GREAT Institute: Prabowo's Call to Promote Regional Unity not Empty Slogan

JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto's statement when speaking at the plenary session of the 48th ASEAN Summit at the Mactan Expo, Cebu, Philippines, Friday, May 8, 2026, received a positive response from geopolitical observers.

Prabowo's call to make unity and stability the top priority of ASEAN is indeed relevant to the current global geopolitical situation.

The positive assessment of Prabowo's speech was among others conveyed by the Director of Geopolitics of the GREAT Institute, Dr. Teguh Santosa.

"President Prabowo firmly reminded that ASEAN must remain an anchor of regional stability in the midst of increasing global geopolitical dynamics through strengthening solidarity and cooperation among countries," said a lecturer in International Relations at the State Islamic University (UIN) Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta, in a statement, Saturday, May 9, 2026.

Teguh emphasized that in the condition of increasingly sharp competition of great powers, ASEAN cannot be passive.

"If ASEAN is silent, the vacuum will be filled by external actors. That is a risk that is too big," said the author of the book "Bad Peace, Good War".

Teguh's view refers to the concept of inclusive security where every country must take a role in maintaining its own security and stability, the region, and the global environment.

The former Vice Rector of the University of Bung Karno (UBK) Jakarta emphasized that security in the region could not be achieved if ASEAN placed itself as a spectator. "Inclusive security requires ASEAN to directly participate and play an active role in maintaining regional stability. There is no other choice," he explained.

He added that this approach is different from the exclusive security model that relies on security on certain military alliances. According to Teguh, ASEAN's strength lies in its ability to embrace all parties without taking sides.

In this context, Teguh assessed Prabowo's statement in Cebu in line with this spirit. "The invitation to prioritize unity is not a hollow slogan and omon-omon. It is a strategy to ensure that ASEAN has an autonomous space in determining its own direction," he said.

"Healthy regionalism is when countries in one region collectively build norms, institutions, and mechanisms to manage conflicts without external intervention," he explained.

He explained, the theory emphasizes the importance of owning the area for its own future. "ASEAN is the party that determines its future the most. If we hand over that determination to outsiders, we will definitely lose control, and it is easy to be divided. This is certainly an incentive that is not attractive to all of us in this region," said Teguh.

According to him, the 48th ASEAN Summit in the Philippines is an important momentum to strengthen internal consensus. The South China Sea issue, economic competition, and global supply chain disruptions are a real test for ASEAN solidarity.

Teguh assessed that Prabowo understood the dynamics well. "President Prabowo not only talks about stability, but also about collective responsibility. That's a point I think is often missed. It's as if each ASEAN member has to fight alone with the domestic dynamics they have. In fact, ASEAN was born from the womb of solidarity," said the former Vice President of the Confederation of ASEAN Journalists (CAJ).

He reminded that regional stability could not be built on sharpened differences. "If each ASEAN country pulls in the direction of its own interests, then ASEAN will be fragile. Unity is an absolute requirement," said Teguh.

In his view, ASEAN economic and political cooperation must be strengthened without having to imitate other power blocs. "We have our own ASEAN way. That is what is called the ASEAN way, which is essentially about dialogue, consensus, and the choice to respect each other," said Teguh again.

In another part, he also highlighted the importance of Indonesian leadership in this context. As the largest country in ASEAN, Indonesia has a key role to play in keeping the consensus alive.

"Prabowo's speech in Cebu shows that direction," he said, hoping that the statement would not stop as a discourse.

"Now the challenge is implementation. ASEAN needs to translate the spirit of unity into concrete policies," said Teguh.

Closing his comments, Teguh reiterated ASEAN's position as the determinant of the region's fate.

"If we are not brave enough to determine our future, others will determine it for us. We have often witnessed this, and it is therefore a historical lesson that we should not repeat," said Teguh.