| Title | “People’s Solidarity through Art, Music and Dialog in ASEAN”
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| Author | Kyaw Lin |
Third Prize of the Visual Essay “People’s Solitude through Art, Music, and Dialogue” by Kyaw Lin
South-East Asian democracy is in a fragile state, and we’ve witnessed some regime changes among member states that clearly indicate authoritarianism is spreading in the region.
In Myanmar, the military junta took over power in a violent coup since February 2021, and the country’s been locked in a civil war. Democratic forces, made up of Ethnic Armed Organizations and People’s Defence Forces, are currently fighting the junta’s forces to put an end to military dictatorship in Myanmar and establish a new federal democratic state.
Thailand and Cambodia also held their general election, and we witnessed the elections to be far from being free and fair and not respecting the votes of the people. In Cambodia, the current ruling party dismissed major opposition parties on a technicality prior to the election. In Thailand, military-appointed senators blocked the political party that won the election from forming a new government.
The rise of authoritative regimes among ASEAN member states have also led to some internal disputes. The division between member states is growing, and there is no progress or consensus among ASEAN on key issues like Myanmar. There are also some regimes among member states that do not uphold themselves to strong democratic values, and they are in favor of bringing Myanmar military junta back into the bloc. They are blocking efforts taken by other member states to help return to democracy, and it is preventing ASEAN from taking stronger actions on the Myanmar military.
ASEAN’s centrality is also challenged on key issues, and some member states have taken actions on said issues contrary to ASEAN’s consensus. In June this year, Thailand took matters into its own hand by inviting Myanmar junta’s foreign minister for an informal talk, despite ASEAN’s strong stance on not affiliating with Myanmar junta. Other member states that are also in favor of inviting Myanmar junta back into ASEAN attended the informal talk. This clearly shows that Asean has reached a deadlock, and member states are becoming polarized on pressing issues. I believe the root cause of this issue is the growing number of regimes in the region that are becoming more and more authoritative and blatantly undermining democracy in the region.
As members of the ASEAN community, I believe we need to take an active role in curbing the threat of authoritarianism in the region. One challenge ASEAN community faces is that there is not a lot of conversations going on between people from member states, and we do not understand each other’s struggles. I would like to see a future in which the ASEAN community is proactive in learning about events going on in the region and stands in solidarity with anyone facing injustice or impunity.
Art and music are powerful tools to reach out to the people, and I would like artists, musicians, and activists to have more opportunities to use their art to raise awareness about ongoing events in the region. I would also like to see more physical spaces and online platforms that curate these artistic works to the broader ASEAN community. Lastly, I would like to see debates and dialogs about regional events continue to thrive in academia and among civil society organizations. If we continue to take an active role in contributing to ongoing discussions about what’s going on in the region, I believe we can create healthy and thriving democratic spaces in ASEAN, and this is the vision I have for the future.
Biography:
Kyaw Lin is a 3D artist and activist, and he uses storytelling to raise awareness about ongoing events in Myanmar with the international community. He also collects and shares stories written by Myanmar activists and advocates of the Civil Disobedience Movement. This video essay was created between September and November of 2023. It took him around two months to write the essay, animate, and edit the video.
Organizer:
SEA Junction, established under the Thai non-profit organization Foundation for Southeast Asia Studies (ForSEA), aims to foster understanding and appreciation of Southeast Asia in all its socio-cultural dimensions- from arts and lifestyles to economy and development. Conveniently located at Room 408 of the Bangkok Arts and Culture Center or BACC (across MBK, BTS National Stadium), SEA Junction facilitates public access to knowledge resources and exchanges among students, practitioners and Southeast Asia lovers. For more information see www.seajunction.org, join the Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/1693058870976440 and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @seajunction
In collaboration with:
The JFK Foundation in Thailand was founded by H.E. Dr. Thanat Khoman, the former Ambassador to the United States, with the purpose of commemorating President Kennedy’s principles.
