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Why can’t ASEAN just suspend Myanmar?
While the ASEAN Charter does not foresee a mechanism or procedure to suspend its member states, ad hoc solutions can be taken in order to suspend Myanmar from the bloc.
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Dim hopes: Street vendors wait for customers during a power outage in Yangon, Myanmar on March 3, 2022. (AFP/Stringer)
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onsidering the military junta’s stubborn defiance of its own commitment to ending the plight of people in Myanmar, ASEAN must formally suspend Myanmar from its activities.
“Formally suspending” is far too moderate a position because actually Myanmar should be kicked out of the bloc until democracy is restored. If it doesn’t happen now, it will never.
With what’s going on right now in Ukraine and with the world focused on the Russian invasion, we cannot forget Myanmar’s tragedy.
The global attention on the unfolding crisis in eastern Europe should not allow us to abdicate our responsibility to keep the military junta in Naypyidaw accountable. There is no more space for a ruthless regime in a regional community that is supposed to be based on fostering cooperation and peace, and with activities that are, at least on paper, inspired by universal values like freedom, human rights and dignity.
A recent ASEAN event unfortunately shows that we are still far from achieving these ideals. I am referring to the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting Retreat a few weeks ago in Phnom Penh, an event Myanmar decided to skip following the decision by Cambodia, the current chair of the bloc, to ask the generals to designate a “nonpolitical” figure to represent the country.
This is the minimum that could have been demanded. It is a shame that the junta has not yet been expelled or at least suspended from the community.
Unfortunately, unless some ASEAN heads of state and government take strong and bold actions, nothing will change and the ongoing stalemate will drag on.
