PROCESS OF INSTITUTIONALISATION AND DEMOCRATISATION IN ASEAN: FEATURES, CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS OF REGIONALISM IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

The challenge to the relevance of ASEAN lies on its incapacity to reform its institutional structure to respond to various crises especially to issues that have regional implications. The paper argues that regionalisation will be realised only through bolder attempts to institutionalise democratic norms as well as enhanced mechanisms pooling sovereignty. The delicate balance between respecting national sovereignty and empowering regional autonomy needs to be considered in implementing these reforms. Although the political and economic reforms are intertwined, they are two separate efforts to be done by the ASEAN community.