Asean: Asia's Perfect 10: Citizens

Showing posts with label Citizens. Show all posts

2008-08-11

Win U$20,000 and Be Part of History

On Sunday, 2007-November-25, I wrote the A Citizen's Summary of the 1st ASEAN Constitution and gave suggestions about the ASEAN Anthem which according to Article 40: ASEAN shall have an anthem – meaning that we do not have an Anthem yet. Some people have mistaken the ASEAN Hymn Song of Unity and ASEAN Community Song Let Us Move Ahead as the ASEAN Anthem, however, the ASEAN Charter says otherwise.

ASEAN Hymn: Song of Unity

ASEAN Community Song: Let Us Move Ahead

Article 40: ASEAN Anthem

This one, the ‘new’ ASEAN Anthem is still to be written and composed. I strongly suggest to our Secretary-General that you make this an open competition for all ASEAN Citizens. Entries must be recognized as “Asean", not as “Filipino/Philippines", “Singapore", “Laotian", “Khmer", and so on. Then open a fool-proof voting system online and let the people take part in the voting for some percentage. Then the other percentage will be taken from the decision of the high-level and/or top-level ASEAN Ministers.

For the ASEAN Citizens, I suggest you start writing and composing, then gather everyone’s contribution together, I am listening to three ASEAN songs while writing this.

The time has come for all ASEAN Citizens to submit their compositions for the ASEAN Anthem! The winning entry will be played and sung during the ASEAN Flag Raising Ceremony on the 14th ASEAN Summit in Thailand and will receive U$20,000.

Format of Competition

This is an Open Competition - open to all the Nationals of the 10-Member Countries of ASEAN.

Competition Rounds

1st Round: National Competition in each member countries. Only 20 compositions will be selected for each country
2nd Round: Regional Competition in Thailand in mid 2008-October. Only 20 compositions will be selected
Final Round: Of the Final-20 Compositions, one will be selected as the Official ASEAN Anthem

Criteria

Language: English
The Anthem should incorporate the following elements:
- Should reflect ASEAN Dignity, Coopration, and Solidarity;
- Reflect ASEAN's diverse culture and ethnicity;
- The ASEAN Anthem should be an original composition;
- Must be no longer than 60 seconds

Form of Entries and Timeline

Entries to be sent with score and sheet music (note and lyrics) with voice and musical instruments (preferably piano) recording submitted on CD;
Submission of compositions is open from the date the Member Country decides but will be only until 2008-September-20 for all;
Thailand, as host of the competition, will be responsible for rearrangement of the winning entry, as well as adaptation into a full orchestra version for use at the 14th ASEAN Summit in Thailand in 2008-December
Entries should be submitted to the ASEAN National Secretariat - visit this Official List to know the address and telephone numbers of your ASEAN National Secretariat

Copyright

The selected composition can be revised and rearranged into the Anthem of ASEAN. The ASEAN Anthem will be the Reserved Copyright of ASEAN.

Prize

The winning composition will receive U$20,000 (Twenty Thousand US Dollars).

ASEAN Composers Forum

We require that National representations to the ASEAN Composers Forum are able to judge on both lyrics and melody of all entries.

Thailand will convene an "ASEAN Composers Forum" consisting of one prominent composer from each Member Countries plus up to three prominent musical experts from a musical institution in a neutral country, in mind 2008-October.

Sources:

2008-08-08

Happy Asean Day!!

Let me be the first to greet all of you my fellow Aseans a Happy 41st Asean Day! The theme for our 41st anniversary is no other than "One ASEAN Identity, One ASEAN Community by 2015". We are going that way and we will be there just in time. You don't believe me?

Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) ratified the ASEAN Charter last July 21, 2008, though it was not expected, it wasn't a surprised either. Now three countries are left to ratify the charter namely - Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand, and I am still very positive the ASEAN Charter will be ratified by all 10 just in-time for the next ASEAN Summit in Thailand where ASEAN was born.

Before I ask the multi-billion dollar question, here are two videos I like to share with you all.

