ASEAN Cohesion, Centrality Must Be Earned, Re-earned And Fortified, Says Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday urged ASEAN to earn, re-earn and fortify its unity, cohesion and centrality to withstand escalating geopolitical rivalry and complex regional contemporary challenges.

In his Presidential Lecture and Acceptance of the Conferment of the Grand Collar of the Order of Timor-Leste in Dili, Anwar emphasised that ASEAN cohesion and centrality should never be taken for granted.

“ASEAN has gone through thick and thin, persevered and grown. Yet the lessons of the past few years reinforce what our founding fathers knew back then – our unity, cohesion and centrality are not a given. They have waxed and waned through our nearly six decades of existence.

“Rhetoric aside, ASEAN’s cohesion and centrality must be earned and re-earned and fortified. A divided ASEAN will only hamper the collective vision for a peaceful and prosperous region. Therefore, efforts toward ASEAN unity must continue, especially when the region is facing myriad challenges,” he said.

Anwar also cited the rise of transnational crime, divisive great power rivalry, economic inequalities and double standards in the application of international laws and norms as formidable challenges that require earnest resolve to overcome.

“The people of Timor-Leste do not need to be told what it means to be oppressed or jailed, to be persecuted and to have violence and bloodletting inflicted on them, for you have gone through and suffered the mayhem and atrocities.

“But you have also emerged stronger, more durable, more resolved not to have such cruelty being perpetrated against you or any other vulnerable people,” he said.

In this vein, Anwar said Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2025 theme of ‘Inclusivity and Sustainability’ reflects a bold, urgent vision for the region, based on interdependent approaches.

“It behoves ASEAN to take on a more proactive role in all spectrums of cooperation, especially in the political-security and economic domains, which are increasingly intertwined. What ASEAN cannot afford is inaction or lethargy. In its own way, Malaysia has made the call, and I hope all of ASEAN will pay heed.

“We have always overcome challenges and pushed the boundaries of success when we do so together. Not when we pit one against the other, or work to exclude some from cooperation and progress. We are successful together or not at all. I am confident that this is an approach rooted in values shared here in Timor-Leste,” he added.

-- BERNAMA