ASEAN (Bernama): Asean’s cooperative approach offers valuable lessons for global governance at a time when conflict and polarisation continue to test international institutions, panellists said at a high-level forum in Oxford, United Kingdom.
The forum titled "Leadership in a Fractured World: Lessons from ASEAN for Global Governance” was organised by Tun Razak Foundation (TRF), in collaboration with the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.
One of the panellists, TRF Chairman Tan Sri Nazir Tun Razak, reflected on the challenges faced by Razak, Malaysia’s second prime minister, during a period marked by post-colonial nation-building, Cold War tensions, communist insurgencies, and regional conflict.
He said that as one of the five founding leaders of ASEAN, Razak recognised the importance of regional cooperation in preserving peace and stability in Southeast Asia, and was instrumental in shaping an organisation that continues to serve as a platform for dialogue and diplomacy today.
"At the same time, he was helping to steer a young Malaysia through its formative years, overseeing rural development initiatives, strengthening national institutions, and laying the foundations for long-term socio-economic growth.”
Nazir noted that these experiences shaped Razak's belief that diplomacy, regional cooperation, and strong institutions are essential pillars of peace, stability, and sustainable development.
Nazir also reflected on Razak's belief in accountable leadership, noting that despite being entrusted with extraordinary powers following the 1969 riots, he chose to restore parliamentary democracy and return authority to elected institutions.
On what ASEAN needs to do more, he emphasised the need to unleash the private sector.
"We should grow private sector integration. I think there's a lot more intra-ASEAN business building that can be done,” Nazir Razak noted.
The discussion also reflected on the realities of leadership and governance in an increasingly complex world.
Drawing from Indonesia’s experience, the former Minister of Finance of Indonesia, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, emphasised that effective leadership often requires difficult decisions, sustained discipline, and the ability to build support across governments, political institutions, and wider society.
She noted that while many policy decisions may not always be popular, healthy democracies depend on leaders’ ability to build trust, forge alliances and maintain public confidence through periods of change.
"ASEAN is not really like an iron template such as the European Union. So even though we are continuously adjusting our policies to converge towards liberalisation or removing the barriers, this is still a consensus-building process.
"And that is why we want to continue to move together, to continue adjusting,” she said.
Panellists also highlighted ASEAN’s growing importance as a trusted and reliable regional partner amid rising geopolitical and economic pressures.
Malaysia Investment Development Authority (MIDA) chairman Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Aziz reflected on how ASEAN member states have continued to work together in responding to external challenges, underscoring the value of coordination, trust and collective engagement even when individual countries face competing interests and economic pressures.
"When you look at ASEAN today, despite the fragmentation that's happening in the world in terms of trade and investment, two weeks ago we just concluded the first digital economic framework agreement, or the first digital free trade agreement (FTA) in the world.
"So to me, if you want to bet on the future for ASEAN, it's not to bet on the US or bet on China, but bet on togetherness, on being together,” Zafrul said.
The forum forms part of TRF’s Tun Razak in UK Legacy Tour 2026, a flagship initiative commemorating both the Foundation’s 50th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of Tun Abdul Razak Hussein’s passing in 1976.
The forum held at the Tun Razak Lecture Theatre, Blavatnik School of Government, is available for viewing on the School’s YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpenbCnFbxU -- Bernama
