Asean losing its plot

Asean is not only losing its plot but also its way. It is looking dysfunctional and will become dysfunctional if Asean does not take a good look at where it is going. The formation of Asean by the wise founding members was based on neutrality during a time when the world was embroiled in big power game with the Americans fighting a Cold War with the communist bloc led by Russia. The Americans wanted every country on their side as part of the American Empire. They created Nato in Europe and Cento, Seato to lock in central Asian countries and SE Asian countries to oppose the Russians.

The SE Asian leaders then saw through the game. Why should they be involved and be caught up in other people’s fight, why should they be fighting for the big powers and dying for the big powers? Asean was formed with such a background and premises that it is better to stay neutral. The big power can do all their fighting, Asean will stay neutral and not be involved in the silly contest when they have nothing to gain and not in their interests.

Razak came out with the concept of Zone of Freedom and Neutrality or ZOPFAN and Asean stayed that way, free and stable, to pursue their national interests. Today you don’t hear any Asean member talking about this anymore. Every Asean member is cozying up to the big powers, to be feasted as the darling of the day, happily waiting to be invited to bed. They have forgotten what Asean was all about. When Asean was neutral and staying close as a single bloc, the big powers come wooing. They wanted to be friends of Asean.

Now the big powers have been successful in seducing some Asean members and bringing them to bed, and Asean is now breaking up. Asean no longer sets the agenda. The big powers are setting the agenda for Asean. Instead of the big powers coming to woo Asean as a bloc, individual members are signing up with the big powers, joining the camps of the big powers as their proxies in the big power game of geopolitical tussle for power and influence.

Asean is at the verge of breaking up. The members are all having different dreams, instead of sharing the same dreams of Asean like the founding fathers. They wanted to be the pet boys of the big powers, to walk along the side of the big powers, to carry their little pistols and swagger like little cowboys, wanting to go to wars, to be the silly soldiers fighting for the interests of the big powers that the founding fathers of Asean chose to avoid.

Asean has lost its way. With mediocre and shallow leaders, with crazy leaders, with imbeciles, it is only expected that Asean will break up and individual members will join the camps of the big powers to engage in warfare, something that they have not enjoyed while living the spirit of Asean. They have grown tired of peace and life has been too boring. Now they are looking for excitement and want to have fun, to buy more weapons to fight wars and have more dead heroes to worship. Membership to the Empire is the privilege of the knaves.