ASEAN Media must Prioritize Constructive Stories

Palembang, S Sumatra (Antara) - The Southeast Asian media must give priority to constructive stories on the formation of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015, an Indonesian Foreign Ministry official stated. "Many ASEAN people, including youths and students do not yet know the AEC. Therefore, the media plays a role in disseminating constructive stories on the AEC," secretary of the ministry's directorate general of ASEAN cooperation Rosmalawati Chalid noted at the first Confederation of ASEAN Journalists (CAJ) workshop here on Tuesday. Rosmalawati added that the AEC is nothing more than economic cooperation. The AEC is pursuing three pillars of ASEAN, namely political and security cooperation, economic cooperation, and social and cultural cooperation. There will be many areas of cooperation among ASEAN member states under the three pillars. Therefore, support from the mass media is needed to develop the cooperation, she pointed out. Meanwhile, President of PR Society of Indonesia Magdalena Wenas stated that with the formation of AEC by 2015, ASEAN will transform into an area for free flow of goods, services, investment and skilled labor. "How will the media and communication management be able to influence the formation of AEC by 2015? How will the media be able to influence the transformation? The answer is changing our mindset," she pointed out. Magdalena explained that in the era of social media, the community must change its mindset. Likewise, the media and communication management must be able to follow the change. Indonesia is hosting the first CAJ workshop in Palembang, South Sumatra, from February 10 to 12. CAJ's Permanent Secretary Akhmad Kusaeni stated during the opening event here on Monday, that this workshop was part of the action-plan of the agreement among the CAJ's members at the general assembly in Manila, Philippines, in November last year that aimed to strengthen the ASEAN journalists' capacity through training and education. "The permanent secretary of CAJ and the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) have aimed to establish ASEAN journalism education and training center in Palembang to help improve ASEAN journalists' abilities," Kusaeni stated. Kusaeni pointed out that the purposes of CAJ are to promote the freedom of expression and to get access to information, which is part of the group's effort to promote ASEAN in the global community, particularly ahead of facing the ASEAN Communities by 2015. In aiming to address its visions and missions, during the first workshop, CAJ also launched the CAJET) which will be located in Palembang. CAJ was established in Jakarta, March 11, 1975, with an aim to be more active in the role of media toward AEC 2015 and beyond. (*)