Indonesia facilitated the addition of two new towers, each 16 stories tall, in response to the rapid changes that ASEAN is expected to face.
Jakarta is always busy every time the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is held despite not hosting the event. As the capital of Indonesia, one of the founding countries of ASEAN, it is a certainty that Jakarta prepares itself for the summit.
This is because the 661.5 square-kilometer city, which is also a center for business, trade, and services, houses the ASEAN Secretariat building. The building serves as the control and operational center of ASEAN, a regional organization established on Aug. 8, 1967. According to the website of the National Secretariat of ASEAN, the ASEAN Secretariat provides facilities and infrastructures for the representatives of the 10 ASEAN member states to work.
In addition, the ASEAN Secretariat prepares for various meetings and coordinates with various ASEAN organs. Its other function is to implement projects resulting from the meeting decisions of ASEAN delegates. This means that the ASEAN Secretariat provides greater efficiency in coordinating and implementing every decision of the annual summit. A Secretary-General (Sec-Gen) serves as the highest leader in the secretariat.
The Secretary-General is elected every five years with a term of office from January 1 of the election year to December 31 of the five-year term. The current Secretary-General is Kao Kim Hourn from Cambodia. This Doctor of Economics graduated from the University of Hawaii. He will serve from Jan. 1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2027. He received the baton of leadership from his predecessor Dato Lim Jock Hoi from Brunei Darussalam.
The first Sec-Gen of ASEAN was the late Hartono Rekso Dharsono from Indonesia. Mr. Ton, as he was affectionately called, was a retired two-star general and former Commander of Siliwangi Military Regional Command. As the Sec-Gen, Dr. Kao is assisted by a Deputy Secretary-General, three bureau directors, a foreign trade and economic relations officer, and an administrative officer.
He is also assisted by a public relations officer, an assistant to the Secretary-General, and nine assistant directors. The Secretary-General is appointed by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and is responsible for advising, coordinating, and implementing ASEAN activities. The term of office was initially two years, then increased to three years, and changed to five years in 1992.
The idea for a permanent office for the secretariat was only conceived at the first ASEAN Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali on Feb. 23, 1976. At that time, all foreign ministers agreed to designate Jakarta as the location of the ASEAN Secretariat office because Indonesia is Southeast Asia's largest and most influential state. Indonesia’s political stability, security, and geographical location as an archipelagic country among other ASEAN member states were also taken into consideration.
From an economic point of view, Jakarta is also a strategic city that meets the requirements as the diplomatic capital of ASEAN with international standard facilities. As quoted by Kompas on May 2, 1974, Foreign Minister Adam Malik stated that the government had prepared a plot of land in the Kebayoran Baru area, at the intersection of Sisingamangaraja, Kyai Maja, and Trunojoyo streets for the ASEAN Secretariat office.
However, the plan was challenged by another ASEAN founding member, the Philippines. At that time, President Ferdinand Marcos’ administration claimed to have prepared a strategic location on Roxas Boulevard, Manila, for the office.
At that time, President Marcos stated that the budget was ready for the construction for two years. This was discussed at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at Hotel Borobudur, Jakarta in May 1974. The meeting decided that Jakarta remained the location of the ASEAN Secretariat.
Renowned Architect
The Indonesian government announced the initial phase of construction in July 1976 with a fund of Rp2.8 billion from the state budget. The construction began in April 1978 designed by the renowned architect Soejoedi Wiroatmodjo, owner and founder of a prominent architecture firm, Gubahlaras. The firm was responsible for several government buildings, including the House of Representatives/the People’s Consultative Assembly building and Manggala Wanabhakti.
As reported by Majalah Konstruksi in 1980, Soejoedi explained that the design of the ASEAN Secretariat office was intended to provide spirit and openness. It aimed to reflect the cooperative nature of Southeast Asian countries. At that time, ASEAN consisted of five countries, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. The nine-story building resembles a terraced rice field in the hilly area, which is also a manifestation of the agricultural sector, the mainstay of the ASEAN country’s economy at that time.
The outer walls are covered with ceramic layers to make maintenance easier. Brown-colored- glass windows were imported directly from Japan. Overall, the 39.8-meter-high ASEAN Secretariat office had a total budget of Rp5 billion.
“The ASEAN Secretariat building symbolizes the unyielding determination of 250 million people from the five ASEAN member states to unite. With this ASEAN Secretariat building, the determination for unity is further strengthened by a robust organizational infrastructure,” said President Soeharto during the inauguration of the ASEAN Secretariat building on May 9, 1981, as quoted from the book 40 Tahun Indonesia Merdeka.
New Towers
The expansion of the ASEAN Secretariat complex at Jl. Sisingamangaraja number 70A is needed due to the rapid development of the ASEAN organization, which now has 10 member states. Therefore, the Indonesian government expanded the ASEAN Secretariat complex with two 16-story twin towers.
The total area of the complex reaches 49,993 square meters and stands on a land of 11,369 square meters, including the utilization of the former office of the South Jakarta Mayor. Construction of the new towers took 549 working days. There is a 40.5-meter connecting bridge between the twin towers and the old ASEAN Secretariat building, which became Indonesia's longest structural column-free connecting bridge.
In addition, there are 30 meeting rooms in the building with dedicated rooms for each member state. The new ASEAN Secretariat building will be able to accommodate most ASEAN meetings with all these facilities, allowing the association to work more efficiently in the future.
When inaugurating the twin towers of the ASEAN Secretariat on Aug. 8, 2019, coinciding with the 52nd anniversary of ASEAN, President Joko Widodo stated that the new towers represent a new spirit of ASEAN. He hoped that most ASEAN activities would be held in the new buildings in the future.
By doing so, ASEAN can further streamline the expenditure needed to hold an activity and divert it to other ASEAN activities. “This new building reflects the new spirit of ASEAN, reflects the New ASEAN. I hope that most ASEAN activities can be carried out in this building,” he said.
The new face of the ASEAN Secretariat also reflects Indonesia’s quick response in facilitating ASEAN to anticipate rapid changes and future global challenges.
Photo caption: President Joko Widodo inaugurates the new building of the ASEAN Secretariat in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. SETPRES
Source: Portal Indonesia (indonesia.go.id)