While ASEAN has grown and withstood the test of time, the concept of ASEAN is still alien to most citizens of its member states

If we are to create a sense of ASEAN as a community, we need to move beyond politics

Several realistic initiatives can be considered that can help bridge inter-ASEAN people-to-people and business-to-business ties

Photo by US State Dept

ASEAN gives a semblance of political unity to the states of Southeast Asia. A region otherwise disparate in terms of its states’ political systems, ideologies, economies, and geopolitical outlooks.

While the Association has grown and withstood the test of time, the concept of ASEAN is still alien to most citizens of its member states.

Only a small group of elites from academia and the foreign services who are directly involved in the functioning of ASEAN have been socialised into recognising that a regional community that transcends national borders could exist in Southeast Asia. But more can and should be done to close the distance between ASEAN and the masses.

The ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Blueprint 2025, “envisions an ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community where people enjoy the benefits of being part of ASEAN.” For ASEAN to positively impact the lives of its “citizens”, it should progressively become less elitist and more relevant to the masses.

To achieve an ASEAN Community its citizens would need to realise that the Association could benefit them and improve their lives. Given the many differences between its member states, some might find the very idea of an ASEAN Community to be unrealistic, but we should not be quick to dismiss its potential.

Even with the significant shortcomings of ASEAN, the Association could still grow and become more relevant and beneficial to the peoples of the region. In fact, there are already some initiatives in place that show ASEAN’s relevance to its citizens.

The Visa-Free and Open Skies agreement which enables easier movements of people and goods in the region is one that has greatly benefited many ASEAN citizens.

The ASEAN Passports Only lanes at a few international airports – though currently underused due to lack of awareness – is another initiative that makes ASEAN more visible and relevant.

The ASEAN Youth Forums and the biennial SEA Games provide opportunities for the peoples of the region to envision a common regional identity that transcends their national identities. If we are to achieve an ASEAN Community, more such initiatives that positively impact ASEAN citizens lives and deepen the people-to-people connections are needed.

Photo by Alson Ong

An “ASEAN citizenship” proposed by some to give more privileges to ASEAN citizens in member countries is an actionable idea that deserves greater consideration.

If there are privileges to be enjoyed – monetary or otherwise – when citizens of member states travel to other ASEAN states, this could not only promote work, study, and tourism across the region, but also forge a sense of community that ASEAN currently lacks.

The lower school fees in Singapore for ASEAN citizens compared to non-ASEAN foreigners is an example of a privilege enjoyed by Southeast Asians in Singapore. Such schemes and privileges that benefit ASEAN citizens could be standardised and institutionalised across ASEAN member states.

Gestures as simple as discounts and priority queues to ASEAN tourists at cultural and tourist destinations may give rise to a greater sense of identity.

An ASEAN business travel card could also be implemented. Modelled after the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC), an ASEAN version could ease business travel and reduce the costs of doing cross-border business in the region which is seeing steady growth. Such measures could deepen a sense of belonging as members of an ASEAN Community.

Currently, ASEAN is popularly perceived as a regional political body that facilitates the official meetings and policy cooperation among the leaders of its member states. But if we are to create a sense of ASEAN as a community, we need to move beyond politics.

This is not least because ASEAN faces serious political challenges that may not be resolved any time soon. The territorial disputes between member states in the South China Sea, over Sabah, and over territory around the Preah Vihear temple may test the political unity of the association in the coming years.

Some see the association as politically very weak due to its strict adherence to respecting its member’s sovereignty and doing things the “ASEAN Way”, which handicapped it from condemning Myanmar during the Rohingya crisis when gross human rights violations were committed. Further economic integration of ASEAN may also prove to be challenging as member states are unwilling to implement domestic economic reforms. But the ASEAN Community need not be beholden to the association’s institutional limitations.

The ASEAN Community should just be that, a community, which is as much as possible independent of the politics of the region. To create a deeper sense of community, we need more informal interactions.

The Track II Network of ASEAN Defence and Security Institutions (NADI), initiated by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore is a good example of this. NADI serves as an informal platform that enables open discussions among academics and government representatives on matters that are deemed sensitive to be raised in official Track I meetings. Importantly, NADI enables participants to contribute to the discussions in their personal capacities and think beyond their government’s positions.

If we could create more such platforms for business people, entrepreneurs, and professionals in the ASEAN region to communicate and collaborate in informal ways that would increase their familiarity with each other and bring us closer to the realisation of a true ASEAN Community. While a community of professionals across the region still sounds elitist, it could serve as a small first step.

By Kalicharan Veera Singam (@KalicharanVeera), Guest Writer

Kalicharan is a Researcher at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He writes on the politics of South and Southeast Asia and on Asian security issues. Most recently, he analysed the tactics of the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, after the group’s pledge of allegiance to the so-called Islamic State.