DATO DR ILANGO KARUPPANNAN
The author is a distinguished retired Malaysian diplomat with an illustrious career of over 33 years. He held key positions in various overseas postings, including the roles of Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore and ambassadorial appointments in Lebanon and Cyprus. Additionally, he served in diplomatic capacities in the United States of America, Germany, and the Republic of Guinea, among others. Dr. Ilango's extensive experience in Malaysia's foreign policy is evident from his time in the policy planning department, where he drafted the influential paper that laid the groundwork for the creation of the ASEAN Charter. Furthermore, he played a crucial role in developing the modalities of the first East Asia Summit during Malaysia's chairmanship of ASEAN. Dr Ilango also held the post of Undersecretary for European affairs, where he served as Malaysia's lead negotiator, successfully concluding the Malaysia-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA). Dr. Ilango was also the lead representative on the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) investigating the downing of MH17. Before retirement, he was tasked to head the division on Public Sector Reform in the Malaysian Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU) under the Prime Minister's Department. Presently, Dr.Ilango serves as an esteemed Adjunct Professor at University Malaya and Taylor’s University. In University Malaya he teaches a master's course on foreign policy, known as "Regional and Global Affairs." Dr Ilango holds a PhD from the University of Malaya. He has authored several academic and policy papers focusing on ASEAN and Malaysia's foreign policy. He is fluent in English, French, and Bahasa Malaysia.
