Maximizing International Relations Students' Role towards ASEAN Community 2015

Agents of Society Mindset Change

Students, defined by Oxford Dictionary
1
, is a person who is studying at a university or other
place of higher education. When studying in a university, students learn academic and scientific
knowledge, which is often called as hardskill. Not only that, they also develop their talents. Arts,
sports, social, and also organizational talents development are provided by numerous internal or
external organizations. Not only that, students, by living independently, get plenty of life experiences
which will be beneficial for their future. Also, as the most important, by interacting with many levels
of society, they will develop their social and cultural sensitivity. All of them are called softskills. The
combination of hardskills and softskills makes students as the agent of change in the society.
What is defined as agent of change here is students become the catalyst of society to
transform into better form. By applying theories learned in university into everyday life of society,
they are escalating society welfare, both physical and spiritual.
So, how IR students put themselves in the position of agent of change? IR students learn
many theories of states and non-states actors relations. Its the time to apply them in the everyday
life. What they have learned must be campaigned, in practical form of course, to the society. As its
said in the title above, IR students will be the transformer of society mindset of international
relations.
Whats actually wrong with our society mindset towards international relations? Well said,
the most mistakenly mindset is the ignorance of international relations. Many of our society
members still thinking international relations as a high politics issue and doesnt relate with their
everyday life. As the result, knowledges of international relations are not considered important. In
other side, people who have got, perhaps incomplete, knowledge on international issues become
too much other-countries-minded. They are people who consider their own country, Indonesia, is
much weaker than others. This kind of people think that other countries has better economy,
culture, nature, and even people. This kind of mindset makes them less favorite with their own
country. Both are jeopardizing Indonesia towards ASEAN Community 2015.
Before moving further, its important to know that ASEAN Community 2015 is, as stated by
ASEAN itself, establishing ASEAN as a single market and production base with the goal of making
ASEAN more dynamic and competitive..
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Secondly, there are four pillars to the AEC. First is single
market and production base. Second is competitive economic region. The third is equitable
economic development. Fourth pillar is ASEANs integration into the global economy.
What are actually things in ASEAN Community 2015 which is jeopardizing our unhealthy
society? Almost every point of previous paragraph actually. Just pick a point on single market and
production base. This point will mean of five core elements. They are free flow of goods, free flow of
services, free flow of investment, freer flow of capital, and free flow of skilled labour. As the
reasonable projection, when this policy running, those people who know nothing about this will be
unprepared. They business and job career will be threatened since those core elements mean a
purely free trade, from goods to people service, of ASEAN countries. Meanwhile, it will mean a much

1
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/student
2
Thinking Globally, Prospering Regionally ASEAN Economic Community 2015 : Jakarta: ASEAN Secretariat,
April 2014
better chance for those other-countries-minded people to get imported goods from other countries,
which will increase the purchase and in long, even shorter, terms, jeopardizing consumption of our
own mass production. Actually there much number of other projection but lets move to the most
essential part.
What IR students can do in changing societys mindset is get down to earth and sit together
in society to campaign a better knowledge of international relations. Realizing the jeopardizing
projection, IR students have to make a comprehensive project to create an aware society.
IR students need to change the mindset of common people on society that is still thinking
international relations is not an important knowledge. International relations are actually relates
with their everyday life. Also its necessary to make them believe that Indonesia, just like people,
does not stand alone in the world. There are many other states, which is not actually better than our
state, that are actually related with Indonesia and affect everyday life of our society. By creating an
aware society, actually IR students have learned it as one of the step to strenghten negative
sovereignity, havent they?