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The Straits Times, being the state-controlled media and LEEgime's mouthpiece, published the following in the editorial of 26 April 2013. Notice how the editorial also advocates the FREE movement of skilled labour within Asean.
Pressing on with Asean integration
AFTER the deep divisions which Asean faced last year over its stance on the South China Sea issue, the only way forward for the organisation was an attempt to rebuild unity. That direction was apparent at this week's leaders' summit in Bandar Seri Begawan, where host Brunei sought to rekindle the 10 members' old habit of functioning by consensus. The mood of the parleys suggests that Asean has put behind it the surprising fractures seen in Cambodia last year, which took some shine off its reputation. In joining hands to reaffirm that the issue remains a priority for the association, it has a better chance of getting China to conclude the proposed binding Code of Conduct, a process that may be stalled by the Asian giant for its own benefit if divisions persist.
What can strengthen Asean's collective hand in security and other matters is the formation of a single market - targeted by the end of 2015 - so that it can function as an integral part of a globalised economy. Even if the deadline is not met, investors both within and outside Asean will keep a hawk-eyed watch on how hard it is trying to meet the goal of becoming one market of 600 million people instead of remaining as 10 fragmented markets.
It is heartening that more than three-quarters of the measures contained in the masterplan for the Asean Economic Community (AEC) have been implemented, but the remaining stretch running through agriculture and services is an uphill one likely to be dogged by protectionist reflexes. Aviation, for example, might prove sensitive to handle. But if Asean cannot complete this stretch, it will be unable to compete effectively with the billion-strong economies of rising China and India and may turn into an also-ran in the Asian growth marathon.
To show it means business, concrete steps are necessary. As Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong pointed out, Asean states must translate plans into action by passing legislation to achieve the goal of a free movement of goods, services, investment and skilled labour.
Complementing the AEC would be the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership leading to a free trade area which consolidates Asean's free trade pacts with Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, India and South Korea into a single agreement. The possibilities are exciting, but political will must match economic necessity.
Such diplomatic challenges will be easier to meet if the political understanding built among leaders is institutionalised so that the association can work well even as individual leaders depart from the scene and a new generation steps up to the plate. As with any genuine organisation, Asean must be greater than the sum of its parts.
Pressing on with Asean integration
AFTER the deep divisions which Asean faced last year over its stance on the South China Sea issue, the only way forward for the organisation was an attempt to rebuild unity. That direction was apparent at this week's leaders' summit in Bandar Seri Begawan, where host Brunei sought to rekindle the 10 members' old habit of functioning by consensus. The mood of the parleys suggests that Asean has put behind it the surprising fractures seen in Cambodia last year, which took some shine off its reputation. In joining hands to reaffirm that the issue remains a priority for the association, it has a better chance of getting China to conclude the proposed binding Code of Conduct, a process that may be stalled by the Asian giant for its own benefit if divisions persist.
What can strengthen Asean's collective hand in security and other matters is the formation of a single market - targeted by the end of 2015 - so that it can function as an integral part of a globalised economy. Even if the deadline is not met, investors both within and outside Asean will keep a hawk-eyed watch on how hard it is trying to meet the goal of becoming one market of 600 million people instead of remaining as 10 fragmented markets.
It is heartening that more than three-quarters of the measures contained in the masterplan for the Asean Economic Community (AEC) have been implemented, but the remaining stretch running through agriculture and services is an uphill one likely to be dogged by protectionist reflexes. Aviation, for example, might prove sensitive to handle. But if Asean cannot complete this stretch, it will be unable to compete effectively with the billion-strong economies of rising China and India and may turn into an also-ran in the Asian growth marathon.
To show it means business, concrete steps are necessary. As Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong pointed out, Asean states must translate plans into action by passing legislation to achieve the goal of a free movement of goods, services, investment and skilled labour.
Complementing the AEC would be the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership leading to a free trade area which consolidates Asean's free trade pacts with Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, India and South Korea into a single agreement. The possibilities are exciting, but political will must match economic necessity.
Such diplomatic challenges will be easier to meet if the political understanding built among leaders is institutionalised so that the association can work well even as individual leaders depart from the scene and a new generation steps up to the plate. As with any genuine organisation, Asean must be greater than the sum of its parts.
