https://arab.news/4gskq
With Malaysia assuming the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2025, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is poised to steer the regional bloc toward a more assertive stance on Myanmar’s ongoing crisis. Unlike previous chairs, Malaysia aims to prioritize accountability for the Myanmar junta’s atrocities and reject the legitimacy of its planned elections, widely criticized as a sham.
This approach, while ambitious, faces significant challenges given ASEAN’s history of ineffectiveness on Myanmar. The implications for the Rohingya and other minorities are profound and Anwar’s personal interest in the issue adds a unique dimension to Malaysia’s leadership. However, the likelihood of this approach being successful remains uncertain, constrained as it is by ASEAN’s structural limitations and regional dynamics.
Malaysia’s chairmanship, themed “Inclusivity and Sustainability,” comes at a critical juncture. Myanmar’s junta, led by Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, has plunged the country into chaos since the 2021 coup, displacing more than 3.3 million people and killing thousands, with ethnic and religious minorities bearing the brunt of the violence.
ASEAN’s response, primarily through the Five-Point Consensus adopted in April 2021, has been widely criticized as toothless, failing to curb the junta’s aggression or advance inclusive dialogue. Malaysia, under Anwar’s leadership, seeks to break this cycle by rejecting engagement with the junta, advocating for accountability and dismissing the junta’s election plans as a ploy to entrench power.
