2020 by the Young Diplomats Society

In addition to this, while the virus itself has
not faced partisan political debate in the way
we have seen in the West, there have
certainly been political challenges. The
enforcement of emergency measures has led
Southeast Asia to experience what has been
described as one of the most extensive
democratic regressions in the world. Rising
populism, authoritarian rule, military
involvement in politics, punitive
punishments, mass surveillance, media and
protest restriction, and the targeting of
refugees are just some of the concerning
outcomes identified in a recent Freedom
House report.
Important to note is that Southeast Asia is
not homogenous. The states of the region,
while bound together through their shared
participation in regional cooperation bodies
such as ASEAN, are unique and disparate. In
addition, they face less visible challenges in
responding to COVID-19 when we attempt to
understand and respond to the pandemic
beyond the number of individuals infected. It
is true that there have been successes, and it
remains true that the early handling of the
pandemic provides a number of lessons to
states still refusing to acknowledge the
efficacy of behavioural modification policies
such as mask-wearing and social distancing.
However, there is a danger in touting
Southeast Asia as a success story and
discounting the number of reported
infections as low. Some states will be fighting
this pandemic for years to come and
underreporting of this fact has the potential
to lead to complacency in the face of the
dangers of the virus, but also in the slow and
steady rollback of liberal freedoms.
IN SOUTHEAST ASIA, COVID-19 HAS BEEN
TREATED AS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE RATHER
THAN A PARTISAN ISSUE, AND PERHAPS IT IS THIS
DIFFERENCE IN APPROACH THAT HAS LED TO
WESTERN STATES EMBROILED IN FACIAL MASK
COUNTER-MOVEMENTS TO CLAIM SOUTHEAST
ASIA AS A SUCCESS STORY.
IAIN D. JOHNSON