Jokowi to ASEAN Delegates: Do Not Let Our Ship Sink!

Jakarta, Indonesia - On the 5th of September, representatives of 22 countries - some heads of states, some vice presidents, and some diplomats representing their country arrived in Jakarta for the 43rd ASEAN Summit taking place from the 5th of September to the 7th of September 2023 specifically at the Jakarta Convention Centre.

The ASEAN country member leaders flying in were PM Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines, Prime Minister Pham Minh Cinh of Vietnam, Prime Minister Hun Manet of Cambodia, and Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone of Laos. A new addition to ASEAN, East Timor, also attended its first summit as a full fledged member of the organization, represented by its recently elected Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao.

Notably, out of the leaders of ASEAN nations, the heads of states of Myanmar and Thailand opted to not attend the summit, possibly in light of recent domestic tensions occurring in these two countries.

Particularly in Myanmar, a coup that happened in 2021 resulted in ASEAN members barring its participation and preventing it from taking over ASEAN’s Chairmanship in 2026. Something to be taken note of is ASEAN’s Chairmanship rotates from country to country each year. Instead, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has announced that the Philippines will be residing over the Chairmanship of ASEAN. This comes after Myanmar did not implement ASEAN’s Five Point Consensus, alienating members of the bloc and causing calls to diplomatically pressure the junta into implementing ASEAN’s recommendations.

Other diplomats and leaders which arrived to attend the summit included Vice President Kamala Harris of the United States, Prime Minister Li Qiang of China, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, and President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol.

Notably, President Joe Biden of the United States, President Xi Jingping of China, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia chose to send representatives of their nation instead of coming to the summit themselves.

Besides these leaders, two heads of states presiding over the presidency of international organizations were also included, including President Mohammad Shahabuddin of Bangladesh which also currently serves as Chair of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), as well as President Mark Brown of the Cook Islands which also currently serves as Chair of the Pacific Island Forum (PIF).

In the opening of the Summit, President Joko Widodo of the Republic of Indonesia stressed for the unity of ASEAN, affirming that unity can still exist despite the possibility of differences of opinion between member states.

“Unity does not mean that difference of opinion does not exist.” Said President Joko Widodo in the Jakarta Convention Centre to a crowd filled with heads of states. (05/09/23)

“As a nation with diversity in tribes, cultures, religions, and languages, for Indonesia, unity is a sort of harmony within our differences, including within it (the differences) the difference of opinions.” Continued President Joko Widodo.

Furthermore, President Joko Widodo implored ASEAN leaders to maintain equality between member states, and rejected the notion of ASEAN countries in the future being “proxies” for great powers.

“The challenges of the future are becoming heavier and are causing great powers to jockey for influence, but ASEAN has agreed to not become a proxy for any power, and to work together with any party to achieve the end of peace and prosperity.” Included President Joko Widodo in his speech.

President Joko Widodo compared ASEAN to a ship which has to be maintained, further emphasizing the need for unity and the prevention of rivalries between ASEAN member states.

“Do not cause our ship (ASEAN) to become an arena of rivalries which seek to destroy each other, but turn our ship (ASEAN) into a field to grow cooperation in order to create prosperity, achieve stability, and create peace not only for our region but for the whole world too.” Added President Joko Widodo.