SINGAPORE: Singapore has topped a poll for showing the strongest leadership in addressing key regional challenges, according to an annual think tank survey, which also identifies the United States leadership under President Donald Trump and global scam operations as key concerns among Southeast Asian respondents.
For the first time, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) overtook the US as the most trusted actor to uphold the rules-based order.
In the latest annual The State of Southeast Asia survey by ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute released on Tuesday (Apr 7), over three in 10 (31.3 per cent) of respondents recognised Singapore as the leading contributor in tackling key regional challenges, followed by Indonesia (22.2 per cent) and Malaysia (21.3 per cent).
Some of the regional challenges highlighted were climate change and intensifying economic tensions between major powers. Respondents were asked to select a country other than their own.
Singapore emerged as the top choice among respondents from six ASEAN member states – the Philippines (50.7 per cent), Malaysia (49 per cent), Thailand (45 per cent), Indonesia (38.1 per cent), Vietnam (36.4 per cent) and Cambodia (28.0 per cent).
The survey polled 2,008 people including researchers, private sector representatives, non-governmental organisations, government officials and international organisations personnel across the 11 members of ASEAN. It was conducted online between Jan 5 and Feb 20 this year.
Among respondents who selected Singapore, its economic leadership in influencing regional discussions stood out as the key reason. This was most evident in Indonesia, where more than half or 56.4 per cent cited this factor.
“This underscores Singapore’s reputation as a key economic driver within ASEAN,” said the survey authors.
