ASEAN risks dissension by ignoring human rights

With democracy on the march in Indonesia, the largest country of the group, and unremitting rights violations in others - especially Burma - that precedence of process over substance has become a haunting liability for Asean. For Asean, the regime in Burma is an insufferable embarrassment to both soft authoritarian regimes like Singapore and thriving democracies such as Indonesia. The embarrassment was highlighted during the recent annual summit of the group at which the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lambasted Burma for its terrible human rights record before an uncomfortable group of senior officials.

The so-called "Asean Way" - a preference for decorum based on non-interference and adherence to consensus decision making irrespective of the consequent iniquities - has so far guided the organisation. The ASEAN union was in itself a remarkable achievement for a region that has no history of cooperation, and months before the founding was still embroiled in low-intensity conflicts. The way that came to guide the group evolved out of the vested interests of its five founding members - Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand - to create a passive regional environment which allowed them to focus individually on economic development, thereby justifying their respective autocracies.

Beyond the fundamental issues of sovereignty, Asean's founders made it clear that, as stipulated in the defining Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC), each member shall "lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion or coercion", an arrangement of non-interference in the internal affairs of one another. As long as it is profitable as an economic entity ASEAN will remain intact with its members renewing their commitment. However, its members, driven by the diverse political interests of their citizens, are likely to begin looking at alternatives more suitable to their various political values. Until then, as the hand-wringing over human rights shows, it will remain a region economically united, but ideologically divided.