As Asean turns 50, the bloc must stay relevant or risk being left behind

AS the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) celebrates its landmark golden jubilee this week, it is also timely for the 10-member bloc to take stock of its status quo and ask itself the tough questions of how it can continue to raise its game in the next 50 years.

The opportunities for Asean to exert its influence are aplenty. Southeast Asia is home to some of the world's fastest-growing economies such as Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines. Singapore is not just an important financial and trade hub, but is also where many multinational firms have established their regional or even global headquarters. Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia can count themselves as robust middle-income economies.

All eyes are on how Asean demonstrates its relevance, not just to the international community but to the bloc's growing population of about 625 million people. There's the Rohingya issue in Myanmar that remains unresolved, the threat of extremist terrorism has grown and shows no signs of abating, and the Marawi crisis in the Philippines is one that could pose years of problems for Asean.