CALD & WAGI Launch Publication on Alternative Regionalism

“If we don’t build resilience in terms of governance, in terms of rule of law and human rights-centered approach, we are basically going to be the equivalent of, in the history books, ‘the fall of the Roman empire’,” said ALTSEAN Founder Debbie Stothard, referring to what could be the fate of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) if it fails to adapt in accordance with the needs of the time.

Stothard made the somber reminder at the soft launch of a joint publication by the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) and Miriam College’s Women and Gender Institute (WAGI) on 26 March 2022, on the sidelines of the 6th National Women’s Summit of the Philippines.

Entitled “Regionalism From Above, Regionalism From Below: The ASEAN And Possibilities For A Transformative Regionalism”, the study highlights the importance of a people-centered approach to regionalism through engagement of the business sector, think tanks and civil society for the realization of the ASEAN community.

Written by Dr. Lorna Israel and Prof. Jonalyn Villasante, the publication looks into the two types of regionalism in Southeast Asia: 1) regionalism from above, which is basically led by the state; and 2) regionalism from below, which is spearheaded by non-state actors. To further advance regionalism, the study recommends institutionalizing the participation of non-state actors in the ASEAN decision-making process, as well as continuing the work of civil society organizations outside ASEAN-sanctioned spaces in a peaceful and diplomatic way.

Former Thai Minister of  Foreign Affairs Kasit Piromya, in his reaction, expressed his agreement with the study while adding that the ASEAN, as a community, must choose whether it wants to side with democracies or with autocracies. If ASEAN member-states continue to lean towards autocracy or authoritarianism, he said that “it would be very difficult for all of the leaders to be able to sit down or work with the civil society to pursue the dreams of ASEAN regional organization as a whole.”

Conscious of the political realities in ASEAN today, Stothard observed: “… while there is room for civil society and non-state actors to engage with ASEAN in a constructive way, one of the experiences that I notice is that the way to get change sometimes is to actually be disruptive and provocative.”

Until ASEAN changes, such methods would always resonate to painstakingly move the organization to the right direction. That this is the case shows that ASEAN has a long way to go to realize its vision of a truly people-centered regional community.

The study is available on CALD’s website. Read it here: https://cald.org/resources/publications/