Some wailS do not function mer~ as human constructs; they are su bstantial barriers that define the disconnection

between the
hearts and minds o f people with disparate origins. interests. and beliefs. These entities occur within ASEAN. W'!1ile on one hand they
serve to accentuate the uniqueness of a people, by virtue of their cultures and ideologies. they also are an impediment to genuine
cooperation and cohesive social progress. an ideal that ASEAN was supposed to transfonn into realily.

The most fundamental dMdes in ASEAN took place due to a deeply ingrained intransigence on the part of particular member states
on matters governing political stances, man ifested in conjunction with the in nate inh ibitions of member states that pi"event them
from interfering with the actions of other member states. The Burma crisis VIIitnessed the repression of many human rights activists
'Nho had demonstrated peacefully against the government in the hope of secu ring a more reasonable set of inalienable rights to
WOI1c: with. ASEAN was slammed by Western media for adopting too soft an approach against checking human rights abuses in
Burma, as it refused to suspend Myanmar's membership and implement economic sanctions to prevent the abuses from continuing.
In my opinion, while such harsh mea5Ufes vvere not entirely necessary, ASEAN's member states could have contributed in a more
constructive role through the provision of avenues for consensus building talks between the conRicting parties. However, member
states were held back by their overwhelming respect for the sovereignty of Burma, a fellow member state. partly because they
feared the repercussions of similar circumstances visited upon themsetves in future. and partly due to a precedent of rlOrHnterfer-
ence in domestic politics. This was emphasized by the ASEAN representative Surakiart Sathirathai, 'Nho stated thatASEAN's role was
mer~ to generate. and not prescribe. solutions. This implies the gravity of the matter- the walls to progress and heightened libera-
tion in ASEAN are self imposed by member states who lack the courage to convey frank opinions on thorny issues, take an active
stance in directing hc:7vv events unfold, and back measures that though u n popular, serve the greater good.

The walls that a re most germane to the people of ASEAN would be those which pertain directly to their bread and butter. Countries
such as cam bodia and laos a re being marginalired increasingly with their markets inundated by the onslaught of cheap overseas
exports. The poor in these lands lack the ability to emerge from the vicious poverty cycle, with IT'IOI'e than 70% survMng on less than
US$2 a day. Transnational corporate interests are pursued. causing an unequal distribution of resources and access to economic 0p-
portunities amongst the populace, which further compounds the problems of inequalily. Yet the asymmetries are apparent with es-
tablished members, such as Thailand and the Philippines, enjoying continued growth from integration.

To me, wailS within ASEAN have also transpired due to the recurrent. cardinal theme of self interest The single disincentive to coun-
tries from stepping beyond their spheres of inRuence to aid other countries in ASEAN would be the artificial construct that is their
mentalily -which dictates that any course of action to ameliorate the plight of the less privileged would entail a significant reduction
in the living standards of one'Scountrymen. Consider the recent haze crisis. which erupted 4 years ago in Indonesia Vliherein subsis-
tence farmers sought to expand the fertile land area they had for cultivation o f crops by unsustainable methods of slash and bum
farming that raised pollutant levels u ntil they were high enough to constitute hazards to public health. Malaysia and Singapore uti-
liled ASEAN Ministerial Meetings as platforms to badger Indonesia into ratifying the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze
even with the knowledge that Indonesia lacked the sufficient resources to tackle the problem. The channeling of funds on the part
ofvarious member states, to solve .........tlat had evolved into a multicausal regional problem, would have proven a feasible solution, yet
no countries vvere willing to do so because of the perception that lhe root cause had originated within Indonesia's borders. The gen-
eral inertia in solving a problem that would engender benefits accruing to the entire region highlighted the lack of sociocentricness
amidst ASEAN countries, that self interest not only emerged in the form of wallS; rather the true walls were those that dealt with
identity.

I posrulate that the difficulties ahead confrontASEAN as a single body, and not as an amalgamation of various peoples and interests.
If ASEAN were to abolish all these walls that stand in the way of cohesion and growth. economic progress and societal stabiJily
would surely be in sight Yet it is this rudimentary change in mindset that is so hard to accomplish for it mandates acceptance of the
interests of countries in this region. In order for one to overcome walls, he, proverbially, needs to think beyond them.

