Three things Asean must do - now

FIRST, take stock. Of course, given the three pillars of the community-building process and the end-2015 timeline, the progress against the blueprints for the political-security, economic and socio-cultural communities has to be determined and shortfalls addressed.

For example, for the Asean Economic Community (AEC), there is a lag against stated objectives, even by official measure. What more against actual business experience, documented by reports commissioned by the Asean Business Club (ABC).