All that glisters.........

[ausgeo@xxxxxxx]

Thursday  May 1  1997

Editorial 
All that glisters . . . 

There was never any doubt that Burma would be welcomed into the Association of 
Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). The fact that the United States has imposed 
sanctions on the military dictatorship running the country merely gave the 
decision added piquancy.

The relationship between some tiger economies and the US often resembles the 
conflict between a disapproving parent and a rebellious teenager who prefers 
to damage his own interests for the pleasure of thumbing his nose at 
convention. Any attempt by Washington to influence the actions of Malaysia or 
Singapore is almost guaranteed to produce the opposite effect.

Developing countries have a natural, and justified, aversion to being told 
what to do by the West, but on occasions it reaches such proportions that it 
seems to obliterate all other considerations. This attitude is frankly 
acknowledged in an editorial in Singapore's Straits Times, which says that 
"what will tilt the balance of arguments is Asean's determination not to be 
dictated to".

Other partners, notably Thailand and the Philippines, have stressed that 
strategic considerations are behind their support for Burma's membership. That 
is a more valid argument for constructive engagement, but nothing can disguise 
the fact that Asean is embracing a dictatorship which has no mandate from the 
people.

Laos and Cambodia are also scheduled to join Asean later this year, making 10 
countries in all, though it is questionable whether the new members will give 
the organisation added clout. Cambodia is riven with internal strife, and Laos 
lags far behind in terms of economic advancement.

Bringing Burma into the group will be a boost for the recipient, but does 
nothing to enhance the reputation of the organisation itself. It is unlikely 
that Britain will sanction Burma as a delegate to the Asia-Europe summit in 
London next year.

Domestic problems also indicate that accepting Burma may prove a hindrance 
than an asset. Asean may find it would have been wiser to wait, not in 
America's interest, but in their own.

South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd.