Mutual understanding will give AEC strong foundations

Asean is a fascinating region, and the upcoming integration of its 10 members as a “free market” will make it a lot more so. When people talk about the Asean Economic Community (AEC), the focus tends to be on how to compete in the new business environment and how the labour landscape will change. But there’s much more to the AEC than that. Asean is ethnically, religiously, politically and culturally diverse – and that is what will make the AEC an intriguing adventure for all the citizens of the region.

Indonesia is the world’s most populous Islamic state. The majority in Thailand are Buddhist. Myanmar is just emerging from decades under dictatorship. Singapore is a showcase for capitalism and has close links to the United States. Indochinese countries keep America at arm’s length and have strong ties with Washington’s rivals. Filipinos like to complain loudly about their politicians while some of their neighbours are politically reticent. Brunei is extremely rich whereas Laos has been battling poverty for decades.

Cultures and traditions are formed through a mix of religious, political and historical influences. Asean is a region with multiple backdrops, bringing together countries with different beliefs, ideologies and vastly varying political pasts. This fact is a challenge in itself, quite apart from the economic inequalities among member countries. As the 10 nations make preparations for a new era of economic competition, equally important is how to get the citizens of the region to understand, appreciate and respect one another.

Asean has frequently been criticised for turning a blind eye when it comes to the “internal problems” of member countries. That “weak point”, however, may come in handy when the move towards economic integration calls for even greater sympathy and understanding towards one another. The need for “understanding” or “appreciation” or “respect” used to be confined mainly to rhetoric, but the dawning of the AEC era demands that words be replaced by concrete action.

Thais will have their own matters to sort out. Do we know our neighbours that well? Lao people tend to shun their Thai “brothers” because we often display a superior attitude towards them. Cultural ties with Cambodia have been soured by territorial and historical disputes. We Thais sometimes mock Singaporeans for the high respect they show for their laws. And there are times when we use Western standards to look down on our neighbours.

This doesn’t mean, though, that Thais are on the wrong side all the time. Borders were, after all, created to reflect the real differences mentioned above. The AEC, however, will remove some of the frontiers altogether, requiring a change in mentality on a regional scale. Understanding is next to useless when it’s unilateral – it needs to be collective.

With the regional free market around the corner, education is increasingly important, not just because everyone needs to be more competitive but because each needs better knowledge and understanding of the other. The way history is taught may have to change, for example. Currently, students tend to get a false picture of their own country’s moral superiority.

The first steps for the AEC are crucial and thus have to be in the right direction. Though the integration is being driven by business and the economy, it must be based on a solid universal understanding encompassing the region’s traditions, cultures and histories. Most of all, those who launched Asean and the AEC will soon have to bow out, paving the way for the region’s next generations to carry on with the integration. These new generations must learn not just to compete with each other, but also to love, respect and understand their neighbours.