Jakarta - Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda could only smile politely in front of diplomats from across the world when the newly inaugurated secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Surin Pitsuwan, challenged Indonesia to ratify its landmark charter.
Right then and there, minutes after his inauguration last week in the ASEAN building in Jakarta, Surin, who replaces Ong Keng Yong of Singapore for a five-year term, got started on his most urgent task as the new secretary-general: Getting all ASEAN members to ratify the charter.
The charter, which turns ASEAN into a rules-based legal entity, requires ratification from all members to be put into force.
The ever-smiling Surin also demonstrated his understanding of the competitive nature of ASEAN countries as the challenge was issued right after Singapore announced it would be the first member of ASEAN to ratify the charter.
And in the ASEAN culture of trying to keep the peace among officials, his challenge to Hassan -- even if the two do "go way back" -- was frank and direct, qualities that are all important adjuncts to the grouping`s new rules and conventions.
Surin, an American-educated Thai Muslim, who has a captivating way with words, charmed the audience during his first speech after assuming office last week.
"As I humbly accept the trust and confidence of the leaders of ASEAN ... in our common quest for a better integrated, more efficient and more resilient regional organization, I seek the cooperation and support of fellow ASEAN citizens and policy-makers, as well as the partners of ASEAN to work with us ... to turn the vision and dream of our founding fathers into reality," he said.
A veteran politician and academic, Surin, who was born in 1949, received his M.A. and PhD in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University. Upon his return from the United States, he spent almost 10 years teaching at the School of Political Science at Thammasart University in Bangkok.
In 1986, he ran for a parliamentary seat in his hometown, Nakorn Sri Thammarat. He has returned to the parliament eight times since 1986.
Surin was appointed minister of foreign affairs of Thailand from 1997-2001. He served as chair of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum from 1999-2000.
Upon leaving the foreign ministry in mid-2001, he was appointed as a member of the Commission on Human Security of the United Nations and as an advisor to the International Commission on Intervention and States Sovereignty. He also served on the International Labor Organization`s World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization.
Prior to assuming his duties at the ASEAN Secretariat, Surin, who is married to Khun Alissa, and has three children with her, was a member of parliament in the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) of Thailand. He also was a Deputy Leader of the Democrat Party.
Indonesian heavyweights -- from former foreign minister and one of Indonesia`s most able diplomats Ali Alatas, to influential politician and House of Representatives member Theo Sambuaga of the Golkar Party, to international relations expert Bantarto Bandoro of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) -- immediately recognized Surin had the requisite skills and experience to lead ASEAN in this new era.
"He is the right man for ASEAN leadership. He has the ability and experience to lead ASEAN in the new environment. I`ve known him for long, and he was very successful as the Thai foreign minister back then," Alatas, a longtime friend of Surin`s, told The Jakarta Post.
Another old friend, Theo, concurred with Alatas, underlining Surin`s excellent track record in public office.
"I know him well, and I am sure he can lead ASEAN in the direction we all want to go," Theo said.
With such high expectations, Bantarto warned Surin of the mounting challenges ahead of him, underlining the other pressing issues aside from the charter ratification.
First, there is the expectation that, as a Muslim, Surin could play a role in helping bring peace to two areas in the region where conflicts have claimed thousands of lives: Southern Thailand and Southern Philippines.
Surin has quickly emerged as a moderate Muslim who will fight against radicalism, commenting in earlier speeches that Muslims in Southeast Asia should help open Western people`s eyes to the true Islam.
Another issue that requires a longer-term approach is the challenge of how to make ASEAN benefit its people and how to form bridges between the developed ASEAN members and the poorer ones.
"Now is the time to capture the imaginations of our people; make them aware of what we are doing; explain to them in their national languages so that they understand and see the benefits of having ASEAN," Surin said.
Source: www.thejakartapost.com (16 Januari 2008)