Animation for the ASEAN School Tour 2007

Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN)

One ASEAN Identity, One ASEAN Community by 2015. The question still lingers - what is an ASEAN Identity to us ordinary citizens? I've written about it before on my blog, but with the recent developments, more awareness, and the ASEAN Peoples now more responsive and voices out their opinions, it is only right that we ask the question again, perhaps this time we will have a clearer definition.

So tell us, your fellow Aseans, What is an ASEAN Identity to YOU?

2008-03-11

The ASEAN Charter - Interesting Parts

It is finally available for download as an ISO Standard PDF file, the official and final "The ASEAN Charter" with signatures of all member states.

Get your own copy by downloading free-of-charge: The ASEAN Charter. (If you haven't noticed, written on the PDF document is the not-so-new official URL: www.asean.org.)

So for an ordinary citizen like me, what are the interesting bits and sections of the ASEAN Charter? Read on to know what interests me most. (Note: I did not include Human Rights sections.)

First things first, if you want the book itself, its code is ISBN 978-979-3496-62-7. First published on December 2007 and first reprint on January 2008. Second, my comments are in red, like so.

The first bolded words of the ASEAN Charter:

We, the Peoples

Noting - with satisfaction the significant achievements and expansion of ASEAN...

Recalling - the decisions to establish an ASEAN Charter...

Mindful - of the existence of mutual interests and interdependence among the peoples and Member States of ASEAN... which are bound by ..., ..., and shared destiny

Inspired - by and united under One Vision, One Identity, and One Caring and Sharing Community

United - by a common desire and collective will to live in a region of lasting peace, security, and stability, sustained economic growth, shared prosperity and social progress...

Respecting - the fundamental importance of amity and cooperation, ..., equality, ..., non-interference, consensus, and unity in diversity

Adhering - to the principles of democracy, the rule of law, and good governance, respect for, and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms

Resolved - to ensure sustainable development for the benefit of present and future generations...

Convinced - of the need to strengthen existing bonds of regional solidarity to realise an ASEAN Community...

Committed - to intensifying community building through enhanced regional cooperation and integration, in particular by establishing an ASEAN Community comprising the ASEAN Security Community, the ASEAN Economic Community, and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community

Hereby Decide - to establish, through this Charter, the legal and institutional framework for ASEAN

And to this End, the Heads of State or Government of the Member States of ASEAN, assembled in Singapore on the historic occasion of the 40th anniversary of the founding of ASEAN, have agreed to this Charter

Interesting enough? Here are the next more interesting parts:
Article 1: Purposes

#3: "to preserve Southeast Asia as a Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone and free of all other weapons of mass destruction; (ok, still safe for us)

#5: "to create a single market and production base which is stable, prosperous, highly competitive and economically integrated with effective facilitation for trade and investment in which there is free flow of goods, services and investment; faciliated movement of business persons, professionals, talents and labour; and freer flow of capital;(One ASEAN Passport? One ASEAN Visa? ASEAN citizens open-border policy? I sure hope!)

#13: "to promote a people-oriented ASEAN in which all sectors of society are encouraged to participate in, and benefit from, the process of ASEAN integration and community building;

#14: "to promote an ASEAN identity through the fostering of greater awareness of the diverse culture and heritage of the region;

Article 2: Principles
#2 "ASEAN and its Member States shall act in accordance with the following Principles:

(e) non-interference in the internal affairs of ASEAN Member States; (in a way, good enough, the peoples of ASEAN and its respective governments are not yet ready to be meddled with by its neighbors. Until then, we really should maintain non-interference.)

(f) respect for the right of every Member State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion and coercion; (If I understood this correctly, then the ASEAN must not interfere, subvert, or force Myanmar to go back to a democratic form of government, that is if this Charter takes into force. If for this alone, Myanmar has every reason to ratify the Charter.)

(h) adherence to the rule of law, good governance, the principles of democracy and constitutional government;

(i) respect for fundamental freedoms, the promotion and protection of human rights, and the promotion of social justice; (Many Filipinos are in favor of the Charter mainly because of this.)

(l) respect for the different cultures, languages, and religions of the peoples of ASEAN, while emphasising their common values in the spirit of unity in diversity; (A long way to go, trust me. Through my conversation with our brothers and sisters from Lao, Cambodia, and Viet Nam, I learned how much "religion" can affect ASEAN. For someone who is living in a country where there are lots of religion and as such, we are so used to "scams", "pretenders/fakes", "using religion for business", "hostile/forceful conversion to their faith", "conversion tactics", you get the idea, we took these for granted. In the countries I mentioned, the situation is very different, not that they are not used to it, but some religious leaders have a strong view against the other religions (I'm referring to all sides). Something ASEAN must put an attention to and spend an effort if we truly want respect for each other.)

Article 5: Rights and Obligations

#2: Member States shall take all necessary measures, including the enactment of appropriate domestic legislation, to effectively implement the provisions of this Charter and to comply with all obligations of membership;

Article 6: Adminission of New Members
#2: Admission shall be based on the following criteria (again only those that is interesting to me)

(a) location in the recognised geographical region of Southeast Asia; (This only means one thing: Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste will never be part of ASEAN unless they are geographically recognized as part of "South-East Asia". If you are not aware, these two are have shown interest in joining the ASEAN.)

(b) recognition by all ASEAN Member States;

#4: An applicant State shall be admitted to ASEAN upon signing an Instrument of Accession to the Charter

Article 7: ASEAN Summit
#3: ASEAN Summit Meetings shall be:

held twice annually, and be hosted by the Member State holding the ASEAN Chairmanship; (We will hear more of ASEAN every year, a positive thing, helping in the awareness of ASEAN.)

convened, whenever necessary, as special or ad hoc meetings to be chaired by the Member State holding the ASEAN Charimanship, at venues to be agreed upon by ASEAN Member States

Article 9: ASEAN Community Councils

#1: The ASEAN Community Councils shall comprise the ASEAN Political-Security Community Council, ASEAN Economic Community Council, and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council; (ie. The 3 Pillars of ASEAN.)

#5: Each ASEAN Community Council shall meet at least twice a year and shall be chaired by the appropriate Minister from the Member State holding the ASEAN Chairmanship;

Article 13: ASEAN National Secretariats
Each ASEAN Member State shall establish an ASEAN National Secretariat which shall:

(a) serve as the national focal point;

(b) be the repository of information on all ASEAN matters at the national level;

(d) coordinate and support the national preparations of ASEAN meetings;

(e) promote ASEAN identity and awareness at the national level;

(f) contribute to ASEAN community building;

(For my country, Philippines, I will keep watch and observe if there are any efforts as stated by Article 13.)

Article 20: Consultation and Consensus

#1: As a basic principle, decision-making in ASEAN shall be based on consultation and consensus;

(It seems that it is still consensus-based, not voting. As I'm not an expert in the difference of the two, I do not know if it is good for us. Though I believe, voting is much faster and more effective.)

Article 30: Operational Budget and Finances of the ASEAN Secretariat

#2: The operational budget of the ASEAN Secretariat shall be met by ASEAN Member States through equal annual contributions which shall be remitted in a timely manner;

(If I'm not mistaken, Member States are already providing annual contributions pre-Charter, however, if you are not, then Article 30 of the ASEAN Charter states it. Now you know where some of your taxes are going.)

Article 34: Working Language of ASEAN

The working language of ASEAN shall be English.

(I do not know if "working" here refers to "work" or as a "common" language. I think it is both, and as such, ASEAN Member States must step up their teaching of the English language to all its peoples. And to my fellow ASEAN brothers and sisters, my English is not that good, but I still do speak English. Do not get discouraged, it is better to try than not to. Your effort counts and weighs more than those who knows nothing but criticize people.)

Article 35: ASEAN Identity

ASEAN shall promote its common ASEAN identity and a sense of belonging among its peoples in order to achieve its shared destiny, goals, and values. (we still need to define what an "ASEAN Identity" really is. A greater awareness of the "diverse culture and heritage" is not in itself the "identity". Questions like "who are we?" or "what is it to be identified as an ASEAN?" should be answered, the answers will define our identity.)

Article 36: ASEAN Motto

The ASEAN motto shall be: "One Vision, One Identity, One Community".

(This is the ASEAN Motto, the ASEAN People's Motto.)

Article 37: ASEAN Flag

The ASEAN Flag represents a stable, peaceful, united and dynamic ASEAN;

The colours of the Flag - blue, red, white, and yellow - represent the main colours of the flags of all the ASEAN Member States;

The blue represents peace and stability;

Red depicts courage and dynamism;

White shows purity;

Yellow symbolises prosperity;

The stalks of padi represent the dream of ASEAN's Founding Fathers for an ASEAN comprising all the countries in Southeast Asia bound together in friendship and solidarity;

The circle represents the unity of ASEAN;

(They should have included a provision wherein Member States are required to raise the ASEAN Flag before their respective National Flags. This could have started with the governments, as we can not expect private institutions and other sectors to follow. But if the People of a particular Member State reacts against it, then maybe another clause should have been added wherein it allows the ASEAN Flag to be raised after the National Flag. South-East Asian's are nationalistic, there will always be people who will take it as an insult for a flag to be raised prior to the National Flag. (But I won't, I believe in the ASEAN Dream.))

Article 38: ASEAN Emblem

The ASEAN Flag represents a stable, peaceful, united and dynamic ASEAN;

The colours of the Flag - blue, red, white, and yellow - represent the main colours of the flags of all the ASEAN Member States;

The blue represents peace and stability;

Red depicts courage and dynamism;

White shows purity;

Yellow symbolises prosperity;

The stalks of padi represent the dream of ASEAN's Founding Fathers for an ASEAN comprising all the countries in Southeast Asia bound together in friendship and solidarity;

The circle represents the unity of ASEAN;

The font used for the word "ASEAN" in the Emblem is lower-case Helvetica in bold;

Article 39: ASEAN Day

The eighth of August shall be observed as ASEAN Day.

(The "shall be observed" phrase could be anything, they should have added "a non-working holiday". Regardless, I am expecting, once this Charter comes into force, all Member States will declare ASEAN Day as a Non-Working Holiday. This will greatly help and impact the awareness of the ASEAN People about and on ASEAN. Member States can also create synchronized or related programs to promote ASEAN. They can also create programs wherein people will have a chance to ask and speak in a (controlled) dialogue. There is no better way to bring ASEAN to the grassroots than by involving and having a dialogue with the people.)

Article 40: ASEAN Anthem

ASEAN shall have an anthem.

(Just that. Yes, just that, no typos or errors. The ASEAN Anthem, if I understood it, is still to be composed. But after that, once we have an anthem, what's next? Well, just like the ASEAN Flag, it is just there. You will only see and hear these symbols during official ASEAN functions (and perhaps ASEAN Day). My suggestion is to make the ASEAN Anthem be played/sung on Member States during their respective Anthem Ceremonies before their National Anthems. This is one great way of promoting ASEAN and will surely impact positively the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Integration process.)

Article 47: Signature, Ratification, Depository, and Entry into Force

#1: This Charter shall be signed by all ASEAN Member States;

#2: This Charter shall be subject to ratification by all ASEAN Member States in accordance with their respective internal procedures;

#3: Instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of ASEAN who shall promptly notify all Member States of each deposit;

#4: This Charter shall enter into force on the thirtieth day following the date of deposit of the tenth instrument of ratification with the Secretary-General of ASEAN;

Article 48: Amendments

#1: Any Member State may propose amendments to the Charter;

#2: Proposed amendments to the Charter shall be submitted by the ASEAN Coordinating Council by consensus to the ASEAN Summit for its decision;

