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ECONOMIES of Association of the Southeast Asian Nations
(Asean) countries need to strengthen cooperation to
address the inflationary pressure of the rice and fuel
crises that could possibly destabilize growth in the
region, said the bloc’s secretary- general Dr. Surin
Pitsuwan.
“There
is tremendous inflationary pressure due to rice- and
fuel-price increases, and the pressure will be on the
poor people living with no sizeable income…there is
tremendous pressure,” said Surin in a press briefing at
the Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.
But he
was also optimistic. “I don’t think any of us will have
to face instability, riots and rebellion due to rice-
and fuel-price increases because we have enough to share
with the region and with the world.”
He
welcomed the decision of the rice-exporting countries
such as Vietnam and Thailand to lift their rice-export
ban.
“Many
governments in the region should also walk away from
subsidy. If we are not careful [with our policies], then
there will be more inflationary pressures,” he said,
reporting also that the food and fuel crises will be
the major topics in the Asean Ministerial Meeting in
Singapore late this year.
“At the
height of the rice crisis, everybody was paranoid,
anxious where this crisis will lead us to, so
speculation was a big problem,” said Surin,
but “there was enough rice stock to take care of the
region and to share with the world; the panic period is
over, the price has gone down, not to the same level,
but the panic level is over.”
Surin
said food security will be revisited, recalibrated both
by the Asean and East Asian countries to take more
efforts to address the problem. |
