Will ASEAN economic intergration lead to harmonizing of the labour laws to International Core Labour Standards to deny the exploitation of workers especially migrant workers? Will it provide for decent working and living conditions?
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"What is the social impact of the IAI - Initiative for ASEAN integration? How is ASEAN preparing to face the impact? Will the poor and marginalized including the 260 million people who earn less then US$2 per day benefit from the AEC? Will ASEAN economic intergration lead to harmonizing of the labour laws to International Core Labour Standards to deny the exploitation of workers especially migrant workers? Will it provide for decent working and living conditions? This are questions which remains to be answered by the ASEAN elites whose mind is set on profiting from AEC. The ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint does not answer the needs and basic rights of the person in the street, the jobless, poor, villagers, farmers and fisherfolks - who are struggling daily for a decent livelihood." |
(21 November 2007, Singapore) Apart from the ASEAN Charter, the leaders of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) yesterday (20/11/07) signed another important document, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint. Reacting to the signing of this document, representatives of the Solidarity of Asian People's Advocacies (SAPA) Working Group on ASEAN argued that the AEC blueprint is the document to facilitate the economic interests of the ASEAN elites.
"The AEC blueprint was prepared strictly to serve the economic interests of the ASEAN elites and large economic actors", stated Alexander Chandra of the Indonesian based alternative think-tank, the Institute for Global Justice, a member of SAPA Working Group on ASEAN.
Chandra added that "the agenda for AEC is simply economic liberalisation that is pursued at the expense of the poor people in the Southeast Asian region." Unlike in the political and security fronts, ASEAN member countries have been more willing to pursue aggressive regional economic integration agenda as it covers relatively less sensitive issues. The meeting of the ASEAN Economic Ministers in 2006, for instance, decided that the schedule of AEC should be fast-tracked from originally 2020 to 2015.
SAPA Working Group on ASEAN, however, argues that the economic liberalisation agenda under the AEC scheme will have significant impact to the region's poor and vulnerable people and sectors. "What is lacking in the existing economic blueprint of ASEAN is specific program to address poverty and equitable distribution in the region," Chandra commented.
Meanwhile, other SAPA WG on ASEAN representative, Jenina Joy Chavez from Focus on the Global South, also expressed her disappointment about the existing AEC blueprint. "The document appears to be inconsistent with the inputs and aspirations that have been submitted by Southeast Asian civil society groups on the area of ASEAN economic co-operation".
Echoing her SAPA colleague, Chavez also concerned about the tendency of ASEAN to favour economic liberalisation as the sole approach in ASEAN economic integration. "Civil society groups have consistently suggested ASEAN to allow diverse economic inputs in its economic decision-making process, but this does not show in the AEC blueprint", Chavez said.
Furthermore, Chavez also commented on the lack of focus of the AEC blueprint to address the concerns of small and medium economic producers. "While the blueprint mentions about the small and medium enterprises, it does not say anything about other smaller economic actors, such as farmers, fisherfolk, and so on", said Chavez.
In relation to the high level meeting between ASEAN leaders and their plus three counterparts from Japan, China, and South Korea, SAPA WG on ASEAN also criticised the meeting as highly insufficient in addressing wider East Asian regional concerns, such as migrant workers. "Both the ASEAN and ASEAN Plus Three Summits do not provide strong instrument to address the concerns of migrant workers, which make up the majority of labour movement in the region", Chavez commented.
About SAPA Working Group on ASEAN
The SAPA WG on ASEAN is a common platform for collective action on ASEAN advocacy. The WG-ASEAN respects and promotes the multiplicity of perspectives, strategies and forms employed by its individual members, as it strives for specific unities in ASEAN-related advocacy and action. Presently, the SAPA WG on ASEAN has more than 100 CSOs, national and regional organizations, as members.
Further information and documents related to SAPA and SAPA WG on ASEAN activities may be downloaded from SAPA http://www.asiasapa.org
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Samydorai Sinapan, Think Center, +65 9479 1906,
e-mail samysd@pacific.net.sg
Ms. Consuelo Katrina Lopa, South East Asian Committee for Advocacy (SEACA), +63 928 5025685, e-mail clopa@seaca.net
Sources and Relevant Links:
SAPA WG on ASEAN THE FAILURE OF ASEAN WAY: WASHING OFF THE BLOODY HANDS OFF BURMA 20 November 2007
SAPA WG on ASEAN BLOODY HANDS ON CHARTER, SHAME!
ACSC-3 No Bloody Hand on an ASEAN Charter
ACSC-3 Singapore Declaration
SWGA STATEMENT OF THE SINGAPORE CIVIL SOCIETY
SAPA ASEAN Peoples' Charter Process Launched 7 November 2007
