Yogya (KU) – Ten ASEAN ambassadors from Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam gathered together, discussing ASEAN’s future in a discussion entitled New ASEAN: Implementation of the ASEAN Charter, Monday (10/5) at UGM Graduate School. The gathering was the first time conducted on campus. “Ten ASEAN ambassadors gathered here (UGM)for the first time. Hopefully, it can produce cooperation in the future,†said Director General of ASEAN in the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Djauhari Oratmangun.
Djauhari said that currently each ASEAN country has a permanent representative assigned in Jakarta although they still serve as ambassador of their country to Indonesia. Moreover, there are over 30 international countries having appointed their ambassadors to ASEAN. “Each ASEAN country already has its ambassador to ASEAN in Jakarta. As in Europe, each country has a permanent representative in the European Union,†he said.
Meanwhile, UGM Vice Rector of Alumni and Business Development, Prof. Ir. Atyanto Dharoko, M.Phil., Ph.D., said that the discussion of ASEAN permanent representatives opened an opportunity for new cooperations that can be developed further. Even so, he asked that the ASEAN cooperation will be more populist in the form of collaborations between communities of ASEAN countries. "ASEAN cooperation should take the people into account. ASEAN does not belong to an elite group, but to society," he added.
According to Atyanto, currently many people do not know that they are part of ASEAN. Therefore, comprehensive socialization is needed, especially for the younger generation to make them more familiar with ASEAN. "This can be started with television programs, visual aids, or animated films to develop their knowledge and understanding," he said.