DEKLARASI BANGKOK

-RSF-

Mari kita mengenal lebih jauh Deklarasi Bangkok yang merupakan cikal bekal berdirinya

ASEAN.

ASEAN merayakan lang tahunnya yang ke 10 pada tangal 8 Agustus 1977. Saat ini, ASEAN

telah menginjak 47 tahun. Deklarasi Bangkok yg ditandatangani oleh delegasi dari Indonesia,

Malaysia, Filipina, Singapura dan Thailand merupakan cikal bakal terbentuknya ASEAN

(Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

Perwakilannya adalah, Adam Malik (Indonesia), S. Rajatnam (Singapura), Tun Abdul Razak

(Filipina), Thanat Khoman (Thailand), Narciso Ramos (Filipina)

ASEAN di bawah deklarasi Bangkok adalah organisasi regional yang memiliki tujuan utama u/

menciptakan komunitas yang damai, maju, berkembang melalui usaha bersama di bidang

ekonomi, sosial, budaya dan bidang keilmuan.

Tujuan ASEAN yang tercantum dalam Deklarasi Bangkok meliputi:

1. Untuk mengakselerasi pertumbuhan ekonomi, kemajuan sosial dan perkembangan

budaya di kawasan melaui joint endeavours dalam semangat persamaan dan kerjasama

demi memperkuat fondasi komunitas yang prosperous dan damai di kawasan Negara-

negara Asia Tenggara.

2. Untuk mempromosikan kedamaian dan stabilitas melalui penghormatan pada keadilan

dan hukum-hukum among countries of the region and adherence to the principle of

United Nations Charter.

3. Untuk mempromosikan kolaborasi aktif dan mutual assistance on matters of common

interest dalam bidang economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative.

4. Untuk menyediakan assistance to each other dalam bentuk training dan research facilities

in educational, professional, technical aand administrative fields.

5. To collaborate more effectively for greater utilization of their agriculture and industries,

the expansion of their trade, including the study of the problems of international

commodity trade, the improvement of their transportation and communication facilities

and the raising of the living standards of their people.

6. To promote Southeast Asian studies.

7. To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional

organisations with similar aims and purpose, and explore all avenues for even closer

cooperation among themselves.

Tujuan ASEAN:

1. Mempercepat pertumbuhan, kemajuan sosial dan perkembangan kebudayaan di kawasan

Asia Tenggara.[1][2]

2. Memelihara perdamaian dan stabilitas dengan menjunjung tinggi hukum dan hubungan

antara negara-negara di Asia Tenggara.[1][2]

3. Meningkatkan kerja sama yang aktif dan saling membantu dalam bidang ekonomi, sosial,

budaya, teknologi dan administrasi.[1][2]

4. Saling memberikan bantuan dalam bidang fasilitas latihan dan penelitian pada bidang

pendidikan, kejuruan, teknik dan administrasi.[1][2]

5. Bekerja sama lebih efektif untuk mencapai daya guna lebih besar dalam bidang pertanian,

industri dan perkembangan perdagangan termasuk studi dalam hal perdagangan komoditi

internasional, perbaikan pengangkutan dan fasilitas komunikasi serta meningkatkan taraf

hidup rakyat.[1][2]

6. Meningkatkan studi tentang masalah-maslaah di Asia Tenggara.[2]

7. Memelihara kerja sama yang erat dan bermanfaat dengan berbagai organisasi

internasional dan regional lain yang mempunyai tujuan sama serta mencari kesempatan

untuk menggerakkan kerja sama dengan mereka.[1][2]

ASEAN telah menunjukkan bahwa perbedan dalam latar belakang budaya, agama dan sejarah,

termasuk perbedaan rasa bukanlah merupakan barrier dalam melakukan kerjasama regional ini.

Looking back over its 4 years, banyak hal yang didapat dari adanya kerjasama ASEAN ini.

1. Frequent economic consultations have paved the way for ASEAN industrial

complementation shemes, ASEAN industrial projects and ASEAN preferential trading

agreement.

2. Masyarakat ASEAN dapat menikmati fasilitas bebas visa.

3. In the international fields, ASEAN has been accepted as a viable force working towards

peace, progress and prosperity in the region.

Selain kerjasama dengan negara-negara anggotanya, ASEAN juga pada saat yang sama outward-

looking, yang dimanifestaskan dengan mengembangkan kerjasama dngan pihak luar seperti:

ASEAN dan Australia, New Zealand, Jepang, China, Canada dan organisasi regional lain seperti

EEC.

