After ASEAN Summit, Lawmakers Demand Real Action to Restore Democracy in Myanmar

Days after ASEAN leaders concluded the 47th annual Summit, Southeast Asian lawmakers gathered in Kuala Lumpur with one message; restoration of democracy in Myanmar cannot wait. The Pathways to Democracy Conference brought together legislators, civil society leaders and allies determined to move beyond performative diplomacy and push ASEAN bloc towards concrete, principled action under the Philippines’ 2026 Chairship.

The conference came at a pivotal moment, directly following the 47th ASEAN Summit where the Myanmar crisis once again dominated discussions but failed in realizing tangible and urgent progress.

In fact, APHR member lawmakers called for ASEAN to adopt a bolder, people-centered approach to democracy and humanitarian response in Myanmar, grounded in regional solidarity and moral responsibility.

Mercy Chriesty Barends, APHR Chairperson and Member of the House of Representatives of Indonesia, delivered a powerful message of shared purpose, “we see you, we hear you, we stand by you [in] your struggle for democracy. We will not ever abandon you. Your fight is our fight, not because it is easy but because it is right.”

Wong Chen, APHR Board Member and Member of the Malaysian Parliament, emphasized that democracy extends beyond politics or diplomacy, “while governments and diplomats negotiate, we parliamentarians, civil society actors and citizens have a different but equally vital role to play,” he reminded. “Democratization is also social, educational and cultural; it requires rebuilding trust, healing divisions and restoring the idea that governments exist to serve people, not power.”

Sarah Jane Elago, APHR Member and Member of the Philippine House of Representatives called for a people-centered stance. “As ASEAN transitions leadership, the voices of Myanmar’s people that includes the Rohingya must not fade into silence. Their struggle for genuine peace and democracy is the region’s collective responsibility.”

Throughout the conference, participants expressed deep frustration with ASEAN’s failed Five-Point Consensus and called for stronger accountability mechanisms. Lawmakers urged the regional bloc to engage directly with Myanmar’s democratic forces and ethnic groups, restrict the junta’s access to funding, arms and jet fuel and ensure that humanitarian aid reaches displaced communities including Rohingya refugees.

Kannavee Suebsang, APHR Member and Member of the Thai Parliament, added that parliamentarians must not be constrained by diplomatic silence, “we cannot have the same diplomatic constraints as governments. Parliamentarians have a duty to speak out clearly and collectively against the situation in Myanmar.”

APHR stresses that support for Myanmar’s democracy is not merely a diplomatic ceremony but a moral imperative. The sham elections must not be recognized in any shape or form; and when we talk about democracy, no one must be left behind, including the Rohingya people. A new constitution for Myanmar must be for all its peoples.

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