Opinion | Forget Asean bureaucracy, Brunei must decide on Myanmar special envoy with urgency
- The special envoy is the strategic linchpin in Asean’s effort to implement the five-point consensus issued after the leaders’ meeting on April 24
- The willingness of Brunei Darussalam as Asean Chair to seize the momentum is absolutely paramount
There are three primary outcomes to achieve: ending violence, delivering aid, and an inclusive dialogue among all Myanmar stakeholders. The other two – the appointment of a Special Envoy and the visit to Myanmar – are among the primary methods to deliver these outcomes.
Collectively, the consensus are the “basic ingredients” for an Asean-led mechanism to address the crisis. How the grouping can find the formula, including the sequence of policies, to implement the consensus will be the ultimate test of Asean’s efforts.
One option to consider is to view the consensus as a “package deal” that ties all the elements into a single, overarching framework for Asean to play a central role in ending the violence, delivering aid, and facilitating an inclusive dialogue towards some form of political settlement.
In this integrated approach, Asean would need to empower the Special Envoy with a dedicated task force to help monitor the cessation of violence, deliver aid through the AHA Centre, and facilitate an inclusive dialogue among all stakeholders.
After the Special Envoy is announced, his or her first order of business should be to negotiate terms for the first visit to Myanmar. The visit should work on benchmarks for ending the violence, the release of prisoners, the delivery of aid, and the framework for an inclusive dialogue.