ASEAN cannot continue to ignore civil society: say leaders of ASEAN Peoples Forum

Credit: Asean People Forum, 18 Oct, 2009.

Cha-am, Thailand Oct 19 – Criticizing the absence of ASEAN officials, civil society organisations demanded that ASEAN expand its dialogue with civil society groups during the opening plenary of the Second ASEAN Peoples’ Forum (APF)/5th ASEAN Civil Society Conference (ACSC) in Cha-am, Thailand.

The opening plenary of the APF was notable because of the conspicuous absence of representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat. ASEAN officials notified organizers at the last minute that they would not attend. Instead of a program that was designed to include meaningful dialogue between ASEAN governments and civil society organisations, the opening plenary became a platform for criticizing ASEAN’s avoidance of civil society organisations.

Referring to the role of civil society has on realising an integrated and people-centred Southeast Asia, civil society representatives also called on the peoples of ASEAN to continue to challenge ASEAN to deepen its engagement on local, national, and regional levels.

Corinna A. Lopa of the South East Asia Committee for Advocacy (SEACA) and Solidarity for Asian People’s Advocacies (SAPA) focused on civil society’s critical role of moving ASEAN beyond its state-centred focus to one that embodies cooperation and solidarity among peoples. She called out ASEAN governments for failing to participate in the opening plenary, and said that the governments “should be condemned” for doing so.

Highlighting the issues that civil society has articulated to ASEAN, Lopa challenged ASEAN to provide a space for free and frank discussions on issues such as: human rights; democracy; Burma; trade; labour; migrants; agriculture; environment; indigenous peoples, women; children; access to information; media; and alternative regionalism.

Lopa called on civil society groups to continue to push ASEAN to recognize the legitimate role civil society plays and to transform itself from a state-centred institution to one that recognizes the individual.

Chanida Bamford of the APF’s Thai working group called for increased grassroots people-to-people dialogue, to raise awareness of the important role that civil society plays at the local level. Bamford challenged the ASEAN Charter’s insistence on a policy of non-interference because it is civil society’s role to hold all ASEAN governments accountable. “Non-interference does not mean conforming to what governments say”, she said.

Dr Tranh Dac Loi of the Vietnam Peace and Development Foundation (VPDF) emphasized the need for solidarity among the people of ASEAN countries. Grassroots cooperation will multiply the power of civil society and increase the leverage ASEAN citizens have when dealing with their leaders. “If we are coordinated, no one can undermine us”, he said. He called for the reinstatement of the essence of democracy in the region by putting power in the hands of the people.

While some questions to the panel focused on how governments used fear to intimidate and suppress the views and opinions of its citizens, the panellists focused on the ASEAN’s fears of its own citizens’ organized efforts to hold their leaders accountable. The speakers called on ASEAN to recognize the legitimate grievances that civil society has voiced and to resume a genuine dialogue with the peoples of ASEAN.