Asean wants strong, peaceful, rich China A20 Time for Myanmar to solve ethnic conflict

By KAVI CHONGKITTAVORNFOR THE STRAITS TIMES

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THAILAND and Myan-mar have always beenthe nations in stark con-trast during the pasthalf-century. The

former used to be one of South-east Asia’s brightest spots, withhuge democratic deposits and eco-nomic potential, while the latterwas one of the world’s mostclosed societies, underdevelopedand isolated.

Not any more. Myanmar todayhas a far better story to tell.

As Thailand continues to battledomestic turmoil and formerprime minister Thaksin Shinawat-ra’s fate, Myanmar has displayedexceptional candour and opennessin permitting far-reaching politi-cal and economic reforms.

The speed of reforms hasgreatly surprised the interna-tional community. PresidentThein Sein has recently uppedthe ante, reiterating that Myan-mar would accelerate economicreforms to attract foreign directinvestment and forge internation-al economic cooperation. The lackof infrastructure in key economicareas and governance has not dis-suaded foreign investors fromseeking opportunities and partner-ships.

For well over a decade, Bang-kok has been caught in a politicalquagmire and a whirlpool of polar-isation without a resolution insight. The latest squabbling be-tween the ruling party, Pheu Thai,and the Constitutional Court islikely to persist and affect bothstability and business confidencefor months, if not years, to come.This negative perception has al-ready zapped the country’s eco-nomic energy and diminished fu-ture growth prospects. Even Thai-land’s versatile

private sector with its ability toweather political storms hasshown signs of wariness. The factis, they are now talking about in-vesting in Myanmar. As long asthe political impasse ensues, inter-national businessmen and inves-tors will bypass Thailand for themore stable environment acrossthe 2,004km border.

In contrast, Naypyidaw is do-ing quite well in overcoming exist-ing political divides. It is also win-ning confidence worldwide, fol-lowing the collaboration of Presi-dent Thein Sein and oppositionleader Aung San Suu Kyi in takinga joint lead following their meet-ing last August. As long as she re-mains active politicallyand on good termswith the powersthat be in Nay-

pyidaw, Ms Suu Kyi will be a driv-ing force of connectivity for hercountry with the rest of the worldand serve as a springboard for My-anmar to expand economic cooper-ation and gain market access.

Of late, the much-disdainedslogan “Roads to Socialism” hasbeen replaced by the new buzzphrase “All roads lead to Burma”.Daily flights from major cities inthe region are packed.

If this trend continues, the po-litical and strategic landscape inmainland South-east Asia will al-so shift dramatically. Westerncountries, the United States andEurope in particular, can maketheir presence felt inside Myan-

mar for the first time sinceWorld War II.

As a new fulcrum,M y a n m a r i s

poised to become the region’sgame changer despite its back-wardness. The country’s ideal lo-cation – sandwiched by Chinafrom the East and India from theWest overlooking the Gulf of Ben-gal – has always empowered itsleaders to plan strategically forthe long term throughout its mod-ern history.

They have survived in extreme-ly hostile global conditions. Dec-ades of isolation and Westernsanctions forced Myanmar to relyon China for friendship and assist-ance. Once Naypyidaw detected asmall window to break away, itacted swiftly. The halt of construc-tion of the US$3.6 billion (S$4.6billion) Myitsone dam in Kachinstate and the dramatic turnaroundin relations with the US were am-ple illustrations, showing Myan-mar’s single-mindedness and pa-tience. Its boldness and clarity indealing with China are rarely seenin the region. Doubtless the majorpowers, which used to shun Myan-mar, have taken a fresh look at thecountry. They have moved quick-ly to normalise ties and intensify

cooperation to increase their bar-gaining power.

Engaging with their Aseancolleagues is far less complicat-ed.Myanmar is preparing to take

up the Asean chair in 2014. Itscatalytic role must not be un-derestimated. Naypyidawhas already softened its

hard-line standat several Asean

meetings. Last No-vember, a national hu-

man rights body wasset up linking Thailand,

Indonesia, Malaysia andthe Philippines. It was the

first Asean member to inviteits colleagues and international

representatives to observe theby-elections in April.

The biggest change so far hasbeen in freedom of expression. UYe Htut, director-general of Infor-mation and Public Relations, Min-istry of Information, had earlierpledged that news censorship, inplace since 1962, would be termi-nated at the end of last month. Aninterim national press council willbe established to oversee a code ofethics and enforce professional-ism. Once the new media law is inplace, the self-regulatory body

will become more independent,with members elected fromthe local media community.

