SPEECH BY HON. DATUK WIRA IR.

IDRIS HARON PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD ASSEMBLY OF YOUTH AT THE SOUTHEAST-ASIA ALUMNI YOUTH CONFERENCE YOUTH EMPOWERMENT WITH INTEGRITY 20TH APRIL 2012 MAYA HOTEL, KUALA LUMPUR Distinguished guests, Dear Participants, Ladies and Gentleman; It is my great honor to address you as the President of the World Assembly of Youth or WAY. First of all I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Malaysian- American Partnership (MAAP) and the American Embassy for giving me this opportunity to participate and deliver a paper on the Role of Government in ASEAN at the Southeast-Asia Alumni Youth Conference. Young people are empowered when they acknowledge that they have the active ability to make informed decisions in life and consequently accepting the responsibility for the consequences of actions taken to implement the decisions. The meaningful chosen theme, Youth Empowerment with Integrity is indeed important and therefore means committing with humility and patience to create and support the enabling conditions under which young people can act on their own behalf, and on their own terms, rather than at the direction of others, especially leaders. The issue is to develop the best in young people by tapping into their full potential, their vision, creative power and drive to make the world an inclusive, sustainable place for themselves and future generations. This process should be done in all sectors with equality by a culture understandable to the youth. The youth of today are cultured into technology and the internet. Multiple voices, initiatives, strategies should therefore be used to reach out to them through the use of technology. ASEAN countries should also strengthen partnership building, having sustainable networks to better cooperate in building and developing their youth. It is rewarding to invest in shaping the current and the following generation of leaders. The role towards youth development is not only for the governments but for all sectors. There are many organizations that have been established solely for the purpose of empowering them, example being the organisation in representation, the World Assembly of Youth (WAY). The organisation is an international coordinating body of national youth councils and youth organisations with current membership of 120 countries from all continents. Its vision, various aims and programmes are centered in improving their world. WAY works for the promotion of youth and youth organisations in programme areas such as: youth development, empowerment, employment, environment,

human rights, democracy, population, health, drugs, and leadership training. Looking back at the main focus of this paper, The Role of the ASEAN Governments, in order to attain the charter for vision 2020 there are pivotal issues that I shall specifically look into and address today as requested. These 3 interlinked aspects are the worrying brain drain as published in the World Bank report, revamping education and the environment respectively. Brain Drain: Brain drain occurs most commonly when individuals leave less developed countries (LDCs) with fewer opportunities for career advancement, research, and academic employment and migrate to more developed countries (MDCs) with more opportunities. ASEAN being a developing region suffers serious brain drain to America, Australia, Britain and other developed countries across the globe. Major pull factors have included better career opportunities abroad, compensation while major push factors included underdevelopment, corruption, educational opportunities, and the government policies. This has caused ASEAN economic growth rate to fall significantly compared to the growth rate in the 1990s. As such, ASEAN governments have been implementing attractive policies to lure their talents home as well as to retain their existing talents from migrating abroad. Despite governments efforts to bring ASEAN talents home, many still prefer to seek their future overseas. Perhaps questions that may come to mind will be are these policies effective? These policies also must be able to address the reasons for migration such as poor conditions of service, human rights abuse and limited access to education among other reasons. Human Capital is the countrys greatest asset. Retaining talents is critical for sustainable development, innovative technologies, and a stirring wheel for high Gross Domestic Product per capita. No nation can survive without the efforts of talented personnel. Therefore the role of the government becomes dire to extensively involve and explore these diverse talents without discrimination. In the Malaysian context, human capital development requires holistic approach to ensure that development is done to address the needs of all population at every level. As they say, a child does not only belong to the parents but to the community. Therefore it is the responsibility of everyone to ensure that our peoples capability is nurtured and explored by putting in place education policies that better develop the nation especially the youth. In the 10th Malaysian Master Plan, strategies have been put into place to address this issue such as revamping the education system to significantly raise student

