Irrawaddy-Sept 11
The fact that Myanmar’s generals crave legitimacy is well-known, but the extent to which they will go to save face reached another peak after ASEAN leaders decided last week not to allow Myanmar to assume the rotating leadership of the bloc in 2026 and “strongly condemned” post-coup violence in the country. The regime responded to condemnation from Southeast Asian leaders by saying it was too busy “building a country based on democracy and federalism” to handle ASEAN affairs.
On Sunday, it even claimed it had asked the Philippines if it could move its term forward and chair ASEAN in 2026, and also inform Indonesia, the bloc’s current chair, of the generals’ decision. The ASEAN Summit last week decided that the Philippines will replace Myanmar as the chair of the bloc in 2026. The decision was prompted by Indonesia. This is the second time Myanmar has been unable to chair ASEAN. In 2006, the previous military regime said it was skipping the leadership role because it was working to bring about a democratic transition in Myanmar in line with the generals’ so-called seven-step roadmap. Myanmar has been excluded from ASEAN summits and foreign ministers’ meetings, for failing to honor an ASEAN agreement—the so-called Five-Point Consensus—on how to handle the post-coup crisis in Myanmar. Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir urged ASEAN leaders to do more than issue a statement. He called for them to take harsh action against Myanmar’s military leaders. Last week’s ASEAN Summit decided to set up a “troika mechanism” to handle Myanmar. It will comprise the previous, current and incoming ASEAN chairs. Read more at:https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/myanmars-crisis-the-world/shamed-by-asean-myanmars-generals-try-to-save-face.html
