OCTOBER 4 — "Asean centrality” is a term more often used than understood.

Asean centrality is not a magic incantation whose mere invocation makes all our dreams come true. Nor is it an objective reality that exists irrespective of perceptions — Asean centrality is more akin to the sound of Berkeley’s falling tree than Johnson’s immovable rock. It is a political construct. If you do not recognise it, it does not exist.

Why do we and others recognise Asean centrality’? A political construct is inseparable from the purpose it is intended to serve. Framing the concept in these terms makes clear that it is contextual and contingent.

Consequently, two interrelated questions arise: