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Home  Setingkat Menteri Sekretariat Negara Politik INDONESIA, GATE OF ASEAN DEMOCRACY
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INDONESIA, GATE OF ASEAN DEMOCRACY |
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Monday, 19 January 2009 |
ASEAN country members respectively ratified ASEAN Charter and thus leaves Indonesia as the only country member that has not signed the document. It is uncertain when Indonesia will ratify it. However, one thing is certain: the deadline of the ratification ends in December.
It will probably be just a matter of time for Indonesia as the process of the ratification is still underway by involving the government and Indonesia Legislative Assembly
ASEAN has existed for 41 years and has been playing its roles in the regions. Thus far, the organisation has provided certain contributions to stability and peace in southeast Asia regions.
The contributions, among others are, assisting the conflict resolutions in Cambodea, Sabah, and the southern Philippines. Still, ASEAN has not been able to act upon certain issues, such as in Myanmar, in Thailand-Cambodea borders, Indonesian migrant workers, and illegal logging During its four-decade tenure, ASEAN has not been able to establish a formal, law-based foundation, regarding that so far corporations among its members tend to be informal with a discussion and deliberation approach. Thus, the ASEAN Charter, which will be the foundation, has been drawn up.
The ASEAN ratification issue has been a debatable talk, at least in several ASEAN country members, such as in Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia, that operate different democracy systems from other country members. ON Tuesday (7/10), the Philippines, will ratify it, followed by Thailand in September 2008, and Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodea, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore, as well as Brunei Darussalam.
Various discussion to assess the vice and virtue of ASEAN Charter ratification have been held, including the one titled "The Road to Ratification and Implementation of the ASEAN Charter: Its Strength and Weaknesses,” held by the Habibie Center (THC) and in collaboration and ASEAN Studies Center (ISEAS). The discussion, held on Thursday 17 July 2008 in Jakarta, was attended by experts. In the occasion, Rodolfo C. Severino, the chairman of ISEAS, also the former ASEAN General Secretary, mentioned that ASEAN Charter is a milestone of ASEAN’s long journey although several parties are rather skeptical towards its purposes and functions. A critical vieew towards ASEAN Charter was expressed by Dr. Rizal Sukma of Central Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He said that such view was not intended to question the need to ratify the charter; rather, it questioned whether the charter is the appropriate form of charter that ASEAN requires.
In another discussion forum held by CSIS this mid-year, Jusuf Wanandi, a foreign affairs observer stated several weaknesses of ASEAN Charter.
The major weakness that has been proposed to be ratified by Indonesia Legislative Assembly (DPR) is repeating the ways of administering ASEAN that have been done for 40 years. They worked well then, but they are no longer appropriate to prepare a future ASEAN society,” said Wanandi.
He added that ASEAN must intensify its cooperation, must work faster in decision- making, must take initiative in balancing China’s and India’s supremacy, and must be able to play a role as a pioneer in establishing regional cooperation in East Asia as the regions expect.
In the similar occasion, a member of Legislative Assembly (DPR), Sutradara Gintings, expressed his view that the content of ASEAN Charter is not effective enough to realise ASEAN integration as a political, security, economy, and social-culture community.
Gintings said that the most significant factors of ASEAN integration effectiveness are decision-making system, decision-implementation system, and community, not the state, involvement, and diverse valuable values, such as human rights.
"Decision-making system with consensus, decision-implementation system with consensus, community involvement opportunity and format, and guarantee of human rights respect as well as community rights, have not shown significant progress,” he said.
Thus, it is estimated that ASEAN will possibly make slow progress. Therefore, it is not sufficient as a chief strategic pillar in anticipating the future international development, he added.
owever, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Alatas, who was the keynote speaker of the the Habibie Center (THC) and in collaboration and ASEAN Studies Center (ISEAS) discussion urged ASEAN countries to immediately ratify the ASEAN Charter.
He also said that the ratification will benefit ASEAN and make the southeast Asia countries’ organization more competitive.
“Thus, it will be possible for ASEAN to hold economy supremacy like the United States of America, China, and Japan. Yet, the charter will not function if there are still its members that have not ratified it,” he added.
rof DR Dewi Fortuna Anwar, an international observer and one of the chairpersons of The Habibie Center (THC) expressed her conviction that the ratification process will be finalized.
According to Dewi, the delay in the ratification was a symbol of friction within the organization. Furthermore, she explained, “This is a part of shift-purpose, but this must be adjusted to the domestic agenda of such countries.”
Although far from perfect, she said, ASEAN Charter should be ratified so it will be executable and later sometime in the future it will be reviewed and improved.
The most recent news circulated about was that Indonesia will soon ratify ASEAN Charter considering that the discussion with the Legislative Assembly (DPR) went well and concluded as scheduled.
The Legislative Assembly (DPR) and the government have completed the entire discussion of draft ratification of the chapter. The special committee meeting of Committee I Legislative Assembly led by the special committee chief Marzuki Darusman at the DPR/MPR building on Wednesday ended with the enactment of the outcome ratification draft law regarding authorization Charter of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirajuda, Minister of Law and Human Rights Andi Mattalata, and Minister of Trade Marie Elka Pangestu, as well as other factions and leadership of Committee I.
Following the concluding discussion in Committee I, the draft will immediately be proposed in Indonesian Legislative Assembly Plenary Session to be approved and passed as a law.
Previously, ASEAN General Secretary Surin Pitsuwan expressed his expectation that Indonesia and the Philippines will immediately ratify the charter before the 14th ASEAN summit in Bangkok, Thailand taking place on December 2008 will soon be realized.
efore long, all ASEAN members will have ratified the document that approved by the leaders of the organizations when they met in Singapore last November.
In Indonesia, the acrimonious debate of such matter has subsided because, as explained by Dewi Fortuna Anwar, “A democratic country has to undergo processes in a parliament so ratification can be achieved. The Republic of Indonesia must thoroughly ratify it since there are subject matters that draw attention and the Republic of Indonesia become the gate of ASEAN democracy.”
by Mohammad Anthoni
Jakarta (ANTARA News) |
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