Anwar S Choice Of Advisers Deeply Disturbing

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The last time Malaysia assumed the Asean chairmanship was in 2015. Now the country has been given the role again.
Under the Asean charter, the chairmanship is conferred to a member state rather than any personality in the state. However, the Malaysia chairmanship seems to revolve around Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, not the country or the bloc.
It is extremely hard not to agree with my friend - researcher Bridget Welsh - when she argued that “Malaysia’s chairmanship risks the potential of being too much about Anwar, and not enough about Asean”.
In any event, the developing composition of Anwar’s top team has sparked and ignited public disquiet, especially in Malaysia.
Anwar’s personal choice of Thaksin Shinawatra as one of his Asean advisers did not go down well in a politically divided Thailand too. If the ex-Thai prime minister is a bad choice, former Cambodian strongman Hun Sen is definitely worse.
As usual, Anwar is no stranger to controversies. Anwar is fully aware that his decision to appoint Thaksin and Hun Sen as his informal advisers has raised eyebrows given the controversies surrounding these two Asean titans.
Many believe, however, that Anwar has another undisclosed mega agenda on the table.
At a press conference in Putrajaya alongside Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra - Thaksin’s daughter - during her first official visit to Malaysia, Anwar dropped the bombshell by making a surprise announcement that the Thai billionaire had accepted his invitation to be one of his advisers.
PM Anwar Ibrahim and Thai PM Paetongtarn ShinawatraAnwar knows that the moment he makes such mind-boggling appointments, he needs the agreement of all the Asean states.
After all, consensus in decision-making is a mantra in Asean.
Yes, the appointment of Thaksin and Hun Sen, respectively, has not been officially announced by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) or the Foreign Ministry simply because such appointments are informal and outside the framework of the government establishment.
Nonetheless, it is weird for Anwar to turn to foreign leaders via an Asean advisory group - despite being dubbed as informal - instead of Malaysia’s own diplomats or experts. After all, such a move is unprecedented.
Common thread
Both Anwar and Thaksin seem to share the same page. Yes, both were criminally convicted and both also received a royal pardon.
Thaksin was convicted of abuse of power and corruption. Having evaded the charges for 15 years while in self-imposed exile, he made a dramatic return to Thailand last year and was only jailed for eight years.
Nonetheless, his sentence was finally commuted by Thailand’s king to one year.
Thaksin was, however, only incarcerated for a few hours before being transferred to a hospital and spent six months there. Ultimately, he was paroled in February.
Ex-Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra and AnwarThaksin’s influence
Many believe Thaksin’s appointment could, perhaps, be linked to his familiarity with Myanmar’s political landscape as well as his connections in the country.
Malaysian officials and analysts have also remarked that Thaksin’s influence is not confined to Thailand, but also to countries such as the United States and China.
This could help Asean with challenges such as navigating US-China tensions or territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
But some groups in Myanmar such as resistance groups have strong reservations about Anwar’s personal choice.
These groups fret about Thaksin’s involvement as it may align Malaysia’s approach to the Myanmar crisis with the junta’s interests.
In the past, Thaksin’s tenure as Thailand’s prime minister was allegedly marked by a slew of accusations of his autocratic tendencies and alleged business dealings with Myanmar’s generals.
For instance, a leader of the Chin Human Rights Organisation (CHRO) - Salai Lung - believed appointing Thaksin, who supported Myanmar’s generals during his time as prime minister, was a source of serious concern.
“This decision sends a troubling message to the people of Myanmar, who have hoped for a stronger Asean stance under Malaysia’s leadership,” he lamented.
Thaksin’s surprise appointment has also raised other questions, particularly as Asean has been awaiting Malaysia’s nomination of a special envoy on Myanmar to replace outgoing envoy Alounkeo Kittikhoun from Laos.
The Thai tycoon has been attempting to be a mediator in peace talks between all factions in Myanmar since May, but hitherto it has failed to get a positive response from the country’s ethnic-based resistance groups.
