KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has reiterated calls for an end to the ongoing violence and political marginalisation against the people of Myanmar and adherence to the Five-Point Consensus (5PC), says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
As Malaysia prepares for the Asean chair in 2025, the Prime Minister said the nation will work with other Asean member states, and dialogue partners who have influence on Myanmar, to push for peace, more effective humanitarian mechanisms and the eventual political engagement of all relevant stakeholders.
“A difficult challenge we must contend with is the crisis in Myanmar, given the scale of death, displacement and fighting.
“The message Asean should convey must come from a unified voice. Failure to act, when there is ample cause to believe that a member state is violating the spirit of the Asean Charter, is a dereliction of our moral duty,” he said during his keynote address at the 37th Asia-Pacific Roundtable (37APR) organised by the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (Isis) here Thursday (June 6).
Anwar said that Asean must facilitate and offer assistance to Myanmar through various methods.
“Of course, Asean can only facilitate any efforts when the various parties in Myanmar are ready to do so. But this does not mean that we should not try multipronged, more creative tracks. The status quo is not static.
“Among the various stakeholders in Myanmar, there are the nascent beginnings of long and difficult conversations of what the future of their country will look like.
“This includes the possibility of a federation-like system. While it is not our place to decide on what is best for the people of Myanmar, it is incumbent on us, friends and neighbours, to help facilitate what and where we can,” he added.
Malaysia has held the Asean chairmanship four times, in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015.
