IN HANOI, VIETNAM
INDONESIA will hold the position of chair of Asean next year. It is a rotating position currently held by Vietnam (last year was Thailand's turn).
The Asean secretariat, which employs 200 local Indonesian staff and 60 openly recruited staff members, is located in Jakarta.
This has led to talk in Jakarta of the city positioing itself as a kind of "Brussels of the East" (Brussels is the headquarters of the European Union).
Wednesday's Jakarta Post quotes Asean deputy secretary-general Bagas Hapsoro saying: "Asean is the cornerstone of Indonesian foreign policy. We need to have a good Secretariat to facilitate member states. We would like to be a good host."
I am at the cavernous National Convention Centre in Hanoi, Vietnam's crowded capital, in a district which features newly built tall condominiums and office towers.
On Tuesday I managed to get a few minutes with Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa, and among other things asked him whether Indonesia, with its vigorous economy, democratic credentials, and strong civil society, saw a greater role as a leader and catalyst in Asean.
"Leadership is earned not imposed," he said. "If anything, in the past given Indonesia's natural size and what we are within Asean, it has become more of a burden... how can we exercise leadership without being seen to be imposing.
“In many instances less can be more, to create space for the development of Asean’s capacity. It’s no use being influential and trying to play a leadership role at the cost of minimising the region’s architecture.
"Ever since 2003 especially we have been investing in Asean development — the three pilars of Asean — because we are certain Asean is a win-win. A strong Asean is good for Asean and also good for Indonesia. The good thing is now we are, all ten of us, on the same page with regard to Asean’s community building efforts."
I cited Vietnam prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung's mention in his opening statement on Tuesday, of the need to uphold a "culture of compliance" — seen by many analysts as a weakness in Asean.
There was a need to "translate the Asean Charter into reality" and also to “uphold the culture of compliance to ensure the effective realisation of agreements,” he had said.
How close was Asean to — or how far from — this “culture of compliance’ now that the Charter was around two years old, I asked Mr Natalegawa.
“The fact that it was mentioned shows there is still room for improvement. We are developing from a loose association to a rules-based organisation, a community even, so I think there is still room for us to do better,” he said.
“But I think one of the key features of Asean is one cannot evaluate or measure Asean’s success or lack of it simply by the normal institution-based or (a) legal orientation... rather the so-called ‘Asean way’ despite the Charter and all that, is still very much relevant.
“It’s good that I am able to pick up the phone and talk to my colleagues, ministers George Yeo (Singapore’s foreign minister) or (Malaysian foreign) minister Hanifa Imam, and others whenever a situation develops that needs direct communication.
“Despite all this paraphernalia that we have, in the final analysis relations between states are also relations between individuals. And we need to invest in this kind of personal relationship as well.”
I mentioned the external pressure on Asean, not to easily grant credibility and legitimacy to Myanmar’s election (expected later this year).
Many western governments — led by he USA and the UK — and pro-democracy activist organisations have dismissed the election as a sham designed to legitimise militayr rule behind a thin facade of democracy.
“I think the situation in Myanmar, present or future, defies oversimplification, you cannot oversimplify it,” Mr Natalegawa said.
“We must have a measured and calibrated thought process. There are some moments (when) there is an absolutely pessimistic dismal situation, at other times somewhat better. So it’s constantly fluid.
“We Asean member states, when we express our intentions (or) concerns on Myanmar, it’s not at the behest of anyone, it’s truly genuinely felt concern and wanting to help.
“Wanting to help doesn’t mean we condone everything that’s going on there, because we want to see things develop further.
“It’s not about competition to express who is most outraged, who is most morally upset by the situation, it’s about finding solutions, and I think the group of countries within Asean are all inspired by the same motivation, to be part of the solution to Myanmar’s situation,” he said.