Bakri MP Tan Hong Pin of DAP said it was too soon to assess Malaysia’s performance, given that it had only been a month since the country assumed the chairmanship of the grouping.
He said chairing Asean was a year-long endeavour and initial activities often served as foundational steps for more substantive initiatives in the coming months.
Among the issues were the Myanmar crisis, South China Sea dispute and transnational crimes such as cyber fraud and human trafficking, he said.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also appointed former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as an informal adviser for Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship, which Tan said was a strategic move given Thaksin’s extensive experience in regional politics and economic diplomacy.
He was commenting on an opinion piece by Bridget Welsh, an honorary research associate with the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute Malaysia, published by The Jakarta Post on Feb 3, which was critical about the hype over Malaysia taking over the chairmanship of Asean.
She said early indications suggested that there was a lack of a viable plan to fulfil the expectations of Malaysia as leader of Asean and that “Malaysia’s chairmanship risks the potential of being too much about Anwar, and not enough about Asean”. She had also questioned Thaksin’s appointment.
Refuting her argument, Tan said Malaysia had demonstrated proactive leadership by hosting the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Langkawi on Jan 19, which provided a crucial platform for open dialogue on pressing regional issues.
And contrary to concerns of inaction, Malaysia had taken tangible steps to strengthen regional cooperation and address pressing issues, Tan said.
He said Malaysia had made significant strides in bolstering economic ties within Asean, citing a landmark agreement with Singapore to establish a special economic zone in Johor.
Tan said Putrajaya had also initiated discussions on artificial intelligence governance and fintech regulations to bolster Asean’s competitiveness in the digital age, and that Japan and the European Union had lauded Malaysia’s commitment to strengthen regional security and trade.
“While it is essential to critically assess leadership roles, declaring Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship disappointing at this juncture overlooks the foundational steps already taken and the comprehensive plans in place for the year.
“A more balanced evaluation should consider the full term of Malaysia’s tenure and the tangible outcomes of its initiatives,” he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung of PKR said he was “disappointed to read the flimsy reasoning of an academic who delivered a deflating verdict on the start to Malaysia’s chairmanship”.
Like Tan, Lee defended Thaksin’s appointment saying it was an “astute move” as the former prime minister had the experience and credentials to help engage on issues in Indochina and Myanmar.
He however acknowledged that many issues required engagement, including democratic developments in some of the most volatile regions of Asean.
“The prime minister has shown able diplomacy and leadership in these difficult situations.”