Asean: Time to Interfere
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Asean: Time to Interfere


By Zaid Ibrahim APRIL, 2005 - VOLUME 13 NO.4


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Within the region, we feel that Asean parliamentarians should initiate the birth of dialogue and understanding on regional issues of common concern to them such as the problem of migrant workers, environmental pollution caused by uncontrolled open fires, territorial disputes, human rights abuses, the spread of narcotics and diseases such as HIV, to name a few.

 

Asean governments have for too long remained aloof from these unhealthy developments, and preferred to take to the sidelines under the pretext of the so-called principle of “non-interference.”  Asean lacks the necessary mechanisms for making the grouping more united and having common policies on such urgent issues and the elected representatives of the people strongly feel that the time has come for them to play a pro-active role at a regional level.

 

Zaid Ibrahim, a British-trained lawyer, is a ruling party National Front MP for Kota Bahru in the Malaysian parliament. In November 2004 he was unanimously elected chairman of the new Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar [Burma] Caucus.


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