Political practices are shaped by history. Their convergence cannot be decreed. New technologies and shifting global economic relationships are bringing about drastic changes in countries. For example, regional economic integration demands that arrangements be increasingly rules-based, meaning laws must be harmonized to some extent and, therefore, more transparent. The drive for investments reinforces this.
Political diversity is inevitable, necessary, even desirable.
But in the light of globalization and regional economic integration, in the face of global competition for markets and investment, some political convergence will have to take place in Southeast Asia, and it will likely be in the direction of greater openness, freedom and pluralism. It will proceed at different speeds. But the direction is emerging into view. These trends will have a significant impact on cultures. There are two kinds of culture.