Indonesia - Myanmar engagement bearing fruit

Skeptics can call it cosmetic change, but the positive trend in Myanmar has prompted many to score a victory for ASEAN’s “constructive engagement” after years of tireless effort from Indonesia, the current chair of the 10-member group.

This week, the Myanmarese government released some 200 political detainees in a general amnesty for 6,359 prisoners, eased some media controls and held further dialogue with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Myanmar’s current government was also the result of a general election, although many dismissed it as a sham.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi was freed after 15 years of house arrest last year and was allowed to travel throughout the country.

“Although some say the progress in Myanmar is simply because the country wants to be ASEAN chair in 2014, I believe there are more fundamental changes happening,” said University of Indonesia international relations expert Hariyadi Wirawan.

He said the gradual change in Myanmar had proven to the international community that the “constructive engagement” pushed by ASEAN and championed by Indonesia in lieu of the embargo proposed by Western countries, has worked.

“Now, ASEAN and Indonesia must maintain their momentum and continue pushing for more inclusive and transparent governance,” he said.

Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Michael Tene also welcomed the progress, stressing that the changes had come from within the country and Myanmar’s government.

“We are pleased to see the development in the country in the recent years,” he said.However, critics have said that the changes in Myanmar were only gestures to appease ASEAN countries ahead of the ASEAN summit in November in Bali, where Myanmar’s proposal that it serve as ASEAN chair in 2014 instead of 2016 as scheduled, will be decided.

The political prisoners were also released prior to Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa’s visit to inspect the progress of democratisation in the country and its readiness to chair and host a series of ASEAN meetings.

“Pak Marty will visit Myanmar at the end of this month to survey the developments in the country, which will be presented as a report at the November summit,” Michael said.

During the May summit in Jakarta, Myanmar officially lobbied to be ASEAN chair in 2014 instead of 2016, swapping with Laos.

However, some ASEAN members have been reluctant, concerned that Myanmar’s chairmanship in 2014 would hamper ASEAN’s target of becoming a fully-fledged community by 2015.

Abdul Khalik

The Jakarta Post

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