Let’s push Timor-Leste for ASEAN membership

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok by Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, with signing on the ASEAN Declaration or Bangkok Declaration.

Nowadays ASEAN is made by 10 countries which include Brunei Darussalam (1984), Viet Nam (1995), Lao PDR and Myanmar (1997) and Cambodia (1999).

ASEAN spans over an area of 4.46 million km2, 3% of the total land area of Earth, with a population of approximately 600 million people, 8.8% of the world population.

As set out in the ASEAN Declaration, the Association’s aims and purposes are about cooperation in the economic, social, cultural, technical, educational and other fields, and in the promotion of regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter.

It stipulated that the Association would be open for participation by all States in the Southeast Asian region subscribing to its aims, principles and purposes.

It proclaimed ASEAN as representing “the collective will of the nations of Southeast Asia to bind themselves together in friendship and cooperation and, through joint efforts and sacrifices, secure for their peoples and for posterity the blessings of peace, freedom and prosperity.”

Timor-Leste as the newest country in Southeast Asia Region is preparing itself to be the eleventh ASEAN member.

As a democratic country and sharing the values and principles set out in ASEAN Declaration, Timor-Leste will be, we hope, the eleventh ASEAN member, allowing the country, its population and entrepreneurs to make a part of an growing economic market which had a combined GDP of US$ 1.5 trillion and trade with the world around US$ 1.7 trillion, in 2010.

Recognized as a regional organization of global significance by Mr. Barack Obama, during the 2nd Summit in 2010, the ASEAN could be, for the synergy that it attracts, an important step to help make Timor-Leste truly prosperous, harmonious, stable and secure country, boosting its economic development.

Integration on ASEAN can also support Timor-Leste to spread itself as a peaceful and stable country and create tourism opportunities.

Thus, despite the global economic slowdown in 2009 and 2010, Asia Region (ASEAN members plus China, Japan and Republic of Korea) announced that tourist arrivals in 2010 remained resilient with more than 101 million arrivals, which is 14.40 per cent growth compared to 2009.

In terms of trade and economic cooperation, despite the ASEAN countries have increased significantly improvements, a lot of initiatives are being planned to further enhance the trade and economic cooperation, such as development of border markets, border activities, providing favorable conditions for trade among the members, facilitating intra-trade and enhancing the trade promotion.

With an economic growth around 12% in 2009 and preparing to approve at National Parliament a new private investment regime, Timor-Leste has the conditions not only to benefit of those activities, but also to attract entrepreneurs for its borders.

ASEAN cooperation in the agriculture sector dated back as early as 1968, with cooperation in food production and supply. In 1977, the scope of cooperation was broadened to include the greater area of agriculture and forestry as the needs have increased.

Currently, the specific areas under the ASEAN cooperation in food, agriculture and forestry includes food security, food handling, crops, livestock, fisheries, agricultural training and extension, agricultural cooperatives, forestry and joint cooperation in agriculture and forest products promotion scheme.

Being extremely dependent of food importation and having the climate conditions to development quickly its production, Timor-Leste could be greatly benefited of these programs.

Generation and transfer of technology to increase productivity and develop agribusiness, private sector involvement and investment, and capacity building and human resources development, are just some examples.

Timor-Leste has openly expressed intention to join ASEAN, and also has initiated the process within this year. A lot of formalisms must be observed, but we strongly believe that Timor-Leste will be certainly welcome as ASEAN eleventh member.

Asean Flag

International Monetary Fund was created 65 years ago!

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was conceived in July 1944 and came into existence on December 27, 1945 when the 29 countries signed its Articles of Agreement in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, United States.

With a goal to stabilize exchange rates and assist the reconstruction of the world’s international payment system, after World War II, the IMF helped the world stabilize the economic system and it has been working to improve the economies of its member countries.

Nowadays, IMF is an organization of 187 countries, (members of the IMF are 186 of the UN members and Kosovo) working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty”.

What IFM does?

The IMF promotes international monetary cooperation and exchange rate stability, facilitates the balanced growth of international trade, and provides resources to help members in balance of payments difficulties or to assist with poverty reduction.

For achieving its goals IMF works with other international organizations, interacts with think tanks, civil society and the media on a daily basis.

Through its economic surveillance, the IMF keeps track of the economic health of its member countries, alerting them to risks on the horizon and providing policy advice. It also lends to countries in difficulty, and provides technical assistance and training to help countries improve economic management.

The social effects of tourism in developing countries

Tourism may represent one of the effective ways to developing countries boost their economy, improve livelihoods and create and economic market, which can help them to start getting out of poverty.

When countries begin to provide facilities for massive tourism, such as hotels, leisure complexes, there is an immediate demand for labour, especially cleaners, waiters, gardeners and drivers which may significantly boost the local economy.

Such work more than create opportunities to learn valuable new skills, it represents an attractive alternative to agriculture or fishing for thousands of workers.

Tourisms jobs play also an important role for women social development. It is known that in developing countries women are slightly put part of the society, living under the husband economy dependence and oversight.

The tourism may development employ and important number of women, so they can gain economy independence and skills, which can be used helping their children’s education and improve the communities where they live.

In a national level, at the same time the tax revenues from tourism earnings increase the national income, which can be used to develop the country.

It has been point out that one inevitable feature of tourism’s growth is the creation of badly-paid, seasonal and insecurity jobs, Moreover, the combination of wealthy tourists being served by exploited waitresses is likely to increase social tensions in these areas, encourage crime, prostitution and other less desirable aspects of moderns economy.

These negative aspects of tourism’s growth may, in fact, occur. There are several examples regarding creation of badly-paid jobs and emerging crime and prostitution in several countries.

However, the balance between the positive and negative effect of tourism in developing countries lead us, definitely, to accept this reality as an important factor of development.

Having some experience not only living but also visiting developing counties, it can been easily seen that tourism growth and all the related services around are one of the way they have to economic growth, mainly for those that have not natural resources or other forms of revenues.

Most of developing countries have and economy based on subsistence agriculture and fisheries, which is not enough either to support country economic growth or to allow private sector development.

Since the lack of human resources is the one of the most gaps of developing countries, the investment in tourism, which not reclaims a qualify human resources, is also an advantage.

Capitalism Beyond the Crisis

Amartya Sen, is Lamont University Professor at Harvard. He received the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1998.
His most recent book is Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny. (March 2009)

This article contains a bright reflection on the current economic crisis.
Citing brilliant economists since Adam Smith, John Maynard Keynes, Arthur Cecil Pigou, we can find some of the causes of the financial collapse we are experiencing, as well as an overview of the innovative ideas of Adam Smith, contained in his most famous book,  The Wealth of Nations, but until now little explored.

Available online at: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/22490

ESP

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