Welcome to ASEAN Insights

On this first day of 2015,  let me launch a new series of blogposts and articles based on my observations and experiences in the ASEAN countries, a geographical region that I have been traversing over the past two decades.

I am Malaysian by nationality, born in the state of Sarawak on Borneo island, but I've also been based out of Singapore for three decades. My jobs with various multinational companies over the past fifteen years have required me to engage with governments and companies in various countries in this region, and given me the opportunity to learn about the culture, history, economics and politics of many of these countries.

I've also been privileged to have researched and published two editions of a book titled "E-Government in Asia: Public Service Innovation in the 21st Century" (Times, 2003 and Marshall-Cavendish 2005), as well as numerous papers on different aspects of technology innovations in government. I have consulted to and been on various national advisory sub-committees in several ASEAN countries.

For those unfamiliar with the region, ASEAN represents the Association for South East Asian Nations. It presently comprises ten countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

There have been many excellent published papers and articles expounding on ASEAN, so I shall not reinvent the wheel. But for those new to ASEAN, I would recommend the Mckinsey paper entitled "Understanding ASEAN: Seven things you need to know" (by Vinayak, Thompson and Tonby, published in May 2014) which I think gives an sterling summary of why ASEAN is so important, not only to Asia but globally. Here are their key points.

(1)  Together, ASEAN's ten member states form an economic powerhouse. If ASEAN were a single country, it would already be the 7th largest economy in the world, with a combined GDP of some US$ 2.4 trillion.

(2)  ASEAN is not a monolithic market. Its diversity extends to economy, culture, language and religion.

(3)  Macroeconomic stability has provided a platform for growth.

(4)  ASEAN is a growing hub of consumer demand. The consumer base is expected to double from 67 million (in 2010) to 125 million (in 2025).

(5)  ASEAN is well-positioned in global trade flows.

(6)  Intraregional trade could significantly deepen with the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), planned for the end of 2015 though there could be some delays.

(7)  ASEAN is home to many globally competitive companies.


I will pause here for today, and dwell in more detail in subsequent entries. I look forward to feedback or suggestions. I hope over time, I'll be able to engage some of you in a conversation on the past, present and future of ASEAN.

You can post your comments on this blog, or on the website of my company JYGLOBAL Associates or  by contacting me directly on jslyong@gmail.com.

Welcome to ASEAN Insights.