From the Other Shore

About this episode

The episode discusses the political consequences of Myanmar's crisis on regional diplomacy in Malaysia, featuring insights from two Malaysian lawmakers.

Episode #546: Recorded in Kuala Lumpur during Malaysia’s final stretch as ASEAN chair, this is the second episode in a three part series which looks less at policy language and more at political consequence. Recorded inside Parliament, lawmakers grapple with what regional diplomacy can realistically achieve while communities across Malaysia absorb the human fallout of Myanmar’s implosion — refugees navigating precarious legal status, strained public systems, and a debate that grows sharper the longer the crisis drags on. The first guest, Willie Mongin, is the Member of Parliament for Puncak Borneo in Sarawak and a former deputy minister who now serves as Deputy Chair of Malaysia’s parliamentary select committee on international trade and international relations. His engagement with Myanmar deepened after joining the committee three years ago, when he began closely monitoring ASEAN geopolitics. For Mongin, the logic is simple: regional peace underpins shared prosperity. “When we have a peaceful region, we can actually work together and work towards prosperity together,” he says. Instability in Myanmar, he argues, threatens ASEAN cohesion and fuels refugee pressures in Malaysia…

People in this episode

Guests: Willie Mongin, Ahmed Tarmizi

Topics covered

• regional diplomacy
• Myanmar crisis
• refugee issues
• ASEAN geopolitics
• political consequences

Keywords

• Myanmar
• ASEAN
• refugees
• Malaysia
• politics
• diplomacy
• Willie Mongin
• Ahmed Tarmizi

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ASEAN, United Nations

Places: Malaysia, Myanmar, Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak, Kedah

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