Chin KW: Charter Has to Be More Than a Means to an End

Source: Today Online

We should look at the charter firstly as a facilitating instrument to integration and community building, which are works in progress. It will need to be adjusted as new requirements, expectations and possibilities arise. This is possible due to the provision for review after five years.

Secondly, the charter is the work of 10 nation states. Asean remains no more than the sum of its parts; supra-nationalism is eschewed. If the idealism of the Eminent Persons Group's recommendations is not fully reflected in the final document, it is because drafters were mindful of its acceptability to their respective governments.

Thirdly, if the charter raises expectations within member countries — with respect to democratic values, human rights, good governance, the rule of law, good neighbourly conduct, regional identity and community building — it would have served as a mirror to their respective domestic selves.

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