Opinion | Asean gives Malaysia international significance

The bloc’s true strength is its inherent unity, and how that unity can make its member states into players on the global stage

While Asean centrality has been used by many of its critics to vilify its inaction, it is why smaller states have a say in affairs that affect them

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Asean stands as proof that smaller states, such as Malaysia, are great influencers in the right circumstances. Photo: AP

Published: 8:00am, 4 Dec 2018Updated: 10:45am, 4 Dec 2018

Pundits and observers of the region have long doubted the agency of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) – consigning the organisation to the doldrums of history since the early 1990s. While Asean’s role at the time was limited to the domain of regional security, over the past two decades, it has evolved beyond that to cover regional economic and social integration as well.

The recently concluded 33rd Asean Summit in Singapore reaffirmed the organisation as a fundamental player within the regional political-security architecture. Except for US President Donald Trump, every other major Asean partner was represented by their respective heads of government – a nod towards Asean’s crucial position at the heart of Asia-Pacific regionalism.

However, it’s no surprise that a group of 10 nations tend to disagree on some matters. After all, even the best relationships are peppered with arguments.

As distinguished international relations scholar Amitav Acharya puts it, Asean’s greatest challenges are internal, not external. To that end, I would argue that for Asean to continue defying the odds and making its name on the international stage, it must rely on its true strength – its inherent unity.

In the Malay language, the term muafakat best captures this strength. The expression loosely translates to consensus and cooperation. But more than that, it is often used in the context of decision-making within societal structures.

This, in many ways, paints an accurate description of Asean – a society of states with shared historical, cultural and linguistic ties. Moreover, it is towards this collective Asean community vision that members are striving in the long term.

Asean’s unity has been demonstrated before – most evidently in its handling of Vietnam’s invasion of Cambodia in the 1970s and its constructive engagement with Myanmar’s authoritarian regime.

More recently, however, Asean’s cohesiveness has come into question due to advances from China, which has been wooing member states into its orbit of influence.