New Approaches of dealing with Challenges to ASEAN Identity

What is ASEAN?
ASEAN or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was formed on August 8, 1967 with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration by the five states of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. These states aimed to establish cooperation in economic, social, cultural, technical, educational and other fields, promote regional peace and stability through respect for justice and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter. ASEAN, which is an association open for participation of all states in the Southeast Asian region, was to represent the collective will of the nations of Southeast Asia and bind them together in amity and cooperation. Presently ten nations comprise the ASEAN – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Southeast Asia is also constantly influenced by the outside world because it is at the intersection of China and India and straddles the major sea lanes that connect the Pacific and Indian Oceans. As a result, the ideas and identities that are valued in Southeast Asia typically fluctuate and are contested.

Evolution of ASEAN Identity
The ASEAN Identity derives from the regional identity of Southeast Asia which characterizes itself as a distinctive region separate from the neighboring regions of South Asia or Northeast Asia. However, this regional identity is not preordained or based on mere geographical, historical, or cultural facts. Southeast Asian identity is a socially and politically constructed phenomenon through interaction among diverse governments and societies. However, it is important to note that although related, the ASEAN identity is not absolutely identical to the Southeast Asian identity. ASEAN identity is institutional unlike Southeast Asian identity which is regional. ASEAN identity is relatively recent unlike the Southeast Asian identity which is far more enduring. Alexander Wendt has explained that ‘an actor cannot know what it wants unless it knows what it is.’ Identity is the key for building a community. Identity comprises not only the physical attributes of the people but also the shared ideas, behavior, languages, symbols, practices, discourses and socio-political systems that are constructed over time. Amitav Acharya opines that ‘simple proximity, historicalties and shared culture are sufficient for identity. ‘However, the result of these shared experiences is uncertain, as historical memories might often lead to conflict situations or proximity can either lead to war or peace.
Benedict Anderson had defined the nation as an ‘imagined political community’. According to him, nationalism in Europe was preceded by two large cultural systems, namely religious community and dynastic realm. The eighteenth century marked the dawn of nationalism and the dusk of religion in Europe. Vernacular languages began replacing sacred ones. The emergence of print capitalism – especially the birth of novel and newspaper – made people realize that the characters are social organisms moving calendrically through a ‘homogeneous, empty time’. This understanding laid down the foundations of the nation. Like a nation, a regional identity like that of Southeast Asia can also be imagined. Southeast Asia’s quest for regional identity is therefore an exercise of imagination.
ASEAN is a region of unparalleled diversities – in ethnicities, religions, languages, political systems and many other dimensions. But these variations must supplement and not supplant the ASEAN identity. The ASEAN community must be aware of itself first in order to create and pursue its interests. The founding fathers of ASEAN were ‘imagining’ themselves to be a part of a collective entity or a region built on a shared historical heritage and sharing common endeavors in a contemporary setting. The notion of ASEAN identity is linked to the understanding of the concept of a security community that entails the presence of a pooled identity among states. Karl Deutsch posited that a community is not formed until its people share a ‘we-feeling’ among themselves. It is only the development of a common identity that can foster deeper inter-state cooperation since it will instill a sense of shared responsibility in attaining a common destiny. Hence, the formation of an ASEAN identity is that basis for the formation of the ASEAN community. Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has said in an interview published in the May 2020 edition of the ASEAN magazine, “ASEAN’s relevance can only be achieved and maintained when our community has deep understanding and awareness of ASEAN. Apart from bringing the benefit to the people, the relevance of ASEAN should bring benefit to the region and the world. By having one solid narrative on ASEAN Identity, it will help us actualize ourselves more.”
There is no comparable pre-colonial nationalism in Southeast Asia to the bloody nationalisms that Europe, the birthplace of nationalism, experienced and witnessed among its states. On the other hand, Southeast Asian nationalisms were aimed at a common external threat because they were the result of struggles against colonialism. Except for Thailand, which nevertheless ceded territory to Western colonial empires and was subject to significant restrictions on its freedom of external action, all Southeast Asian nations were once part of Western colonial empires. Additionally, anti-colonial sentiments served as a strong foundation for both regionalism and nationalism in Southeast Asia. In this way, nationalism and regionalism in Southeast Asia worked together rather than against one another.

Challenges to the ASEAN Identity
The long period of colonization ended up drawing arbitrary national borders in the Southeast Asian region. This led to the formation of different national narratives in each country which propagated the differences and obscured the similarities of the population. National sentiments overpowered unifying regional features of the past. Although the ASEAN community seeks to establish a common identity for the people of the ASEAN states, it does not seek to alter the diversity of the region. It does not seek to homogenize either the culture or the government or the economic system of the member states. So, the low sense of belongingness of the citizens may be a result of these deliberately sustained differences. The rise of nationalism and territorial disputes in the region in the last decade is another glaring challenge in forging an ASEAN identity. There also persists unequal level of development among the states of the region which deters the formation of a common identity.

