Malaysia’s Leadership Role in Asean: An Assessment

There has been perpetual controversy regarding the leadership of ASEAN, that is complicated and hitherto been a cause for concern. The largest and most populated country in Southeast Asia is Indonesia, and has been regarded as the de facto leader in ASEAN for its influence to spur progress within th...

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Main Authors: Siti Darwinda Mohamed Pero, Laila Suriya Ahmad Apandi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: UUM Press 2018-12-01
Series:Journal of International Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:http://e-journal.uum.edu.my/index.php/jis/article/view/jis2018.14.5
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author Siti Darwinda Mohamed Pero
Laila Suriya Ahmad Apandi
author_facet Siti Darwinda Mohamed Pero
Laila Suriya Ahmad Apandi
author_sort Siti Darwinda Mohamed Pero
collection DOAJ
description There has been perpetual controversy regarding the leadership of ASEAN, that is complicated and hitherto been a cause for concern. The largest and most populated country in Southeast Asia is Indonesia, and has been regarded as the de facto leader in ASEAN for its influence to spur progress within the organization. However, this does not undermine the role of the other four founding members of ASEAN, specifically Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia. Singapore has been considered the leader of ASEAN in the economic realm, championing and pushing forward economic agendas of the organization and its member-states. Moreover, the Philippines have been a strong advocate in promoting and enhancing the socio-cultural development within the organization. Conversely, the role of Malaysia in ASEAN has been scholarly neglected. This study seeks to fill the gaps by analysing the role of Malaysia in ASEAN since 1967, and propose that Malaysia has had a significant degree of influence within the organisation. By incorporating document analysis, this study presents the findings on Malaysia’s pivotal role in ASEAN. The results conclude that Malaysia was and is still a key leader in the organization and the country should continue to exercise its prerogative for the benefit of its national interest, in addition to maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
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spelling doaj.art-b779895943cc431abadc7269aeba17582022-12-22T04:34:22ZengUUM PressJournal of International Studies1823-691X2018-12-0114657910.32890/jis2018.14.5Malaysia’s Leadership Role in Asean: An AssessmentSiti Darwinda Mohamed Pero0Laila Suriya Ahmad Apandi1School of International Studies Universiti Utara Malaysia, MalaysiaSchool of International Studies Universiti Utara Malaysia, MalaysiaThere has been perpetual controversy regarding the leadership of ASEAN, that is complicated and hitherto been a cause for concern. The largest and most populated country in Southeast Asia is Indonesia, and has been regarded as the de facto leader in ASEAN for its influence to spur progress within the organization. However, this does not undermine the role of the other four founding members of ASEAN, specifically Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia. Singapore has been considered the leader of ASEAN in the economic realm, championing and pushing forward economic agendas of the organization and its member-states. Moreover, the Philippines have been a strong advocate in promoting and enhancing the socio-cultural development within the organization. Conversely, the role of Malaysia in ASEAN has been scholarly neglected. This study seeks to fill the gaps by analysing the role of Malaysia in ASEAN since 1967, and propose that Malaysia has had a significant degree of influence within the organisation. By incorporating document analysis, this study presents the findings on Malaysia’s pivotal role in ASEAN. The results conclude that Malaysia was and is still a key leader in the organization and the country should continue to exercise its prerogative for the benefit of its national interest, in addition to maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region.http://e-journal.uum.edu.my/index.php/jis/article/view/jis2018.14.5leadershipmalaysiaaseanforeign policyregional organisationsoutheast asia
spellingShingle Siti Darwinda Mohamed Pero
Laila Suriya Ahmad Apandi
Malaysia’s Leadership Role in Asean: An Assessment
Journal of International Studies
leadership
malaysia
asean
foreign policy
regional organisation
southeast asia
title Malaysia’s Leadership Role in Asean: An Assessment
title_full Malaysia’s Leadership Role in Asean: An Assessment
title_fullStr Malaysia’s Leadership Role in Asean: An Assessment
title_full_unstemmed Malaysia’s Leadership Role in Asean: An Assessment
title_short Malaysia’s Leadership Role in Asean: An Assessment
title_sort malaysia s leadership role in asean an assessment
topic leadership
malaysia
asean
foreign policy
regional organisation
southeast asia
url http://e-journal.uum.edu.my/index.php/jis/article/view/jis2018.14.5
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AT lailasuriyaahmadapandi malaysiasleadershiproleinaseananassessment