JAKARTA – Asean must push for the full implementation of its peace plan for Myanmar and maintain its stand that the country is not represented by its junta's political leaders at the bloc's high-level meetings, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Tuesday (Sept 5).
"Otherwise, our credibility will be undermined, and so will Asean centrality. And this would also affect our engagement with key partners, at a time precisely when we need to step up relations with them," he added.
His remarks come as the Asean leaders meeting in Jakarta issued a strongly worded statement to pass over Myanmar's turn to take up the rotating chairmanship of the grouping in 2026, which will be assumed by the Philippines.
The statement, released following the 43rd Asean Summit, stressed that the bloc's road map for Myanmar, also known as the five-point consensus (5PC), remains the main reference to address the issue.
The plan called for a dialogue among all parties, an immediate halt to violence in Myanmar, the appointment of an Asean special envoy to facilitate mediation, humanitarian assistance and a visit by an Asean delegation to Myanmar to meet all concerned parties.
The country has been in turmoil since Myanmar's military launched a coup against its democratically elected government in February 2021.
Asean drew up a five-point peace plan with the military two months later, but there has been little progress in quelling the post-coup violence that has killed thousands.
PM Lee noted that during Indonesia's Asean chairmanship, its efforts on Myanmar, including engaging stakeholders, have resulted in modest progress in humanitarian assistance.
But he stressed that the security, economic and humanitarian situation remains dire, and violence continues.
Asean's statement also said that the grouping will set up a mechanism comprising the immediate past, current and incoming chairs to tackle the crisis in Myanmar. No further details on this approach were available.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that this approach would allow Asean to manage the crisis in a more continuous manner.
"Everyone understands that this situation cannot change in one year," she said, adding that such an approach was agreed upon by the bloc to continue to help the people of Myanmar.
PM Lee said that the way Asean handles the current climate of geopolitical and economic uncertainty will influence how much control it has over its future. In order for the bloc to continue coming out stronger in these challenging times, it needs to factor in Asean centrality in all that it does.
Asean centrality refers to the regional grouping being in the driver's seat and shaping key outcomes affecting South-east Asia, instead of having the region's fortunes determined by external parties.
"How Asean responds will determine whether Asean centrality will still hold in the years ahead. We speak constantly of Asean centrality, but we also need to manifest it consistently, in our positions, in our actions, in our policies," said PM Lee.
PM Lee added on Tuesday that Asean needs to be united in dealing with difficult issues, and the situation in Myanmar is one such example.
"We will each have our own national interests and positions on the geopolitical challenges, but we still have to work towards common landing points. And this inevitably will involve all of us with some give and take," he said.
He added that Singapore welcomes the draft Leaders' Review and Decision on the Implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, which establishes an informal consultation mechanism comprising the previous, current and future Asean chairs to engage all Myanmar stakeholders.
It also settles the issue of future bloc chairmanships so that Asean can continue its important agenda, notwithstanding the Myanmar situation, he said.
To sustain Asean centrality, the region must redouble its efforts at economic integration, stressed PM Lee, reinforcing a point he had made earlier during the plenary session of the Asean Summit.
He had said then that efforts to develop new growth areas for the bloc must speed up, regardless of good progress thus far, and called on leaders of the bloc to strengthen Asean as an institution to bolster its resilience.
"Economic integration must remain at the core of our agenda. We have done well so far, but we need to move quickly to develop new growth areas, particularly the digital and green economies," he said.
Doing so will allow the region's external partners to find it to be a credible partner to work with, and only then will Asean be able to secure its stability and progress, PM Lee added.
He also told fellow bloc leaders that for it to continue doing its work well, Asean's institutions and processes must be fit for purpose.
The grouping has made good progress on strengthening its decision-making process in emergency situations, but it should now enhance the Asean secretariat, as well as optimise the role of the Asean secretary-general, to more effectively support the bloc's priorities.
The way South-east Asia works with its global partners will affect the region's future, and PM Lee said that these engagements have to be increased in an open and inclusive way.
"Geopolitical rivalry will play out in our region, as is happening elsewhere in the world; we may not wish it, but we have to accept it. The solution is not to remain passive and avoid taking positions on all issues," he said.
"Otherwise, Asean will lose its relevance. We have to be prepared to engage all sides actively, in mutually beneficial ways."
PM Lee held up the Asean Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) as a platform to conduct such engagements.
The AOIP, an initiative led by Indonesia that was signed in 2019 by Asean leaders at the 34th Asean Summit, lays out the bloc's common position on regional co-operation, security and prosperity, as well as its stance on not taking sides with any major powers competing for influence in the region.
The initiative is "omnidirectional" and inclusive, said PM Lee, adding that it provides multiple opportunities for Asean's partners to engage the region, and that a number of the bloc's dialogue partners have signalled their commitment to it.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
ALSO READ: Asean leaders seek to assert bloc's relevance at annual summit
