Perils of relying on ASEAN to sort out the Myanmar crisis

By Mizzima Editorial
06 February 2023
Perils of relying on ASEAN to sort out the Myanmar crisis
A general view of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers Retreat at the ASEAN secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, 04 February 2023. Photo: EPA

We were reminded this week by the Counselor of the US Department of State Mr Derek Chollet of the importance the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) plays in attempting to bring peace and end the crisis in Myanmar.

Chollet, speaking to regional media in an online press conference timed to coincide with the second anniversary of the Myanmar military coup, stressed the support the US government and world partners place in ASEAN and its drive to hold the Myanmar junta accountable under the Five-Point Consensus – signed by the ASEAN members including Naypyitaw.

At an ASEAN meeting this weekend, member states reiterated their call for the Myanmar junta to adhere to the consensus.

Washington supported the ASEAN Chair Cambodia in 2022 and supports Indonesia this year noting that ASEAN “deserves a lot of credit for maintaining a very principled and very tough stance to ensure that Myanmar is not represented at a political level at any senior-level meetings.”

Frankly, the game of international politics can be frustrating and there is little doubt the Myanmar people are grinding their teeth over the ASEAN peace process given the noticeable lack of progress. While a host of international players and regional analysts put their trust in the ASEAN consensus and the pressure they feel is being brought to bear on Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and his military cohorts, there is little doubt the junta generals - while miffed in public - are likely laughing behind the scenes.

Even for those who believe the ASEAN process is working, it is not a fast process. No surprises here. ASEAN mechanisms have been shown to take time. This means we can expect the Myanmar crisis to continue through 2023 and possibly for several more years even in the “best case” scenario.

What this means is that if the US and other countries and donors are going to ask the Myanmar people to play the “long game” under the ASEAN peace process, then they need to be willing to fund the needs of the Myanmar people, including independent media, until that process can play itself out and peace is unveiled at the end of the tunnel.

If the US, EU and other international players are to support the ASEAN crisis-resolving process – one that history shows typically avoids interference in the local affairs of member states – then there will be a need for robust international dialogue, tough sanctions, substantial humanitarian aid, and sufficient funding for Myanmar media and other components of civil society.

As Chollet notes: “We are in constant conversations with our colleagues in ASEAN about their collective approach to this crisis. We strongly support the Five-Point Consensus, and we are very much looking forward to working with Indonesia as this year’s chair in ASEAN just as we worked very closely with Cambodia last year and Brunei the year before in terms of the ASEAN approach to this crisis.”

This is all well and good. But if the US and other international players are to rely on ASEAN’s approach to the Myanmar crisis, they need to be vigilant and supportive in the coming months and years.