Sustained reforms and afreer press will boost thestatus of Myanmar – onceconsidered a pariah mem-

ber – in Asean. SinceMarch last year, it has be-

come the most progressiveamong the four new mem-

bers. As Asean chair, Myanmarcan initiate changes in the

group’s human rights frameworkas the five-year terms of refer-ence is up for review by emphasis-ing protection rather than promo-tion – a commitment its national

human rights body has vowedto do anyway.

As Myanmar dominatesnews headlines, bilateral re-lations with Thailand couldface new complications. Thefate of nearly three million il-legal migrant workers anddisplaced people from Myan-mar could strain future ties,not to mention the porousborder which has served asthe crossroads of narcoticsand human trafficking fordecades. During Ms Suu

Kyi’s recent visit to Bangkok, shewas succinct in her message thatthe Thai government could do bet-ter to protect the rights of thesemigrant workers and the well-be-ing of displaced people.

Furthermore, Naypyidaw’s ef-forts to search for an enduring po-litical settlement with the restlessarmed minorities straddling theThai-Myanmar border and thethousands of stranded Rohingyaboat refugees will affect Thai-land’s volatile national security.Despite repeated denials, past re-ports of Myanmar’s nuclear pro-gramme, including substantivelinks with North Korea over mis-sile technology, have raised con-cerns among Thai security lead-ers.

Apart from the US$8.6 billiondeep-sea port developmentproject in Dawei, spearheaded bya Thai construction company, lit-tle bilateral cooperation exists.During this transitional period,the role of a third country such asthe US or Japan is pivotal in facili-tating more Thai-Myanmar coop-eration. The US-led Lower Me-kong Initiative, which Myanmarwas invited to join last year, in-volves riparian countries downthe river to cooperate on waterpreservation and management.Other capacity-building schemesin education, public health, envi-ronment, governance and the ruleof law could be designed to bepart of a broader programme de-veloped under a Thai-US or Thai-Japan cooperative framework.

Myanmar is emerging as a newregional player in continentalSouth-east Asia and is taking ad-vantage of its neighbouring coun-tries’ shortcomings, including per-sisting strategic ambiguities. Con-vergence of the major powers’ de-sire to lessen Myanmar’s depend-ence on China and region-wide in-fluence will augment its securityand strategic values.The writer is assistant group editor ofNation Media Group in Thailand, whichpublishes the English-language dailyThe Nation.By Invitation features leading thinkersand writers from the region andSingapore.

BYINVITATION

THE poor pre-school rating of Singaporeamong 45 rich and developing econo-mies surveyed warrants closer examina-tion. From childcare centres to play-school and kindergarten, enrolmentshere are as high as places and fees per-mit. Subsidies are available to thosewho qualify. Anybody who has observedparents agonise over placements will un-derstand how earnestly families treatearly-childhood development as prepa-ration for formal school. Indeed, a criti-cism is that kindergarten is too struc-tured and too stressful too early forkids. On such evidence, and the factthat the better kindergartens routinelyreport waiting lists, one would have ex-pected Singapore to have done better

than its 29th position in the EconomistIntelligence Unit’s benchmarking of ear-ly education, commissioned by the LienFoundation. Clearly there is room for im-provement.

The value of this rigorous evaluationlies in the international best practicewhich operators can measure them-selves against. The key conclusion to di-gest is that while commitment and ac-cess to pre-school learning are the mini-mum, a system will be judged on its qual-ity.

Despite its long tradition, pre-schoolteaching efficacy and child-handling areon occasion questioned. A vicious circleof inadequate wages leading to modestentry points and poor teacher-pupil ra-

tios has to be addressed. Compared withtop-ranked Finland, where degrees arerequired of teachers, Singapore has onlyraised requirements progressively fromthree O- level credits to five credits anda teaching diploma. Better credentialsand candidates are possible only if wag-es rise in accord with the professionalworth of the work. A start has to bemade before long to break the chain ofmediocrity. Staff do make up for lack ofqualifications with a passion for the job,but this is leaving matters to chance.The uneven quality is acknowledged bythe PAP Community Foundation, whichis seeking to standardise curricula andteaching in its kindergartens to even outstandards. As the largest operator, its

overhaul will be watched by others forleads.

Raising standards is likely to affectcosts. Against this, parents shouldweigh the critical importance of earlybrain development, raising social aware-ness, confidence and group interactionskills, and readying children for schooland life generally. “High-quality pro-grammes save society significantamounts of money over time,” noted anexpert in the Economist IntelligenceUnit’s report. This makes it worthwhileto consider if state management of kin-dergartens – going beyond curriculumand supervisory guidance – will bringquality assurance, which parents desireabove all else.

Myanmar set to be game changer

Raising quality of pre-school education

W E D N E S D A Y , J U L Y 4 , 2 0 1 2

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Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.