Global Courant 2023-05-11 15:00:00
LABUAN BAJO – Indonesian President Joko Widodo had strong words for those who criticized the lack of progress in implementing a peace plan undertaken by Asean to resolve the crisis in Myanmar.
Indonesia, the rotating president of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has said it has adopted a silent “no-megaphone” policy in a bid to end violence in Myanmar. It has signed more than 60 agreements with various stakeholders, but opponents lamented slow progress and demanded tougher measures against Myanmar’s military regime.
“Betrothal does not mean recognition, that is why I had made it clear at the ASEAN meeting that ASEAN unity is very important. Without unity, it is easy for other parties to divide Asean and I am sure no Asean country wants that,” he said at a press conference to close the two-day Asean summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa province, on Thursday. Tenggara.
“No party inside or outside ASEAN should take advantage of the internal conflict in Myanmar. The violence must be stopped and the people must be protected,” he added.
The five-point consensus was forged by Asean in April 2021 as a way to resolve the crisis caused by the Myanmar military’s coup d’état in February of that year, which killed thousands of civilians and displaced hundreds of thousands.
It called for dialogue between all parties, an immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, the appointment of an ASEAN special envoy to facilitate mediation and humanitarian aid, and a visit by an ASEAN delegation to Myanmar to bring all parties involved to meet.
Mr Widodo, who chaired a retreat session earlier in the day, had called for “unity in ASEAN to chart our way forward” in resolving the crisis in military-controlled Myanmar. He acknowledged that “no significant progress” has been made in the peace plan.
“However, I have to be honest…no significant progress has been made in implementing the five-point consensus, so unity in ASEAN is needed to chart our way forward,” he told his colleagues.
Mr Widodo, or Jokowi as he is better known, acknowledged that Asean’s credibility is at stake as the consensus not only calls for involvement from all stakeholders, but also that inclusiveness is maintained. Indonesia, as this year’s rotating presidency, is “ready to talk to everyone, including the junta and all Myanmar stakeholders for Myanmar’s interests.”
In fact, Indonesia has enlisted many parties in Myanmar to look for solutions “although we don’t always talk about it,” he stressed, adding that “many parties with many interests were involved.”
“We will continue to engage more stakeholders in Myanmar to establish as many dialogues as possible,” he said. “We hope that Myanmar also has a political commitment to have an internal dialogue between them. I must emphasize again that commitment does not mean recognition. This is clear.”
Speaking at the press conference, Mr. Widodo said, “Asean is a very strong family, its unity is very important to sail towards the same goal”.
Separately, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told reporters in Singapore on the sidelines of the summit that the plans still serve a purpose.
“It indicates that all is not well, that progress needs to be made, that meanwhile the problems in Myanmar cannot hamper Asean’s work and Asean’s cooperation and engagement with dialogue partners around the world. And this format, I believe, has both a symbolic purpose and important practical consequences. There is no reason to change this format because no progress has been made,” said Prime Minister Lee.
