Guv acts as moderator in leadership forum

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has acted as moderator in the ASEAN100 Leadership Forum held at Plaza Athenee Le Meridien Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand last Wednesday and Thursday.

The forum, which was attended by leaders from Southeast Asian nations, tackled the challenges and opportunities in these times of financial crisis.

On day one, leaders had a dialogue with Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Thailand’s path to economic dynamism and social stability.

Yesterday, Garcia and her foreign counterparts discussed the impact of the global financial crisis on the Southeast Asian countries and its implication for the Association of Southeast Asian Nation’s goal of a common market by 2015.

The group also tried to figure out if there are opportunities for accelerated regional integration that ASEAN can capitalize on.

An open forum followed with Korn Chatikavanj, minister of finance in Thailand; Dato’ Sri Nazir Razak, group chief executive of CIMB Group; Dato Sri Tony Fernandez, director and group chief executive officer of AirAsia; and PK Basu, managing director of Daiwa Securities SMBC.

The participants also discussed the “requirements of leadership in times of rapid change,” and the issue on how the ASEAN leaders should respond to the changing expectations of the people they govern.

The discussion was led by Tengku Rozidar Tengku Zainal Abidin, co-founder and executive chairman of Nineteen-O-One; Isra Sunthornvut, deputy secretary-general to the Prime Minister for Political Affairs; and Steven Gan, editor-in-chief of Malaysiakini.

In the afternoon, a discussion on “ASEAN’s Present and Future” was conducted on two contrasting views: “Why I am Optimistic” which was discussed by Sandiaga Uno, founding partner of Saratoga Capital, Indonesia, and “Why I am Pessimistic” by Dato Timothy Ong. This dialogue was moderated by Garcia.

The group also tackled the environmental challenges, and the responses that should be taken, and if these are compatible with economic growth.

Matthias Roth, associate professor, Department of Geography of the National University of Singapore and president of International Association for Urban Climate, and Wade Hughes, director on Public Safety and Business Development of Alcoa Primary Products Growth Group were resource speakers for this session.

On global economy, Manu Bhaskaran, chief executive officer of Centennial Asia Advisors, talked about global crisis whether it has fundamentally changed the market economy. The two-day event was culminated by a debate on concern if the development of an ASEAN community requires that ASEAN should move away from the practice of non-interference among ASEAN members. — Liv G. Campo/LPM   (FREEMAN NEWS)