#3: Amendments to the Charter agreed to by consensus by the ASEAN Summit shall be ratified by all Member States in according with Article 47;

#4: An amendment shall enter into force on the thirtieth day following the date of deposit of the last instrument of ratification with the Secretary-General of ASEAN;

(The Amendments approval process is the same as the Charter. I do not know why it has to be similar if the ASEAN is already an entity not just simply an organization (if there's an Amendment, the Charter has been ratified). Ratification and submission of the Instrument of Ratification of all 10 Member States is very time consuming. One way or another, there will be failures because one-out-of-ten countries failed to ratify the amendment(s). This Charter alone is already going through that. I hope they change this one, there is no point having this charter and becoming an entity, if ASEAN can not enforce things like an amendment. If I missed the point, please do enlighten me.)

Article 50: Review

This Charter may be reviewed five years after its entry into force or as otherwise determined by the ASEAN Summit.

Signed by:

Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei Darussalam

Samdech Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia

Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of the Republic of Indonesia

Bouasone Bouphavanh, Prime Minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic

Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Prime Minister of Malaysia

General Thein Sein, Prime Minister of the Union of Myanmar

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Republic of the Philippines

Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore

General Surayud Chulanont (Ret.), Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand

Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam

Thanks to all!

2008-02-18

ASEAN Awareness Survey - A Summary

Here is a quick summary of the main part of the ASEAN Awareness Survey conducted by Dr. Eric C. Thompson, National University of Singapore, and Dr. Chulanee Thianthai, Chulalongkorn University, on behalf of the ASEAN Foundation, with support provided by the Government of the Republic of Korea.

Before anything else, here are the list of the Universities where the survey was administered during the year 2006-2007. The surveys were written in the main language of instruction at that university, as follows:

Brunei - University Brunei Darussalam (Bahasa Melayu)

Cambodia - Royal University Phnom Penh (Khmer)

Indonesia - University of Indonesia (Bahasa Indonesia)

Laos - National University of Laos (Lao)

Malaysia - University of Malaysia (Bahasa Melayu)

Philippines - University of the Philippines (English)

Singapore - National University of Singapore (English)

Thailand - Chulalongkorn University (Thai)

Viet Nam - Viet Nam National University (Hanoi) (Vietnamese)

The main points of the survey are as follows (you can download the survey in PDF format below):

I feel I am a citizen of ASEAN
90% in Cambodia, Laos, and Viet Nam agreed with this statement
(2/3 in Cambodia, nearly half in Laos, and over 40% in Vietnam strongly agreed)
80% in Brunei and Malaysia
2/3 in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand
60% in Myanmar

Membership in ASEAN is beneficial to my country
90% in Laos
70% in Viet Nam and Laos
60% in Cambodia
50% in Myanmar
By way of contrast, nowhere else did even 4% of students strongly disagreed.

My country's membership in ASEAN is beneficial to me personally
90% in Viet Nam and Laos
2/3 or more in all other nations except for Indonesia
Indonesia, students were close to evenly split
60% in Myanmar disagreed

ASEAN countries are similar culturally
80% in Cambodia, Indonesia, and Laos
70% in Philippines, Thailand
Evenly split between those who agreed and disagreed in Malaysia, Myanmar, and Singapore

ASEAN countries are similar economically
ASEAN countries are similar politcally
Students mostly disagree with the above claims wherein the strongest is in Singapore and Brunei
Myanmar - with some agreement mixed with strong disagreement
Cambodians do not see ASEAN countries as economically similar but are close to evenly split with regard to political similarity
Indonesia and Laos are close to evenly split in both economic and political similarities
Malaysian students are close to evenly split in economic similarities but disagree to political similarity
Philippines and Thailand do not perceive ASEAN countries to be economically or politically similar, though not quite as strong as students in Singapore, Myanmar, and Brunei
Only Vietnamese students generally agreed positively to all three dimensions of culture, economics, and politics, though the responses on the latter two were rather closer to evenly split

There are other questions in the survey, for example, how familiar the students are of their immediate neighbors, which countries are members of ASEAN, and identifying the Asean nations, to mention a few. In this regard, "students in the Philippines and Myanmar displayed the least knowledge about ASEAN, although this is not to say that they were unknowledgeable; only less so relative to their peers elsewhere."

