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Let’s put China on the backburner for a moment to celebrate the good news: You don’t live in Burma where ethnic minorities are still facing genocide by extremists, or in Laos where almost 30% of the population is (according to The World Bank) at the national poverty line. You happen to be lucky enough to live in Chiang Mai, “the Rose of Northern Thailand,” the city recently rated by multiple different sources as one of the top ten places in the world to live.
Despite such a glorious fact, flourishing cities like Chiang Mai will still have to undergo serious adaptations to prepare for the arrival of the AEC in 2015. To name only a few of the fastest coming changes: ASEAN mobile phone apps that translate 11 different languages (the most crucial of the 11, of course, being English), a diverse mass influx of foreigner workers and tourists, higher wages, a swell in job opportunities, intense technological advancements, and…I’m out of breath.
While these changes are expected by most and thus shouldn’t be surprising, residents of Chiang Mai should also prepare for the unexpected – the inevitable suffering of the unadaptable. If shortages of skilled workers continue to rise while immigrants with special skills (i.e. advanced English speaking and/or technological skills) start to better fit the bill, what will happen to the Thai population? Sure, there is to be an expansion of the job market with the onset of the AEC, but if locals cannot get a job in Thailand, where will they work?
Sorapob Chuadamrong, the vice president of the Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce, said that while “nowadays everyone is thrilled with ASEAN” and by 2015 liberalisation amongst ASEAN countries “should occur in full,” it is not irrational to fear that even thriving cities like Chiang Mai “could be left behind as the rest of the world continues to develop.”
“I would recommend to the people of Thailand, especially Chiang Mai people, to develop professional skills of their own,” Sorapob said. “English skills and the use of technology and computers will be foundational to getting any job. But, equally as important is diligence, patience and discipline.”
Even though Sorapob has had healthy relations working with Chinese business associates for years (he can even speak Chinese!), he was not afraid to comment on the hazards of countries like Thailand working with China. He explained that China is extremely tactful in terms of business strategies, and ASEAN members should carefully assess the trustworthiness of transactions with the Chinese before diving headlong into tempting propositions.
“The benefits and dangers of working with China are equal,” Sorapob cautioned. “Urgent changes must be made to ensure the people of Thailand become winners in the global race, or at least, survivors. Otherwise, we will become destitute. Thai people that don’t adapt when the time comes run the risk of expulsion from society.”
While all this may sound like grandiose pessimism, it’s only meant to get people thinking. It’s a bit like getting ready for battle (without steeds, swords and bloodshed, of course): the more moves you anticipate, the better your own strategies become, thus the more likely you are to win (I know, I know, it’s about equality, not winning).
To conclude and perhaps clarify, this article is not meant to purport anti-ASEAN ideals nor encourage blissfully naïve expectations for a perfect “one identity, one vision” ASEAN nation. It does not (and cannot, in only a few pages) fully examine or explain the throng of multi-faceted ASEAN pros and cons. There are a myriad of other goals and holes equally as critical to be addressed, but alas, the ASEAN ocean is just too deep.
As I am not an expert in business, economics or political science, it is not my place to advise regional organisations and residents alike how to best prepare for change, or to accurately predict what said changes could even be. But after research, conversations with ASEAN-savvy sources and scholars alike, the only sound advice I can leave off with is this: whether rain brings flowers or floods, the best thing anyone can do is bring an umbrella.
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