Much Ado About Nothing Over Asean Chair

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Here’s a quiz about Asean - two questions. Answer them without peeking at the correct response. Who was the last chair of Asean, that is in 2024? Who is the current chair of Asean?
Before we give the right answers to those questions, here is a key fact about the chair of Asean - taken from the Asean portal. The Asean chair rotates among member nations yearly in alphabetical order. It started with Indonesia in 1976.
Alright, now for the answers - who was last year’s chair? Laos. How many of you got that right? Be honest. It’s not a shame if you got it wrong - I did not know that and I am sure unless you are a diplomat or some such you won’t either - the appointment is purely procedural as we shall see in a minute.
For the second question, who is the current chair? You are wrong if you said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The correct answer is Malaysia but I don’t blame you if you said Anwar because with all the song and dance made about it, you would think that Anwar holds the chair in his own capacity. Repeat, the country holds the chair, not Anwar.
ADSFunctions of the Asean chair
Let’s look at the functions of the chair, Malaysia’s (not Anwar’s role) this year. This is from the Asean portal and I quote in full:
“The member state holding the chair of Asean shall actively promote and enhance the interests and well-being of Asean, including efforts to build an Asean community through policy initiatives, coordination, consensus, and cooperation; ensure the centrality of Asean; ensure an effective and timely response to urgent issues or crisis situations affecting Asean, including providing its good offices and such other arrangements to immediately address these concerns; represent Asean in strengthening and promoting closer relations with external partners; and carry out such other tasks and functions as may be mandated. – Article 32 of the Asean Charter.”
The emphasis in bold above “to build an Asean community through policy initiatives, coordination, consensus and cooperation” is mine and it clearly indicates the scope and limitations of Malaysia’s role as chair. It is a facilitating role, nothing more.
Flags of Asean nationsArticles 31 and 32 of the Asean Charter sets out in full some of these. Article 31 specifies that Asean shall have, in a calendar year, a single chairpersonship by which the member state assuming the post shall chair:
(a) the Asean Summit and related summits;
(b) the Asean Coordinating Council;
(c) the three Asean Community Councils;
(d) where appropriate, the relevant Asean Sectoral Ministerial Bodies and senior officials; and
(e) the Committee of Permanent Representatives.
A procedural role
The roles are almost entirely procedural and any other matters need to receive the mandate from the member nations and cooperation, coordination, and consensus from them.
ADSUnder those circumstances, any appointment of advisers is superfluous - the chair simply has to get input directly from the member nations.
This is not a grouping that Malaysia leads but merely a procedural chair with limited independence under the mandate given. It has to bend over backwards to ensure that what it says is in line with what Asean as a group wants to say.
It - and that includes Anwar - cannot go on a roll of its own on issues such as Palestine, for instance.
Emphatically, it is not a job for the prime minister but for a professional career diplomat to handle aided by technocrats, with the prime minister’s role simply being making the appropriate noises at major meetings and broadly instructing the technocrats.
Anwar does not have the time for such detail with 1,001 more pressing matters at home.
But Anwar has usurped the role in earnest, possibly even alarming member nations in what are probably unilateral appointments of advisers such as controversial former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and reportedly former Singapore foreign minister George Yeo and former Indonesia foreign minister Retno Marsudi.
Why? There are no such provisions in either Article 31 or 32.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (right) and former Thai prime minister Thaksin ShinawatraAs is now usual, it’s about optics - he has tried very hard to make himself out to be a world statesperson gallivanting around the world to make contacts with leaders and trying to make his mark when he should be focusing on the reforms promised but not implemented here in Malaysia.
Where is reformation?
Where is the promised fightback against corruption? Where is the badly needed reform of education to produce better Malaysians all around? Where is the rollback of subsidies and other bold measures to raise government revenue for reform?
Tough, needed measures at home are not being implemented because there is insufficient leadership.
If the ringgit is strengthening, it’s due to him, if investments are coming in, it’s because he did something, if the economy is recovering, credit is due to him, going by what he has said before.
The Asean chair is not his role, it’s the country’s, but that still does not stop him from milking the maximum personal publicity he can from it.
When political scientist Bridget Welsh wrote that the Asean chair is more about Anwar than Asean, she was absolutely spot on but that did not stop a barrage of near-sycophantic articles in Anwar’s defence.
Just looking at one article from Bernama chairperson Wong Chun Wai , appointed to the position during Anwar’s tenure as prime minister, titled “Asean Chairmanship Deserves Support, Not Prejudice” will suffice.
Wong is a known loyalist to his political leaders. He told me not to cover 1MDB in 2009 when I was managing editor in charge of business coverage at The Star and he was its group editor-in-chief.
He suppressed coverage of 1MDB in The Star for many years and only changed his tune after Najib Abdul Razak was defeated in the 2018 general election.
His choice as Bernama chairperson by Anwar is a reflection of Anwar’s desire to surround himself with people who will do his bidding without question and without even being asked.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim waving the Jalur GemilangHe offers little to rebut Welsh’s article. He says: “Anwar’s focus on economic reform in Malaysia, for example, could translate into policies that promote stronger economic ties and trade within Asean.” As I pointed out, that’s not the chair’s role and there is no such mandate.
And further: “His diplomatic skills could help Asean to maintain neutrality and strategic balance – which he repeatedly emphasises.”
What diplomatic skills? He has positions which Asean nations may disagree with, especially right now concerning Palestine. He needs to get a consensus on that.
Focus on Malaysia
Anwar would serve his country best if he stayed at home, shunned the public limelight which he seems addicted to, and focused on the many problems facing Malaysia, making his cabinet members fully accountable for results.
Announce in real terms what he wants to do, set targets and deadlines, and keep us fully informed of progress regularly. Leave Asean to foreign affairs and their technocrats and bureaucrats - there is an Asean secretariat after all. - Mkini
P GUNASEGARAM cannot remember a time when the rotating chairpersonship of Asean coming to Malaysia was made such a big deal, a clear sign of desperation.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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