Samuel Um Yong Peng

Raflles Junior College
page 2
 I I :

RUNNER-UP
When the Berlin Wall fell in '989, the phySical de5truction of the wall signified the reunification of East and West Germany, as .......ell
as a better and more prosperous future. In many countries. particularly in Southeast Asia these walls exist still, unable to be seen or
tom down like the one in Berlin. but are strongly felt tTy people 1IIkJo, helpless behind tl1ese invisible walls. remain at the mercy of
lhOse 'Nho erected them.

Take a look at the Union of Myanmar, which is governed by a strict milital)' regime. Despite international calls for the Head of State
of Myanmar, Senior General Than St"Jv.oe to cease his human rights abuses of his citizens. including repeated urges by the Association
of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) for the democratisation of the countty as well as the recent anti-govemment protests by the
monks, Senior General Than St"Jv.oe continues his dictatorial reign aver Myanmar with an iron fist \lihUe countries like China, which
was previously very much a closed economy, are opening up to the international community, the government of Myanmar contin-
ues to protect its walls against the rest of the world fiercely. And the rest of the 'NOI1d, even Myanma(s closest neighOOUrs, finds it jm.
possible to help the people behind these walls because of ASEAN's rKln-interference policy.

These walls. although invisible. come in different forms. First and most obvious are economic barriers that are formed when a
country's government decides to alienate herself from the world. This means severe restriction on trading imports and exports
with international community, as well as the ~ in free.trade agreements that further facilitate the flow of goods and
services around the world. In the case of Myanmar, It is a pitiful waste of both natural and labot.n" resources because the countty used
to be the largest exportef of rice as well as oil. a most valuable commodity, under British colonial rule. The highly literate population
then also contributed to making the countty the weafthiest in Southeast Asia then. Today, surrounded by the thick brick. walls of un-
defproduction and corruption], the countly is plagued by skyfocketing int\ation rates of 30 to 60 percent on basic commodity
prices since civil servants vvere given a saIaiy increase in April 20064, as vveII as an uneducated vvor1<force that remains as one of the
biggest building blocks of f...1yarma(s wall against the rest of the world because of how internationally. the world is moving tcrwards
a more kr1owIedge--bas economy.

The more intangible waRs are the cuftural barrien: that dictatorial governments erect to stem the nowof exchange of ideas between
its people and others in the \NClrk1. Some goverrrnents see this as a WirY to preserve the country's heritage and uniqueness. Ha.v-
ever, just as Plato's allegory of the cave in Book VII of the RepublIC where prisoners vvere merefy .aIk:wved to see flickering shadows
of reality, the cessation of corrvnunication with the rest of the worIcf makes it imJXlSSibie for the "escaped prisoner'" vvho has experi-
enced reality to share what real world is like with the rest of the "prisoners".

HO'NeVer, it has become more and more dIrIcUt to keep these walls inIact GlObalisation Is working its way through ItJem, carving
out doors on the walls to allow a greater fIowd ideas and aJb..re or eYen completely knocking these walls down. The process is cer-
tainly aided tTy the geographical proxirntty of many Southeast AsSn nations. such as SIngapore, Malaysia Thailand. cambodia VIet-
nam and Myanmar that are all joined together geographically. Fl.IIthermore, with the Increasing popularity of Internet being the
most efficient way of exchanging ideas and Information. gcwerrvnents will find it hard to restrict information garnered by their citi-
zens. After all, governments may block. websites. but if teenagers are able to get past firewalls. people will probably find a way to get
round the restrictions.

