November 3, 2025
KUALA LUMPUR – NOT once but twice. It really is a case of history repeating itself for Malaysia and Asean, in a good way.
We are talking about the entry of a new member state. Not about the blunder made, thrice over, by national broadcaster Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) wrongly naming three Asean leaders during their arrival for the opening ceremony of the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits in Kuala Lumpur. More on that later.
In 1997, when Malaysia was Asean Chair, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar were supposed to be admitted into the grouping’s fold. But internal fighting in Cam-bodia, following a coup by then second prime minister Hun Sen that ousted Prince Norodom Sihanouk, had forced Asean to defer Cambodia’s entry.
Then Foreign minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, despite pressure from Phnom Penh, managed to get a consensus from the rest of Asean to defer the troubled nation’s accession. It was finally admitted in 1999.
Twenty-eight years later, once again under Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship, we witnessed the accession of another member: Timor-Leste. This may just be the final one let into the club.
Just as the 1997 chairmanship influenced an accession, it was Malaysia’s political will that clinched consensus for Timor-Leste’s membership on Oct 26.
It is one of the biggest deliverables for the Asean Chair and its apt theme of “Inclusivity and Sustainability”.
Malaysia worked hard for this to happen. Since Timor-Leste officially submitted its application 14 years ago, no chair had strongly pushed for its membership. Only in 2022 did Asean leaders, at a summit in Cambodia, agree for it to be admitted in principle and granted observer status and without decision-making powers.
A long list of criteria and conditions were listed for full membership. The Asean Secretariat in Jakarta set up a unit to help expedite the process.
A road map was introduced for Timor-Leste to become a full-fledged member, including by ratifying agreements, especially economic ones; ensuring adequate capacity, especially human resources and financials; and maintaining the ability to attend meetings.
One member state was consistent in its views that Timor-Leste must fulfil all criteria before joining the club.
“Up to a few months ago this particular country argued that Timor-Leste was not ready and must fulfil all the criteria, which for us would be impossible – they would never be ready.
“The roadmap is stringent, the conditions are tough for a young nation,” said a diplomat.
“At the end of the day it was a political decision, but with the caveat that now they are in Asean, they must try their very best and take the necessary steps to implement the criteria set out in the roadmap,” he said.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he was pushing hard for Timor-Leste to be admitted and acknowledged the role played by Wisma Putra throughout the year to make it happen.
“As Asean Chair, I do not look at if the country is poor or otherwise. Timor-Leste has been struggling to get its independence and to become an Asean member.
“We are friends not because the country is rich, but we are friends because we respect the country and the dignity of its people. The same applies to friendship irrespective if someone is poor or otherwise,” Anwar said.
By the same token, one of the Chair’s arguments is that it is better for Timor-Leste to be admitted now than later since the grouping has launched its 20-year plan, Asean Vision 2045, which marks the next phase of integration for a more resilient and dynamic group in future.
While Timor-Leste joining Asean was a landmark move, US President Donald Trump’s presence and antics sparked debates online here and abroad.
Right from the moment he disembarked from Air Force One at KL International Airport and displayed his signature dance move in front of the welcoming party, a good feeling resonated, including for us at the media centre watching it live at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
Whether you like him or not, Trump’s appearance generated a lot of interest in Malaysia, with many Americans curious about what this country is all about.
Behind the scenes, the moment Trump told Anwar he was coming to Kuala Lumpur, the instruction was that the welcoming ceremony should be different from those planned for other leaders, bearing in mind the Gaza situation. The question was, how different? He is the commander in chief, so the military line up was a must, but then there must also be cultural promotion.
That was when Mohd Yazid Zakaria, Istana Budaya’s traditional orchestra conductor, came up with an amalgamation of cultures that would eventually become part of the welcoming programme.
Sadly Mohd Yazid, who also led the performance at the summit’s gala dinner, passed away a day after the summit came to a close; he was 57. The Prime Minister paid tribute to the artist, saying his passing was a major loss to Malaysia’s traditional music scene and acknowledged Mohd Yazid’s lifelong dedication to using music as a medium to unite and uplift the nation’s spirit.
Those who worked with him throughout this summit described Mohd Yazid as a genius.
“Istana Budaya has all these ideas that promote Malaysia’s diverse culture but they lack the avenue to promote them. Apart from the main event shows, the side performance ideas mostly came from him,” said an official.
Trump left Malaysia after sealing several trade deals and witnessing the Cambodian and Thai prime ministers signing an agreement to ease tensions along their countries’ borders. While the KL Peace Accord was brokered by the US, Malaysia played an important role too, right from the start.
While this summit is best remembered as the height of diplomacy, the mistakes by RTM became a source of national embarrassment. The prime minister was understandably furious, and some parties are questioning if heads should roll after the presenter misidentified three Asean leaders.
“It dampened the mood for a while. It reflects badly on certain sections of the media for not doing enough homework and research.
“It was a live telecast and any mistakes must be corrected within seconds,” said a senior official.
RTM has since apologised, saying appropriate action has been taken.
As the dust settles from the highs of one of the biggest gatherings at an Asean summit, we have to give credit to Wisma Putra as the lead agency in making the chairmanship year a success.
We can’t even imagine the clockwork precision, planning, and preparation needed for the arrivals and departures of the leaders, the flurry of activities organised, the security details, and deployment of thousands of people to make sure everything ran smoothly.
For a few days, Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia became the centre of diplomacy, bringing together VIP guests from all corners of the world.
And it was also a great early start to Visit Malaysia 2026.