“We already have Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore on the ASEAN Power Grid. I really hope that Indonesia can take the lead in 2023, and be connected [to the ASEAN Power Grid], either through Singapore or Peninsular Malaysia or maybe the Borneo grid to up until The Philippines,” said Nuki.

Coming Storms

The issues for Indonesia’s ASEAN chairmanship to address will not be easy and undoubtedly require support from all other member states. Earlier at the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits, Widodo called for the bloc’s members to be consistent with the spirit of cooperation and implement the ASEAN Charter completely. As Jakarta tries to maintain the current positive trend to make ASEAN the “epicentrum” of growth and maintain regional stability, it must prepare to weather storms both from outside and within.

Danny Teh Zi Yee is a Li Ka Shing scholar in international affairs at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. He was previously the Director of External Affairs for the ASEAN Youth Advocates Network (AYAN) Malaysia. His articles and commentaries have appeared in Cambodianess, Modern Diplomacy, Malaysiakini, New Straits Times, The National Interest, and The Diplomat, among others. Get in touch with him via Twitter, LinkedIn, or email. 

Yuxin Hou is a scholar in international affairs at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. He was previously the Manager of China Business at the Global Institute For Tomorrow (GIFT) and until recently the Vice President of Yaqiao Education Group, a leading private education provider which he co-founded in China. Yuxin is a contributor to Caixin Media in China, the US-China Perception Monitor by the Carter Center, and the AsiaGlobal Online Journal, among others. Get in touch with him via LinkedIn or email.

Image: Shutterstock.