In Search of an Asean Identity

According to Article 1 of the ASEAN Charter, one of the purposes of ASEAN is “to promote an ASEAN identity through the fostering of greater awareness of the diverse cultures and heritage of the region” (ASEAN Secretariat 2011, 5). In the ASEAN Vision 2020 issued in December 1997 during the group’s annual meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, one of the directives was defined thus: “We envision the entire Southeast Asia to be, by 2020, an ASEAN community conscious of its ties of history, aware of its cultural heritage, and bound by a common regional identity”. The Vision also emphasized that the region will be one in which “all people enjoy equitable access to opportunities for total human development” under the heading “A Community of Caring Societies”. From these statements it appears that the organization is not only about political will, but also asks the people how they think of themselves as citizens, and whether they see themselves sharing one identity consisting of diverse cultures and heritage, tied together by history.