RESEARCH OVERVIEW

The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC): An Alternative Scorecard Approach The Real Status of Implementation, Challenges and Bottlenecks

1. RATIONAL AND OVERVIEW

Signed by the ASEAN Leaders at the 13th ASEAN Summit on 20 November 2007, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint lays the foundation for realising the goal of ASEAN as an integrated economic region by 2015. The AEC is based on four pillars: • singlemarketandproductionbase,• highlycompetitiveeconomicregion,• aregionofequitableeconomicdevelopment,• andaregionthatisfullyintegratedwiththeglobaleconomy.

Each pillar is defined by various implementation objectives and related action points.Progresstowardsachievementsoftheagreedgoalsismonitoredthroughthescorecardmechanism,whichwasestablishedin2008.TheASEANIntegrationMonitoringOffice(AIMO)attheASEANSecretariat(ASEC)providesregularupdates for the benefit of officials at the ASEC and in the ASEAN Member States (AMS).Annualsummaryreportsarealsomadepubliclyavailable.Themostrecentreport–coveringtheAECimplementationphases2008-2009and2010-2011–waspublished in March 2012 1.Furtherstatisticalinformationthatallowsforsomeassessment of the state of economic integration in ASEAN is available in the 2012 documentASEANCommunityinFigures2011(ACIF2011)2.However,theseandother official ASEAN publications are first and foremost political documents and, whiletheyprovideusefulgeneraldata,theyareonlyoflimitedvaluetoprivatesectorstakeholderswhowouldliketogainabetteranddeeperinsightintotherealstate of regional economic integration and the related specific opportunities and challenges. For example, data for the scorecard are provided by the AMS based onself-assessmentandthusoftendonotstandthetestofobjectivelyverifiableinformation.UnderstandablymemberstateswanttopresentthemselvesinapositivelightanddemonstratethattheyhavemadesignificantprocesstowardsreachingtheAECbenchmarks.Economicfactsandpoliticalspineasilygetmixedupastheresult.Furthermore,neitherthescorecardnootherofficialreportscoverkeyaspectsof regional economic integration that are of particular relevance and importance for the private sector.

This research aims to produce a comprehensive and concise report that provides

1. reliable data on – and analysis of – the real progress towards economic community building;

2. information and data on sectors that are not covered by the scorecard and other reports;

3. sound analysis of the bottlenecks, hurdles and challenges in the AEC implementation process that does not shy away from political sensitivities and paints a realistic picture of what has and can be achieved; and

4. clear and concise policy recommendations based on the findings.

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

1 www.aseansec.org/documents/scorecard_final.pdf

2 http://www.aseansec.org/documents/ASEAN%20community%20in%20figures.pdf

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

Inparticular,forthefirsttimethisreportwillmakeregion-wideandcomparabledata(for each AMS) available on

• theutilisationoftheCEPTandnowASEANTradeinGoodsAgreement(ATIGA)

• elimination of impediments to investment and liberalization of investment rules and policies

• thestateoftheimplementationandutilizationoftheASEANFrameworkAgreement on Services (AFAS)

• thestatusandenforcementofCompetitionPolicyandLaw(CPL)acrossASEAN

• Customsprocedures,especiallyimprovements(andremainingchallenges)withregards to customs harmonization, transit times, and the efficiency of national customs regimes

• progresstowardsregionalstandardsandtheprevalenceofnon-tariff barriers

• regionalandnationalmeasurestakeninsupportofSME.

Thereportwillbeconductedasadeskstudy.Detailedinformationontheabovementioned sectors is scattered across hundreds of reports and material produced by AMS, donor organisations, international organisations, embassies, chambers of commerceandindustry,academiaandotherstakeholders.To-date,however,existingand often comprehensive data sets and analyses have not been synthesised and evaluatedforthepurposeofaregionalcomparativestudythatprovidesrealvalue-addedtotheknowledgeofprivatesectorstakeholders.

2. WEAKNESSES OF THE EXISTING MONITORING SYSTEM

Headlinesinthemediasuchas“ASEAN75%readyfor2015economicintegration”3

suggestimpressiveprogresstowardsestablishingthecommunitybutreportsseldomproviderobustanalysisofwhatexactlyhasbeenachievedandhowcompanies–asthemainbeneficiariesofeconomicintegration–cantakeadvantageof already implemented regional agreements. Neither do the media delve into the reasons for delays of, and the clearly existing political and economic limits to, communitybuilding.UnlikeinEuropeorLatinAmericawhereprocessesofregionaleconomic integration have been continuously and thoroughly scrutinised by an investigative media, Southeast Asian journalists mainly use the information provided bythePRdepartmentsoftheASEANSecretariatandnationalgovernmentswithoutadditional investigation.

DatadisseminatedbytheASEANSecretariatisusefulasanentrypointtowardsgainingageneralunderstandingoftheprocessofeconomicbuilding.However,chartsliketheonebelowhaveverylimitedvalueintheabsenceofanyanalysisofthedata.Simplyput,howcanprivatesectorstakeholdersuseinformationlike“67.5%oftargetsachievedunderPhaseIandII”.Howisaregioncharacterisedthatis“67.9%competitive”andto65.9%a“singleMarketandProductionBase”?

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

3 PhilippineDailyInquirer,14September2012

Source: AEC Scorecard 2012, p. 16

The current approach to monitoring and the dissemination of data on regional economic integration is mainly driven by political motives and incentives, i.e. the need for national governments and ASEAN collectively to demonstrate substantial process towards the implementation of the AEC.