Setelah Deklarasi Bangkok, dilanjutkan dengan Kuala Lumpur Declaration 27 November 1971

Philippines: Why We Need to Invest in the Poor

Karl Kendrick Chua-World Bank

A fish vendor waits for customers in his stall in Cebu City. According to the latest

Philippine Economic Update, pushing key reforms to secure access to land, promote

competition and simplify business regulations will also help create more and better jobs

and lift people out of poverty. (Photo by World Bank)

In my 10 years of working in the World Bank, I have seen remarkable changes around me.

In 2004, Emerald Avenue in Ortigas Center, where the old World Bank office was located,

started to wind down after 9 PM.  Finding a place to buy a midnight snack whenever I did

overtime was hard. It was also hard to find a taxi after work.

Today, even at 3 AM, the street is bustling with 24-hour restaurants, coffee shops, and

convenience stores, hundreds of BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) employees taking

their break, and a line of taxis waiting to bring these new middle class earners home.

Living in Ortigas Center today means that I also benefit from these changes.

Bonifacio Global City, where the new World Bank office is located, started from empty lots

and grassland a decade ago. Today, it is the fastest growing district in Metro Manila. Even

at 3 AM, the district is also still very much alive. These spectacular changes are the result

of high and sustained economic growth.

Indeed the last 10 years have been remarkable for the Philippine economy. The economy

grew faster than any period in the last 7 decades. Today, on average, if GDP were to be

divided equally among 100 million Filipinos, we would be more than twice as rich

compared to 7 years ago. If current growth rates are sustained, per capita income would

increase by twice in a decade, over 5 times in 2 decades, and 12 times in 3 decades. The

economy is also awash with USD 40 billion every year from remittances and revenues

earned by the BPO industry. Inflation has been low and stable, allowing businesses and

households to raise their real income. Finally, government finances are improving. Lower

deficits and debt has made it possible for the government to double social services spending

in the last 4 years, with strong impact on poverty.

While millions of Filipinos are now benefiting from higher economic growth and stability,

25 million Filipinos are still living in poverty. A Filipino is poor if he lives on less than PHP

52 per day, the daily poverty line. Moreover, three-fourths of Filipino workers are

informally employed with little protection when they get sick and face bleak career

prospects. Also, around 3 in 10 Filipino workers are without jobs or want to work more

hours since they do not earn enough.

The government has done a good job in raising growth and securing macroeconomic

stability in the last decade, leading to significant job creation and poverty reduction. But

much more can be done. How do we ensure that all Filipinos, especially the poor, benefit

from higher growth?

For a poor Filipino to benefit from higher growth, she needs to be healthy first, so that she

can spend more time in school and raise her chances of getting a good job. A poor Filipino

farmer needs reliable roads, bridges, and irrigation to produce better crops and connect to

markets in the cities. These are essential for raising his income and bringing him out of

poverty.

These underscore the urgent need to invest more in infrastructure, health, and education.

This requires new sources of tax revenues. This is not easy given the country’s long history

of under-investment and weak tax collection. But the Aquino Administration has signaled a

change from the past.  We have a reason to believe that things can be much better for

everyone.

Currently, our tax system is complex, inefficient, and highly inequitable. Many large

corporations benefit from tax incentives, such as income tax holidays or reduced tax rates,

when they don’t really need it (my friend working in a large corporation that receives tax

incentives gets an 18th month pay), while the majority of small and micro enterprises,

where the poor are, have to pay much higher taxes relative to their income. Taxes that are

not adjusted for inflation also worsen the equity of the tax system, as the rich pays less and

less as their income rises. The complexity of the tax system, where small and micro

enterprises have to file and pay a multitude of taxes almost every month means that they

spend a considerable amount of time and money falling in line and complying with tax

rules, instead of doing more productive things and earning more.

These need to change. The tax system needs to be reformed so that it promotes, rather than

hinders, job creation. It needs to be reformed so that Filipinos have an easier time paying

taxes. It needs to be reformed so that poor people pay much less and rich people pay much

more. 

This is hard for many well-to-do Filipinos, but mobilizing revenues from those who can

afford to pay is needed if we are to care more for the poor, by ensuring that they stay

healthy, get a good education, and are able to raise their incomes. When their lives

improve,, wouldn’t this be much better for the economy and for us as well?

Of course any taxpayer would want to make sure that her tax contribution from her hard-

earned money is not wasted. Thus reforms to improve transparency and accountability of

government spending are necessary before we can expect richer Filipinos to contribute

more.