COACHING AND NETWORKING IN THE ASEAN TRANSPORT COOPERATION

 INTRODUCTION

The Association of South-East Asia Nations or ASEAN is a regional cooperation organization in the dynamic region of South East Asia, established in 8 August  1967 and comprises of 10 nations namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Initially, the Organization established by five nations of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, later Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Cambodia  joined the group. The important role of ASEAN for its region is not only by creating stability and peace, but also in  its 41 years of establishment, ASEAN has proven its self as one of an important moving engine for the economic development in its member states to realized the prosperity of the people of South East Asia region.

The Speakers: WMU Class of 2004 

Presently, ASEAN cooperation has moved toward a new significant development by its vision to build ASEAN Community in the year of 2015 in the effort to create sharing community under one vision, one identity and one caring. It also has strengthened by the establishment of ASEAN Charter on 20 November 2007 as a legal and institutional framework of ASEAN. Thus ASEAN Community which comprising of ASEAN Economic Community, ASEAN Security Community and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community could be realized.

In the area of economy cooperation, an efficient and integrated transport system is a key for ASEAN to integrate with the global economy, improve competitiveness and enhance the inflow of foreign direct investment. Therefore, ASEAN Transport Cooperation is directed to intensify regional activities to enhance multimodal transport linkages and interconnectivity, promote the seamless movement of peoples and goods, promote further liberalization in the air and maritime transport services, and further improve integration and efficiency of transport services and the supporting logistics systems. Furthermore, the cooperation is also hoped to give a significant contribution to make a solid foundation for ASEAN economic integration internally. One of a vital part of that integration is by linking ASEAN economies and societies more closely and strongly together by building, upgrading and improving transport networks among ASEAN member countries, making them work better and less expensively. A good and efficient transport makes contact between people quicker and smoother.

COACHING IN ASEAN TRANSPORT COOPERATION

ASEAN  objective to  establish ASEAN Economic Community by the year of 2015 is  definitely not an easy job. According to its blue print, ASEAN has to implement  a single market and production base in the South East Asia region, make it as a competitive region economically, creating an equitable economic development for all of its member states and ready to make a full integration into the global economy. These goals are a real challenges for ASEAN. Internally, it is not only because of a different economic development of its member states, but ASEAN has also need to establish several agreements in order to facilitate integration among them, which takes a lengthy process and negotiation. Therefore, ASEAN is seriously taking every effort to strengthen its cooperation and coordination, among the member states as well as with its dialog partners.

In order to develop South East Asia to become a strong economy region, ASEAN member states  has to support each others in the process, considering their different economic development. In this regard, countries which are more developed, couching or assisting countries less developed, through capacity building and share of knowledge. This two activities are greatly important and become a common practices, so that ASEAN member countries could achieve the equal level of development.

In ASEAN transport cooperation, these practices have been proven to be highly effective. It could be seen in the significant development in transportation capability of ASEAN member countries particularly for the countries which joining ASEAN in  a latter stage. Presently, instead of their equal right as a ASEAN member countries, their capability have greatly improved so that they could cooperate better as a member of ASEAN.  Coaching in ASEAN transport cooperation also conducted  by ASEAN dialogue partners for ASEAN member countries. In the transportation sector, ASEAN has established  cooperation with Japan and China. ASEAN cooperation with these two countries are conducted in  ministerial as well as senior officials levels. Under this cooperation, several capacity building and share of knowledge between ASEAN and its dialogue partner are also established.

In order to establish integration among its member states, ASEAN transport cooperation has to through a lengthy negotiation to establish several framework agreement which create  rules in transportation sector which shall be followed by its member countries. Due to a different domestic policy of its member countries in the implementation of ASEAN transport agreement, therefore ASEAN has established a scheme called ASEAN minus X Formula. If one or two member countries are ready for the implementation of the agreement, they could firstly  proceed and others member countries could follow later when they are ready. This formula is established to facilitate countries that need more time to implement ASEAN policy, without preventing others which are ready to implement.

NETWORKING IN ASEAN TRANSPORT COOPERATION

Networking in ASEAN transport cooperation is conducted through physical network and electronic one. The physical network is done with regular meeting among its member countries as well as with its dialogue partner. The meetings are ministerial, senior officials, working group and sub-working group levels. ASEAN Transport Ministers (ATM)  Meeting  is a meeting of ASEAN transport ministers and also with minister of transport of their dialogue partners, conducted  every year. ASEAN Senior Transport Officials Meeting  (STOM) is done twice a year. The senior officials meeting report to the ministerial meeting to seek for guidance and for adoption of their works. In the working group level, ASEAN has four working group namely, ASEAN Land Transport Working Group (LTWG), ASEAN Maritime Transport Working Group (MTWG), ASEAN Air Transport Working Group (ATWG) and ASEAN Transport Facilitation Working Group (TFWG). These working groups are usually met twice a year before the Senior Transport Officials Meeting or as decided by the decision of the working group meeting. ASEAN Highway Sub Working Group Meeting is the sub working group under ASEAN Land Transport Working Group. Usually this meeting are conducted back to back with  its parent working group or as decided by the meeting.

Aside of physical networking, ASEAN transport cooperation also has electronical network through email. They have established email network to make a communication to each other member states. In this regard, ASEAN Secretariat is playing its role in spreading the information  especially prior to a meeting or to seek consultation on a certain matters which need  concurrent from a member states. In this way of communication, ASEAN member countries have appoint contact person and email address. ASEAN member countries also could directly communicate with each others by  sending email to every member states.

CONCLUSION

The Speakers at lunch break

As a organization of the countries in the  dynamic region in the South East Asia, ASEAN has played an important role to strengthened  the cooperation in the region. ASEAN transport cooperation is one of the key to integrate ASEAN to the global economy. Due to a different economic development of its member states, ASEAN has established mechanism in coaching or assisting less developed countries to catch up the development of others member countries so that the equitable  economic development could be achieved. The mean for cooperation is by networking which is done physically through regular meeting and electronically through email.     

( Note: This Short writing was submitted to the Seminar on " Empowering Professional Women in the Maritime World" held in Malmo, Sweden on 2-4 April 2008)