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4. The Formation of ASEAN
- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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18 Yoshiyuki Hagiwara By: ROS Size: 7.5" x 10.25" J/No: 03-14474 Fonts: New Baskerville 4. THE FORMATION OF ASEAN YOSHIYUKI HAGIWARA Reprinted in abridged form from “Formation and Development of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations”, The Developing Economies XI, no. 4 (December 1973), pp. 443–65, by permission of the author and the Institute of Developing Economies. In 1967, the continually-escalating war in Vietnam, together with China’s “Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution,” dominated the consciousness of Asia. U.S. military involvement in Vietnam had been accelerated since her air-bombing of North Vietnam in February 1965 and she made use of military bases in Japan, the Philippines, and Thailand. Japan had maintained its mutual security pact with the United States since 1952 and the Philippines and Thailand had been members of SEATO since 1954. Because of these relations, the three governments supported U.S. military involvement throughout the Vietnam war. In April 1966, the Japanese government initiated the formation of the Ministerial Conference for Economic Development of Southeast Asia,1 and in June, the Korean government started the Asian and Pacific Council (ASPAC).2 The former is a regional economic cooperation group under Japanese leadership which will partly substitute its aid for U.S. economic aid to Southeast Asia. ASPAC, in the final communique of the Seoul meeting, was to be for “Greater co-operation and solidarity among the free Asian and Pacific countries in their efforts to safeguard their national independence against communist aggression or infiltration, and to develop their national economies.” ASPAC’s purpose was to organize the “free” countries in the region to form a “second front” for U.S. military action in Vietnam. In 1966, in China, the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution began in August and huge mass movements were continued throughout 1967. This revolution was initiated by Mao T’se-tung to revitalize the revolutionary spirits of the masses particularly in opposition to the Vietnam war.3 In such a situation, Malaysia, the Philippines , and Thailand maintained common interests in ASA and ASPAC in 1967. In February 1967, Sukarno invested full power in Suharto and a new military regime based on anti-communism was established in Indonesia. Since independence in 1965, the PAP government of Singapore had been 004 AR Ch 4 22/9/03, 12:37 PM 18 The Formation of ASEAN 19 By: ROS Size: 7.5" x 10.25" J/No: 03-14474 Fonts: New Baskerville confronted with the “hit-and-run ‘Parliament of the Streets’ tactics of the procommunist Barisan Sosialis”.4 These two governments proclaimed a non-aligned foreign policy in principle but because of the anti-communist regime, they could have common interests with ASA governments. What were the common interests at that time? First, the fear of communist influence internally and internationally, secondly the expectation of economic aid from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan, and thirdly the hope of revitalizing regional cooperation. Thus, in August 1967, five governments agreed to form ASEAN as a regional cooperation group, replacing the moribund ASA and the immobile MAPHILINDO. The Bangkok Declaration said that the objectives of ASEAN were “to accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region through joint endeavour and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and equal community of South-East Asian nations; to promote regional peace and stability. ...” In spite of this hope, before celebrating its first birthday in August 1968, ASEAN was faced with gloomy prospects. First, a squabble over the possession of Sabah between the Philippines and Malaysia occurred again and secondly, the execution of two Indonesian marines by Singapore government received a strong reaction from Indonesian nationalists. But, these two cases were fortunately held in line and ASEAN survived maintaining its original purpose of cooperation. In November 1968, Nixon was elected U.S. president and in July 1969 he proposed a withdrawal of the U.S. military presence in Asia after the end of the Vietnam war. He also suggested (in the Guam Doctrine)5 that the Asian countries take the initiative in creating a defence organization of their own. Besides this U.S. policy, the British Labor government declared in 1968 Britain’s east of Suez military withdrawal which would last until 1971. Responding to these policies, in June 1969 the Soviet Union suggested the creation of “a system of collective security in Asia.” In China, the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution had diminished by 1969 and she...