For some, we are aware of the ASEAN plan to integrate the region into the “ASEAN Community”, a mixture of the EU and the US. EU, in the sense that, we have “membership” status. US, in the sense that, the region will one day become (beyond 2015 that is) a country in itself with states – since we do not share the same history and culture like that of the EU, it is only appropriate we retain the ’statehood’ of the member countries (although the EU does that, but they have a more “open”-border policy, becoming ‘virtually’ borderless).
So far, so good. It sounds “cool”, it sounds exciting – especially the concept of living in a time when we are all part of a one-big happy family. In a time when we will call our neighbors, each other, (as) brothers and sisters. Our governments are so eager to reach that goal, they even accelerated the plan from 2020 to 2015, and just recently, news came out that by 2010, most of the requirements or criterias they set forth would have been fulfilled, giving way to the ASEAN Community (and integration) by 2015, a sure success.
The problem?
Follow up:
They are so engross with the higher-level discussions that they forgot about the.. well.. the soon-to-be “ASEAN Citizens”, the people who are not aware of it, or are confused, or just do not care about it. Some, like myself, already call ourselves an “ASEAN Citizen” because we believe in it and we support it (though many not 100% of course). But a new issue arises, the important questions:
1) What is an “ASEAN Citizen”?
2) What is it to be an “ASEAN Citizen”?
3) What is “the” “ASEAN Identity”?
We lack those. We may become integrated in many aspects by 2015, yes, but without defining or understanding those three questions presented, it only makes the whole plan useless – we may even end declaring war with each other in the long term because we or our descendants have not fully grasp or accepted the new reality – let’s face it, we Asians are very “nationalistic”, we will stick to our ‘racial’ ancestry to the death.
So, imagine, walking home from work, looking everywhere, looking at the skies, and thinking and saying to yourself: “I am an ASEAN Citizen”, “I belong to a new regional Identity”, “It is not just about {put country/race here} anymore”, then you realized you don’t really understand or we don’t really have a ‘clear’ and ‘definite’ meaning or identity?
Don’t you want to know what it is? Don’t you want to be involve in defining our “ASEAN Identity”? How about this, let’s discuss it here, and answer those three questions above. Let’s forget about “it’s not going to work” or “it will happen in year 2100, not in 2015″, let’s give it the benefit that it will happen. For you:
1) What is an “ASEAN Citizen”?
2) What is it to be an “ASEAN Citizen”?
3) What is “the” “ASEAN Identity”?
Fire up those brains and let’s get it rolling!! It is, after all, for the benefit of our descendants – our children.