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ASEAN at crossroads as leaders descend on Labuan Bajo
Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said building a “stronger” and “more relevant” ASEAN should be the top priority of all delegates this week.
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Officers of the National Police's Mobile Brigade stand guard on May 5 at the venue of the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara. Around 12,000 Indonesian Military and National Police personnel have been deployed to secure the summit. (Antara/Zabur Karuru)
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outheast Asian leaders descended on the eastern Indonesia fishing town of Labuan Bajo on Tuesday for a crucial summit that aims to address ASEAN’s institutional shortcomings and chart the direction of progress for one of the world’s fastest-growing regions in the coming decades.
The association has been under increasing pressure to reform in the midst of great power rivalries and even greater expectations as the economic driver of the “Asian Century”, at a time when most of the world is slowly recovering from a pandemic and a global downturn.
ASEAN unity has also been put to the test after attempts to resolve a violent coup crisis in Myanmar came up short, potentially setting the tone for the next couple of years of government change in a politically diverse region.
A pall hangs heavy over the weeklong flurry of meetings meant to discuss the region’s most pressing issues, following an attack on a diplomatic convoy delivering humanitarian assistance in Myanmar on the weekend.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD even said ASEAN was “at a crossroads” as it continued to juggle external and internal pressures.
Mahfud, who led the 26th ASEAN Political and Security Council (APSC) on Tuesday, said ASEAN’s “strength as a community” was tested by “crisis after crisis”, and the group was in jeopardy of losing its relevance.
“From the outside, there is great power competition with the potential to divide our group. [...] From the inside, we have the prolonged crisis in Myanmar and its humanitarian implications,” he remarked at the outset of the meeting.
