Is Myanmar a threat to Asean centrality? Singapore warning at defence talks underscores worry

Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said Myanmar’s actions could foster a “politics of retaliation” and urged the junta not to exploit Asean for its own interests

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Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen attends an Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus in Jakarta, Indonesia, in November 2023. Photo: Pool/AP

Published: 1:59pm, 22 Nov 2024Updated: 3:33pm, 22 Nov 2024

Myanmar is expected to continue being a thorn in the side of Asean decision-making, with Singapore defence minister Ng Eng Hen objecting to the military-run state’s conduct at a key meeting and urging it not to bring “politics of retaliation” to regional talks.

Speaking at the Asean Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) in Vientiane, Laos, Ng on Wednesday said that the ADMM was at an impasse because Myanmar had solely objected to expanding the defence cooperation of the ADMM-Plus group, which includes eight non-Asean members, notably, China, India, Russia, and the United States.

“We felt that we needed to raise an objection, and we reminded Myanmar that they should not use Asean for their purposes, they should not use Asean to engage in the politics of retaliation that put us in a difficult position,” warned Ng, noting Malaysia would need to address this issue as Asean chair next year.

Analysts expect differences between junta-led Myanmar and the bloc to continue to hinder decision-making processes, but argue the more pressing concern is how this will test Asean centrality, which refers to the bloc being the primary regional platform for addressing common challenges and engaging with external powers.

Laos’ Defence Minister Chansamone Chanyalath, right, greets Singaporean Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen during the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, on November 20. Photo: AP

Muhammad Faizal bin Abdul Rahman, a research fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, noted that Asean’s principles of non-interference and sovereignty make Myanmar a “thorn in the community” because these principles enable the junta to avoid addressing the fundamental reasons for the violence and human rights violations in the country.

“It makes multilateral defence cooperation in Asean, such as counterterrorism and digital defence, difficult as there are concerns that the junta could use the knowledge gained against the Myanmar people instead of actual threats to human security,” he said.