Jakarta, The Indonesia Post – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) expressed distrust towards the Myanmar military junta, based on the engagement approach that Indonesia has taken with various stakeholders in that country.
As chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year, said Jokowi, Indonesia had conducted more than 145 engagements with 70 stakeholders related to Myanmar.
“And Indonesia sees that trust has begun to emerge between one stakeholder and another, except for the military junta,” said President Jokowi when opening the retreat session of the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta on Tuesday.
For this reason, according to him, ASEAN needs to continue to encourage the implementation of inclusive national dialogue as a crisis resolution mechanism that is owned and led by the people of Myanmar (Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led mechanism).
The inclusive dialogue is one of the five points of consensus that ASEAN leaders have agreed with Myanmar’s junta leader Min Aung Hlaing to help resolve the political and economic crisis that was sparked by a military coup in the country.
However, since it was agreed in April 2021, the implementation of the Five Point Consensus (5PC) has still stalled because the junta is deemed not to have the will to implement the 5PC.
For this reason, at this summit, ASEAN leaders plan to review the implementation of 5PC – in accordance with the recommendations of the foreign ministers of ASEAN member countries.
In the interests of ASEAN as one family, said Jokowi, ASEAN must have the courage to self-evaluate, discuss issues openly, and seek joint solutions to the Myanmar crisis.
He also emphasized that ASEAN needs tactical and extraordinary efforts to be able to implement 5PC.
“Regarding the implementation of the 5PCs, I would like to remind you that the 5PCs are a collective effort of ASEAN as a family, which was agreed upon by ASEAN leaders in Jakarta on 24 April 2021. And the 5PCs will remain the main guideline for ASEAN,” President Jokowi stressed. (mhn/bbs)
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