As Asean leaders gather in Kuala Lumpur for the 46th Asean Summit, a former lawmaker has criticised Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s recent call for Myanmar’s military junta and the National Unity Government (NUG) to sit at the negotiating table, describing it as strategically misguided.
Charles Santiago, co-chair of the Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights, said the junta and NUG are not opposing political factions that can reconcile through compromise – they represent diametrically opposed worldviews.
“The junta seeks to entrench a brutal, centralised authoritarianism rooted in military supremacy and ethnic domination. The NUG and its allies envision a democratic, federal Myanmar built on equality, decentralisation, and justice,” Santiago said.
He cited Indonesia’s failed efforts during its Asean chairmanship, which relied on behind-the-scenes diplomacy and quiet engagement with junta officials.
“The result? Zero progress. The military responded with airstrikes, executions, and the burning of villages,” he said.
Santiago warned that Malaysia risks repeating the same mistake.
“When Anwar recently called for a ceasefire, the military responded with fresh shelling. These are not good-faith actors. They are perpetrators of mass violence, using talks as a delaying tactic while consolidating control through terror.”
In his opening remark at the 46th Asean Summit today, Anwar said quiet engagement has played a significant role in addressing the crisis in Myanmar.
Anwar said Asean had been able to take positive steps with the formation of the Informal Advisory Group for Malaysia as the Asean chair for 2025.
However, Santiago stressed that if Asean wants a real solution, it must stop looking up to power and start looking across to the grassroots.
“Civil society groups, ethnic resistance organisations, women’s collectives, and the NUG are already forging a different future under impossible conditions. They are delivering services, protecting communities, and building institutions from the ground up,” Santiago said.
“Their proposal isn’t a mere political reshuffle but a structural overhaul – a new federal arrangement that reflects Myanmar’s ethnic diversity and distributes power away from the centre.”
He added that this vision of bottom-up federalism is not utopian – it is the only viable response to a failed state long dominated by an unaccountable military.
“Inviting the junta to shape Myanmar’s future is like asking (Benjamin) Netanyahu to broker peace in Gaza. You don’t hand the arsonist the blueprint for rebuilding. The military isn’t misunderstood – it is the architect of destruction.”
“Giving it a seat at the table while its jets bomb schools and displace thousands sends a clear message: Power, not principle, determines legitimacy,” he said.
Santiago added that Anwar, who once symbolised resistance against authoritarianism, should know better.
“To stand for reform is to stand against the machinery of repression, wherever it operates.
“If Malaysia wants to lead in Asean, it must do more than manage optics. It must reject false equivalencies, cut off the junta’s international lifelines, and support the only actors truly working towards peace – not through backroom deals, but through transformation from below.”
Main image: File pic
