ASEAN, AEC and Awareness

1. ASEAN is the shorter name for Association of South East Asia Nations. An inter-governmental organization comprising 10 independent and sovereign nations; Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
2. Headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia, ASEAN since 1967 has grown into a reputable and respectable association in the world and able to garner lots of interest from all 5 corners of the World.
3. This year, 2015, the Chairmanship (or i called the host) of ASEAN is back in the hand of our Government, Malaysia. Well, that is my level of understanding on ASEAN before i joined the Malaysian Youth Parliament ("PBM")
4. It is a well known fact, we learn most about ASEAN and its member nations in Geography and History classes. The teachers call it Curriculum Across Subjects (Kurikulum Merentas Subjek). Therefore, the Government needs not to form a specific group of teachers to teach and facilitate anything regarding ASEAN.
5. As a product of PMR and SPM back in the 90s and early 2000s, i know that have at least an understanding of what ASEAN is all about and the resources of each the member nations. The problem is i learn those for the sake of passing the exams ONLY, not others.
6. In later years, the leaders in ASEAN Summit decided that a COMMUNITY of ASEAN shall be established and we, the people of ASEAN will work together hand in hand, in achieving the ultimate regional PEACE, SECURITY and PROSPERITY.
7. Fast forwards to today, in 2015, the region is on the hype of the establishment of ASEAN Economic Community ("AEC"), one of the three pillars of ASEAN Community. We can see that the Government of Malaysia now is in hyper drive whereby all known agencies related to economics and awareness are rigorously organizing events and programs related to ASEAN.
8. The PBM also, mandated through International Relations and Diplomacy Committee ("IRD") also put ASEAN as the cornerstone of its agenda in 2015, where you can see any motions and programs must be circulated on ASEAN.
9. These developments sometime can be good but most of the time reaps a disappointing result when 2015 is over.
10. My latest engagement as the IRD Commitee members is a roundtable discussion with the ASEAN Malaysian National Secretariat ("AMNS") of Wisma Putra. Together with the Malaysian Youth Council ("MBM"), we concluded that the awareness on ASEAN is dangerously low in Malaysia compared to other ASEAN member nations.
11. Together with my IRD Committee Chair, Mr Asyraf Adlan, we found that the awareness campaign lately can be taunted as "Last Minute Push" by the Government and its agencies to educated the Malaysian on ASEAN and AEC.
12. Some of roundtable participants shared his opinion that the way the agencies explain about ASEAN is deemed "TOO HEAVY" and reduce the interest among our Rakyat to take in interest about it, let alone UNDERSTANDING it.
13. I shared with the participants my own experience where i attended an ASEAN Youth Dialogue in Malaysia's Top University and shocked myself with the fact, some of undergraduate student dont know about ASEAN and never heard about AEC.
14. In addition to that, i met with YOUNG PROFESSIONALS, working with top Oil and Gas companies in Malaysia also dont know about AEC.
15. In 2011, me and my MBA colleagues of mine, Abg Zahrain of MOF, went to National Institute of Development Administration  ("NIDA"), a reputable post-graduates institution in Bangkok, Thailand, for a conference. After we presented our case in front of the professors and peers, one of them requested us on Malaysian Corporate Governance standards. We asked back why she needs it. She replied that her faculty has been actively research and prepare their student and the Thais of AEC.
16. YB Deputy Foreign Minister, Hamzah Zainuddin also agreed that we, Malaysia has the lowest awareness on ASEAN and Cambodia sits on top of all.
17. During the course as the IRD Committee, we initiated many formal and informal engagement series with our stakeholders and Youth as our primary one, showed that Malaysian Youth didnt care about ASEAN and AEC because they feel the effect and impact of the Organization and the Economic Integration would be minimal or close to none for them.
18. Indeed, this is a worrying situation for us all. The Malaysian Youth should know that once the AEC is announced, gradual changes in job markets and professional employment will impact their life. The Mutual Recognition Arrangements ("MRA") of 8 professionals career will open up the current job market to talents from Singapore, Thais, Indonesian and Philippines, who i feel have better command in English, will flood into Malaysia.
19. It is without a doubt that Malaysia now has a significant numbers of immigrants for the constructions, plantations and retails sectors. The AEC and MRA will facilitate the highly educated ad skilled talents to work in Malaysia's corporations.
20. My point is although the downside of AEC is exist, the benefits also clear and present for Malaysian Youth. Despite worrying the flood in of talents that will disrupt the local job markets for our home-grown graduates, there is huge potentials these talents are able to move out from Malaysia and create wonders, gather experience and create wealth in the rest of ASEAN's countries.
21. All these advantages will only understood by our Malaysian Youth, if and only if they have adequate knowledge and understanding of ASEAN and AEC. 
22. We should relook and revise our plans for ASEAN awareness among our Rakyat especially Youth. There is a legitimate doubt that all the hype will subdue after 2015 ended and many agencies started to withdraw themselves from ASEAN post ASEAN Summit 2015. 
23. We should re-structured back our education system so that it will incorporated the ASEAN Curriculum. We should inform and educate our young ones in the primary school about ASEAN, We need to further strengthen our secondary school chaps knowledge on ASEAN and ASEAN Community. We have to solidify the ASEAN Community knowledge and its 3pillars into our tertiary students so that they are the nurturer of ASEAN Values.
24. We have to do it in sustainable manner and we must do it together. No more only Wisma Putra and MITI have to do all the job. No more RTM, JPEN and Astro ASEAN-Go only for the media awareness. It must be embedded into our core elements of a nation's development. EDUCATION, EDUCATION and EDUCATION.

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A colleague of mine in IRD Committee is currently drafting a motion on ASEAN and Education. Our colleague from Education & Career Committee also jointly looking at that matter and we are currently planning on having a joint-motion for the next session. Pray for our success.