REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PALEMBANG -- The Center for ASEAN Journalism Education and Training (CAJET) in Palembang, South Sumatra, has the potential to become a center of ASEAN media cooperation, emphasized Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto.

"The media plays a greater role in influencing the thought process of its audience as it directly provides news stories to its audience," he stated in his keynote address to the first Confederation of ASEAN Journalists (CAJ) workshop here on Tuesday.

He noted that the media, in this case the CAJ, is expected to play a vital role in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015.

The CAJ and CAJET must play a key role in realizing the three pillars of the ASEAN community, which include political and security cooperation, economic cooperation, and social and cultural cooperation, he explained.

"As the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, I wish to underscore the need for the media to focus on fostering a strong security regime," he emphasized.

The Asia-Pacific region, including Southeast Asia, is a highly complex region where superpowers influence the dynamics of security in the region, he reported.

"We must focus on fostering a strong security regime amid the influence of superpowers. The media plays an important role in helping us to achieve this goal," he stated.

Indonesia is hosting the first CAJ workshop in Palembang, South Sumatra, between February 10 and 12.

CAJ's Permanent Secretary Akhmad Kusaeni remarked during the opening event here on Monday that this workshop was part of the action plan of the agreement reached among the CAJ's members at the general assembly in Manila, Philippines, in November, last year, which was aimed at strengthening the capabilities of the ASEAN journalists through training and education.

"The permanent secretary of CAJ and the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) have decided to establish the ASEAN journalism education and training center in Palembang, in a bid to improve the abilities of the journalists belonging to the ASEAN nations," Kusaeni pointed out.

Kusaeni further added that the CAJ intends to promote the freedom of expression and easier access to information, which is part of the group's efforts to promote ASEAN in the global community, particularly ahead of the AEC 2015.

With the objective to address its visions and missions, the CAJ, during its first workshop, also launched the CAJET, which will be located in Palembang.

The CAJ was established in Jakarta, March 11, 1975, to foster a more active role by the media towards AEC 2015 and beyond.

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