A “People-Oriented” ASEAN?

Abstract

In the period of reform that followed the regional financial crisis beginning in 1997, the idea of a “people-oriented”¹ ASEAN became a motif of discussions regarding the anticipated direction of the Association. This was accompanied by overtures of opening the Association to stakeholders, particularly civil society organizations (CSOs). This rhetoric of widening participation gained more concrete forms from the early 2000s, when ASEAN established new opportunities for civil society involvement. At the same time officials also began to interact with CSOs through mechanisms established outside of official processes, such as the ASEAN People’s Assembly and the ASEAN Civil Society Conference. This appeal to widen participation signaled an abrupt shift from ASEAN’s previous style of regional governance, characterized by closed-door meetings and tacit agreements among leaders, leading to the widely held perception of ASEAN as elitist and exclusive (Chavez 2006, p. 9).