OPINION | Asean must have own economic forum to break Western stranglehold on narratives
ASEAN, with a population approaching 700 million, is an emerging economic bloc that can rival the likes of the European Union (EU).
Asean members have many things in common. We dominate the world in the export of many tropical commodities. One example is palm oil: Malaysia and Indonesia together account for more than 80 per cent of world production.
Now Thailand and the Philippines are joining the game. A recent visit to Thailand suggests oil palm cultivation is expanding in the south. It is now possible to achieve a yield of 30 tonnes per hectare there.
Like the other economic blocs, Asean is a major consumer of the world’s products. We are a major importer of finished goods, including electronics and cars. As our purchasing power improves, our appetite for such items also jumps.
Memento Maxima Digital MarketingThe region produces most of what its population consumes, but it is also a major destination for global food exports. Malaysia’s annual food imports have reached a staggering RM70 billion. Inter-Asean trade is healthy, but many believe there is scope for more.
In a world rushing to embrace NetZero, our products have been misjudged because of competition. At the top of the list is palm oil, which has been unfairly criticised on the grounds of carbon emission.
Lately, natural rubber has also been targeted by Western critics. Some even say that the rubber tree should not be treated as a forest species. How low can discriminatory ways go?
There is no denying that global competition is growing. The rise of Asia in the global economic equation worries the West. It is unhealthy that most of the narratives on the world economy come from the West.
Take, for example, the recent World Trade Organisation ruling supporting Malaysia’s claim of discrimination by the EU on palm oil. The narrative from the West was the opposite.
It has become apparent that much of the communication out of the many economic forums is less than friendly to the developing South. Many such meetings champion the cause of the developed North. This must change because communication has a powerful influence on shaping world policy.
The world economic forces shifting to the East is no longer a secret. Even Western experts have admitted to this fact. Though the East is led by China, Asean has also emerged as a major economic force. And the bloc has yet to realise its full potential.
This is where Asean must strategise to influence world business and trade policy.
We must no longer take a back seat at international negotiations. We must be there to articulate our common position on climate change. Our presence at Conference of the Parties’ meetings must be strengthened.
Decisions reached at such meetings are often not in our favour. Discriminatory narratives on palm oil and rubber are examples of these.
There are others, I am sure. It is time we communicate our own narratives to the world.
Asean must have an economic forum to discuss regional trade and business strategies. There is no reason why we cannot be a major supplier of downstream palm oil and rubber products to the world.
We should break away from the colonial mentality that we are only good at producing raw materials for the West, which will add value to them before selling the products to us. We should also have our own strategy to deal with climate change. It is time for Asean to host its own economic forum.
The writer is professor at Tan Sri Omar Centre for STI Policy Studies, UCSI University, and Associate Fellow at the Ungku Aziz Centre, Universiti Malaya. First published in New Straits Times
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