Anwar As ASEAN Chairman Commended For Initiating Dialogue With Separate Groups In Myanmar Conflict 

By Fatin Umairah Abdul Hamid

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been commended as Chairman of ASEAN 2025 for his efforts in initiating dialogues with warring parties in Myanmar and looking for ways to resolve the protracted conflict.

To this end, Counter Risk Consultancy Malaysia Sdn Bhd managing partner Peter Nicoll said Anwar has initiated separate dialogues with both the military junta and National Unity Government (NUG), which is indicative of “a move towards perhaps more proactive engagement to resolve the conflict”.

“Additionally, ASEAN plans to dedicate upcoming meetings solely to the Myanmar conflict itself, sort of trying to revitalise the stalled peace process,” he said. 

This was already evident at the ongoing 46th ASEAN Summit chaired by Malaysia here whereby a separate meeting was held yesterday between Myanmar’s senior officials and three countries - Laos, the previous host for ASEAN; Malaysia, the current host; and the Philippines, the host next year.

“So while ASEAN's initial approach has not yet yielded the desired outcome, recent initiatives may well signal a willingness to adopt more assertive and inclusive strategies to address the ongoing crisis in Myanmar,” he said during a special talk show on ASEAN aired over Bernama TV and hosted by Jessy Chahal.

Meanwhile, Head of School and Associate Professor in the School of Politics at University of Nottingham Malaysia, Dr Benjamin Robin Barton, said that it is natural to be pessimistic about Myanmar.

This is because up until now, there hasn't been a breakthrough and it was a very complex situation given that there are the junta and other groups which don’t speak with the same voice.

Nicoll said that Malaysia’s Chairmanship theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability”, which was adopted for this year’s ASEAN Summit, presents both an opportunity and a challenge in the context of the ongoing political crisis in Myanmar. 

“It is a very important move by Malaysia (to initiate negotiations with different parties) and also opportune because Malaysia is chairing the ASEAN Summit,” he said.

On the surface, he said Myanmar's exclusion from high-level meetings might appear contradictory to the notion of inclusivity.

“However, a deeper interpretation reveals that this move is not about exclusion for its own sake, but about upholding ASEAN's collective credibility and ethical responsibility,” he said.

He said inclusivity must go beyond the presence of a table. It has to encompass a broader commitment to include the voices and rights of all the people in Myanmar, all the different groups, especially those which have been silenced since the 2021 coup.

“By denying the junta political legitimacy while still allowing a political representation, ASEAN is attempting to balance engagement with principles,” Nicoll said.

-- BERNAMA