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The Diplomat
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Diplomat
Malaysia to Lead ASEAN Delegation to Myanmar Next Month, FM Says
Mohamad Hasan said that he will seek clarifications from the military about the election that it plans to hold at the end of the year. Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan will lead a regional fact-finding mission to Myanmar next month, as the country's military gears up for a planned election at the end of the year. Malaysia's state news agency Bernama reported on Friday that Hasan will lead a delegation from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to the military-ruled nation, most likely on September 19, ahead of the bloc's next summit in October. The delegation will include representatives of the Philippines, which will take over the rotating chairmanship of the Southeast Asia bloc in 2026, Bernama reported. 'Previously, they (Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia) went separately, but we are practicing unity. We're also bringing the Philippines because they will chair ASEAN in 2026,' Bernama quoted Hasan as saying. 'We want continuity so that the incoming Chair knows what needs to be done and what actions to take. It should not be disjointed. We will continue and build upon what we've done.' The visit will be just the latest in a long line of visits to Myanmar by ASEAN leaders and special envoys, aimed at pushing the country's military to implement the bloc's Five-Point Consensus peace plan. Formulated in April 2021, three months after the overthrow of the country's civilian government, the Consensus calls for an immediate cessation of violence and inclusive dialogue involving 'all parties' to the country's conflict. However, the plan has been moribund, and the military government has been unwilling to engage in dialogue with opponents it views as 'terrorists.' Instead, it has proceeded according to its own 'roadmap,' the next step of which is a general election that the military plans to hold over several weeks in December and January. On July 31, the National Defense and Security Council (NDSC) lifted the state of emergency that it imposed following its coup in 2021 in preparation for the polls, which have been roundly criticized by resistance groups, human rights organizations, and most impartial observers. The State Administration Council junta has now been dissolved and replaced by the National Defense and Peacekeeping Commission, which will remain in power until the formation of a parliament and government after the planned elections. Mohamad noted the junta's election plans, and said that he would seek clarification on the scope of the polls. After announcing the end of the state of emergency on July 31, the NDSC also announced local states of emergency in 63 townships, located in nine of the country's 14 states and regions. The purpose of these measures is to 'ensure the rule of law and stability in those areas, mostly under the control of armed opposition groups,' the Associated Press reported. 'The country has lifted the state of emergency, but these 63 areas remain under emergency rule,' the Malaysian foreign minister said. 'I want to get a clearer picture to present to ASEAN leaders in October.' There is little chance that the military's planned election will be free or fair. According to critics, it is designed to preserve military rule behind a civilian façade, and so provide a route back to international acceptance akin to the staged transition that the Myanmar military initiated with the election of 2010. Much depends on how the election is greeted by ASEAN and its member states. In January, the bloc's foreign ministers said that the military regime should prioritize peace, and that any election must be 'inclusive' and 'involve all stakeholders.' It repeated this during the bloc's Foreign Ministers' Meeting last month, when Mohamad Hasan emphasized that an election is not part of the Five-Point Consensus, and that the implementation of the plan should precede any election. 'We advised Myanmar that an election is not a priority for now, the priority is to cease all violence… so that all parties can sit together,' Mohamad told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting, as per Reuters. While ASEAN has made its opposition to elections clear, it has done little to pressure the junta, beyond its current policy of excluding political representatives of the military regime from its summits. Moreover, it remains to be seen how it responds after it is presented with a fait accompli of the election. The Myanmar military is probably anticipating that a number of ASEAN member states, if not the Southeast Asian bloc itself, will accept the outcome and begin to engage more closely with whatever military-backed government emerges at the head of a new 'civilian' government.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
FM Mohamad to lead ASEAN visit to Myanmar on Sept 19
CYBERJAYA: Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan will lead an official ASEAN team to assess the situation in Myanmar on Sept 19. Mohamad said the delegation, which includes his counterparts from Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, will check on the situation under the new administration following the dissolution of the junta government and the end of the state of emergency. 'Previously, they (Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia) went separately, but we are practising unity. We're also bringing the Philippines because they will chair ASEAN in 2026. 'We want continuity so that the incoming Chair knows what needs to be done and what actions to take. It should not be disjointed. We will continue and build upon what we've done,' he said. He was speaking to the media after the 58th ASEAN Day celebration, which was officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim here today. Mohamad said Myanmar must act on the commitments it has made, particularly by extending and expanding the ceasefire. 'I will go there, most likely on the proposed date of Sept 19, ahead of the 47th ASEAN Summit in October,' he said. Mohamad noted that Myanmar had announced plans to hold a general election, and that the decision to cancel or not extend the state of emergency was made in accordance with its Constitution. However, he wants clarification on whether the election would be implemented comprehensively, as 63 towns or areas are still under emergency rule imposed by Myanmar's National Defence and Security Council (NDSC). 'The country has lifted the state of emergency, but these 63 areas remain under emergency rule. I want to get a clearer picture to present to ASEAN leaders in October,' he said. On July 31, it was reported that Myanmar's junta had announced the formation of a new body to organise a general election by the end of this year, effectively ending the state of emergency enforced since the 2021 coup. With the formation of the new Security and Peace Commission, also chaired by Min Aung Hlaing, the junta declared that the state of emergency had officially ended. - Bernama