The Bangkok Post recently reported that Myanmar human rights activists had expressed anger over Bangkok’s endorsement of the junta’s “sham election”, arguing that the civil war technically began to erupt after the military leaders refused to recognise the 2020 election and unconstitutionally launched a coup.
Thaksin was not really popular among the people in Myanmar. He has been consistently accused of being notoriously biased toward the Myanmar military, purportedly driven by his business interests.
He is also accused of exerting his influence to not only soften criticism towards the Myanmar military but also legitimise them by supporting their sham election.
At home, Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan has been trying to justify Thaksin’s appointment, saying the role was informal and distancing it from any formal association with Asean.
Foreign Minister Mohamad HasanHun Sen’s unfavourable track record
The inclusion of Hun Sen as a “personal adviser” to Anwar is causing another headache, given the latter’s noticeable propensity for violence and track record of rolling back democratic freedoms.
Hun Sen, who ruled Cambodia for almost four decades, is widely criticised as authoritarian through and through.
It is common knowledge that his then-government vigorously suppressed dissent, dismantled opposition parties, jailed and exiled political opposition, and controlled the media to maintain a political monopoly.
Some political analysts claim that the recent assassination of Lim Kimya - a former opposition MP living in exile in France - bore the trademark of transnational aggression that characterised Hun Sen’s rule.
They also argue Hun Sen’s dictatorship is now inherited by his son, Hun Manet. The appointment of his son to take over as prime minister is invariably seen as an epitome of nepotism.
Cambodian PM Hun ManetThe allies of the Cambodian regime, nevertheless, believe Hun Sen’s appointment could help bring “peace” in Myanmar, a country that has been embroiled in a bloody civil war since 2021.
Anyhow, Hun Sen’s questionable and contentious records would undermine his credibility as a proponent of peace and democracy, thus raising questions about why he should be suddenly trusted to shape regional policy.
Indeed, Hun Sen’s unilateral visit to Myanmar in 2022, where he proudly met junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing, without a prior audience with any of the country’s democratic leaders, including the incarcerated Aung San Suu Kyi, merely fractured Asean unity.
The trip was condemned for legitimising the ruling junta and undermining pan-Asian efforts to pressure the regime to cease ongoing violence within the country.
Anwar with ex-Cambodian PM Hun SenHun Sen’s legacy, as the chair of Asean, was often said to have divided the organisation and emboldened authoritarian actors in the region.
‘Wait-and-see’ approach
There are certainly pros and cons of the aforesaid informal appointments.
Some analysts argue Anwar’s informal appointments are shrouded in ambiguity and this ambiguity allows Anwar to appoint such figures to his team without having to get the consent of their countries’ governments.
It also allows Malaysia to adopt a “wait-and-see” approach to how other Asean member states might react to his move.
While such vagueness could have its benefits, observers also contend that Anwar’s approach risks “alienating” regional governments and “sidelining” his own officials.
After all, such diplomatic expertise already exists in his own government. Has Anwar lost trust and confidence in diplomatic pundits at home?
A former diplomat reportedly said it is not helpful for Anwar to be “sidelining his own team” as he will need the support of key government agencies to succeed as Asean chair.
It is also an opportunity for Malaysia to make its mark; the involvement of foreign advisers seems a distraction.
It remains unclear what value these foreign advisers can bring to the table that isn’t already there in our own establishment.
To conclude, it would be fair to argue that Thaksin would “create more issues” for Anwar. In all likelihood, Thaksin would give priority to his business interests over the needs of the people of Myanmar.
The issue of profound human rights violations in Myanmar has not been successfully resolved by Asean.
With the appointment of Thaksin and Hun Sen as Anwar’s advisers, it seems that any residual hope to resolve the crisis in Myanmar may just go with the wind. - Mkini
MOHAMED HANIPA MAIDIN is a former deputy minister of law.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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