The purpose of ASEAN – ASEAN is a forum for realizing world peace, as was the real goal when the agency was formed. This peace starts from the Southeast Asia region, to other countries that can collaborate or establish good relations together. However, do you know what are the complete goals that underlie the establishment of ASEAN?
Main Pillars Underlying ASEAN Goals
The beginning of the formation of ASEAN was started by a conflict, where in the 1960s, the struggle for ideological influence had to be resolved immediately. Because of this, ASEAN was successfully formed on August 8, 1967 and its goals were contained in the Bangkok declaration.
There are three main pillars that underlie the purpose of establishing ASEAN, namely the ASEAN Economic Community or ASEAN Economic Community , the ASEAN security community or the ASEAN Political Community , and the ASEAN cultural community which is referred to as the ASEAN Socio Cultural Community . The formation of a series of ASEAN communities requires the community to implement a regional mechanism, which means that each country must have a will.
The ASEAN goals were successfully signed during the Bangkok declaration which was attended by representatives from each country such as Tun Abdul Razak from Malaysia, Adam Malik from Indonesia, Narsisco Ramos from the Philippines, S. Rajaratnam from Singapore, and Thanat Khoman from Thailand.
ASEAN Goals Based on the Bangkok Declaration
There are ten countries that are still actively contributing to this organization, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. The following are objectives that have been approved according to the declaration.
- The purpose of forming the organization is to support economic growth, cultural development, and social progress in areas that can be approached. Thus, every party will come together and unite to make it happen through effort and enthusiasm that all women are equal. Friendship is in fact needed to strengthen the foundation of a society in a more prosperous and peaceful Southeast Asian nations.
- Regional peace and stability can be enhanced through the agency. The way to achieve this is by respecting justice and law and order in relations between countries in the designated area. The principles of the United Nations or UN are the main guidelines.
- Increasing cooperation between countries so that they become more active and can help each other on issues that are classified as a common interest such as in the economic, technical, social, scientific, and administrative fields.
- Cooperation will become more effective by increasing the utilization of industry and agriculture, trade which goes through a process of studying problems in international era commodities. Means of transportation and communication can go through a process of improvement, so that people’s living standards will increase and people’s lives will develop.
Countries can often provide assistance in the form of suggestions on training and research activities for education. Fields that run in engineering, administrative, and professional positions will further develop if they obtain cooperation based on other principles.
- Another objective of this body is to promote studies in the region of Southeast Asia that are as broad and comprehensive as the opportunity allows.
- Close and well-maintained cooperation became one of the ideals when the agency was formed for a long time. Various organizations in international and regional scope have similar goals. All possibilities can be properly received and heard if they hold each other tightly.
- Responses that are more effective, meaningful, and can be positive or negative to prove that users must be even more careful about transnational crimes, cross-border challenges, and all forms of threats.
- Sustainable development must advance to ensure environmental protection in the region. Long-lasting resources, preservation of cultural heritage, and people’s lives can be developed to achieve high quality.
- Human resource development is carried out through closer cooperation, both in the fields of education and lifelong learning, science and technology, empowering people and strengthening the ASEAN community.
- Increasing the welfare of a decent life for all people throughout the ASEAN region. The trick is to create equitable access to opportunities for human development, justice, and social well-being.
- ASEAN was formed to build a safer environment, so that its people are guaranteed to be free from all kinds of illegal drugs and narcotics.
- ASEAN is promoted to be people-oriented, so that within it a layer of society will be formed from positive encouragement and motivation, benefiting from all opportunities, integration processes, and community building for ASEAN.
- ASEAN identity can be recognized by all people with a higher awareness of cultural diversity and regional heritage. For example, Indonesia, which is rich in its own culture and customs, is better recognized by residents.
- Defense of centrality and a proactive role as the main driving force in relations and cooperation through external partners for a regional architecture that is transparent, inclusive and open.
Benefit from the ASEAN Goals
Through a number of cooperation carried out by countries in ASEAN, there are a number of benefits to be obtained properly. These benefits include the following points.
- Stability, peace and order in the ASEAN region to continue development in all fields. From these benefits, Indonesia has the urge to be more advanced and compete with other countries.
- The creation of broad cooperation in the economic field, expansion of trade, investment, tourism, technology, education, and science. Development and acceleration in these fields can develop.
- ASEAN is a forum for Indonesia to fight for the country’s interests in the Southeast Asian region and the interests of all parties in the international region.
ASEAN now has its own charter, dubbed the ASEAN Charter. This matter is stated on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or KEMLU, so that the body in question can transform its form as a political association with flexibility, becoming a strong legal basis or legal personality.
The regulations that are brought in become stronger because of the existence of legal personality, so that the purpose is clear. In essence, ASEAN was formed to create an atmosphere of peace, friendship and prosperity. More importantly in the world of politics, ASEAN declares itself as an organization that highly respects and upholds human rights (Human Rights).
This turned out to be in accordance with the Bangkok declaration which said that the formation of an Association for Regional Cooperation between regions in Asia was known as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
- Economic growth will accelerate and social progress and cultural development will be affected. This success comes from joint efforts in the spirit of equality and partnership. The point is that the foundation of society becomes stronger, so that prosperity and peace can be felt by them.
- The promotion of regional peace and stability is carried out to respect the rule of law and justice in relations between countries in the region in question and adherence to the principles of the UN charter.
- Its aim is to promote active cooperation and mutual assistance in the economic, cultural, technical, scientific, social and cultural worlds. Administrative and sectional are also characteristics that make associations easy to distinguish.
