Asean execs hit for snub of civil society meets

Officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) received flak for ignoring the invitation of civil society organizations for them to attend the opening plenary of the 2nd Asean Peoples’ Forum (APF)/5th Asean Civil Society Conference (ACSC) in Cha-am, Thailand on Sunday.

Instead of a program that was designed to include meaningful dialog between Asean governments and civil society organizations, the opening plenary became a platform for criticizing Asean’s avoidance of civil society organizations, Corinna Lopa of the South East Asia Committee for Advocacy and Solidarity for Asian People’s Advocacies said in a statement yesterday.

Lopa, one of the Filipino representatives to the APF, denounced the Asean governments for snubbing the opening of the plenary.

Highlighting the issues that civil society groups have articulated to the regional bloc, she challenged Asean to provide a space for free and frank discussions on issues such as human rights, democracy, trade with Myanmar, labor, migrants, agriculture, environment, indigenous peoples, women, children, access to information, media and “alternative regionalism.”

Lopa called on civil society groups to continue to push Asean to recognize the legitimate role civil society plays in the development of the region and to transform itself from a state-centered institution to one that recognizes the individual.

Chanida Bamford, of the APF’s Thai working group, called for increased grassroots people-to-people dialog, to raise awareness on the important role that civil society plays at the local level. Bamford challenged the Asean Charter’s insistence on a policy of non-interference because, she said, it is civil society’s role to hold all Asean governments accountable.

“Non-interference does not mean conforming to what governments say,” she stressed.

Dr. Tranh Dac Loi, of the Vietnam Peace and Development Foundation, emphasized the need for solidarity among the people of Asean countries.

“Grassroots cooperation will multiply the power of civil society and increase the leverage Asean citizens have when dealing with their leaders. If we are coordinated, no one can undermine us,” he said.

He moreover called for the reinstatement of the essence of democracy in the region by “placing power in the hands of the people.”

While some questions to the panel focused on how governments used fear to intimidate and suppress the views and opinions of its citizens, the panelists focused on the Asean’s fears of its own citizens’ organized efforts to hold their leaders accountable for their errors in administration.

The speakers had also called on Asean to recognize the legitimate grievances that civil society has voiced out and to continue holding dialogs with the peoples of the region.  –Gerry Baldo, Daily Tribune