The Diplomat
01-08-2025
- Politics
- The Diplomat
Myanmar Military Ends State of Emergency to Prep for Election at Year's End
Myanmar's military junta has lifted the state of emergency imposed following its coup more than four years ago, in anticipation of its planned election in December. The decision was announced by coup leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing during a meeting of the military-dominated National Defense and Security Council (NDSC) in Naypyidaw yesterday. 'The state of emergency is abolished today in order for the country to hold elections on the path to a multi-party democracy,' junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said in a voice message shared with the press, the AFP news agency reported. 'Elections will be held within six months.' The state of emergency, which was first declared after the coup of February 1, 2021, and then renewed six times subsequently, was the legal basis by which Min Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, assumed full control over Myanmar's judicial, executive, and legislative functions. For some time, the regime has pledged to hold an election and transfer power back to a civilian government, a move that many independent observers and resistance groups have described as a 'fraud' designed to perpetuate the military's hold on power. In preparation for the election, the State Administration Council (SAC) of Myanmar (the official name of the junta) has now been dissolved and replaced by the National Defense and Peacekeeping Commission, which will remain in power until the formation of a parliament and government after the planned elections. Under the military-drafted 2008 Constitution, a general election must be held within six months of the revocation of a state of emergency. The military has also announced the formation of an 11-member commission led by Min Aung Hlaing to administer the election, according to state media. As The Irrawaddy reports, Min Aung Hlaing has stepped down as prime minister, a position that will now be held by Nyo Saw, a 'business supremo' and advisor to Min Aung Hlaing, under the caretaker government. Min Aung Hlaing will serve as the interim president. Aside from this, there was 'barely a reshuffle in the current cabinet,' The Irrawaddy reported, with only two ministries changing hands. None of this will make much difference to who holds effective power in Myanmar, but yesterday's decision is a sign that Min Aung Hlaing is determined to hold his planned elections, whatever the conditions in the country. During yesterday's meeting of the NDSC, Min Aung Hlaing repeated earlier announcements that the election will be held across several weeks in December 2025 and January 2026,' along the lines of independent Myanmar's first multiparty election, which was conducted in stages between June 1951 and February 1952. The Myanmar military hopes the election will allow it to normalize its relations with the outside world, and create a means of resolving the civil war that has consumed much of the country since the coup of 2021. In essence, it is attempting to replicate the democratic 'transition' that began with the election of 2010, which handed power to a military-backed civilian government and initiated a rapid normalization of Myanmar's relations with the West. However, resistance forces, including ethnic armed groups and the National Unity Government (in addition to most independent observers), have denounced the election plans as a piece of electoral sleight-of-hand designed to entrench the military's rule behind a civilian façade. Most popular political parties, including the National League for Democracy, which won both the 2015 and 2020 elections decisively, have been dissolved, while most independent press outlets have been shut down or forced into exile. In a statement yesterday, a U.N. spokesperson said that Secretary General António Guterres had expressed his concern 'over the military's plan to hold elections amid ongoing conflict and human rights violations, and without conditions that would permit the people of Myanmar to freely and peacefully exercise their political rights.' However, the fact that the election will be held in stages is an admission of the difficulties posed by the country's current political situation. After four years of civil war, a considerable part of the country is now effectively outside its control, including large parts of Rakhine, Shan, Kachin, Karen, and Chin states, as well as parts of Mandalay and Sagaing regions. For this reason, a pre-election census conducted late last year could only be completed in 145 of the country's 330 townships – and this was according to the junta's own accounting. 'Given the current situation of the country, it will not be possible to conduct the election all at once; instead, it must be carried out in phases,' Min Aung Hlaing admitted during yesterday's meeting. But he added that the NDSC 'will carry out the election no matter what happens.' To arm it with the means of crushing any resistance that might emerge, the SAC earlier this week passed a Law on the Protection of Multiparty Democratic General Elections from Obstruction, Disruption, and Destruction. These hold out harsh penalties, up to and including the death penalty, for anyone who 'disrupts' or 'obstructs' the election campaign or election process. As I have suggested before, a 'successful' election might lead some countries to re-engage the military, but it is very unlikely to resolve the political grievances that are fueling the current conflict. As such, any transition that it initiates will likely end in a different version of the same political dysfunction.