- Assistance to one another is channeled or provided in the form of training or research facilities, be it in the fields of professional, administrative, and technical education.
- Collaboration is actively carried out to meet the great needs in agriculture and industry. The expansion of their trade involves the study of trade issues on an international scope, improvement of transportation and communication facilities to increase the standard of living of the people living in the area.
- Promote Southeast Asia, attach great importance to the close cooperation and benefit of international organizations. Exploring all avenues leading to closer cooperation with one another.
Activities That Must Be Implemented To Realize Asean’s Goals
If you want to carry out the aims and objectives that have been written, the members of the ASEAN group must implement a number of the following activities.
First, the annual meeting is held by the Minister of Foreign Affairs although it has to be on a rotation basis. The meeting will be held at the ASEAN ministerial level, the meetings that can be held will be adjusted according to needs.
Such a meeting can be explained in the description of the AMM or Asean Ministerial Meeting, which is a meeting between foreign ministers of countries and ASEAN members that discuss developments in community development.
The establishment of a committee under the foreign leadership of the host country and its representatives to serve as members. The detected data will be used to create association works between meetings organized by the foreign minister.
An ad-hoc committee or specialist standing committee will be tasked with working on existing responsibilities. They serve in each particular field, according to their ability to work.
Furthermore, participation in all regions in Southeast Asia to carry out the principles and goals of the organization. This association is tasked with representing the various collective wills of the region in Southeast Asia to bind themselves together in sacrifice and cooperation.
This goal is safe for the people, children and grandchildren thanks to peace, and freedom and prosperity that makes all parts of the region or areas in the country integrated. Acting as an umbrella for cooperation between countries in Southeast Asia, ASEAN is given great responsibility for the development and life of diplomatic relations between peoples.
In its development, conflicts and disputes can occur in members in ASEAN. It is hoped that this world peace organization can become a bridge for these countries to resolve existing disputes.
If there is an inharmonious relationship between its members, the goals of ASEAN can also be hampered. Well, for examples of problems and cases themselves, you can see them through the details below.
Problems That Can Hamper the Realization of ASEAN Goals
In fact, there are indeed a lot of problems that occur between ASEAN members or countries. One of the issues that often creates controversy, which has not even been resolved until now, is the issue between Indonesia and Malaysia related to the Ambalat block claim.
What is the Ambalat block? The basic block that exists on the sea or continental shelf with an area of 15,235 square km, is precisely located 80 miles off the sea of East Kalimantan, a depth of 2.5 Sulawesi waters. This block is actually still located in Indonesia’s EEZ or area, to be precise if there are Indonesia’s sovereign rights to manage natural resources.
According to The United Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982, the maritime zone is divided into several areas according to different rules and rights. As we already know, the territorial zone is a maritime zone that is drawn 12 miles from the base line or baseline.
In the case of Indonesia, the line used is usually the straight archipelagic baseline as the right over our archipelagic state. The zone also enforces a limited number of laws that extend beyond the coastline, such as health, immigration, customs, and fiscal.
However, you should also know that outside the Territorial Zone there is also a separate regulation called sovereign rights , whereby the coastal state can manage natural resources in the region. Land and sea transportation are still allowed to pass over the EEZ, in contrast to the underwater area which has its own regulations.
From this decision, Malaysia made a claim that the area belonged to it based on the 1979 marine area map. The map was issued unilaterally by the Malaysian state, so it can no longer be called illegal. However, the regulation still has political implications.
This claim naturally invites many objections, including from Indonesia itself. It doesn’t stop there because Malaysia also claims itself as an archipelagic country after winning a dispute with Indonesia, regarding Ligitan and Sipadan Islands from the International Court of Justice.
According to Malaysia, the islands of Ligitan and Sipadan must also have a territorial sea, which, when measured by the baselines of the islands, their territorial waters will enter Malaysian territory. This action provoked a reaction from Indonesia and many other neighboring countries.
Some of the reasons that can provoke conflict between countries are divided into several points, namely as follows.
1. Ambalat is a Natural Continuation of the Kalimantan Region
From a geographical perspective, Indonesia does have a stronger position because the western and eastern Ambalat blocks are a form of natural continuity in the Kalimantan region. Regulations regarding the continental margin are governed by the natural continuation of the landmass of the coastal states that comprise the seabed area.
2. Decision of the Constitutional Court
A decision coming from a constitutional court could win Malaysia over the issue of island ownership, even if only for the mainland. Meanwhile, Indonesia has always guarded the Ambalat area to remain part of our Sovereignty State.
The judges themselves said that the decisions they made had no effect on the delimitation of the continental shelf. Simply put, Malaysia cannot take the waters or continental shelf around Ligitan Island with the Ambatan Sea.
3. Indonesia as an archipelagic country
The characteristics of Indonesia as an archipelago or Archipelagic State have made it claim the Ambalat region since the Dutch colonial era. Malaysia is not an archipelagic country, but only a country that has normal beaches to use regular or straight baselines.
With various reasons and opinions, the approval of this case is even more heated. The two countries also began to guarantee relations and cooperation with international companies that carry out oil or resource concessions in the region.
To solve this problem, all ASEAN members submitted their opinions or opinions in a forum. The main goal is that the dialogue that occurs will be more constructive, so that a series of problems, from security and politics, make them able to carry out tasks immediately.
Contributions are made to be more significant, regarding developments with public confidence regarding the residence of members. The application of preventive diplomacy for stops in the Asia Pacific area can also help.
Those are some of ASEAN’s goals and various applications that you can understand. ASEAN in fact has good goals to develop, so that we as a community in the Southeast Asian region can always support and always work together.