outcomes; raising the skills of Malaysia to increase employability and reforming the labor market to transform Malaysia into a high-income nation. In December 2010; the government launched Talent Corporation to identify shortages in key sectors and attract and retain the necessary skilled human capital. This initiative is crucial to bring home over 1 million Malaysian working abroad to develop a diverse and competitive talent pool - a requirement for a high-income economy, which Malaysia aims to achieve by 2020. The government will also introduce a new resident pass, which will give foreign skilled workers and Malaysians who have relinquished their citizenship the long term right to live and work in the country without being tied to the employer. Vietnams workforce on the other hand has increasingly become educated but many companies have found insufficient technical and business training from local graduates and have been forced to look overseas to fill the important positions in their operations. It is often difficult to retain talent in Vietnam as the country is less developed and offers lower standards of living. India has developed into a high technology state and human capital advancement in the science and technology sector has rapidly increased. Other countries have by far sourced talent in these fields from the country. The Indian population in America has increased in decades due to better working and living conditions in place. Another policy that should be readdressed to increase human capital in the region, is the provision of better working and living environments by governments. Potential employees are not only concerned about high wages but also about the environmental issues that are arising. On that note people are now drawing attention to social responsibilities by offering better health conditions for the concerned. Lower income tax, competitive salaries, meeting the needs of skills possessed are among the policies that should be look into by the governments. ASEAN nations have to implement human rights especially employees rights charter in particular for expatriates so as to make sure that discrimination is relinquished. A borderless market is prone to increased quality human capital therefore countries should seek to allow in more migrs. This is the birth of the brain gain to minimize the effects of brain drain. As more skilled workers leave the region, replacement of personnel with quality skills should be implemented. As we seek to improve the situation, the youth should be at the top of the priority as youth are leaders of tomorrow. The government should provide ample access for youth to be involved in policy making, national development plans and prepare the youth for the future. According to UN statistics, the population of youth would have reduced by half by the year 2050 which means, our youth of today would have been the next tier of world leaders and backbone of our states. Therefore, the recognition of such importance to involve the youth, WAY has played its significant role towards youth development and empowerment. As the organisation name depicts, it represents rights of all youth by providing

platforms for the youth to tackle their issues by raising awareness, be trained and involved in their national development. One of the platforms provided to address this issue is an annual event called the Melaka International Youth Dialogue (MIYD) that bring together diverse group of youth and youth leaders to convene and tackle an issue and conclude with a declaration which is later suggested and presented to the National Youth Councils, youth organisations and governments to include into their policies. In 2006, WAY organized the 6th MIYD under the theme Human Capital Development where in the declaration made was to enhance explicit and tacit knowledge, to boost the development of knowledge management culture in youth and to improvement of the education system.

Ladies and gentlemen, Education is very crucial for the development of human capital. Revamping Education: As mentioned earlier on, education lies at the core of ASEANs development process and contributes to the enhancement of ASEAN competitiveness. The mandates for setting priorities for education are anchored in the ASEAN Vision 2020 and have thereby founded regular conventional meetings amongst ASEAN Education Ministers. Education is viewed as a vehicle to raise ASEAN awareness, promote unity and create a sense of belonging to the ASEAN Community hence the declaration has called ASEAN Education ministers to focus on enhancing regional cooperation in education. In spite of this mandate, many countries arent able to provide a quality education for all young people and develop the skills needed to adapt to a changing environment. Many young people are marginalized with limited or no access to education and training. Nonetheless, technology has created new learning mechanisms and educational planning hence, policymaking needs to reflect on these innovative approaches. National integration through national education system is seen as the key condition for economic survival. The first step to achieve this is for the Governments and citizens alike, to recognize that each young person has the right to education without discrimination of race, language, sex, wealth or status. For instance, the main components in the individual ASEAN countries, education policies are based on either multilingual or bilingual policies. This is not just for the achievement of social cohesion in a largely plural society but also assures parents that their children would not grow up ignorant of their cultures. This further enforces importance of values and ethics as they represent critical building blocks towards their future. Planning education systems to support young people as leaders and role models in society both within and outside school is an educational imperative. Many young people feel disenfranchised by a system that fails to consider their changing needs. Therefore, the education system should be revamp and made

