This year will be eventful for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). In addition to the Myanmar issue and intensifying geopolitics, the Asean Community Vision 2045 will be ready in May and will chart the course for its 770 million-strong population over the next two decades.
A nagging question remains: how will this common vision be translated for the public of their respective member countries? Given the rapid changes to the geopolitical landscape and the ubiquity of social media, a well-designed communication strategy could be a boon to the new master plan. Without raising awareness among Generations M and Z and networks of influencers and content creators of the benefits, the vision could be shattered at its launch.
The estimated 420 million-plus youth -- 60% of the Asean population -- face unknown challenges and opportunities in the coming days. Indeed, they are like yu-char-kuey -- Chinese fried doughnuts -- as they come in pairs. Take them both or lose them at one's peril. Their understanding of the 1,825-word vision is key to creating a stronger Asean identity and community, which in turn, will provide more opportunities.
The previous initiative, the Asean Community Vision 2025, was nearly completed after a decade-long community-building effort. Some patchwork is still needed in the economic and socio-cultural pillars -- a few projects have yet to be finished. For the political-security pillar, only the culture of governance requires further action. These elements will continue to appear in the new strategic plans. Monitoring and evaluation of action plans are still necessary.
It is not an overstatement to reiterate that there is a sense of belonging and identity among Asean citizens across all groups, even though this sentiment is uneven across the 10 member states. However, with the world's youngest democracy, Timor-Leste, soon to become the 11th member, Asean's collective voice in the international community will be more impactful.
It is a milestone for an organisation that was belittled by great powers, doubting it could achieve this much so soon after its inception. At this critical time, Asean can stand tall with pride and hope that in the next 20 years, it will be ready for new megatrends whenever and wherever they arise. Malaysia's chairmanship is timely and of significant strategic importance. The underlying theme of inclusivity and sustainability is also fitting.
The new blueprint envisions Asean as a resilient, innovative, dynamic, and people-centric community. At present, concerned officials continue working on strategic plans for all pillars that will be adopted by Asean leaders at the May summit.
As in 2015, when Kuala Lumpur launched the first such blueprint, the chair will do it again with the new vision. However, today's international circumstances are completely different -- more complex and unpredictable. The world is polarised with superpower rivalries and crises in the Middle East, Myanmar and Ukraine.
To stay relevant and productive, the Asean Community needs stronger leadership and driving forces to counter geopolitical tyranny and the growing inclination to use force. This task is necessary to protect the stakes of the world's fourth-largest economy by 2030. A stronger economy will increase Asean's bargaining power.
The vision lists 17 interlinked issues shaping Asean's future. They range from major power rivalries, digitalisation, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence to protectionism, supply chain resilience, food and energy security, green economy initiatives, empowerment of women and youth and connectivity.
Overall, the vision stresses upholding democracy, good governance, human rights and the rule of law while placing Asean citizens at its centre. Furthermore, it strives to create a single prosperous market driven by sustainability, innovation, and skilled human capital. For the broader Indo-Pacific region, Asean aims to be a stabilising force amidst geopolitical and socio-economic challenges. As such, strengthening the capacity-building of the Asean Secretariat is required to enhance decision-making efficiency and resource mobilisation.
Nonetheless, the emerging Asean community still needs reinforcement at all levels of engagement for future generations to appreciate the values of a more integrated Asean. For nearly six decades, Asean has grappled with communication dilemmas -- how to empower common folk through their vision. As the organisation operates as a top-down decision-making process, past decades of efforts to upend this habit have had limited success. Asean achievements are documented and known among officials and academics, but not the public at large.
When the first vision was launched, civil society organisations did provide input to Asean bureaucrats in their countries. But some of them were overlooked due to varying levels of political and economic development among members. The drafters of the new vision have consulted civil society organisations and the private sector, making it more inclusive.
Given the diversity among members in terms of historic backgrounds, religions, cultures and traditions, strong public backing for the vision must be secured before and after its launch. The top priority will be engagement with online and traditional media communities. The chair must also develop a variety of strategic communication plans for multi-stakeholder media outreach. Visible or unseen influencers or content creators can impact Asean's longstanding efforts through their platforms' brief audiovisual clips. The chair and the media communities must work closely.
When younger generations lead new visionary trends, broader segments of the public -- including the private sector and other social entities -- will likely follow suit. Then, much-needed Asean-owned narratives will emerge.
The Asean youth can nurture and sustain these new blueprints. The chair must do whatever it takes to capture their attention so that it can subsequently translate this into intention and action.