Malaysia's Proactive Crisis Management Approach Reshaping ASEAN Centrality Scope -- Academicians

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's proactive crisis management approach is reshaping the scope of ASEAN centrality while carving out greater manoeuvre space for regional autonomy amid intensifying great-power competition.

In a commentary, Dr Rahul Mishra, Associate Professor at the Centre for Indo-Pacific Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and Asma Rassy, a research scholar at Universiti Malaya, noted that Malaysia’s successful mediation in the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute marks a turning point in ASEAN diplomacy, which could be further strengthened if the Myanmar crisis is also managed skilfully.

“Malaysia's challenge as the 2025 ASEAN Chair will be to inject these practices into ASEAN-led institutional mechanisms. How skillfully and effectively Malaysia manages the Myanmar issue will decide its future leadership in ASEAN as well as the role of the ASEAN Chair,” they said.

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On July 28, Putrajaya surprised the region by brokering a swift and unconditional ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim personally inviting Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand’s former acting prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai to Putrajaya, persuading both leaders to halt clashes along their 817-kilometre border.

While the immediate outcome was humanitarian relief, the academics said the broader significance lay in Malaysia’s transformation of the ASEAN chairmanship into a practical crisis-management role — despite concurrent US tariff threats and China’s quiet diplomatic pressure.

“Malaysia's historical engagement in southern Thailand is evidence of its capacity to facilitate talks. Unlike previous ASEAN interventions—often symbolic and declaration-driven—Malaysia pioneered the use of observation teams, compliance updates, and structured ceasefire plans accessible to all ten Southeast Asian capitals,” they stated.

When border violence displaced more than 270,000 civilians and claimed dozens of lives, the analysts said Malaysia's unity government responded with unusual speed, of which the defence attachés were dispatched, and an ASEAN Monitoring Team was created within days.

“Rather than relying on communiqués, Anwar presented a concrete three-point ceasefire framework, backed by on-the-ground verification. This operational precision redefined expectations of the ASEAN chair, positioning Malaysia as the de facto crisis-management hub of the region,” they said.

By convening both parties in Putrajaya, facilitating military-to-military discussions, instituting an interim monitoring team supported by ASEAN rather than foreign entities, and embedding monitoring within ASEAN structures, Malaysia insulated the process from external dominance.

Both academicians said Malaysia grounded the mediation in ASEAN principles and conducted negotiations on its own soil.

“This step not only reinforced ASEAN's centrality but also weakened outsider claims of influence. In doing so, Malaysia not only demonstrated the operational relevance of ASEAN centrality but also subtly resisted great-power encroachment on regional conflict resolution,” they said.

In the commentary, the analysts also stated  that Malaysia's mediation underscores a broader transformation in ASEAN chairmanship: from ceremonial hosting to operational problem-solving.

“Malaysia's ongoing peacemaking efforts demonstrate that ASEAN centrality need not be merely rhetorical — it can be manifested through strong institutional mechanisms and accountability structures coupled with a peer group-led monitoring mechanism.

“This operational approach enhances ASEAN's relevance in an Indo-Pacific increasingly defined by rivalry and interventionism,” they said.

To consolidate this momentum the experts said, Malaysia should pursue three strategic priorities: Technological Capacity-Building, Institutional Strengthening, and Narrative Framing and Strategic Neutrality.

For decades, they said Malaysia’s strategy for navigating great power politics has relied on maintaining ambiguity and equidistance between Washington and Beijing, allowing autonomy without forcing complex alignments.

“The July 2025 ceasefire, however, signalled a decisive evolution. Malaysia's role as a proactive mediator demonstrated that the current regional issues require a dispassionate institutional approach rather than passive avoidance.

“By inviting both the US and China in crisis-management framework—but keeping them within ASEAN-defined parameters — Anwar transformed external competition into a regulated process under regional leadership,” the academicians said.

Thus, they said Malaysia is playing its leadership role by subtly shaping the rules of engagement and devising a constructive diplomatic mechanism.

-- BERNAMA