Anwar forming advisory team for Malaysia's ASEAN chairmanship; names include Thaksin and reportedly George Yeo

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is assembling a team of informal advisers to support his country’s upcoming chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year, in a move which analysts say is a strategic effort to leverage the experiences of notable regional figures. 

Among the names that have surfaced include former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra. Meanwhile, Malay Mail reported that Singapore’s former foreign minister George Yeo may be part of this informal advisory team. 

“I have agreed to appoint (Thaksin) as my informal adviser on chairing ASEAN, with a team of members from ASEAN countries in an informal setup,” Anwar said at a press conference on Monday (Dec 16) at the Perdana Putra Complex in Putrajaya, citing the 74-year-old Thai billionaire’s extensive experience as a statesman. 

Anwar made the announcement as he welcomed his counterpart from Thailand and Thaksin’s youngest daughter - Paetongtarn Shinawatra - who is on a two-day official trip to Malaysia.

According to local media, Anwar confirmed that Thaksin’s appointment was proposed by the Malaysian government and has been agreed upon by Thailand. 

Meanwhile, CNA has reached out to Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on who else may have been tapped by Anwar to be part of this informal advisory team on ASEAN.

Yeo served 23 years in Singapore's government, holding various posts such as Minister for Information and the Arts, Minister for Health, Minister for Trade & Industry and Minister for Foreign Affairs before he left politics in 2011. CNA has contacted him for comment too.

Analysts whom CNA spoke to said that the latest development is less about formal appointments and more about Anwar “having trusted voices to weigh in on key issues”.

Senior fellow and co-coordinator of the ASEAN Studies Centre at ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute Joanne Lin told CNA that Thaksin’s inclusion as part of the informal advisory team “makes sense given the close ties between Malaysia and Thailand”.

“(This is) especially in tackling shared challenges along their shared borders, particularly in transnational crime like human and drug smuggling and cybercrime. 

“These issues affect not only Malaysia and Thailand but increasingly across Southeast Asia, making them an ASEAN issue. Finding regional solutions will be important, and Thaksin’s experience will be valuable,” said Lin.

Meanwhile, Oh Ei Sun - a senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs - believes that Thaksin’s appointment is likely aimed at tapping his connections and expertise to support Malaysia’s chairmanship of ASEAN, particularly in areas such as trade, investments and diplomacy. 

“It’s both a gesture of neighbourly friendliness and also a desire to make use of Thaksin’s considerable global connections - ranging from trade and investment to diplomatic goodwill - to ASEAN,” he said.

AFFIRMING MALAYSIA’S STANCE ON THE MYANMAR CRISIS

Lin believes that Thaksin’s appointment as part of the informal advisory team may also be linked to his knowledge and familiarity with Myanmar. 

“Thaksin’s familiarity with Myanmar’s political landscape, his connections to Myanmar and his pragmatic approach could add value to Malaysia’s efforts to advance ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus,” she said.

The Five-Point Consensus is a peace plan agreed upon by the 10-member bloc in hopes of ending the crisis in Myanmar, but is largely ignored by the junta.

Anwar had previously stressed that member states need to unite in managing regional affairs, especially in facing the crisis in Myanmar. 

“We need to move from mere rhetoric to concrete action and focus on seeking ways to deliver on its aspirations,” he said at the 37th Asia Pacific Roundtable in Kuala Lumpur in June.

He hinted that he would push for ASEAN to be tougher on Myanmar, where pro-democracy guerillas and ethnic minority armed forces are battling the country’s military, which took power in 2021 after ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Meanwhile, Abdul Rahman Yaacob - who is a research fellow in the Southeast Asia Programme at the Lowy Institute - also highlighted that Thaksin is in a “unique position” to assist Malaysia in brokering a peace deal in Myanmar. 

Unlike the Malaysian government which has limited knowledge of the rebel groups in Myanmar, Abdul Rahman noted that Thaksin previously engaged with leaders from these groups and is “well-received by the junta”.

In May this year, The Nation Thailand reported that Thaksin had offered to be a mediator to facilitate peace talks between all factions in Myanmar, having established ties with the current junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing and the other Myanmar generals while serving as prime minister in the early 2000s.

“Thaksin can play a strategic role in engaging with the rebel groups, keeping the Malaysian government at a distance,” he told CNA, adding that there is little appetite among the Malaysian leaders to interfere in the affairs of another ASEAN state like Myanmar. 

Lin - the senior fellow at the ASEAN Studies Centre - believes that Thailand’s clear support for Malaysia’s role as ASEAN chair could further enhance the potential for deeper collaboration in addressing this complex issue. 

Thaksin is known to be one of Thailand’s most influential and divisive politicians over the past two decades. 

He served as the prime minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup. After which, he lived in self-imposed exile for 15 years before returning to Thailand in August 2023. 

After his return, he was sentenced to eight years in prison for abuse of power and conflicts of interest during his time in office from 2001 to 2006. His sentence, however, was commuted to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn last September. 

He was released on parole on Feb 18, after six months in detention. 

Oh thus noted that at a personal level, the Malaysian prime minister, having been a political prisoner himself due to his sodomy convictions, understands Thaksin’s plight.

“There seems to be some form of empathy in Thaksin’s legitimisation process,” Oh added. 

Malaysia last assumed the role of ASEAN chairman almost a decade ago in 2015.