00:00Bring all warring factions in the Myanmar conflict to the negotiation table for a successful ASEAN
00:08chairmanship. This is what former Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said in a recent exclusive
00:13interview with FMT, adding that Malaysia could stand out in its role as chair by outlining a
00:19clear roadmap to resolve the conflict. If we can, by the end of our tenure as chair,
00:25announce a certain roadmap. When is the transition going to happen? That would be the greatest KPI.
00:31If we can do it, it's a huge bonus for Malaysia as chair, but I understand how difficult it is.
00:38Saifuddin also criticised the unequal reception that Malaysia gave to the democratically elected
00:43government in exile, the National Unity Government, compared to the military junta. He said Prime
00:49Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who recently held a face-to-face meeting with the junta during a visit
00:54to Thailand, has so far only engaged with the NUG virtually.
00:58I was told that this was due to security or logistic arrangement. If that was the case,
01:06then we could have done it elsewhere. I know this is mere symbolic, but it's very important because
01:13the junta is losing. They are holding to less than 30% of the whole Myanmar. Even more important is NUG
01:19is the democratically elected government by the people of Myanmar. You have to give that kind of
01:26protocol. You have to give equal, if not more, to NUG. But we give less because here is a meeting in person
01:33with the junta leader. Here is a meeting online.
01:36While Saifuddin acknowledged that Anwar's engagement with the NUG marked a first for any ASEAN chair,
01:42he said it could have been a better first. Last week, Saifuddin said the April 17th meeting between
01:48the Prime Minister and junta leader Min Aung Laing in Bangkok was a step in the wrong direction,
01:54as Malaysia had previously refused to recognise the junta both in bilateral and multilateral relations.
02:00Danish Roger Rizza, FMT.
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