KUALA LUMPUR: The "one sharing, caring community" to be realised by 2015 in Asean can only materialise by recognising the role of youth as its partners-in-leadership.
The concept among the people of Asean including the youth, is seen as still wanting despite the grouping's successes in intergovernmental, political and economic co-operation.
Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said a study by the Asean Foundation in 2007 showed that there was a wide chasm in regional cooperation and unity among Asean youth.
Speaking at the opening of the Asean Logics Conference at the International Islamic University Malaysia here yesterday, Saifuddin said: "To mobilise our youth we need to subscribe to a framework and approach of Asean youth awareness, understanding, co-operation and unity that is genuinely youth-orientated.
"We need to provide the youth with the space and opportunity to be empowered and not regard them as mere beneficiaries of youth programmes that are designed by others."
Saifuddin said it was time Asean thought of ways to elect its youth representatives who could plan and implement the groupings' youth programmes.
He said it was also imperative that Asean governments listened and recognised the voices of their youth and get them to speak at Asean summits especially those discussing their futures.
"In this respect we should ask ourselves how strong the Council for Asean Youth Cooperation (CAYC) is?
"The fact is, CAYC currently appears rather sidelined in its significance within Asean."