Like it or not, the territorial dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia in the Sulawesi Sea effectively means the death of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) which was founded in 1967 by Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.

Already, bilateral relations between Malaysia on one hand and Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines on the other have seen cracks. In particular, Malaysia's foreign policy bias against Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines has caused tensions in the region.

This is exacerbated by the pro-US positions adopted by the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and, increasingly, Indonesia. Burma and Vietnam continue to remain unfriendly to the US.

Economically, Asean is also polarised with the richer segment comprising Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and Thailand and the poorer block encompassing Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Burma.

In terms of economic systems, the relatively free enterprise practices of Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines vastly differ from the formerly command economies of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Burma.

In politics, while Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines have become democracies, Vietnam, Laos, Burma and Brunei remain one-party systems or oligarchic. Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia are still in the guided democracy stage or 'soft authoritarianism'. In all Asean countries, human rights are still a problematic issue.

Indeed, Asean could not even unite for a swift and effective response to the tsunami crisis but had to depend on the US, China, Japan, Australia and European countries for initial rescue and relief operations. What a shame.

Despite their proven failure to protect and save their own people from natural disasters, Asean countries - including Malaysia - have been spending heavily in an arms race to outdo one another with the latest weapons and war-making systems from the West.

May be it is time to disband Asean all together because there is no more real substance. It only exists in name and only for the benefit of its self-serving bureaucrats at the Asean secretariat.