IT is timely for the regional bloc of ASEAN to assert its role for global peace due to the region's members increasing strategic role in geo-political and economic issues.
As peace is a pre-requisite to any form of global economic growth whether driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI) or other innovations, former Balik Pulau MP Yusmadi Yusoff says that ASEAN now can play that role as an initiator of global dialogues.
Following Israel's once again unilateral attacks - this time targeting Qatar because it houses part of the Hamas movement, Yusmadi said it is simply an attack on a country keen to become a dialogue partner for peace.
"We all know that Qatar is working tirelessly to find a peaceful end to the long-standing Middle East crises. And by Israel attacking them, they are attacking any semblance towards having dialogues as a pathway to peace," said Yusmadi.
Yusmadi, who now heads a foundation called RIGHTS, said that Israel needs to be censured for violating international law and sovereignty of other nations with its strike on Qatar territory.
As the world continues to tumble in uncertainty due to the growing conflicts, which is accompanied by global economic uncertainty due to the US-China trade disputes, Yusmadi said next month's annual ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, can be a platform to conduct a high level dialogue for peace within all zones of conflict.
ASEAN is logical as it comprises a regional bloc of nations, who has adopted ZOPFAN.
ZOPFAN is an acronym for the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality, a 1971 declaration signed by the Foreign Ministers of the Southeast Asian nations (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand) to keep the region free from foreign interference and promote stability and mutual cooperation.
It represents an aspiration for a regional order managed by the country members, without external powers influencing their political, economic, or security affairs.
And the region is one of the few, which has largely remained conflict-free except for a few isolated cases for a good part of the past century after World War II, Yusmadi said.
"ASEAN can be a mediator in conflicts because of its ZOPFAN principles. I call for a series of high level dialogues starting in the ASEAN summit. I understand the annual meeting with see top leadership throughout the world assembling in Kuala Lumpur. We should take this opportunity to discuss about Gaza and Ukraine."
"We need a strong impetus to get the discussions going on finding peace in Gaza and in other conflict zones," said Yusmadi.
He thinks the summit is timely to promote peace as ASEAN has being both persistent and consistent in wanting it, with the recent fast cessation to the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute as an example.
ASEAN's positioning as a "middle power" - balancing between Europe, China, Russia and US, is an asset which can be tapped to start discussing peace, added Yusmadi. - September 10, 2025.
