2 weeks Ago By Qistina Sallehuddin
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is stepping into a prominent diplomatic role as Asean chair this year, with growing expectations for the country to act as a bridge within the regional bloc and also with global powers.Experts believe that Malaysia's Asean chairmanship under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim marks a significant development, particularly due to his proactive approach to the Myanmar crisis.Professor James Chin of the University of Tasmania's Asia Institute said while it was still early to evaluate Malaysia's performance as Asean chair, Anwar's unexpected and assertive stance on the Myanmar issue stood out in addressing one of the bloc's most persistent challenges.
"People in the diplomatic community are very surprised that Anwar has taken such a high-profile position on the issue of Myanmar, even travelling to Bangkok to meet various stakeholders and attempting to push through an extended ceasefire."Myanmar's record is really bad and Asean has not been able to do much. The civil war is worsening, the death toll is out of hand and it is only recently, due to a natural disaster, that the Myanmar junta became more open to dialogue," he said.
Myanmar has been engulfed in civil conflict since the military coup in 2021. Its senior general and Prime Minister Min Aung Hlaing had been barred from attending Asean summits due to the military junta's failure to fulfil the bloc's agreed peace plan. On Thursday (April 17), Anwar met Min Aung Hlaing to discuss the country's earthquake situation and humanitarian aid.
He described the frank and constructive discussion as focusing on the urgent humanitarian needs of the Myanmar people, including the immediate deployment of a field hospital and the importance of returning the country to normalcy.Anwar said while Asean continued to uphold the Five-Point Consensus as the basis for engagement with Myanmar, the meeting was held on humanitarian grounds.Chin said Anwar's proactive stance was a timely move to revive Asean's relevance and diplomatic credibility.
"It is good that Anwar has used the opportunity to push for a peace settlement. Asean has always projected itself as a zone of peace and neutrality, but more importantly, Asean is successful due to its non-interference policy. "If it cannot resolve the Myanmar issue, it risks reinforcing the view that Asean is little more than a talk shop.
So, hopefully, Anwar will succeed," he said.Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Dr Azmi Hassan echoed similar views, saying Anwar was making a concerted effort to elevate Asean's global relevance, particularly through a more assertive approach to both international conflicts and regional issues.Azmi noted that Anwar had previously pledged to enhance Asean's centrality as a key player in global diplomacy, not just within Southeast Asia, but in broader affairs such as the war in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
"He wants to bring Asean closer to these global issues so that it is no longer seen as a timid organisation, but one that is more assertive, reliable, and capable of playing a meaningful role in international peace efforts," he said, citing Anwar's recent trip to Thailand as an example.While the visit itself might not have attracted much attention, Azmi said Anwar's public call for Myanmar's military junta to enter into dialogue marked a bold diplomatic step."His willingness to call on Aung Hlaing to discuss a ceasefire was a very courageous move by Anwar, not just for Malaysia, but for Asean as a whole," Azmi said.
Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Dr Oh Ei Sun, meanwhile, said Malaysia was demonstrating aspirations to serve as a bridge between Asean and major global powers such as China and the European Union.Commenting on Malaysia's position under Anwar's leadership, Oh noted that while the country's ambition was clear, other Asean members remained cautious in their approach to external engagement. "I think Malaysia aspires to play such a bridging role, but Asean countries remain quite guarded in terms of their sovereignty and agency," said Oh.
Nonetheless, he added that Malaysia's assertive diplomatic posture had not gone unnoticed. "That said, I think most Asean countries appreciate Malaysia's protectiveness."© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd.
