After the frivolities, the substance

The party is over, now comes the hard work. Although there have been successes for One ASEAN, there remain intractable problems. These cannot be swept under the carpet because they are staring before our eyes. They will come up again and again even in daily living. Most of the countries in this region were former colonies and they still suffer from the effects of their colonization. If One ASIA tackles these problems wisely, we can have another party to celebrate that will set the tone for the next 50 years.

That is why it is important to be conscious of history. There are those who would say, “forget history, it is past.”

Not true. History cannot be forgotten because it remains in us.

“History, as nearly no one seems to know, is not merely something to be read. And it does not refer merely, or even principally, to the past. On the contrary, the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do.” – James Baldwin (1965)

If we follow Baldwin’s interpretation of history, we will be less prone to conflicts that divide us. We may have been once separate colonies but we are now bound together by One ASEAN.

“This history provides us important frames of reference, a sense of identity, and a clearer idea of our aspirations. These facts alone explain why history matters, but history can be used, as it often is, in a variety of ways and for several purposes. Politicians, for example, have traditionally used history to justify their power or to challenge that of their opponents. Winston Churchill, perhaps, provides the most glaring example of this practice when he famously announced that “history will be kind to me as I intend to write it.”

Others have noticed the power of history to anticipate problems similar to those our forebears experienced in the past. Who is not familiar with George Santayana’s often quoted statement: “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it”? 

“In a world that never stops changing, and where people have busy schedules, it is only too common to overlook the importance of history or to reduce it to a mere school requirement or skill set for the job market. Our understanding of past events and phenomena inform policies, legislation, cures, attitudes, and many other aspects of life. History, therefore, is of paramount importance.”

It may be true that mainstream media plays a role in government and society but it is also true that it is business driven by profits and dependent on advertisement revenue.

With the ascendancy of social media when all you need is the Internet it has challenged that role of mainstream media. Our politics is determined by media, whether mainstream or by the power of the Internet.

Both have functions and the influence gained by one or the other depends on the capability of the players. In Duterte’s case, he was helped by the extreme dissatisfaction on the Aquino administration. People even those who were fence sitters became politicized.

Behind the joyful scenes of celebration, there were serious issues to talk about and agreed upon. Two of the most important to me was the Code of Conduct which became a potential threat to draw the contestants into war.

The Duterte government did not miss the opportunities of a celebration party with many leaders present. It was able to discuss commitments from other countries and these were reaffirmed.

Present in the talks were 20 world leaders from the ASEAN member states, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia, United States (US), Canada, European Union (EU) and the United Nations Secretary-General.

President Rodrigo Duterte as chair carried the theme “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World.”

Duterte and his Cabinet were able to seal deals on military assistance, Marawi rehabilitation, trade, strategic partnerships, anti-illegal drugs drive, tourism, health, education, infrastructure, among others.

US President Donald Trump announced he intends to provide additional $14.3 million in aid for the rehabilitation of Marawi City. A White House statement also said that the US would give $2-million support drug demand reduction programs in the Philippines.

President Duterte will support and continue to push for a legally binding Code of Conduct on the South China Sea. One ASEAN favors the adoption of a framework that would pave the way for negotiations on a “substantive and effective” COC with China.

ASEAN and China have agreed to start talks on the COC. Both parties are encouraged by the “positive momentum,” from Duterte as chairman’s statement in the 31st ASEAN Summit in Manila. The leaders of the regional bloc are expected to start negotiations at the 20th ASEAN-China Summit and the subsequent convening of the 23rd ASEAN-China Joint Working Group Meeting on the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in Vietnam in early 2018.

On the debit side, I was disappointed that One ASEAN did not take a more active stance on the Rohingya problem in Myanmar. The Rohingya are described as “the world’s most persecuted minority.” I suppose it was in deference to Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Prize awardee who was present.

Rohingya are an ethnic group, Muslim, who have lived for centuries in Myanmar whose people are mostly Buddhist.  Currently, there are about 1.1 million Rohingya who live in the Southeast Asian country.

The Rohingya speak Rohingya or Ruaingga, a dialect that is distinct to others spoken in Rakhine State and throughout Myanmar. They are not considered one of the country’s 135 official ethnic groups and have been denied citizenship in Myanmar since 1982. Their situation has provoked violence,

 Thousands of Rohingya have fled to neighboring countries either by land or boat for decades.

Muslims have lived in Myanmar since the 12th century, according to many historians and Rohingya groups.

The Arakan Rohingya National Organisation said “Rohingyas have been living in Arakan from time immemorial,” referring to the area now known as Rakhine.

During more than 100 years of British rule (1824-1948), there was a significant amount of migration of laborers to what is now known as Myanmar from today’s India and Bangladesh.