JakartaPost-Feb 1, 2023
The first ASEAN Ministers’ Meeting under Indonesia’s chairmanship kicks off on Wednesday, coinciding with the second anniversary of the military putsch in Myanmar, where an elected government was toppled to make way for what critics consider as a sham-election redo. From Feb. 1-5, Jakarta will play host to the first string of foreign-policy meetings under the AMM banner, including a closed-door retreat session on Saturday to candidly discuss issues of shared concern. In line with recent convention, Myanmar would not be represented by any official holding political office. But the shadow of the Feb. 1, 2021, coup looms large over the Southeast Asian meetup, even as Indonesia seeks to dampen concerns that the bloc would be too preoccupied by the political crisis that erupted after Myanmar’s military usurped power from civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The government’s management of the crisis would inevitably become a litmus test for its overall chairmanship, analysts have repeatedly warned, even as the Foreign Ministry reaffirmed that the issue would not “take ASEAN hostage” and that economic resilience was a bigger regional priority. During a hearing with House of Representatives Commission I, overseeing foreign relations, on Monday, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said that the primary focus of the ASEAN chairmanship would be food and energy security and cooperation in finance and health. They are the basic building blocks of Indonesia’s theme this year, ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth. And while the foreign minister insists Indonesia would continue efforts to broker peace in Myanmar, she also stressed that ASEAN would not pause its other endeavors to cater to Naypyidaw’s needs. Emboldened by the lack of international intervention, the junta is keen to redo an election the military lost in 2019. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2023/02/01/asean-meets-under-shadow-of-myanmar-coup-anniversary.html.
