Media Vital for ASEAN To Become a Peoples’ Association

Speaking at the 1st ASEAN Media Forum (AMF) in Bangkok on 26th February, Mr Bambang Harymurti, Editor–in-Chief of Tempo argued passionately that ASEAN people need to interact more if a true community is to be forged and the media needs to play a crucial role in it.

“It’s time not only to make ASEAN a grouping of governments, but also a real community who enjoys its diversity and sub-cultures. A caring community” he said. “The question is how to do it?”

AMF was organized by AMIC with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) from Germany as the main sponsor.

Mr Harymurthi argued that ASEAN is basically an Association of South East Asian Governments and not Nations. “We have to think that, well maybe, government to government relation that it should not interfere with each other’s internal affairs. At least they should give that as a regulation to only the governments, but not for the media” he said, adding, “so ASEAN people should be allowed to interfere with each other’s affairs because we can’t be a part of a community if we are not allowed to interfere”.

“If we consider ourselves as ASEAN community, then we should be able to criticise our ASEAN brothers and sisters. This is of course the new paradigm which we all have to work soon. There’s a lot of ways we can do it” he noted and went on to give some suggestions such as media strategies to fight common enemies like forest fires and poverty.

The Forum included three television talkshow style panel discussions, which were filmed for later broadcast by Bangkok’s TPBS network the local media partner.

For more information on AMF click here.