ONE ASEAN: GET READY!
Erle Frayne D. Argonza
Good
evening! Magandang gabi!
The
dark clouds of the electoral contests are now getting clearer in the Philippines. With
our polls settled and our elected leaders about to begin their mandates, I’d
now depart from election-related advocacies and move back to the
international-global arenas.
I
have written quite enormously about international political economy and
subsidiary themes for over two (2) decades. Even my blogging has been consumed
with peregrinations on the international arena. So let me go back to this
arena, even as I now clarify that I am a strong advocate of One ASEAN.
As
I’ve elucidated in my past writings (see 2007-08 articles), I perceive the
ASEAN as the larger polity to which my own country will return in the future.
The
Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei,
Malaysia, Singapore, the whole of island
Southeast particularly, were largely creations of Western powers. They used to
be part of the Majapahit Empire, the world’s wealthiest region before Western
colonization fragmented it.
Being
a strong believer in ASEAN unity, I am willing to shed off my hard-line
Filipino nationalism and don the cloak of pan-ASEAN patriotism. Majapahit was
the original nation to me and to those who resonate with the same worldview,
and eager am I to see my country return to the Empire.
The
Empire no longer bears that name today. Rather, it goes by the name of ASEAN,
short for Association of Southeast Asian Nations. But it bears the same
geo-political and geo-economic contours of the Empire before it fragmented.
A
benevolent Empire it was, as it used the fiat of trade cooperation to get
membership into the polity. That is, to be able to become a part of the Empire,
concur trade with its nexus and prinzeps. This was a much different track from
the typical military occupation used by other regional and world powers to
expand their territorial confines.
If
we reflect back on what our state players are doing here today, where they’re
concurring agreements and treaties using the most civil means conceivable to
get to a higher level of unity, the same means actually revives the consensus
methods used by our peoples in antiquity. Today, no matter how diverse our
political, economic, and cultural systems are, we are talking to each other
here, which is reflective of a ‘dialogues of civilizations’ approach.
From
state-to-state and civil society-to-civil society talks, let us move on to
direct people-to-people talks in the region. People-to-people interactions
precede people-to-people cooperations. I strongly contend that people-to-people
cooperation should eventually be the base for state-to-state and civil
society-to-civil society cooperation and no less.
State-to-state
talks are quite slow in results, even if market players joined state actors to
buttress the former stakeholders’ positions. In some areas of talks, such as
those involving territories, snags are observed.
People-to-people
interactions and cooperation will do much to accelerate state-to-state talks
that get snagged for one reason or another. The same cooperation can also
accelerate the building of a pan-ASEAN identity which should precede any
writing of a general treaty that will unify the region at least economically.
People-to-people
interactions have already been taking place in the region for almost 2000 years
in fact. Western colonization may have diminished the scales of interactions
for a long while, but that era of imperialism is much behind us now.
As
states, market players, and civil society players are preparing for larger
talks ahead, let us noble peoples of the region go ahead and expand the levels
of talks to build greater mutual confidence, appreciation of each other’s
cultures, and trust. Along the way, we have fellow Asians and global citizens
who will support our efforts as true friends.
In
any way we can, let us get to know each other better. Let’s set aside
utilitarian gains (e.g. get to know Asean pals who can become network marketing
partners) and interact based on a true call of our hearts, of our souls.
That
way, we contribute to building our preparedness for the grand future coming. We
just can’t be caught flat-footed, not knowing what’s going on in our larger
backyard because we allowed state players to monopolize the talks.
Fellow
ASEANians, let’s get ready!
[Writ
- Philippines,
11 May 2010. E. Argonza is adept at international political economy. He was a
graduate student of former ASEAN Deputy Secretary General Wilfrido Villacorta,
PhD. He has published various articles on the subject, as well as a book on
global trade regime.]
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