Next year, Malaysia will take the helm of Asean, with a newly appointed country representative to the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), Edmund Bon, set to champion human rights diplomacy across the Southeast Asian region.

Yet, as a seasoned rights activist, Bon is realistic about the challenges ahead.

For instance, transforming Asean from its roots from a non-interventionist cohort aimed at maintaining peace to one which can make a regulatory impact may take longer than his three-year tenure. This goal similarly eluded his Indonesian counterpart in 2023.

However, returning to the AIHCR for the second time - he was Malaysia’s representative from 2016 to 2018 - the legal expert is still adamant about working towards this goal because this will ensure a true impact.

“A toothless AICHR cannot ensure accountability,” he said at the 14th Foreign Ministers’ Summit in July, addressing the issue head-on.

Speaking to Malaysiakini recently, Bon said Asean is “toothless” now because...