By AR Rahman

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: When Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan travelled to Myanmar recently, he reiterated Malaysia’s willingness to “assist” in the country’s democratisation process including by sending Malaysian observers to monitor its upcoming elections. 

His visit drew strong condemnation from familiar quarters: former MP turned pseudo-activist Charles Santiago, notable high-heeled fashionista Lilianne Fan of the so-called Malaysian Advisory Group on Myanmar, and a handful of other obviously Western-funded rights advocacy groups accused him of legitimising Myanmar’s military administration and betraying democratic ideals.

But before Malaysia’s activists turn their moral outrage outward, they would do well to look inward. The uncomfortable truth is that Malaysia’s own democratic foundations remain fragile being riddled with systemic flaws, widening racial divisions, politicised institutions, and growing intolerance.

While these self-appointed defenders of democracy rush to lecture Myanmar, Malaysia continues to struggle with structural inequality, flawed governance, selective prosecutions, and the rise of religious radicalism. 

The repeated failures of institutional reform, alongside an increasingly toxic racial discourse, expose the hollowness of any claim to moral superiority. When democratic values are themselves contested at home, it is the height of hypocrisy to demand purity abroad.

Furthermore, their criticism betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of ASEAN’s founding principle of non-interference, a norm that has kept Southeast Asia stable and cohesive through decades of political upheaval. 

The bloc’s approach has never been about moral grandstanding but about quiet diplomacy, engagement, and respect for sovereignty. Attempting to isolate or publicly shame Myanmar violates this principle and undermines ASEAN’s very cohesion.

The situation in Myanmar is undeniably complex, its political transition interrupted, its social fabric torn by years of internal conflict. Yet, even amid the turbulence, the State Administration Council (SAC) has sought to restore a measure of order in a country fractured by decades of ethnic warfare and insurgency. 

Steps such as preparations for a general election, the restoration of public services in key regions, and efforts to reintegrate armed groups under ceasefire agreements may not be perfect, but they represent pragmatic moves toward national stabilisation.

Democracy, if it is to take root, must emerge from within through the gradual rebuilding of institutions, reconciliation among Myanmar’s diverse ethnic groups, and an internal dialogue untainted by foreign coercion. 

Pressuring Naypyidaw through external activism or moral outrage risks hardening positions and prolonging instability. No nation can be bullied into democracy; it must be cultivated through its own political and cultural context.

Mohamad Hasan’s trip, when viewed through this realist lens, aligns with the ASEAN Way constructive engagement without interference, persuasion without humiliation. Diplomacy in this region is built on dialogue and respect, not on public shaming or external imposition.

If figures like Santiago and Fan are genuinely concerned about democracy, their energy would be far better spent addressing Malaysia’s deepening domestic contradictions — from the erosion of civil trust and racial polarisation to the fragility of democratic institutions. 

Cleaning up the democratic house at home would lend far greater credibility than preaching virtue abroad.

The Myanmar question is, at its core, a test of ASEAN’s maturity. Will the region allow one of its members the space to stabilise and evolve on its own terms or will it bow to the loudest moralists demanding intervention from the sidelines?

Before Malaysia claims the mantle of democratic mentor, it should first prove that it can govern justly within its own borders. True diplomacy begins with humility and credibility begins at home.

*AR Rahman is a former civil servant who observes national and regional affairs from his porch in Kuala Lumpur's historic Kampung Baru.*