To quote the National Summaries:

Brunei: Students from Brunei exhibited attitudes toward ASEAN that were generally positive, such as their high inclination to consider themselves citizens of ASEAN; though in some cases – such as indicators of commonalities – their attitudes ranged toward ambivalence. They showed fairly good knowledge of the region and in other respects followed most general, region wide trends among students elsewhere. With respect to views of Brunei from elsewhere, it remains one of the least salient and least familiar of ASEAN members; though some inclinations to view it as a destination for work attest to its reputation as center of wealth region-wide.

Cambodia: Cambodian students ranked among the strongest ASEAN enthusiasts across multiple measures in the survey. Although, their objective knowledge of the region, such as their relatively poor cartographic literacy, was somewhat less than found elsewhere. Evidence of the varied media-scapes across ASEAN was particularly evident in the results from Cambodia, where contrary to the norm elsewhere students rated radio very highly and newspapers and the Internet relatively low as sources of information. Despite being a renowned international tourist destination, Cambodia does not come across as such for students from other ASEAN nations, with slight exception in Singapore.

Indonesia: Indonesian students are generally positive in their attitudes toward ASEAN. Their responses fall mostly in the middle range across all various aspects of the survey relative to students elsewhere. In accordance with previous research we have conducted on regional perceptions, they show some particular affinities for their co-ethnic Malay-Muslim neighbors, Malaysia and Brunei (though not overwhelmingly or to the exclusion of other regional connections).

Laos: Students from Laos, like those from Cambodia and Vietnam, registered very high ASEAN enthusiasm. They were also among the most objectively knowledgeable about ASEAN from among all students in the region. One striking result in the responses from Lao students was their ambivalence, if not aversion, to their geographically and culturally close neighbor Thailand. We expect this is very closely related to the strong sense of Thai cultural hegemony in Mainland Southeast Asia, felt most keenly in Laos due to the influences of Thai popular culture and in other social and economic spheres. Given the feelings of young educated Lao citizens reflected in the survey, working to address these ambivalences is a point of special consideration, if not for ASEAN, then at least for advancing a positive bilateral relationship between Thailand and Laos.

Malaysia: Malaysian students, rather like those in neighboring Brunei, exhibited generally positive attitudes toward ASEAN, though mixed with some signs of ambivalence (again mainly related to measures of ASEAN commonality). Overall, their responses tended to be in the middle of the range of region-wide responses. Malaysia was in general the second most desirable destination for work, after Singapore and third most for travel, after Singapore and Thailand, among students elsewhere in the region.

Myanmar: Responses from Myanmar were among the most internally complex, in that they showed a mix of positive and highly skeptical attitudes. A more extensive analysis of the results is yet to be completed, though we strongly suspect that the negative attitudes toward ASEAN were all coming from one set of respondents and the generally positive from another set (rather than individual students having a mix of positive and skeptical answers). Myanmar was the only nation where such strong “ASEAN skepticism” was in evidence. It is possible that these responses may have been related to the very volatile events on the ground taking place around the time that the survey was conducted. It was also a point in ASEAN’s history when a member state – Myanmar – came under some of the most intense pressure from other members in the Association; and the responses of the “ASEAN skeptics” from Myanmar may have been reacting to those circumstances. The result may also reflect the broader general isolation of Myanmar despite its near decade long membership in the Association. It was also apparent from the results that Myanmar students were among the least objectively knowledgeable about ASEAN (but again, only relatively rather than absolutely so).

Philippines: At the other end of ASEAN from Myanmar (at least geographically), students from the Philippines also exhibited a relatively weak domain knowledge of the regional Association and its members. On the other hand, their attitudes toward ASEAN were generally positive and their responses tended to follow general regionwide trends.

Singapore: Students from Singapore did not exhibit the same sort of skepticism evident in the responses from Myanmar, but rather an attitude that would best be described as ambivalence. They were among the least likely to see ASEAN members as sharing similarities, least likely to consider themselves citizens of ASEAN and their domain knowledge was average to below average. But their responses did not display a tendency of strong aversion to ASEAN as appeared in results from Myanmar. Moreover, in many instances, such as rating the benefits of their nation’s membership in ASEAN, their responses were solidly in the positive realm. From the perspective of other nations, the survey points to the pivotal position of Singapore within the region as an overwhelmingly desirable destination (relative to most others) for both travel and work.

Thailand: Students from Thailand were another group whose responses fell mostly in the territory of generally positive, if not extremely enthusiastic, toward ASEAN. The responses pointed up obvious gaps and unevenness in their objective knowledge about the Association – particularly extremely high cartographic literacy but low recognition of the Association’s symbols and history. Like Singapore, the survey shows Thailand to be a focal point in students’ imaginative geographies of travel (though less so work).

Viet Nam: Students from Vietnam paralleled their peers in neighboring Laos with respect to their strong enthusiasm for and knowledge of ASEAN. They also displayed the strongest view of commonalities among the member nations of ASEAN. While Vietnam is still far from matching Singapore, Thailand or Malaysia, some signals in survey reflect a view of Vietnam as an increasingly important country (e.g. as a destination for travel and work) among ASEAN members.

* Values are not exact, words "over" or "almost" were removed for presentation purposes.

Download the Report: Attitudes and Awareness Towards ASEAN (PDF)

ASEAN Awareness Survey - A Summary

Brunei - University Brunei Darussalam (Bahasa Melayu)

Cambodia - Royal University Phnom Penh (Khmer)

Indonesia - University of Indonesia (Bahasa Indonesia)

Laos - National University of Laos (Lao)

Malaysia - University of Malaysia (Bahasa Melayu)

Philippines - University of the Philippines (English)

Singapore - National University of Singapore (English)

Thailand - Chulalongkorn University (Thai)

Viet Nam - Viet Nam National University (Hanoi) (Vietnamese)

Brunei: Students from Brunei exhibited attitudes toward ASEAN that were generally positive, such as their high inclination to consider themselves citizens of ASEAN; though in some cases – such as indicators of commonalities – their attitudes ranged toward ambivalence. They showed fairly good knowledge of the region and in other respects followed most general, region wide trends among students elsewhere. With respect to views of Brunei from elsewhere, it remains one of the least salient and least familiar of ASEAN members; though some inclinations to view it as a destination for work attest to its reputation as center of wealth region-wide.

Cambodia: Cambodian students ranked among the strongest ASEAN enthusiasts across multiple measures in the survey. Although, their objective knowledge of the region, such as their relatively poor cartographic literacy, was somewhat less than found elsewhere. Evidence of the varied media-scapes across ASEAN was particularly evident in the results from Cambodia, where contrary to the norm elsewhere students rated radio very highly and newspapers and the Internet relatively low as sources of information. Despite being a renowned international tourist destination, Cambodia does not come across as such for students from other ASEAN nations, with slight exception in Singapore.

Indonesia: Indonesian students are generally positive in their attitudes toward ASEAN. Their responses fall mostly in the middle range across all various aspects of the survey relative to students elsewhere. In accordance with previous research we have conducted on regional perceptions, they show some particular affinities for their co-ethnic Malay-Muslim neighbors, Malaysia and Brunei (though not overwhelmingly or to the exclusion of other regional connections).

Laos: Students from Laos, like those from Cambodia and Vietnam, registered very high ASEAN enthusiasm. They were also among the most objectively knowledgeable about ASEAN from among all students in the region. One striking result in the responses from Lao students was their ambivalence, if not aversion, to their geographically and culturally close neighbor Thailand. We expect this is very closely related to the strong sense of Thai cultural hegemony in Mainland Southeast Asia, felt most keenly in Laos due to the influences of Thai popular culture and in other social and economic spheres. Given the feelings of young educated Lao citizens reflected in the survey, working to address these ambivalences is a point of special consideration, if not for ASEAN, then at least for advancing a positive bilateral relationship between Thailand and Laos.