Role of Next Generation Young Leaders in Identity-building of ASEAN
It is not an easy task to forge a regional identity in an area of diversities. The new generation leaders are adopting new approaches to forge a common identity of ASEAN and help it achieve a significant position in the global market. ASEAN needs to foster equitable growth in the region which needs to stream down to the people of the region so that they feel the substantial advantage ASEAN can bring to them. For people of an underdeveloped country like Laos to relate to their peers from the flourishing state of Singapore, the large-scale economic disparities between the two countries must be bridged. This would demand more investment in infrastructure and more connectivity among people of the two states. The MPAC (Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity) adopted in 2010 thus aimed to enhance the physical connectivity among the member states through roads and railways as well as institutional coordination like harmonization of standards and reduction of non-tariff barriers to increase intra-ASEAN trade and investment.
It is also necessary to boost contact between people of the member states through measures like relaxation of visa requirements and creation of mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs) that could stimulate collaborations and interactions .Unfortunately, the MPAC has not reached the desired outcome due to lack of funds and leaders. However, the internet technology has undoubtedly facilitated the connectivity of people to a significant extent. It has promoted the understanding of the differences in language and culture among the people of the member states. Young leaders also suggest increasing the flow of skilled labor and facilitating the movement of professionals in areas such as engineering, nursing services, medical practices and tourism professionals among the ASEAN states. This has not yet been totally implemented with some states like Singapore and Malaysia enforcing strict border controls on migrant workers. But ensuring this will surely make a significant impact in the lives of the ASEAN people.
Bringing about changes in the educational curriculum of the states to include knowledge about ASEAN as an organization and conducting youth programmes and internships can also help create an awareness about ASEAN among the new generation. ASEAN has one of the youngest populations in the world that has taken the reins of the ASEAN economy today. The millennials comprise a whole new consumer class which is tech savvy and two swipes away from everything around the globe. The next generation ASEAN has developed new forms of leisure, lifestyle, e-commerce and leadership. There has been a significant proliferation of the ASEAN brands like Air Asia or Grab or Bojek, particularly in the technology driven space in the last decade. Young leaders also look forward to integration of the markets in order to benefit the ASEAN economy. The incredible rise in the internet economy is spinning its hope on the young consumer class. These youngsters are expected to utilize the technological know-how they gain from abroad in the benefit of the ASEAN states. They are looking forward to making the best use of digital consumption by setting up 5G networks in all ASEAN states. The young leaders also wish to harness the talents and human resources both from within ASEAN and from abroad. This cross-pollination shall lead to the progress of ASEAN. The young entrepreneurs with a new mindset in politics, are investing in the ASEAN economy with a hope to utilize the upscaling of the new generation workers. The rise in literacy rate in Southeast Asia is also considered to be an asset to the region. Structural reformations in the educational sector is also helping to utilize the energy and passion of the youth. The new generation entrepreneurs try to garner profits from the consumer economy that Southeast Asia has developed into in the last few decades. The young leaders of ASEAN have identified corruption as a major obstacle to progress. It is high time that corruption should be curbed with strict laws. These are the major ways in which the young leaders are optimistic about fostering regional consciousness and building a common identity of the ASEAN.

Bibliography
• Anderson, Benedict. (1983). Imagined Communities – Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. Verso Press,
• Acharya, A.(2018).The Evolution and Limitations of ASEAN Identity. Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, 4, 25–38.
• Baba, Gürol (2016),Regional Commonalities and Regional Identities: Forging a Normative Understanding of Southeast Asian Identity, in: Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 35, 1, 91–121.
• Fabrian, D.T.(2016).Could the ASEAN Community bring about a Southeast Asian Community? Yale Journal of International Affairs.
• The ASEAN Charter and a legal identityforASEAN.(2008).ASEANCommunity,71–83.https://doi.org/10.1355/9789812308443-011
• The ASEAN Magazine. Issue 01. May 2020.
• Thuzar, M. Thinking and Feeling ASEAN-The Challenges of Integration and Identity. ASEAN Studies Centre, Institute of South Asian Studies.
• The ASEAN Magazine. Issue 01. May 2020
Web References-
• https://asean.org/Last Accessed on 29.02.2023 at 12:29 hours

Preeti Saha
Intern, Asia in Global Affairs

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