Malaysia reiterates call to strengthen ASEAN secretariat

Malaysia has reiterated its call for the ASEAN Secretariat to be strengthened for the region to truly capitalise on the ASEAN Economic Community.

In sending the message across, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the annual allocation of US$17 million to US$20 million was inadequate for the Secretariat to drive ASEAN forward, both in terms of integration and agreements with other trading powers.

"Likewise, the office of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of ASEAN Member States in Jakarta has to be enhanced to assist with the increasing workload of ASEAN and for national representatives to be able to cut across borders and agendas.

"The tasks involved in harmonising will be immense, hence ASEAN must ensure that the right machinery and funding is there to ensure smooth collaboration and to expedite implementation," he said in his opening remarks at the World Economic Forum on ASEAN themed "Shaping the ASEAN Agenda for inclusion and Growth" here, today.

The prime minister said it was also high time that the region ensured of an ASEAN lane at all major points of entry across its 10 member countries.

Najib said the region must speed up progress of the Mutual Recognition Agreements, encompassing eight professions.

"Until qualifications become portable, movement of skilled individuals around ASEAN will be seriously hindered and our productivity will suffer.

"We could start with university degrees, and allowing students to spend part of the degree in another part of ASEAN country," he said.

As ASEAN has no supranational authority, Najib said it was critical that decisions made at the regional level were enabled by domestic laws, rules and regulations.

For that, immigration departments and professional regulatory bodies must help and not stand in the way of agreements on migration of skilled labour in profession such as engineers and architects, he asserted.