IDENTITY and religious politics must not be allowed to dominate society, Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah said today in a message to Asean countries.

He said extreme and extremist views of “just about every stripe and colour” have taken hold in the 11 member countries of the regional grouping because their proponents “capitalised on psychological and spiritual unfulfilment and dissatisfaction”.

“Identity and religious politics are dangerous at the best of times, and it is truly worrying to see them take hold among segments of Asean’s citizens. 

“Terrorism, though still far from prevalent, operates from the shadows and threatens to undermine the role of states and their institutions. Developments in the Southern Philippines is a case in point,” the sultan said during the book launch of “Asean FutureForward: Anticipating the next 50 years” today.

The Perak ruler said the debate on globalisation’s benefits was still ongoing and it had caused growing social divisions in Asean societies “between those with liberal and conservative values, between urban elites and rural masses, and between older baby-boomers and younger millennials”, he said.

“Feelings of disenfranchisement abound across classes that are being felt in the political sphere. Identity and religious politics are resurgent in many parts of the world, including within the West itself, and also in Asean.”

He said Asean’s aspiration to be “people-oriented” posed a challenged to its efforts to maintain security while remaining moderate and inclusive.

“Faced with all these challenges, Asean governments would do well to remind themselves of their responsibility to remain on the path of openness, integration, and globalisation,” Sultan Nazrin said.

Islamic State-inspired militants from Abu Sayyaf have been clashing with Philippine security forces in the southern city of Marawi.

So far, about 600 militants and130 government troops have been killed. Among the militants killed include wanted IS financier Mahmud Ahmad, who is Malaysian.

Another major challenge for Asean is how it can stay neutral in view of renewed geopolitical competition in the region.

“When Asean was established, neutrality was clearly cast in the context of Cold War superpower rivalry and the then ongoing war in continental Southeast Asia. The 1967 Bangkok Declaration pledged that the five Asean member states will ‘ensure their stability and security from external interference in any form or manifestation’. 

“This was reiterated in Asean’s declaration on the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (Zopfan) adopted in 1971. Another important aspect of neutrality was that Asean would not ally itself with one superpower to the detriment of another.”

“As such, Asean would also do well to continually impress on dominant powers that it is in their interests that Asean neutrality and centrality be respected,” said Sultan Nazrin.

He said other challenges facing Asean included maintaining peace among member states, keeping a moderate and open outlook and climate change. – August 28, 2017.