TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Indonesia can break the stalemate in Myanmar
Indonesia has an opportunity to lead ASEAN in implementing its Five-Point Consensus in the correct sequence, starting with humanitarian assistance.
Change Size
Displaced people from Myanmar carry their belongings as they make their way on April 11, 2023 from Thailand's Mae Sot district in Tak province to the Moei River on the Thai-Myanmar border, as seen in this handout photo provided by the Royal Thai Army. Thousands of people who had fled to Thailand following fighting in Myanmar between rebels and the military returned to their country on April 11, Thai officials said. (AFP/Royal Thai Army)
W
e must accept the reality that the opposing forces in Myanmar are at their worst stalemate. The air raid in Sagaing on April 12 has proved that Myanmar’s military junta will continue to claim the legitimacy of its rule, even though it has closed off every communication channel to the world.
The often quoted recent updates from the ground are that the junta rules less than 20 percent of the country. It has effective control over the whole country only with the opposition forces. As a result, many resistance groups have decided to take up arms against the junta and refuse to engage in any dialogue with it.
Where does Indonesia stand as the 2023 chair and de facto leader of ASEAN? There have been many impatient comments about how Indonesia is handling the Myanmar crisis.
Here, we put things in perspective regarding the complex politics within ASEAN, even the mess left behind by previous chairs. Given that time is pressing, we also offer suggestions for the Indonesian government’s consideration.
The Five-Point Consensus (5PC), which is often criticized as impotent, was the agreement ASEAN leaders and the Myanmar military junta made in Jakarta on April 24, 2021. In the meantime, Indonesia has been actively recording the atrocities, fatalities and escalation of violence in Myanmar.
During the dynamics of that time, Indonesia saw some ASEAN member states reject the idea of jointly forming a group of high-profile representatives to mediate dialogue between all parties in Myanmar. The ego and ignorance of a few have undermined collaborative action among the member states.
When Cambodia took ASEAN’s helm, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo called Prime Minister Hun Sen to make sure that he would not make any moves beyond what ASEAN had agreed. Unfortunately, Hun Sen went his own way, believing that the Cambodian experience would be appreciated by Myanmar, which was not the case.
