SIIA Chairman Simon Tay was quoted in an article by Tama Salim in The Jakarta Post, alongside other ASEAN experts at a seminar in Jakarta on 1 Sep 2016. The event was held in conjunction with the 45th anniversary of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). CSIS is the Indonesian member of the ASEAN Institutes of Strategic and International Studies (ASEAN-ISIS) network, which SIIA is also a founding member of.
ASEAN should undergo changes on different levels to stay relevant in its first year as a community and ahead of its golden jubilee next year.
Simon Tay, chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA), suggested that ASEAN chairs for the next three consecutive terms should work together to align the agenda toward the ASEAN 2025 Roadmap to prevent the regional agenda from changing every year.
For the community’s socio-cultural pillar, Carolina G. Hernandez from the Philippines-based Institute for Strategic and Development Studies (ISDS) urged ASEAN leaders to take the concerns of their peoples seriously.
Former CSIS executive director Rizal Sukma, who now serves as Indonesian Ambassador to UK, emphasized the need to revise the ASEAN Charter, “to adapt to the strategic environment”, citing points like the decision-making process, which has proven to be more of a hurdle for ASEAN in recent times.
Full Article: ‘ASEAN should change to stay relevant’ [The Jakarta Post, 2 Sep 2016]
Photo Credit: CSIS Indonesia