Malaysia: Malaysian students, rather like those in neighboring Brunei, exhibited generally positive attitudes toward ASEAN, though mixed with some signs of ambivalence (again mainly related to measures of ASEAN commonality). Overall, their responses tended to be in the middle of the range of region-wide responses. Malaysia was in general the second most desirable destination for work, after Singapore and third most for travel, after Singapore and Thailand, among students elsewhere in the region.

Myanmar: Responses from Myanmar were among the most internally complex, in that they showed a mix of positive and highly skeptical attitudes. A more extensive analysis of the results is yet to be completed, though we strongly suspect that the negative attitudes toward ASEAN were all coming from one set of respondents and the generally positive from another set (rather than individual students having a mix of positive and skeptical answers). Myanmar was the only nation where such strong “ASEAN skepticism” was in evidence. It is possible that these responses may have been related to the very volatile events on the ground taking place around the time that the survey was conducted. It was also a point in ASEAN’s history when a member state – Myanmar – came under some of the most intense pressure from other members in the Association; and the responses of the “ASEAN skeptics” from Myanmar may have been reacting to those circumstances. The result may also reflect the broader general isolation of Myanmar despite its near decade long membership in the Association. It was also apparent from the results that Myanmar students were among the least objectively knowledgeable about ASEAN (but again, only relatively rather than absolutely so).

Philippines: At the other end of ASEAN from Myanmar (at least geographically), students from the Philippines also exhibited a relatively weak domain knowledge of the regional Association and its members. On the other hand, their attitudes toward ASEAN were generally positive and their responses tended to follow general regionwide trends.

Singapore: Students from Singapore did not exhibit the same sort of skepticism evident in the responses from Myanmar, but rather an attitude that would best be described as ambivalence. They were among the least likely to see ASEAN members as sharing similarities, least likely to consider themselves citizens of ASEAN and their domain knowledge was average to below average. But their responses did not display a tendency of strong aversion to ASEAN as appeared in results from Myanmar. Moreover, in many instances, such as rating the benefits of their nation’s membership in ASEAN, their responses were solidly in the positive realm. From the perspective of other nations, the survey points to the pivotal position of Singapore within the region as an overwhelmingly desirable destination (relative to most others) for both travel and work.

Thailand: Students from Thailand were another group whose responses fell mostly in the territory of generally positive, if not extremely enthusiastic, toward ASEAN. The responses pointed up obvious gaps and unevenness in their objective knowledge about the Association – particularly extremely high cartographic literacy but low recognition of the Association’s symbols and history. Like Singapore, the survey shows Thailand to be a focal point in students’ imaginative geographies of travel (though less so work).

Viet Nam: Students from Vietnam paralleled their peers in neighboring Laos with respect to their strong enthusiasm for and knowledge of ASEAN. They also displayed the strongest view of commonalities among the member nations of ASEAN. While Vietnam is still far from matching Singapore, Thailand or Malaysia, some signals in survey reflect a view of Vietnam as an increasingly important country (e.g. as a destination for travel and work) among ASEAN members.

* Values are not exact, words "over" or "almost" were removed for presentation purposes.

Download the Report: Attitudes and Awareness Towards ASEAN (PDF)

Greetings

2008-08-11

Win U$20,000 and Be Part of History

Format of Competition

Competition Rounds

Criteria

Form of Entries and Timeline

Copyright

Prize

ASEAN Composers Forum

2008-08-08

Happy Asean Day!!

Animation for the ASEAN School Tour 2007

Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN)

2008-03-11

The ASEAN Charter - Interesting Parts

2008-02-18

ASEAN Awareness Survey - A Summary

ASEAN Awareness Survey - A Summary