Indonesian Interface Delegates for 24th ASEAN SUMMIT Regret the Cancellation of CSO Interface Meeting

[Nay Pyi Taw] – Indonesia CSO Delegations for 24^th ASEAN Summit regret the cancellation of Interface Meeting agenda with the ASEAN leaders, which was supposed to be taking place in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar today (5/11).

In this very crucial time for the upcoming ASEAN Community 2015 next year, Interface Meeting with the ASEAN leaders in Myanmar should have been a very strategic space – for both government and civil society as well- in contrary a decision made by the committee of ACSC/APF 2014 to withdraw the important agenda.

This is ironically happened when the Myanmar government has opened, put an agenda for civil society and proactive to make the interface meeting to be included in 24^th ASEAN Summit agenda. Despite of the cancellation that has been published by the Regional SC in Yangon, there was another decision made by number of countries who agreed to proceed the Interface agenda.

“This decision supposed to be sent and informed properly to the ASEAN Chair. The Regional SC must listen more to the national civil society aspiration and should give more space to national CSO to have their interface with ASEAN leaders rather than declaring its withdrawal of interface meeting. It made the situation getting worse,” Daniel Awigra, Indonesian Delegate said.

“This signifies that the voice of civil society in ACSC/APF 2014 cannot be directly delivered to the ASEAN leaders,” said Shantoy Hades, Indonesia Media Committee of ACSC/APF.

To respond this, Indonesian Delegates invite us to have reflection on the cancellation and the implication to the engagement of government and civil society. The question remains, what kind of ASEAN Community that want to achieve?

Democratization process in Indonesia has proven that dialogue turns the situation better.

Interface meeting, as one of the engagement spaces between government and civil society, has been used many times as the political contest by some countries, like Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia and it happened also in the previous ASEAN Summits. It clearly shows the face of democracy in ASEAN.

Media Contact:
Daniel Awigra, Email: [email protected],
Shantoy Hades, Email: [email protected]

Download the press release here

This post is in: ASEAN, Press Release