MALAYSIA HAS DONE A GREAT JOB AS ASEAN CHAIR AT A CRITICAL JUNCTURE -- FPCI CHAIRMAN

By Rohani Ibrahim

KUALA LUMPUR, April 24 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has done a great job being the Chair of ASEAN during this critical period, said Founder and Chairman of Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI), Dr Dino Patti Djalal. 

According to the former Indonesian Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs,  this is a very difficult time for world affairs, and the global system is under duress. 

“But Malaysia’s chairmanship has been steady. It has consulted all stakeholders. And I do believe that Malaysia’s chairmanship, when it ends, it is not just going to be a normal ending.

“It is going to be something that will lay the plan for the next 20 years. That is huge achievement,” he said in his opening remarks at a public discussion titled ‘Road to ASEAN Vision 2045: When  Expectations Meet the Reality’, organised by the FPCI here on Thursday. 

Dino, who was also the former Indonesian Ambassador to the United States, said that as an arms race is taking place in many parts of the world, ASEAN needs to come closer and decide what to do together, especially to maintain the region’s resilience.

Senior Political Secretary to the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri ShamsuI Iskandar Mohd Akin, who was one of the panelists, said that for ASEAN to realise the ASEAN Community Vision (ACV) 2045, the institutional frameworks must be more agile while still respecting the principles of inclusivity and sovereignty.

“Streamlining decision-making and strengthening ASEAN's capacity to act in real time will be essential to addressing both regional and global issues efficiently, and maintaining ASEAN's relevance,” he added. 

Sharing his vision on ASEAN in 2045, Shamsul Iskandar expressed hoped that by then, all ASEAN citizens would be able travel, live, and study easily across the region.

“And if we continue the life learning education, I can do my PhD in Vietnam. You can enroll in whatever universities. It is a kind of a new world for ASEAN in the next 20 years,” he said. 

Meanwhile, the FPCI said in a statement that the event – its first public discussion in Kuala Lumpur –aimed to debrief the public on the recommendations for ACV, which were formulated by 22 experts and thought leaders from 11 Southeast Asian countries, representing an aspiration of what ASEAN must do and focus on in the next two decades.

It also expressed hope the dialogue would serve as a catalyst for more inclusive and participatory policymaking, ensuring that ASEAN’s future remains deeply rooted in the voices of its people.

-- BERNAMA