On Tuesday, Sept. 5, Indonesian President Joko Widodo opened three days of multiple summits in Jakarta, all involving ASEAN—the Association of Southeast Asian Nations—with a sharp message to those seeking to divide the world into hostile, geopolitical camps: “Do not make our ship, ASEAN, an arena of destructive rivalry, but make the ASEAN ship a space to foster cooperation. This is to create prosperity, stability, and peace, not only for the region but also for the world.”
The situation in the world is worsening, and future challenges “are increasingly difficult and result in a struggle for influence by big powers,” he stated. “However, the President continued, ASEAN has agreed not to become a proxy for any power,” the official ASEAN 2023 release on his speech reported.
President Widodo urged the ASEAN nations to stand together, so they can grow economically through equality, which strengthens unity and respects diversity. “Equality has become a rarity in the world. Many injustices and conflicts occur as a result of inequality.” Equality strengthens unity, while unity does not mean there are no differences of opinion. There can be harmony in diversity, as Indonesia itself shows, with its abundance of ethnic groups, cultures, languages and regions. “Differences in opinions enrich democracy. It shows that as a family, we have an equal position.”