relevant to the current needs of the youth. This has made the task of ASEAN Education Ministers increasingly challenging. Among others, uneven population distribution between urban and rural areas has caused limited quality education opportunities in highly dense areas. The problem is compounded by the parents selection and preference for certain schools. It must be pointed out that education in most ASEAN countries is financed almost entirely from the government revenue. Therefore, most of the education institutions are state owned. Besides the generous funding from the Government, other strategies adopted to cater to the rapid expansion of the education population are emphasis made for government to invest in physical resources. This will ensure access to education and investing in the most critical levers that impact student outcomes such as quality training for teachers and leaders. Parallel to the rapid growth of students in ASEAN, large-scale recruitment of teachers took place where part-time teaching programs as an alternative. This is a viable approach to cater to the rapid expansion. Nonetheless, over the years has proved to be challenging as the quality of education given has declined. The government therefore takes it upon itself to be the decision maker to allocate adequate selection and training of trainers and provision of in-service support to the trainers. More trainings and peer education should be made available to build trainer confidence with the content and teaching methods thereby enhancing the excellence. The content in the education curriculum should be made relevant or appropriate, by effective methods, particularly focusing on different types of learners thereby expecting an improvement in the student outcomes. Information and technology should also be introduced in the curricular to keep the future educator abreast with the needs of their students and nurture innovation as well as creativity. The government should include youth perspective in the decision making process in all sectors of education. One would be amazed at the response received when giving them a chance to chip in their views. The frankness and openness, often critical but also constructive is interesting to observe a consensus about their needs and aspirations for a better education regardless of their backgrounds. For this reason, WAY collaborates with UNESCO International Institute of Educational Planning and other organizers in formulating a forum to plan with the youth to build education systems for social transformation this coming October in Paris. The focus of the programme will cover the following thematic areas: - Youth engagement in planning education for conflict prevention and peace building; - Promoting young peoples skills and opportunities for civic engagement within formal and non-formal education systems; - Enhancing the relevance of education systems for young people in their transition into employment. In order for the education to be fully functional and play its vital role, environment has to be maintained and sustained.

Environment: As per the third WAY Plan of Action, youth have both concerns and special responsibilities in relation to the environment. A number of environmental risks and hazards have affected young people. Environmental issues have major implications on youth. Numerous meetings held by ASEAN leaders have been discussing the issues at length and several agreements have been signed among those countries with the aim to form cooperation and protect the economic cycle that may be indirectly affected. Declarations and protocols have been delivered from various events and gatherings, some of which are internationally recognized which provide policy directions and coordinate actions even within the United Nations system and the Heads of States. Governments have endorsed media to play a significant role in spreading awareness to youth on the effects of global warming. The environment must be maintained and preserved for both present and future generations. The causes of environmental degradation have been addressed in the past and must continue. Meanwhile, sustainable development has become the key element in the programs of youth organizations throughout the world. While every segment of society is responsible for maintaining the environmental integrity of the community, young people have a special interest in maintaining a healthy environment because they will be the ones to inherit it. With the help of governments, environmental education can be improved by encouraging educational institutions to integrate in the educational curriculum so that the young people will understand the current environmental situation and clarify their roles to protect it through any cause. In addition, educators as well as the education system should be equip with environmental studies in order to create an impact and deeper understanding on the matter. Youth organizations are raising awareness by promoting environmental friendly habits among the young people by organizing public environmental campaigns, encouraging youth to participate in combating desert creep, forestry, tree planting, waste reduction and recycling. In February 2011, WAY and the Indonesian National Youth Council organized the International Youth Forum on Climate Change with the theme Listen to us, Sense Our Worries, giving the youngsters a voice on climate change to improve understanding and inspire action to fight global warming. Furthermore, it contributed to build awareness about the impacts of climate change and enhance young people capacity to be engaged in green campaign schools and communities. United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) have initiated education campaign called Kick the Carbon Habit in Canada and the United States to empower and educate young people and the general public in the area of environmental responsibility. Youth leaders are recruited to host educational events focusing on

climate change, and the participants are provided with relevant information on how to reduce their carbon footprint. WAY sees the need for the youth to engage themselves in causes that response to ecological challenges. With that in mind, WAY aims to create a public awareness on the importance of the sustainable development and its effect on the young people through international initiatives such as the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and consequently reducing the effect of environmental degradation globally. Through such programs, we are optimistic that the society will be motivated to maintain the environmental integrity consequently increasing their responsibility towards achieving sustainable access to a safe and healthy environment. In conclusion, the youth today are often disenfranchised in their communities and may feel they have little voice. Youth are the future of a country. Any idea of national development is just a myth without the active participation of youth in it. ASEAN leaders have to invest in empowering the youth with a genuine purpose. They must value the energy, ability and skills that youth brings to these changes as well as being involved in youth programs therefore uplifts the standard of training and development. ASEAN governments have a tangible responsibility to achieve the vision 2020 of having a peaceful, stable, prosperous, bonded together in partnership, in dynamic development and in a community of caring societies. I would like to highlight that for youth empowerment, it is important to have a vision and plan from the start. Partnership and local participations is the key to success, as sustainability is achieved when the development process is owned and managed by the community itself. Everyone should play his or her role in defeating brain drain, encouraging education and protecting the environment. Young people should act now for their betterment of the future. I believe in the leaders of tomorrow, I believe that youth are the catalyst to such a transformation. Thank You!