Asean key to Southeast Asia's peace, stability, says former sec-gen

Free Malaysia Today

24-05-2025

Singapore's ambassador-at-large Ong Keng Yong says Asean's sustained diplomacy has helped keep Southeast Asia stable, and hence, economically appealing.
PETALING JAYA : Asean has played a key role in Southeast Asia's peace, stability and prosperity, managing the competing interests of the world's major powers effectively while fostering regional cooperation, a former secretary-general said.
Ong Keng Yong said each superpower had its own approach to preserving and protecting its interests, while small and middle powers often find strength in numbers when navigating complex global and regional challenges.
'The magic of Asean lies in it being able to appreciate the interests of big powers and multiple stakeholders, and then forge a relevant arrangement to balance the respective interests—thereby moving forward constructively,' Ong, now an ambassador-at-large for Singapore, told FMT.
He dismissed the notion that Asean meetings were 'endless talk shops', saying they were in fact vital platforms for managing differences and maintaining long-term cooperation.
'What we see as Asean leaders and ministers as well as bureaucrats meeting and talking is just one aspect of the many actions taken to keep all sides engaged.'
Ong, the executive deputy chairman at Singapore's S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said this sustained diplomacy has helped keep the region stable, and hence, economically appealing.
'The goal is always to keep Southeast Asia attractive to business and investment, grow the economy and trade, and increase the relevance and value of Asean to all stakeholders in the international system,' he said.
Ong said the bloc was key to the peace and prosperity of all Southeast Asian nations, a factor that tends to be underappreciated.
He said the Asean nations collaborate well with each other and are able to manage crises and maintain order and peace through 'savvy diplomacy'.
Ong said maintaining Asean centrality—making the bloc the primary driving force in shaping regional cooperation and external engagement—amid geopolitical jostling and leadership initiatives by big powers was no easy feat.
Asean is made up of 10 member states with differing socioeconomic levels and political systems. Timor-Leste is expected to become its 11th member under Malaysia's chairmanship this year.
Geographically, the region holds high strategic, geopolitical and geo-economic value as it is home to the South China Sea and the Malacca Strait, two of the world's critical maritime trade routes.
According to Ong, Asean centrality reflected the dexterity of its leaders and vision to work with the region's strengths and limitations in order to survive and prosper.
'Asean leaders' readiness to innovate and be creative has moved Asean forward in a world characterised by turbulence, uncertainty, novelty and ambiguity.'
With the Asean Community Vision 2025 concluding this year, member states are already gearing up for the launch of the blocs Asean Community Vision 2045.
Launched in 2015 during Malaysia's last chairmanship, the 2025 vision saw the region rise to become the world's fourth-largest economy by GDP.
'Malaysia has been the Asean chair on numerous occasions over the past six decades. It has the capability and maturity to lead Asean to manage the various challenges in geopolitics, economic transformation, and future mandate,' said Ong.
The 46th Asean Summit, set for May 26–27 in Kuala Lumpur, will focus on the theme 'Sustainability and Inclusivity'.