Abstract
Most recent discussions about regional integration among ASEAN members led to the collective agenda called ASEAN Community whose goals are to create a productive multilateral program. The program has been divided into three sectors which are ASEAN Economic Community, ASEAN Political-Security Community, and ASEAN Socio-Culture Community. The ASEAN integration process at least involves three internal actors. First is political actors (governments, political elite, who get benefits from security cooperation to avoid conflict among SEA states, etc.). Second is business actors (economy elite, corporations, who run businesses and get benefits from trade agreements) and third is people actors (society, communities, who receive direct benefits from ASEAN integration). The first and second groups have direct benefits from ASEAN integration, but for the third group, especially those from grassroots (middle and low level society), they have lack of understanding on what ASEAN is all about, and what are benefits and advantages of having ASEAN integration to their life. This paper aims at three folds, first is to discuss, how relevant the concept of communitarianism that bring ideas about the importance role of communities in term of regional political aspects, especially to create a 'real' regional community and regional identity. Second is to discuss how the ASEAN's idea of people-oriented can be implemented through the communitarianism approach. Third is to discuss how states-oriented integration can move towards people-oriented integration. The findings show that in creating regional integration, i.e. ASEAN Community agenda, ASEAN should consider the role of communities and acknowledge their existences in the ASEAN agenda so that it can be more integrated society. Second, the legitimate role of the communities in ASEAN would able to cope and helping some of social issues which occur in the society by using direct community to community approach. Third, the communitarianism perspective is very much relevant to the ASEAN's idea about people-oriented approach, because communitarianism offers the importance of community in a nation as a co-actor in the regional integration process in helping mutual consciousness among the actors. Fourth, the mix of ASEAN's state oriented and people-oriented should be applied by the organization to fulfill the agenda of ASEAN Community, by using both the top-bottom model and the bottom-up model. Fifth, ASEAN should convince and deliver benefits to the community, so that the community can support the integration agenda.