MANILA: Myanmar's bid to chair Asean in 2029 will have to wait after the regional bloc decided to maintain its established alphabetical rotation for the chairmanship, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
The Foreign Minister said both Myanmar and Timor-Leste had expressed interest in assuming the Asean chairmanship in 2029, after Singapore and Thailand take their turns.
However, he said the Asean Coordinating Council (ACC), which met on Saturday (Nov 14), agreed not to depart from the bloc's usual practice.
"Although no decision was made at the senior officials' level, during the ACC meeting earlier, we decided not to depart from our usual practice.
"Our usual practice is to follow alphabetical order," he told Malaysian media at a press conference here.
Mohamad said under the existing rotation, Singapore would chair Asean next year, followed by Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.
"After Timor-Leste, it will be Vietnam's turn. After Vietnam, we can consider it.
"Otherwise, if we follow alphabetical order, Myanmar will have to wait a very long time," he said.
He added that Asean could consider giving Myanmar special consideration after Vietnam's turn, depending on the circumstances and on merit.
"For now, as per our normal practice, we will follow alphabetical order.
"Next year is Singapore, followed by Thailand, then Timor-Leste and Vietnam. Only after that can we make special consideration on a merit basis," he said.
Myanmar has been mired in a political crisis since the military seized power in February 2021, prompting Asean to adopt its Five-Point Consensus aimed at ending violence and facilitating dialogue.
The country has also faced restrictions on political representation at Asean's high-level meetings following the military authorities' failure to make meaningful progress in implementing the consensus.
Timor-Leste, meanwhile, became Asean's 11th member in October 2025, marking the regional grouping's first expansion since Cambodia joined in 1999.
