The recent upsurge in tensions between Asia’s rising superstar China and
countries claiming sovereignty over islands in the oil-rich South China Sea,
threatens to cause deep divisions among members of the Association of South
East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Newly appointed director general for ASEAN
Cooperation at the Foreign Ministry, I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja, talked to The
Jakarta Post’s Yohanna Ririhena on the challenges he faces.
Question: What do you perceive as
the main challenges ASEAN has to deal with right now?
Answer: The immediate challenge
for ASEAN is the creation of the ASEAN Community in 2015; how we integrate the
political, security, economic and sociocultural dimensions into one unified
community of ASEAN.
Beyond that one predominant
issue, unity is the main challenge for ASEAN. Only with unity can ASEAN become
one centralized force in interacting with external powers.
ASEAN should be the driving force
for dynamic development in the region. Certainly, it is not an easy task to
keep unity and centrality.
The recent events in the region
have shown that the political and security synergy should be strengthened. The
region must remain peaceful and stable to allow member states to develop
economically. Economic disparities between member states should be addressed
until we create equality. Only with political and economic stability will
social cultural cooperation among peoples in this region flourish.
Do you mean political and
security issues are the most urgently pressing?
All issues are important.
However, the recent development demonstrates that when political and security
issues become prominent’ they must be resolved.
What should be pursued by
Indonesia, following Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa’s shuttle diplomacy to
save ASEAN unity?
Pak Marty’s efforts have been
praised by everyone and surely have surely settled ASEAN back in place. For
Indonesia, unity is the most important issue of all. Therefore any friction
that threatens ASEAN solidity should be addressed immediately.
The six-point principle is a
significant achievement that should be followed up by ASEAN and China as well.
This is a base to move forward. Now, ASEAN is preparing a code of conduct to be
discussed with China.
How would Indonesia strive to
harmonize ASEAN?
Indonesia could strengthen the
substance of the code of conduct, as the rule book on how to behave in the
South China Sea.
We would like to see a strong
code of conduct which is not only obeyed by claimant states in ASEAN but also
China. Our role is to guide ASEAN to prevent armed conflict in the region. We
acknowledge that it will take a lot of time and effort to achieve this.
We hope that the code of conduct
reduces tension. We all have an interest in creating win-win solutions.
Stability in the region is in our best interests.
There are plenty of other
significant challenges. ASEAN Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights
(AICHR) is finalizing the final draft of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration
(AHRD), which is subject to the scrutiny of ASEAN foreign ministers.
For conflict resolution, ASEAN
has agreed to form an institution, ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation
that will find solutions to conflict in the region.
Another political area is the
protocol of Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANWFZ) that would be
signed by nuclear states.
Besides the South China Sea,
tension is escalating between China and Japan, and South Korea and Japan. How
should ASEAN respond to this situation, since they are important partners of
ASEAN?
We hope that the development of
the code of conduct will be an inspiration for managing conflict in other
regions. We have learnt that we should not ignore tension and allow it to
escalate into open conflict that damages our interests. Given our proximity,
tension between those countries will have impact on ASEAN cooperation. This is
another challenge for ASEAN, to engage them through ASEAN+3 mechanism.
Does ASEAN have difficulties with
the assertiveness of China?
There is always dynamism in
global relations. The most important thing is that we create a peaceful, stable
and prosperous region that benefit all of us.
ASEAN unity is very significant.
We cannot sacrifice unity for the sake of individual states. Indonesian
leadership is crucial. As a major member state, we must act as a big country,
taking a central role in a unified ASEAN.
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