Indonesian Perceptions and Attitudes toward the ASEAN Community

• Published in: Journal of current Southeast Asian affairs 2011-01, Vol.30 (1), p.39-67
• Main Authors: Benny, Guido, Abdullah, Kamarulnizam
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Area Studies; ASEAN Community; Association of South East Asian nations; Citizen participation; Economics; European Union; Indonesia; integration; International Relations; Public interest; Public opinion; Public policy; regional integration; regional organization; Regional organizations; Success
• ISSN: 1868-1034; 1868-4882
• DOI: 10.1177/186810341103000102

The major criticism of the ASEAN Community idea is its elitist approaches. It lacks the most crucial components that have brought about the success of other similar regional organizations such as the European Union (EU): the involvement of the general public in the formation process. This study, therefore, analyses to what extent the Indonesian public understands and perceives the proposed regional community idea. By using statistical tests, the study accesses several interlinked factors such as knowledge about the ASEAN Community concept, perception of the process of establishment of the regional community, and perceived achievement of ASEAN as a regional organization to understand the Indonesian public’s attitude. The study found that despite Indonesian respondents’ relative lack of knowledge on the proposed formation of the ASEAN Community, they are indeed supportive of the idea. They also show some support for the proposed creation of the regional community under its three core pillars, namely the Security Community, Economic Community, and Socio-Cultural Community. Furthermore, the Indonesian respondents also perceive that the formation of the community would be beneficial not only to their country, but also to the society and economy.