“We can no longer stay committed to olden mechanisms" – Mohamed Hasan, Malaysian Foreign Minister

By Tyler Tan, Timothy Tan, and Muruganandam Sathiyaselan

Ministers of Cambodia, Malaysia and Brunei after introducing the declaration

KUALA LUMPUR, 17 June (Bernama) – A declaration sponsored by Cambodia, Malaysia and Brunei to improve ASEAN’s capacity to streamline ASEAN’s peace resolution process, aims to make a massive step for ASEAN. 

Malaysia, as the chairman of ASEAN, has brought the ASEAN nations together during this ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM), with the committee committed to developing ASEAN’s credibility and strength for internal conflict management.

The Council has strived to “maintain the spirit of ASEAN” and “ASEAN has mostly reached a consensus”, according to the Malaysian Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan. 

The spirit of ASEAN follows its non-interference principle, yet lacks a regional enforcement body, having to result in other supranatural institutions for resolution. 

With both China and the US attempting to pursue foreign interference, unity within ASEAN is at risk due to the need to peacefully manage demands from both parties.

Conflicting principles and non-interventionist policies have resulted in a lack of tangible action to solve regional issues. 

Minister Hasan has stated that we can no longer “stay committed to olden mechanisms” and talked about the necessity of “increased and active intervention in ways that do not fragment ASEAN’s unity”. 

In response to the issues of conflict resolution, foreign interference and third party mediation, the AMM has discussed solutions that maintain ASEAN’s neutrality and consensus-based principles. 

One solution proposed was a Special Envoy, an individual appointed by the ASEAN chair to represent interests of mediation in the region, to be extended to 3 years. 

Other solutions brought about include the ASEAN Mediation Unit (AMU), and the Proactive Defence Diplomacy (PDD) Scheme, which serve as non-binding but effective solutions for ASEAN to ratify. 

The AMU provides a platform to seek compromises in the spirit of ASEAN’s unity and will contain non-aligned diplomats, which is a more “pragmatic approach and is a stronger ASEAN action in reforms to make it more responsive to maintaining peace in ASEAN”, according to Mohamed Hasan. 

Additionally, The PDD will bolster ASEAN cooperation and provide a diplomatic body maintaining transparency in ASEAN, supporting nations by also ensuring humanitarian aid channels are open and engaging ASEAN stakeholders at the table. 

Other solutions discussed within the declaration include Bolstering Systems (BS), as well as adopting the “Prosper Thy Neighbour” which will reinforce ASEAN’s economic resilience as a whole and increase ASEAN self-sufficiency. 

These solutions align to the ASEAN principles and “promotes ASEAN’s vision to maintain better sovereignty and engages all stakeholders, allowing ASEAN to work towards reconciliation", mentioned by the foreign minister of the European Union (EU). 

In a volatile political and economic environment, the shared effort by ASEAN has allowed the economy to be effectively supported, with Mohamed Hasan ensuring that this will “strengthen economic ties with ASEAN and will benefit Malaysians and all ASEAN citizens to benefit”. 

The multilateral benefits presented by the solution has warranted support from many nations, not limited to Australia, Russia, Korea and the EU, with the Foreign Minister of Korea notably mentioning that “Korea is in support as long as there is peace in the region”. 

Yet, this was just one solution which was presented within the council, as the Minister of Philippines has presented the idea of military intervention, in the form of a task force. 

Mohamed Hasan has commented on this, stating that the premise of the taskforce is correct, but mediation is a better option as “too many hurdles to form a strike force and is a blatant violation of the ASEAN charter”.

The framework raised by the Malaysian, Bruneian and Cambodian Foreign Ministers provide mediation, a far better solution to the highly disputed interventionist solution as there are far less implications on regional stability and peace in ASEAN as whole. 

On the road ahead, ASEAN needs to stand strong and oppose military intervention at all costs and safeguard all its member states, while growing as a region. 

Ministers should come to a realisation that mediation provides greater inherent value to the region, and to reconsider the repercussions of their actions and policies. 

Interventionist Foreign ministers hold the balance of the peace in ASEAN in their very hands, and ASEAN ministers should seek to work in cooperation with such nations to address the issues at hand with consensus.  

-- BERNAMA