Singapore is a gocx:I example of a Southeast Asian COIXltry that has fT1Maged to open her doors to the rest of the wor1d. yet being
able to retain the multiracialism and multiculturalism that is such an ~ characteristiC d a Southeast Asian nation. One might
see the trends of Americanisation and Westemisation as frightening imageS of btXger.munching teenagers obsessed with the latest
hits by popular American artists or enamoured with the cute young actors in HoIPy.wod films, and conclude that this will be the
resLM: of carving doors and opening up to the glObal village. Hovvever, Singapore manages to open up to brilliant economic pros-
pects and vibrant cultural exchange without her people losing their cuftu"al heritage compIetefy. After al" a Chinese teenager, rKl
matter how --......esternised~, looks forward to the beautiful small red (but increasingly muItkoIoured) packet that he might receive
during Chinese New Year. Even if he might be using the money to buy the latest CD tTy Justin Timbet1ake.

Lee Tang Yin Klystal

Raffles Junior College page 3
 RUNNER- P
An eight-year-old scribbles on the wall in his room excitedly, leaving proud scrawIings of trees and people. \Vhen he turns seven-
teen, he paints the wall in va/}'ing shades of red and black. a supposed reflection of his maturity. a sign of rebellion, a precuf'SOl' to
adulthood. He turns tvVentyeighl and de<:ides to get rid of the colours he now finds hideous. whitewashing It aU away. Yet when
he is sixty. he embellishes the wall with wallpaper, preferring the comforting patterns that richly adorn the room.

One wall yet with the many transforma(iQrn: it undergoes over time as a person grows.
One political scene. yet vvith the many transformations it undergoes over lime as a country grOW'S,

As a country grows. so does its political scene - the latter is a perfect mirror of the country's situation, the country's society. and the
country's mabJrity. When a country is tim fanned, in its teething stages, its political scene is similar1y immature. The scribbles on the
wall are simply insufficient to even put jn place a basic system to bring about social stability. In East TIrTlQ(, a new!Y formed country in
Southeast Asia in 2002, its political scene was anarchic when it first started out. with the military even having to intervene. juggling
the problems of rebel militants and an identity-starving people.

When a country's political scene begins to stabilise. it is only often after a protracted period of time. that its people wil' have begun
to mature, and a comfortable standard of living achieved. Only then can the full benefits of a stable political system be savoured,
with the government in power focused only on the 1NeIfare of the people, and the efficient running of a country. In Singapore. after
many years of political struggle and economic hardship. it is nr::m nearing what 'NOUld seem to be a golden age. in 'A'hich comfort-
ing patterns and trends may be observed - a stable political sinJation that begets greater economic growth and prosperity. Many
may disagree though. and question the seeming lack of political OPfXIsition and the dearth of political awareness - issues that are
crucial In determining the political health of our countIy. Nevertheless. one cannot deny the benefits that this stable political situation
brings.

In between. of course. are the natural teething pains that a country's political situation would most likely experience. The shades of
red and black on the wall of politics that are the protests. revolutions. and political mischief that are also reftections of a countIy that
is tottering into maturHy. beginning to be aware of their political rights. and the political process. In democratic countries that hold
political elections. biased electoral systems or rigged elections are these unsightly colours, where measures to prevent these mis-
deeds have not been fully internalised. In the Philippines. its government is often shaken by corruption charges against various per-
sonnel- even current President Gloria Macapagat Arroyo has faced impeachment charges. with previous presidents like Joseph Es-
trada coming under fire before. But as maturit;y beckons. and as it comes. these memories of a haunting past vvin be forgotten. white-
washed. Corruption and other scandals that rocked the political system and society would soon be forgotten. and the country
begins to move forward again.

As time passes. a wall in a room would take on different facades - reflections of the personality and idiosyncrasies of its 0\r\II'lef. Simi-
larly, as countries mature and develop, their political systems and sttuations evolve being innuenced byvarious events and phen0m-
ena. such as the general psyche of the population. To clarify, the age of a country does not proportionately determine the maturity
of a population and its political process. Rather, the emphasis is on the time that is needed and required for the evolution of a political
system into one that is better and stronger.

The different facades each wall may take on reflect the diversity of various political scenarios that are possible too. The different de-
signs of wallpaper encompass the many successful political systems, that are all distinctive and unlike each other. Whether vveIfare-
based. forward-k>oking. or eternally truth-seeking. the various modes of governance appeal to various peoples. and contribute to
the overall diversity of countries we see in the 'NOI'1d today.

MarcTeh
TemasekJunior College

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