BILA DEB 1990 TAK JADI DR M BUAT 2020. ASEAN 2025 TAK JADI DEPA BUAT 2045 PULA.

• Kuala Lumpur Declaration sets Asean’s long game for economic resilience
• KL Declaration on Asean 2045: Our Shared Future  
• will succeed Asean 2025: Forging Ahead Together, adopted in 2015
• Asean’s journey of regional integration
• Asean’s future must rest on “foundations of sustainability and inclusion"
• means closing development gaps, raising standards of living
• investing in human spirit and potential of all our citizens
• commitment to building people-centred regional community

My Comments: 

Well when the 'short game' tak jadi then it becomes a 'long game'. Nowadays they are getting cleverer - they are postponing their targets by 20 years. Instead of Wawasan 2020 Dr Mahathir should have said Wawasan 2050.

So how? Will that top scorer Indian girl get admission into the medical faculty? 
Inclusion, human spirit, potential of all our citizens and all that? 
Or is that just cakap kosong again? And again?

I believe there will be strong cohesion between the people's of Indo-China like Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand. They may even form their own economic bloc. They should. Myanmar is too confused - like Pakistan. Only the Permanent Secretary of Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry signed the 2045 Declaration. An outlier.

There will be stronger cohesion between Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. It will be better for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei to work towards an economic merger. (Not a political merger - lets not be silly). An economic merger is not a pie-in-the-sky idea. It has happened before very successfully. Do you recall 'The British Empire'? That was when our region first began to develop - and very quickly. 

Here is some money history:  

1. The Malayan dollar (Malay: ringgit, Jawi: رڠڬيت) was the currency of the British colonies and protectorates in Malaya and Brunei until 1953. It was introduced in 1939, replacing the Straits dollar at par. 
2. The Straits dollar was the currency of the Straits Settlements from 1898 until 1939. At the same time, it was also used in the Federated Malay States, the Unfederated Malay States, Kingdom of Sarawak, Brunei, and British North Borneo.

So for 55 years (1898-1953) this region shared a common currency. It developed super fast. So it has been done before. (It is not very successful in the EU because the EU is too big, too many people, garlic versus no garlic, talk with hands versus Links Recht Links Recht).

Anyway, the rest of ASEAN - like Myanmar - are 'outliers'.  

If they allow the Chinese business communities to do what they are best at doing then the shared future, the resilience etc will be achieved much quicker. Two of the ASEAN prime ministers are Chinese (Singapore and Thailand). Marcos has Chinese ancestry as well. Dont obstruct them. Just let them do what they want. And compete with them. Bukan susah pun. The Banglas can knock out the Chinese in Petaling Street. The Pakistanis can penetrate Low Yat.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.