Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman has called on ASEAN member countries to promote a “people-centred ASEAN” and vowed that it will be one of Malaysia ’s key tasks in the year 2015 when the country assumes the ASEAN Chair.

Addressing the ASEAN Anniversary Forum held in Kuala Lumpur on October 5, the minister stressed that an ASEAN Community with three pillars of security-politics, economics and socio-culture may only be reached if the regional grouping places its people in a central position.

He urged regional countries to move beyond the ASEAN Charter’s vision of “People-Oriented ASEAN” into a bolder “People-Centred ASEAN”.

To promote a “people-centred ASEAN”, governments should encourage and create conditions for all strata of people to get involved in the group’s decision-making process, he said.

Themed “Community 2015: A People-Centred ASEAN”, the annual forum attracted more than 300 government officials and representatives from international organisations, diplomatic corps and institutes./.