In June 1997, six
countries across South and Southeast Asia came together to form a new
cooperative framework based on their mutual interests. The Bay of Bengal
Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)
aimed at cooperation between India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand,
Nepal and Bhutan. BIMSTEC aims to address 14 areas in which cooperation among
these countries could help them address common concerns:
- Trade & Investment
- Transport & Communication
- Energy
- Tourism
- Technology
- Fisheries
- Agriculture
- Public Health
- Poverty Alleviation
- Counter-Terrorism &
Transnational Crime
- Environment &
Disaster Management
- People-to-People Contact
- Cultural Cooperation
- Climate Change
After having witnessed
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) flounder in its
course, primarily due to the demonstrated positions of India and Pakistan on
terrorism, BIMSTEC brought in a new chapter in inter and extra regional
cooperation in South Asia. Extending its reach to Myanmar and Thailand who are
members of ASEAN, it also laid the path to out-of-the-region cooperation into
the East. Academic scholarship has attributed this outreach as part of India's
Look & Act East Policies that have been making (however haltingly!) to
expand India's sphere of influence in the underbelly of Chinese dragon. In
the second tenure of NDA government which commenced after the decisive mandate
given to BJP in the recent Indian elections, BIMSTEC appears poised for
emerging into a major intra-regional alliance. Shri Narendra Modi's government
extended an invite to BIMSTEC leaders to attend his swearing-in ceremony on 30
may 2019. The high profile attendance minus Pakistan in the ceremony yet again
demonstrated India's commitment to expand BIMSTEC framework while sending a
clear message that countries supporting terrorism are no more considered an
albatross around India's neck. This renewed message merits a re-look at the positives
and negatives of BIMSTEC.
The positives
BIMSTEC connects the
robust Indian economy and emerging Bangladesh economy to the vibrant markets of
ASEAN. Although only two of ASEAN's members are in BIMSTEC (Myanmar joined a
month after it joined BIMSTEC, in July 1997), India's existing framework relations
with Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia gets a boost as part of this
new framework. The land locked Bhutan and Nepal, which otherwise suffering the
unspoken-yet-real impact of Indo-Pak relations on SAARC platform now have a
prospective domain to work on their cooperative agendas.
Each of the areas of
cooperation that BIMSTEC has taken up have huge domestic implications for the
member states. For example, the 1400 km long India-Myanmar-Thailand highway
which India's Transport minister Shri Gadkari said will be complete by December
2019[1], will speed up
developmental activities all along the route providing fillip to local
livelihoods[2].
Each member state,
barring Bhutan and Nepal, have substantial populations dependent on the sea.
While over-fishing and trawling are threatening to endanger fishing in many
parts of the world, a framework cooperation between BIMSTEC members could
further sustainable use of the sea for improving livelihoods of fishing
communities. Towards this purpose, BIMSTEC must step forward to create
institutional frameworks for realizing its agenda set in its Fourth Summit at
Kathmandu[3], which stated: “Stress on
continued cooperation in conservation, management and sustainable use of marine
resources in the region; agree to deepen cooperation in fisheries to ensure
food security and improve livelihoods of people in our region and task the
relevant national agencies to explore the possibility of meaningful
collaboration to promote sustainable marine fisheries and direct the relevant
authorities to explore how the landlocked Member States can benefit from inland
fisheries”.
Myanmar has attracted
considerable interest from China apparently for the as-yet-unexploited energy
sources. A framework cooperation among BIMSTEC members with substantial
financial assistance could ensure that the growing energy need among the member
states take priority, thus providing much needed energy supplies in the future.
Being vested with unlimited natural sources like sunlight, sea and wind,
developing mutually beneficial agenda for tech-financial cooperation for
exploitation of these sources could change livelihoods to even remotely located
populations in these countries.
These are but few of
the positives of BIMSTEC. On the other hand, there are some limiting factors
that need to be worked together to strengthen BIMSTEC.
The Negatives
India-Bangladesh and
India-Sri Lanka have a number of issues concerning sharing of river waters and
the Gulf of Mannar for fishing. Unless these issues are visited by high power
committees with a time bound plan for resolving them, the possibility of
BIMSTEC being diluted remains.
Unlike India that has
demonstrated the strength and vibrancy of its democracy (strong institutional
framework), some members of BIMSTEC are not so stable. India must take the lead
to extend its support for strengthening democracies in member countries. This
would have two-fold benefits. India’s own institutional framework would get
strengthened and the democratic stability in the neighborhood would strengthen
cooperation.
Notwithstanding the merits
of mega-development plans like road networks, port development, construction of
hydro projects, etc, it is important to remember that large populations depend
on the tracts of forests and hills that need to be acquired for developmental
work in these countries. Sustainable development should therefore be the key
mantra. Apart from philosophical niceties concerning poor segments of
populations, no development can achieve its purpose unless it is inclusive.
There is also a need
to revisit the traditional concepts of sovereignty that countries in South Asia
have. The sense of self-interest with which countries tend to visit agendas for
cooperation should be tempered with pragmatic considerations.
Conclusion
BIMSTEC
is a unique alliance focused on sectors that have huge potential for
cooperation among member countries. Unlike SAARC which has nobler ideals (promoting
peace, stability, amity and progress in the region through strict adherence to
the principles of the UN Charter and Non-Alignment, respect for
the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity,
national independence, non-use of force and non-interference in the
internal affairs of other States and peaceful settlement of all
disputes, for example), BIMSTEC has an earthy flavor. Being concerned with areas
that could help the members address issues common across their territories, it
has the potential to become an alliance that could actually touch millions of
lives. The techno-economic agenda needs to be driven by political leaders in
these countries drawing upon the advice from experts in concerned fields,
entirely in a sustainable mould. That way, BIMSTEC could help ordinary citizens
in these countries to realize their dreams for sustainable livelihoods.
[2]
For a case study from Bulgaria, see: http://projects-beta.worldbank.org/en/results/2014/05/02/improving-roads-improving-lives
