Written by Zaid Ibrahim

Thursday, 08 December 2005

(NST-Dec,2005)

Good governance is a fundamental right that is interlinked with human rights, democracy, rule of law, stability and the eradication of poverty.

Most members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have taken the commitment to good governance seriously. Malaysia has embraced Islam Hadhari as the approach to good governance and social justice to benefit all Malaysians, regardless of race or religion.

It is critical that we maintain the momentum that has propelled Asean towards considerable level of success in fostering democracy. We should never allow our efforts to be eroded by the effects of one country’s misrule, even if it is that of fellow Asean member Myanmar.

This is why, a year ago, a group of Asean MPs formed the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC).

Our main aims were to secure the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and to prevent the Myanmar regime from chairing Asean in 2006. As we proceeded with our programme, we were told that we were pursuing an impossible dream — Asean would never budge on such treasured traditions as the rotating chair.

Well, we achieved half of that dream. At the end of July, the unthinkable happened — the pressure, concern and “active persuasion” over the Asean chair led to Myanmar’s withdrawal.

This is the first time that parliamentarians have crossed party and national boundaries to work together to support democratisation within our own region. In doing so, we have come in direct confrontation with Asean’s precious tenet of “non-interference”.

In April, I wrote an article in the Asian Wall Street Journal that identified Myanmar’s regime as a threat to regional security. Months later, the same analysis was echoed in a report commissioned by Nobel Laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu and former Czech President Vaclav Havel.

They have asserted, just as we have, that the misrule in Myanmar continues to pose a security threat. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled Myanmar as refugees and illegal migrant workers. The absence of good governance has also contributed to the thriving drug trade and the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Our efforts toward good governance will always be threatened by the spill-over effects of Myanmar’s misrule. It is clear that our destinies as neighbouring countries are linked, and we need to seriously address good governance as a regional issue.

Regional good governance must be a fundamental right for Asean citizens. Without regional stability, how are we going to achieve economic integration and sustainable economic growth? The Myanmar authorities have refused to publish national economic statistics since 2002. With the chaos started last month by Myanmar’s 800 per cent rise in fuel prices and sudden decision to move the capital, the situation could be worse than we imagine.

Asean Governments need to seriously review the relevance of the so-called “non-interference principle”. We should not be willing to politely ignore the misbehaviour of a neighbour when the consequences impinge on our internal and regional stability. We must not allow “non-interference” to blind us to the suffering of 50 million of our own neighbours.

It is time the Asean Charter becomes more responsive to the needs of our people. We need an Asean that is credible, pragmatic and practical when it comes to addressing conflicts of interest and security.

We need an effective mechanism to deal with the effects and causes of poor governance and misrule. Without a realistic approach to prevent the escalation of threats caused by bad governance, we are dis-empowering ourselves.

What I am saying may not be considered polite or diplomatic. However, it is the responsibility of elected representatives to speak up and defend the rights of the people who entrusted us with their votes.

We cannot afford to be shortsighted and ignore the fact that our local and national interests are affected by regional problems.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains detained in Myanmar, has asked us: “Use your liberty to promote ours.” It is a call that applies not just to Myanmar but to the entire region.

Southeast Asia has a rich tradition of struggle for human rights, democracy and justice. We have struggled against colonialism and, in more recent times, against dictatorship.

Thousands have given up their lives and liberty so that we, the citizens of Asean, can enjoy freedom and development.

We should not squander the sacrifices of those who came before us. Our national commitment to accountability must be reflected at the regional level if we are to secure our collective destinies.

Good governance and democracy are not magic wands that will instantly erase our problems. However, this is the continuation of a struggle for dignity and freedom that we cannot afford to abandon. We cannot accept compromises or excuses. Such lack of conviction betrays the vision of what Asean is supposed to be standing for.

We cannot afford to surrender our future to the outmoded idea of “non-interference”.

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is MP for Kota Baru and president of the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus. This article is extracted from his opening speech at the AIPMC’s Conference on Good Governance, Democracy and Asean held in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 2-3.

Written by Santha Oorjitham, Bernama

Thursday, 08 December 2005

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 8 (Bernama) — Asean lawmakers are working hard to get the “Myanmar situation” on the agenda of the 11th Asean Summit here next week.

At the very least, they want the issue to be on the informal agenda when leaders of the 10-member regional grouping gather at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from Dec 12 to 14.

Teresa Kok, Secretary of the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC), told Bernama that delegates from six Asean countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar) will be delivering a statement issued by the AIPMC’s Conference on Good Governance, Democracy and Asean to their respective foreign ministers. The delegates include senators, members of parliament and diplomats.

