One step closer to a common ASEAN market

Imagine going around Southeast Asia without having to apply for a visa in each and every country you visit. When you go shopping, you do not have to worry about running to the nearest bank to exchange your money. Why? The region would have already adopted a single currency.

That could soon become a reality with the signing of the e-ASEAN Framework Agreement during the ASEAN Informal Summit in Singapore last month. The agreement implements an action plan to enhance the information technology sector in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) as well as to promote regional connectivity.

It is envisioned that once the foundation has been laid down by interconnecting the ASEAN members in different fields, it would not be long before ASEAN would be transformed into a common market with a single currency.

The agreement is one of the key recommendations of the e-ASEAN Task Force chaired by former Foreign Affairs Secretary Roberto Romulo. The Task Force was created in November 1999 during the ASEAN Informal Summit in Manila.

Initially, the 10 member-nations will be linked in eight fields: tourism, culture, information, education, entrepreneurship development, career and recruitment, commerce and real estate.

"We have to do this because ASEAN is competing for investments and markets against other countries or regions," Romulo said. "Unless ASEAN gets its act together, it will be bypassed."

Those who want to look for jobs in ASEAN countries can log on and register online. Their qualifications will then be matched with career opportunities in the various countries. The site will also offer career guidance for those who need it.

Looking for investment opportunities in real estate? You won’t have to look any further because through Brunei’s Real Estate in Cyberspace, you can avail yourself of online house selling and buying opportunities. You can also post property details without having to spend a fortune on a housing agent.

For those on the lookout for exotic holiday spots in the region, log on to eASEANtravel.com where you can find travel information on all ASEAN countries.

A more ambitious project is to interconnect all the schools in the region through the development of hardware, software and technical support. And it’s not only the students who will be benefiting from this. Teachers will have to undergo training in information technology so they will be able to teach their wards.

In the field of information, ASEAN member-countries will have access to 40 million titles that are available at their national libraries. So a research paper on Singapore or Thailand would be as easy as making one or two clicks.

Perhaps the most challenging of the fields is that of e-commerce. Several key providers will give businessmen the opportunity to conduct business online and act as a databank for investment opportunities.

There will also be training opportunities for businessmen in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam for them to become entrepreneurs. The main provider for this program will be the e-Entrepreneurship Training Program.

"This agreement is an indication of the region’s unerring grasp of the tempo of the times," Romulo said. "And this will bring the region one step closer to becoming a common market of half a billion people."

He admitted though that the success of the agreement will depend on both the government and the private sector. "Governments alone cannot do it," he said. "It is the private sector that provides the technologies provided they can make a reasonable return."

On the other hand, it is the government’s duty to cut down on bureaucracy to make such technologies available to a wider group of the population.

"This Internet revolution will not just bridge the digital divide," Romulo said, "it will bridge societies and cultures."