Southeast Asian governments urged to address root causes of social unrest

Augustine Anthuvan, Channel NewsAsia 18 Apr 09;

SINGAPORE : UN Under-Secretary-General Dr Noeleen Heyzer has said that unless Southeast Asian governments make a concerted effort to address root causes of social unrest in places like Thailand, these tensions could have dire knock-on effects.

She was speaking at the ASEAN and Asia forum in Singapore on Friday.

The "red shirt" protests in Thailand may have subsided for now, but Dr Heyzer said that their underlying concerns should not be swept under the carpet.

Dr Heyzer, who is also Executive Secretary, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, said: "...the root causes of the unrest are based very much in terms of disparities, not just in Thailand, that is within the country, but also among the ASEAN nations, and unless we address disparities - economic, social, political disparities - and issues of governance, there will be all these tensions that from time to time, will break out into social unrest, and will affect the politics of our nations as well.

"I think this is what ASEAN, especially in terms of its new charter, tries to do. It tries to give the vision of a people-centred regional community. It tries to bring in regional partnerships, it tries to ensure the voices of the marginalised, the common people, are heard, and one understands that we can be...citizens of not just our own nations, but that of ASEAN as well.

"But so far, all this is at the level of vision, of words of commitment; it is time to implement these values, and also these very good perspectives, pathways and directions. And unless they are seriously implemented, there will unfortunately be a question of trust."

Speaking at the public forum organised by the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, Dr Heyzer reiterated her call for Asian government leaders to look at development initiatives in a post-crisis world as an integrated whole.

She said: "So far, we have been looking at development sector by sector. It is time to look at it as a more inclusive sustainability. That brings back what I call 'the balances'. It has to balance the economic imbalances, the social and the ecological imbalances, and we can't look at it as separate items anymore. Because there is no way that we can do the economic growth agenda in a way that we have always done, without taking into account the effects of inequalities on the social population.

"And there is no way we can do both without looking at the ecological consequences of development. And so we need to look at it in terms of both short-term development strategies, as well as long-term sustainability, and this I think is what I will be pushing for."

Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin echoed similar sentiments at the ASEAN and Asia forum.

He said: "A people who are materially well-off but morally, ethically and environmentally bankrupt can have no greater ability to claim to being developed in any way."

Meanwhile, participants said the private sector is in a position to provide much of the lift needed.

Ambassador Michael Tay, executive director, APEC Secretariat, said: "The biggest employers in any economy are the private sector, and so the issue of confidence is quite critical.

"On the one hand, you have a bread and butter issue, people need to work in order to spend, so that you can create demand for manufactured goods or services. But to unlock that confidence is key, and I think the confidence goes beyond just financial institutions. It is actually leadership."

And the Ambassador said that this is where economic giants like the US, China and Japan can step up to the plate. - CNA/ms