Caucus President Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said he would be making an effort to see both Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar this week to show them the statement from the caucus.

At the conference in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 2 and 3, about 80 participants including lawmakers and diplomats had denounced the Myanmar military government’s “human rights abuses and refusal to engage in meaningful democratic reforms” and called for discussion of the issue to be included in the agenda of Asean summit and the ministerial meetings.

The caucus was formed last year to work for the release of Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political detainees, as well as towards representative democracy in the country.

In a telephone interview from Bangkok, Thai Senator Jon Ungphakorn said Thailand’s Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Senator Kraisak Choonhaven would be meeting Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamonkhon to express the views of last week’s conference.

The former human rights activist said he was not “very hopeful” that the Thai delegation would push for the issue to be tabled at the summit.

“But some governments are quite keen. The Philippines has been at the forefront, especially their parliamentarians who have passed a number of motions on this in both houses.”

He also predicted that the Malaysian, Singaporean and possibly Indonesian delegations might support discussion of the “Myanmar situation” at the summit.

However, Kok, who is the MP for Seputeh, admitted that it was unlikely that the issue would be on the official agenda of the summit.

“But if pressure is mounted, maybe they will discuss it informally, on the sidelines,” she said, noting that the United Nations Security Council had decided to discuss human rights in Myanmar.

“All this discussion and international pressure is very much needed,” she said.

The United Nations Secretary-General’s special envoy for Myanmar, Tan Sri Razali Ismail, however, was not hopeful that Myanmar would be on the summit’s agenda.

“Asean governments have not done much (on the issue) recently anyway. I do not expect much movement on that score,” the former president of the UN General Assembly said.

Written by Jonathan Kent

Saturday, 03 December 2005

A group of South East Asian lawmakers have called for next week’s summit in Malaysia to tackle the issue of Burma.

They will call for Burma to be expelled from the regional bloc Asean if the regime does not improve its human rights record within 12 months.

Malaysian cabinet minister Nazri Aziz compared the Burmese junta with the regimes of Hitler and Stalin.

The condemnation comes as the UN Security Council calls for a report on Burma for the first time.

Democratic deficit

Burma is not due to be discussed at the annual meeting of leaders from the Association of South East Asian Nations or Asean.

The hosts Malaysia saw to that. But a group of lawmakers from across the region say that is not good enough.

The parliamentarians want Burma permanently on Asean’s agenda and they want the grouping’s secretary general to report regularly on the situation there.

The Philippines senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel Junior says that the gentle approach simply has not worked.

“To my mind, you know, we also engage Myanmar by telling Myanmar ‘Look you can’t go on like this’,” she said.

“Imprisoning Aung San Suu Kyi for 10 years without trial – I mean how can any country that claims to be civilised do that, though my own personal preference is to expel Myanmar from the Asean.”

The tone of the parliamentarians’ meeting suggests that South East Asia’s democracies are losing patience with their authoritarian neighbour.

Next week’s summit will be watched carefully to see whether the region’s less democratic countries rally to Burma’s side to help frustrate a development which might one day see their own shortcomings examined.

Written by Bernama

Saturday, 03 December 2005

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 (Bernama) — A caucus of Asean lawmakers called for the expulsion of Myanmar from the regional grouping if Yangon does not free pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners within a year and move towards democratisation and respect of human rights.

The Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) said Yangon had promised many times to undertake necessary democratic reforms and to release Suu Kyi in the past but nothing was done.

Addressing reporters at a news conference at the end of a two-day AIPMC meeting here, its president Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said Asean was committing a “great error” by not making Myanmar fulfil its promises.

By expelling Myanmar, Asean would at least erase the stigma attached to the grouping due to Myanmar’s membership, said Zaid who is the Barisan Nasional Member of Parliament for Kota Baharu.

He said AIPMC also wants Myanmar, which has declined to take over the rotated Asean chairmanship after Malaysia next year, never to be allowed to chair the 10-member grouping until it achieves meaningful reforms.

The AIPMC was formed last year from among legislators of six Asean countries to work for the unconditional release of Suu Kyi and other political detainees and the holding of a meaningful representative and legitimate National Convention in Myanmar.

The caucus members are from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar. Cambodian legislators are expected to join in the next few months.

Fresh calls for the censure of Myanmar surfaced after Yangon early this week extended the house arrest of Suu Kyi by another six months and the scheduled Asean Summit to be held here from Dec 12-14.

She had been under detention most of the time since 1990 and her latest period in custody began in May 2003.

Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Laureate and daughter of Myanmar’s independence hero Aung San, led her National League for Democracy party to victory in the May 1990 parliamentary election but Myanmar’s military junta refused to recognise the results.

The caucus also urged the official inclusion of the “Myanmar situation” in the agenda of Asean Summits and Asean Ministerial Meetings.

“The Asean Secretary-General should be charged with the responsibility of making regular reports on Myanmar in the same way that the United Nations Secretary-General does to members of the UN,” he said.

Zaid said Asean must exert pressure on Myanmar to respect the results of the 1990 election and end systematic violations of human rights such as arbitrary detention, forced labour and forced relocation.

2-3 December 2005, Prince Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) ‘Conference on Good Governance, Democracy and ASEAN’ will bring together regional lawmakers, and other relevant stakeholders, to discuss, debate and promote good governance in the region while focusing on the current dire situation in Myanmar.

ASEAN has recognised the importance of promoting good governance in the region, be it for regional economic growth or political stability, while encouraging democratic development, anti-corruption, transparency and the upholding of human rights by its member states.

In this context, the conference will allow participants, the majority of whom have shown commitment towards the promotion of good governance in Myanmar, to share their experiences and discuss the challenges they face in promoting good governance.

The conference will also enable ASEAN legislators to strategise and strengthen their efforts, while building on the current global momentum, to promote good governance and concrete democratic reforms within military-ruled Myanmar.

Representatives of the multi-partisan AIPMC, from six ASEAN nations currently in the caucus, will have the opportunity to engage with representatives from international governments, as well as Burmese nationals and rights groups, to further fuel the caucus’ work and commitment to promote democracy in Myanmar.

For more information, kindly contact the Secretariat at: info@aseanmp.org

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(Programme)

Thursday December 1, 2005

Arrival

Friday December 2, 2005

8.30am – 9.00am Registration

9.00am – 10.00am Opening

Speech by Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz (Minister in Prime Minister’s Department)

Speech by Datuk Zaid Ibrahim (AIPMC Chair)

Speech/message by Daw San San (Member of Parliament Union, Burma)

Messages of support and solidarity

10.00am – 10.30am Break

10.30am – 1.00pm Good Governance: Asean

1.00pm – 2.00pm Lunch

2.00pm – 4.00pm Good Governance: Myanmar

4.00pm – 4.30pm Break

4.30pm – 6.00pm MPs Workshops: Myanmar strategic action

7.30pm – Dinner

Saturday December 3, 2005

9.00am – 10.00am Plenary: Workshop reports

10.00am – 12.00am Closed door Asean Parliamentarians round-table

12.15pm Press Conference

1.00pm Lunch

ENDS

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 (Bernama) — Myanmar’s continued house arrest of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is unacceptable to the international community, a Malaysian cabinet minister told a conference here Friday.

Datuk Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, speaking in his capacity as a Member of Parliament, described Myanmar as “recalcitrant” for extending the Nobel Peace Laureate’s house arrest by six months, saying it would not augur well for the future of the region.

He said the prime concern now was that Yangon’s action was also not in tandem with the aspiration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

“What is done to Aung San Suu Kyi reminds us of the days of Hitler and Stalin…it is happening now in the new millennium. It is shocking and I think we should continue to pressure them (the Myanmar government) to comply with the international standard,” said Nazri, who earlier opened a conference on “Good Governance, Democracy and Asean” organised by the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC).

The Myanmar government confirmed the extension of Suu Kyi’s house arrest on Nov 28. She had been under detention most of the time since 1990 and her latest period in custody began in May 2003.

Suu Kyi, the daughter of Myanmar’s independence hero Aung San, led her National League for Democracy (NLD) party to victory in the May 1990 parliamentary election but Myanmar’s military junta refused to recognise the results.

Mohamed Nazri said what was being done by the Myanmar government was not acceptable to the international community and there would be no democracy as long as Suu Kyi and others remained in detention.

He also described the constitution-drafting conference convened by the Myanmar government last February as a sham.

“Some (participants and delegates) were arranged to come…some forced and some paid to come…not true representation of what the Myanmar people want,” he said.

Mohamed Nazri told the conference attended by current and former lawmakers from several Asean countries as well as diplomats that parliamentarians in Asean should continue to pressure Yangon to release Suu Kyi and other political prisoners and implement democratic reforms.

He said it was their responsibility as elected representatives of the people to promote democracy and good governance and protect human rights.

“We know we are on the right path and we are progressing. There is no turning back. We all must strive to achieve this because I think this is the future and also the present,” he added.