ASEAN invites a non-political representative,No to Myanmar junta

The regional grouping of Southeast Asian nations ASEAN has decided to invite a ‘non-political’ representative from Myanmar for the summit meeting to be held between Oct 26-28, said the ASEAN Chair Brunei. The statement by the ASEAN Chair was issued after an emergency meeting of the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN countries on Friday night. The statement implies that the military government will not be invited for the summit meeting which is an unprecedented move for the group. The meeting was called to discuss the failure of Myanmar to allow unrestricted access to the special representative of ASEAN to Myanmar and adhere to the peace roadmap agreed to in April.
The statement  says that the member states considered the question of Myanmar’s representation at the 38th and 39th summit. It received correspondence from the National Unity Government (NUG) requesting to be invited for the summits. As no consensus was reached for a political representative from Myanmar, in view of the competing claims to attend the summit, the meeting decided to invite a non-political representative from Myanmar.The NUG of Myanmar was formed by the parliamentarians elected in the November 2020 election which was declared null and void by the military government after it assumed power in February this year.
The statement noted that there has been insufficient progress in the implementation of the five-point consensus by Myanmar. It also expressed concern about Myanmar’s commitment to establish a constructive dialogue among all concerned parties. The Myanmar representative at the meeting opposed the proposal that the special representative should avoid engagement with parties currently undergoing legal proceedings such as deposed State Counsellor Aung Saan Suu Kyi, former President U Win Myint and entities like Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) and the National Unity Government (NUG).

Singapore has voiced its support for a decision by Asean to invite a non-political representative from Myanmar to attend a summit. "This was a difficult but necessary decision to uphold Asean's credibility given the unsatisfactory and highly limited progress in the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus," said Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in a Facebook post on Saturday. Singapore urges the Myanmar military authorities to cooperate with the special envoy to swiftly and fully implement the Five-Point Consensus.