CAMBODIA: ASEAN Entry Boon for Phnom Penh, A Burden for Others

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Analysis - Boonthan Sakanond

BANGKOK, May 2 1999 (IPS) - Cambodia’s much delayed entry into the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been widely hailed as marking the formal end to decades of Cold War-era turmoil in the region.

But because Cambodia’s admission comes as the region is in the throes of an economic crisis and differences are growing within ASEAN over issues of democracy and human rights, some analysts fear Phnom Penh may destablise the regional grouping by bringing its intractable domestic problems to the forum.

Cambodia became the tenth member of ASEAN at a ceremony in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi on April 30, marking the fulfillment of the group’s founding goal to have all 10 South-east Asian countries in it.

The decision to admit Cambodia had been taken at ASEAN’s summit in December, but was postponed amid members’ concerns about political stability and Phnom Penh’s human rights record.

“Cambodia’s admission comes at a time when ASEAN is economically weak and quite disunited. That is unfortunate,” says Dr Thanat Khoman, a former Thai foreign minister and one of the founding fathers of ASEAN.

At a recent seminar here on the implications of Cambodia’s membership, Thanat said that though ASEAN’s founding dream had been fulfilled, under current circumstances it cannot be considered a triumphant moment for the 33-year-old grouping.

Since the Asian crisis started in mid-1997, relations between some ASEAN members have been strained for a variety of reasons, while largest member Indonesia has been rocked by political instability amid fears of a possible breakup.

Singapore and Malaysia have had several spats over sharing of resources, while the Philippines and Malaysia have exchanged angry words over President Joseph Estrada’s open support for jailed Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Analysts also warn the regional grouping’s future could be troubled if Cambodia and Laos, along with their mentor Vietnam, form a lobby group within ASEAN to protect their interests.

With their different histories, forms of government and priorities, the argument goes that these three countries along with Burma, another economically backward member, could seriously strain ASEAN’s consensual style of functioning and decision-making.

“From now on, besides fighting the economic crisis, ASEAN will have to carefully deal with the possible emergence of factions within its fold,” says Dr Dhanasiri Satawedin, senior lecturer at the faculty of political science at the Bangkok-based Ramkamhaeng University.

According to Dhanasiri, having such a faction inside ASEAN will reduce the regional grouping’s bargaining power and neutralise any gains expected from increased membership.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Don Pramudwinai however said ASEAN’s future lies in the hands of its members, who should work for solidarity.

“With Cambodia being admitted into ASEAN, all 10 South-east Asian countries have now come under same roof and same family. Their future is now dependent on each member, whether they want the family to enjoy prosperity or not,” he says.

“Cambodia is an unsettled scene of Asian politics, but it is better for everybody to admit it into ASEAN than leave it out,” points out Vithaya Vejjajiva, a former permanent secretary at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Together, the 10 ASEAN nations have a population of 500 million, a combined GNP of 685 billion U.S. dollars and total trade of 720 billion dollars.

Though some within ASEAN worry that Cambodia, with its poor international image, could affect the regional grouping, there are others who argue that this image could not get any worse with Burma already a member.

Admitting Burma, which has the worst human rights record in Asia, has proved very costly to ASEAN especially in its ties with the European Union. Many EU countries have refused to attend meetings between the two groupings if Burmese representatives are present.

But while such are the worries plaguing ASEAN, for Cambodia itself membership is expected to prove beneficial, at least in the short run.

To begin with, ASEAN membership is expected to boost Cambodia’s international status, which was hurt badly when the previous coalition government collapsed in July 1997 due to violent conflict between the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and Funcinpec.

Following the violence, which saw the CPP’s Hun Sen retain power, Cambodia’s membership in ASEAN was put on hold, its seat at the United Nations vacated and all international aid stopped.

The process of both internal and external normalisation in Cambodia began with the holding of elections in July 1998 and reconciliation between the two parties which have since formed a coalition government yet again.

“It is time for the world community to respond generously and help Cambodia overcome poverty and underdevelopment wrought by decades of internal strife,” adds an Asian diplomat based in Phnom Penh.

In February, international donors meeting in Tokyo pledged 470 million U.S. dollars in aid during 1999 to Cambodia to give it yet another new start. The funds are subject to review every three months, a condition imposed due to concerns about Cambodia’s human rights record.

The Tokyo meeting was the first to be held among Cambodia’s donors since the violent events of July 1997. The pledged package is a little higher than the 450 million dollars Cambodia gets annually at present.

In the long run however, some Cambodian politicians are worried that ASEAN membership could result in the country becoming a mere source of raw material and cheap labour for other more richer and powerful members.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy, a bitter critic of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, has expressed fears that ASEAN will crush local Cambodian industry, which will find it very difficult to compete. Rainsy has also argued that ASEAN will provide Hun Sen with a shield to fend off pressure on human rights.

“What is the gain for Cambodia joining ASEAN under the present circumstances? Nothing. Economic gain? Nothing, and in terms of human rights? Nothing,” Rainsy was quoted as saying.

Such rhetoric notwithstanding, for those Cambodians who remember the past few decades of isolation due to civil war and Cold War wrangling, membership in ASEAN is bound to be a welcome change.