ASEAN will have to put in place a compliance mechanism to ensure that fellow members adhere to the commitments made, especially with an ASEAN Charter being put in place.

Former Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan made the point when speaking to Channel NewsAsia on the sidelines of the ASEAN 40th Anniversary conference jointly organized by the S. Rajaratnam school of International studies (RSIS) and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.

Dr Surin will be named ASEAN Secretary General, in November when ASEAN leaders meet in Singapore. The grouping will also introduce the ASEAN Charter which means the next Secretary General will have to preside over a transition and a different kind of ASEAN. As such, ASEAN would need someone who is not a civil servant but a political leader, as described by Singapore’s Foreign Minister, George Yeo who along with the rest of the foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, designated Dr Surin as the next Secretary General.

Speaking to Channel NewsAsia's Augustine Anthuvan, the former Thai Foreign Minister described the nomination as “very generous”, adding that the charter is a good beginning and a good platform to work on because the world needs to engage with ASEAN more.

Acknowledging that the ASEAN Charter includes a clause to enhance the role of the secretariat, giving “a larger space for the Secretary General”, Dr Surin said it would be a focal point for interaction with the world community. “But still, it will have to be within the parameters that the leaders, the ministers will define and would set” he added.

Dr Surin went on to say, “ASEAN needs to go out and get in touch with the world - more expressing our own aspirations, our own vision and our own problems that we have that need to be resolved together with the world community. I think we have a contribution to make."

He said it has been four decades of trial and error for ASEAN, looking for ways to manage affairs effectively and the next phase for the regional grouping is a very, very important beginning. It is also a reflection of the realization of the leadership in ASEAN that things have to be altered, and that ASEAN needs some restructuring and re-engineering in order to face new sets of challenges that are different from forty years ago.

He pointed out that competition is becoming much fiercer. “If we are not careful, we may loose out”, said Dr Surin.

He sees the need to change will give impetus to the ASEAN leadership to move in a different, more effective and organised way. ASEAN however can’t do it alone. “The organisation will need the support of the people, 530 plus million people, ten governments, the NGOs, the labour movements, the private sector, the academic institution - all elements within our region will have to come together and work together and try to push this process forward. In the end it will be our benefits, it will be the common goods of ASEAN, of South East Asia together. We can do it but it will need a lot of investment and efforts and cooperation on our part", said Dr Surin.

Speaking of his new priorities in the months ahead, Dr Surin said he will act as an instrument of the ASEAN organization and leadership. “I will be a vehicle to try to implement the decisions and the vision of the collective called ASEAN, so alone I cannot accomplish. But together with the support of all sectors, of all governments, we certainly can make a difference for our people.”

He stressed that it’s the 535 million people in the regional grouping who really matter in the final analysis. “It is going to be a long road,” summed up Dr Surin, “but I think we have embarked on a very, very important mission together.” - CNA/ym