The latest Sabah incident recalls again how the countries of Southeast
Asia took shape from the territorial fragments cut up by foreign colonial
powers. The task of ensuring the fit of
the jigsaw pieces they inherited still occupies national governments.
Sabah or Sulu could have been a
part of Brunei, as Singapore could have become integrated into Indonesia. The restive provinces of southern Thailand at
one point belonged to Malaysia, to which they were bonded by ties of family,
religion and language. Taiwan and the
Philippines could have formed one political unit. Colonial powers basically determined the
boundaries of Southeast Asian nation-states.
The Asean Economic Community
(AEC) hopes by 2015 to cast a seamless cover over these jagged pieces and presumably
render irrelevant the distinctive national regulations that govern them. But the AEC will not work simply on
government fiat, especially since the national bureaucracies themselves still
need to work out the specifics of the AEC.
We may be experiencing again the Afta of the 1980s: not the Asean Free
Trade Agreement, but the Asean practice of “Agree First, Talk After.”
Many issues still await agreement
within and among member-states. The AEC
blueprint envisions Asean as a single market and production base that would
allow the free flow of goods, services, investment, capital and skilled
labor. This implies that Asean citizens
will enjoy full market access and national treatment throughout the region. But the simple statement conceals complex and
potentially contentious issues.
Beyond the removal of tariff and
other restrictions on trade in goods and services, the AEC would also require,
among other things, convergent customs procedures and standards, mutual
recognition arrangements on professional services, and common standards in
education and training. All of these
involve work for technical experts at both the national and the regional
levels.
Then comes the task of obtaining
the buy-in of the public, particularly each country’s business sector on whose
initiative the success of the AEC depends. The impending AEC deadline is
pushing the Asean countries to clarify, document and establish consensus on
their respective policies. Member-countries most oriented to the international
economy enjoy an advantage in the race to gear up for the AEC.
Conversations with Thai
colleagues in Bangkok last week showed how their country has been preparing for
2015. Never mind the 22 million tourists
that Thailand received last year. Even
more impressive, 1.7 million came for medical services, with the number
expected to break the 2-million barrier this year. Singapore is reportedly receiving less than
.5 million medical tourists.
Thailand’s medical-tourism thrust
is targeting the economic elite of Europe, the Middle East, India and China.
Would the AEC allow Asean nationals to spend their medical benefits in
Bangkok? How about portable public or
private education loans, which now allow Indian students to study in Manila and
other Asean capitals?
To tap this broader Asean market,
Thais need to be more familiar with the region.
Their government’s good fortune is that other sectors also share this
view. On Feb. 16-17, the Thailand Journalists
Association (TJA), led by its president, Chavarong Limpattamapanee, gathered
over 30 print, broadcast and on-line journalists at Laem Than in Chonburi
province. Where the foreign ministers of
the five founding member-countries negotiated the establishment of Asean in
1967, the TJA launched the Asean Journalists Club (AJC).
Khun Chavarong, who will also
oversee the AJC operations, expressed the hope that, through better reporting,
the AJC would promote greater understanding of Asean issues, such as the
controversies over Rohingya refugees, South China Sea territorial disputes, and
competing claims to Sabah. It would also
provide training for journalists covering critical regional problems such as
cross-border pollution and encourage the pooling of information among them.
The TJA initiative appears to
have received support from its members.
It has been able to attract participants to its training programs, one
of 12 weeks for journalists and one of eight weeks for media executives. The classes meet once a week for two- or
three-hour sessions on Sundays. At the
end of the classroom sessions, the participants go on a field trip to one or
two Asean countries.
Apart from the commitment
required of the journalists taking the course, the program has also obtained
the support of the business sector. The
training program, including the field trip, is fully funded by contributions
from companies engaged in regional business.
The presence at the gathering of Somkiat Tangkitvanich, president of
Thailand Development Research Institute, also reflected the support of academic
centers for the AJC.
K. Chavarong said the AJC would
like to reach out to other journalists around the region to enlist their
cooperation in achieving a more informed and a more comprehensive coverage of
Asean issues. Those who believe in Asean should salute this Thai initiative and
cheer for its success.
Edilberto C. de Jesus
Business & Investment Opportunities
Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd (SBC) is incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Health care and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN 's area. We are currently changing the platform of www.yourvietnamexpert.com, if any request, please, contact directly Dr Christian SIODMAK, business strategist, owner and CEO of SBC at christian.siodmak@gmail.com. Many thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment