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View all search resultsShould ASEAN boycott Myanmar?
What is feasible is for these nations to play outside the parameters set by the ASEAN Charter and push for an interruption of all bilateral diplomatic contacts with this country.
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I
t is time for leadership for Brunei and its monarch, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. As reported by The Jakarta Post, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is pushing for an ASEAN meeting to discuss the ensuing crisis in Myanmar, and the ruler of Brunei, who holds the annual rotating presidency, has a central role to play.
Such a meeting among the heads of state should have happened weeks ago, but now that a formal proposal has been made by Indonesia, it is of extreme importance that Sultan Bolkiah gets this right, showing statesmanship and visionary leadership about the future of Southeast Asia.
The regional bloc is probably facing its most severe political test with the coup in Myanmar, and despite the deep divisions within ASEAN among democracies and authoritarian member states, it is high time for an unequivocal message: Illegitimate power takeovers are not admissible and those undertaking them should face the most severe consequences.
The preamble of the ASEAN Charter clearly makes a reference to “adhere to the principle of democracy, rule of law, good governance, respect for and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms”.
Perhaps the best way to bring along Sultan Bolkiah is not to focus too much on the democracy aspect but rather on the rule of law and good governance dimensions of the ASEAN Charter.
While interpreting these two concepts might widely differ from country to country, it is undeniable that Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia or Laos do follow their own rule of law aimed at ensuring prosperity and wellbeing for their citizens.
The fact that the citizenry of these countries have no real platforms or vehicle to express their opinions nor have meaningful tools to choose their governments is, while undeniable, a fait accompli and it is based on national laws, which as despicable it can be from a democracy perspective, constitute the legal foundations of legitimate governments.
