness, in order to reap the fruits of globalisation. We are talking of this within Saarc but nothing much has happened in concrete terms. The concept of the South Asian University with its different country based campuses is moving forward at a snail's pace.
Fifthly, I shall touch on the question of strengthening Saarc's relations with its external partners. Unlike Saarc, which is still plagued by the suspicious mindsets of its members. Asean has moved forward remarkably.
They have been able to do so because they are a more integrated community. They have reached a point where they can now look forward to the appointment of ambassadors to the Asean secretariat from their dialogue partners. This will enable them to deepen and broaden their cooperation in various fields with their partners.
This will permit Asean to focus more seriously and meaningfully in key areas like energy and food security, terrorism and transnational crimes, poverty reduction, sustainable forest management and climate change, communicable diseases and disaster relief and response.
This functional approach has enabled Asean not only to push ahead with the FTA negotiations with Australian and New Zealand, the EU and India but also finalise measures towards the creation of strategic linkages that will bind different regions even closer together.
In this context, steps are being taken through the Asean-Australia Development Cooperation Program (AADCP II) to strengthen the Asean secretariat's institutional capacity to effectively implement its mandate as well as supporting regional mechanisms and capacity for implementation of Asean Economic Community Blueprint activities.
Similarly, efforts are also underway within Asean to establish the Asean-China Centre and the Asean-Korea Centre to further deepen cooperation in all areas. Is Saarc thinking of such visionary agreements with its dialogue partners?
Sixthly, Asean appears to have taken a more pragmatic and realistic approach towards the crucial problems of food and energy security and achieving poverty reduction on the issue of food security, Asean has affirmed that access to adequate and reliable supply of staples, and stable prices are fundamental to the region's economic and social well-being.
To address rising food prices, they have also stressed the importance of regional and international efforts to ensure the efficient functioning of market forces, as well as to coming up with longer term agricultural solutions.
In this regard they have emphasised that all Asean countries should do away with price-distorting export subsidies and other protectionist policies and provide market access to competitive food exports. With reference to the recent volatility and rise of oil prices that has adversely affected Asean economies, it has been reiterated that there was need for regional and international efforts to ensure the efficient functioning of market forces.
Some of the rhetoric here is addressed towards the WTO. Nevertheless, there is a more target oriented response compared to Saarc. It might be useful for Saarc to also try to solve the region's food and energy security issues in a sustainable manner through greater cooperation measures such as improving energy efficiency and conservation. The idea of a Saarc development fund to combat poverty might also help if implemented sooner than later.
Seventhly, Saarc, like Asean, could also consider expanding its strategic partnerships to include a relationship with the Gulf Cooperation Council and the African Union. This will enhance the importance of the South Asian body. Such contacts could initially start with meetings on the sidelines, during the United Nations General Assembly sessions held in New York, and then intensify through initiatives by the Saarc secretariat.
Saarc, despite all the speech making in Colombo, appears to have continued as a toddler in the context of international relations. There is only one reason behind this -- absence of serious political will and the continuing sense of mutual suspicion.
This is affecting Saarc's performance. To rise over this hurdle, the Saarc leadership has to understand that Saarc is relevant to their wellbeing. They have to feel that the deeper their sense of belonging as a community, the more they will be able to achieve in terms of objectives.
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