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Sabah has been the recipient of countless migrants for centuries. The most recent of these are largely Indonesians and Filipinos who come for economic reasons. The current economic turmoil has affected the capacity of the state to provide employment to both local and foreign workers. While Sabah is working towards reducing its dependence on foreign workers, it is likely that Sabah will continue to depend on migrant workers in the short and immediate term. The Sabah experience suggests that a more systematic approach is needed to regulate the flow of migrant labor in the region. But for this to succeed, the support and cooperation of all the relevant parties would be essential.

The signing of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) Agreement in Singapore in January 1992 once again propelled the ever-slowly achieved economic co-operation of the ASEAN to the forefront. According to the author, concern for maintaining overall ASEAN consensus continues to be an important factor in shaping the pace at which ASEAN proceeds with economic co-operation. He outlines and highlights national interests and consensus-seeking in the ASEAN and its decision-making process. (DÜI-Sen)

The ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) signed at the Fourth ASEAN Summit in Singapore in January 1992 is just the latest manifestation of ASEAN's always stressed but ever-slowly achieved objective of economic cooperation. However, according to the author, the implementation of AFTA is not so much a question of want or desire but one of political will and political capacity. He sketches out and scrutinizes the political dimensions of ASEAN economic cooperation. (DÜI-Sen)