Jakarta, 5 September 2023 – ASEAN anthem “The ASEAN Way” resonated at the opening ceremony of the 43rd ASEAN Summit. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo officially opened the ASEAN Summit at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) on Tuesday (5 September).

The ASEAN anthem titled "The ASEAN Way" was sung beautifully by the Gita Bumi Voices vocal group with music from the Puwacaraka Orchestra. The performance was followed by orchestral music performances and dances carrying the theme ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth.

“The ASEAN Way” was composed by Payom Valaiphatchra and arranged by Kittikhun Sodpraset. The song was selected from the 99 songs submitted by all ASEAN member states by a jury of 13 people (ten representing each ASEAN member states plus three other jury members, from China, Japan, and Australia). The juries consisted of 13 musicians and composers appointed directly by the ASEAN Secretariat General.

The best musicians from 10 ASEAN member countries joined in the selection, with a total of 99 songs listed in the ASEAN Anthem Copyright Work selection. The juries then curated all the songs listed to select the ten best songs.

"The ASEAN Way" was chosen because the juries considered it to represent the spirit of the ASEAN Charter, which reaffirms the principles in all agreements, declarations, and concords that advance countries in the region.

Another reason for selecting "The ASEAN Way" as the ASEAN anthem is because it meets the criteria for an anthem: can be sung solemnly and proudly, and the lyrics are easy to remember and represent the ASEAN slogan "One Vision, One Identity, One Community".

After a lengthy selection process, on 20 November 2008, "The ASEAN Way" was officially chosen as the ASEAN anthem. "The ASEAN Way" was first sung at an official event in the hall of the ASEAN Secretariat building in Jakarta on 15 December 2008.

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For more information, please contact:

Director General of Public Information and Communications of the Ministry of Communications and Informatics – Usman Kansong (0816785320).

Get more information at http://asean2023.id, https://infopublik.id/kategori/asean-2023, and https://indonesia.go.id/kategori/ragam-asean-2023

Photo caption: Performers performing dances and songs at the opening of the 43rd ASEAN Summit 2023 in Jakarta, Tuesday (5 September 2023). Media Center ASEAN Summit 2023/Akbar Nugroho Gumay/foc.