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NUSPA’s 2012 forum an "enriching" one |
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By Ma Anyi
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Feb. 6 2012 |
The National University of Singapore Political Association held their annual forum Jan. 31 at the Shaw Foundation House auditorium. The forum, entitled “ASEAN Economic Community 2015: Opportunities and Challenges” left many students feeling enriched.
Some felt the question and answer session was more enriching than the presentation itself because many thorny issues were raised.
"I learnt more from the question and answer session. I was impressed that they answered questions like how political issues countries that each country face may affect ASEAN dynamics. I already knew most of the issues that were covered during the presentations," Tsai Tai-Lun, a National Taiwan University exchange student studying business and political science, said.
During the question and answer session, the moderator, Mr. Joseph Tan, Asian chief economist for Credit Suisse, said he would play the “devil’s advocate” by posing several difficult questions to the guest speakers.
Tan asked the panel about the lack of law-based rules in the ASEAN community, saying that the “social pressure” factor may not be effective in ensuring that member states fulfill their obligations and cooperate with each other.
He also questioned how political friction between Cambodia and Thailand might affect the ASEAN Economic Community, and enquired about the efficacy of ASEAN in light of its slow decision making process. According to Tan, it is important for ASEAN to deal with these difficulties in the future as “ASEAN starts as a political institution going into the economic direction”.
The panel consisted of three ASEAN experts, namely Ms. Sulaimah Mahmood, who oversees the ASEAN Division in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mr. Rodolfo C. Severino, head of the ASEAN Studies Centre at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, and Associate Professor Edmund Sim, who is the managing partner of the Singapore office of Appleton Luff.
Drawing from their own experiences and knowledge, the panelists offered their insights pertaining the questions raised by Tan and also the audience during the question and answer session. For instance, Mahmood pointed out that despite domestic political unrest, Myanmar has been very cooperative and obliging in the ASEAN economic community.
When asked about one future challenge that ASEAN should take note of, both Sim and Mahmood said that Vietnam should be careful to select a “leader familiar with globalization” to be the next ASEAN secretariat so as to better expedite the workings of the ASEAN economic community.
Severino added that whilst picking a good candidate for the ASEAN secretariat position is important, it is also vital that member state cooperate with each other so as to work to work harmoniously towards the goals set for 2015.
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