Global Recession Will Put Asean Solidarity To Test

February 24, 2009 23:12 PM 

SINGAPORE, Feb 24 (Bernama) -- The current global economic crisis has put members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to the test as to whether they will stick to commitments to their organisation. 

Singapore's Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo said the preoccupation of its members to solve domestic economic woes following the global recession might ruin efforts to make Asean a closer community. 

He was speaking at the launch of a book entitled "The Making of the Asean Charter" at his ministry here today. The book contained contributions from many of those who were involved in drafting the Asean Charter. 

Yeo said this year would be a difficult one for all Asean member countries as no one knew how long the global economic crisis would last. 

He said: "It is not likely to be short. In the coming months, retrenchment in every Asean country will rise steeply and all governments in Asean will come under stress to a greater or lesser degree." 

The minister said under such conditions, it was natural that protectionist sentiments would rise and governments would come under growing domestic political pressure to protect jobs and to favour local businesses. 

He said Asean itself would be put to the test, and without strong leadership, individual Asean countries in their preoccupation with domestic economic problems might not follow through on commitments. 

"The political will to make Asean an ever closer community may slacken," Yeo said. 

The minister said by the time the crisis was over "the cards would have been reshuffled" with some countries surging ahead while others are left behind. 

Yeo said the question for Asean was whether the crisis would make the association stronger or weaker, and much would depend on the response of Asean leaders and their collective determination to maintain solidarity under trying conditions. 

The minister hoped the Asean Charter would help Asean member countries weather the economic crisis collectively.