Beyond the summitry: Elevating Asean’s promise and playing field

IF Malaysians following the news wondered whether all the fanfare surrounding the just concluded Asean Summit and its associated meetings was a spectacle, they wouldn’t be entirely wrong. Major summits and extravaganza are like two peas in a pod — replete with pomp and pageantry. Ask the rotating hosts of BRICS or the G20, or the cities of Davos and New York when the WEF and UNGA descend each year. Kuala Lumpur did not merely host one of the most crowded Asean Summits in recent memory; it did so at a crucial moment in history — an achievement of no ordinary scale for even the most seasoned of hosts. But make no mistake: what transpired in the halls of the KLCC Convention Centre and its surrounding hotels was not mere parade but the intricate ballet of modern diplomacy in motion – complex, fast-paced yet delicate. It was the culmination of almost two years of coordination, strategy and persistence: a sequence of breakthroughs and creative compromises.