1. Chart 1: Implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

Source:AECScorecard2012,p.24

The Scorecard’s traffic light system (chart 2) is grossly misleading as it suggests that benchmarks have already been achieved or that AMS are at least on track of achieving them on time for the full implementation of the AEC by 31 December 2015.

At the same time, the scorecard glosses over significant differences regarding the stateofimplementationinindividualAMS.Competitionpolicyisacaseinpoint.InthissectorallAMSare“ongreen”suggestingthat“allmeasurestargetedinthisareawereimplemented”.Thisself-assessment,however,couldnotbefurtherawayfromreality.TheAMSsareatdifferentstagesinthedevelopmentofcompetitionpolicyandlaw(CPL)and,hence,ASEANisstillfarawayfroma“highlycompetitiveeconomicregion”basedonaharmonisedregionalcompetitionregime,inotherwordsalevelplayingfieldforallcompaniesintheregion.WhileMalaysia(since1January2012),Indonesia,Singapore,ThailandandVietnamalreadyhavecompetitionpolicesandlaws(CPL)inplace,CambodiaandPhilippinesarecurrentlyintheprocessofdraftingtheirrespectiveCPL,whiletheLaoPDRplanstointroducenationalCPLsoon.BruneiDarussalamandMyanmarareinvariousstagesofconsiderationanddevelopmentasregardstheintroductionofnation-wideCPLbut have not finalised any provisions yet. Furthermore, the scorecard does not measure actual enforcement of completion Acts and similar legal instruments.

Chart 2: Implementation of the AEC by Country under Phase I (2008-2009) and Phase II (2010-2011)

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

AcertainleveloffrustrationwithASEAN’sprogresstowardseconomiccommunitybuildingisreflectedbythe2011-12ASEANBusinessAdvisoryCouncil(ASEAN-BAC)SurveyonASEANCompetitiveness,whichcollatedresponsesfrombusinessesacross all ten ASEAN countries, comprising a mix of small, medium and large firms.Theysurveyisbasedon405“usableresponses”.Amajorityofthesurveyedbusinesseshadbeeninoperationformorethantenyears,hadtrade/investmentlinkageswithinASEANandhadatleastgeneralknowledgeofASEANpolicyinitiatives.

Thesurveyfoundthatthereisacleargapbetweentherelativelyhighimportanceattached by businesses to AEC Blueprint implementation and their average levelofsatisfactionwithASEAN’simplementation.TheareasofAECBlueprintimplementation that businesses had identified as being among the least satisfactory relatedtoincreasingforeignequityparticipationinservicessectors,consultationwithbusinesses,developmentandimplementationofmutualrecognitionofprofessionalqualifications,developmentorenhancementofnationalcompetitionpoliciesanddisseminationofinformation.Theareaswherethegapbetweenimportanceandsatisfactionwaswidestwereinvestmentprotection,simplificationofcustomsproceduresandenhancingthetransparencyofnon-tariffbarriers.4

Chart 3: The importance of AEC Blueprint by policy areas for organizations and their satisfaction levels with its implementation

Source:ASEAN-BACsurvey2012,p.13

4Wong,M-H.andWirjo,A.,2012.Findingsfrom2011-12ASEAN-BACSurveyonASEAN

Competitiveness,Jakarta:ASEANBusinessAdvisoryCouncil, http://www.spp.nus.edu.sg/docs/2011-12_ASEAN_BAC_Survey_Report.pdf

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Itseemsimportanttoenhance knowledge with regardtothesekeysectorsas“dissatisfaction”mightalsobedrivenbyalackofsoundinformationandanalysis.

2. DESIGN AND CONTENT OF THE STUDY

Thereportwilladdressfourquestionswithregardtosevenkeyareasofeconomiccommunity building that are of particular relevance to the private sector.

Chart 4: Research Design

The report will use the ASEAN-BAC survey as a starting point and addresses primarily those areas where the survey identified as having the largest gap between importance and satisfaction with implementation.

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Source:Author’sownchartbasedondatafromASEANSecretariat2012,ASEANCommunityinFigures2011,

Jakarta,p.15.

3.1 FREE TRADE UTILISATION

Agreedonin1992,theprimarygoaloftheASEANFreeTradeArea(AFTA)wastoincreaseASEAN’scompetitiveedgeastheproductionbasefortheworldmarketbydecreasingintra-regionaltariffratesto0–5%throughtheCommonEffectivePreferentialTariff(CEPT)schemewithina15-yearperiod.Thecompletiondatewas,however,progressivelyadvanced.AFTAsucceededinloweringtheaveragetariffratesfrom11.44%in1993to2.39%in2003fortheASEAN-6(Table2).In2000,theoriginalgoalof0–5%waschangedtozerotariffonallproductsby2010fortheASEAN-6and2015forCambodia,Laos,MyanmarandVietnam(CLMV).AsofJanuary2010,theASEAN-6haveeliminatedtheimportdutieson99.65%oftheirtradedtarifflinesunderCEPT,bringingtheiraveragetariffrateto0.05%.Ontheotherhand,98.86%ofthetarifflinesofCambodia,Laos,MyanmarandVietnam(CLMV)havebeenreducedto0–5%.Inpursuingthegoalofestablishingasinglemarketandproductionbase,theASEANTradeinGoodsAgreement(ATIGA)wassignedin2009.ATIGAconsolidatesandstreamlinesallprovisionsinCEPT-AFTAandotherprotocolsrelatedtotradegoodsintoonesinglelegalinstrument.Itwasenteredintoforcein2010andsupersedesCEPT-AFTA5.

Giventhe–onpaper–impressiveachievementsinimplementingAFTA/ATIGA,whyhasintra-ASEANtrade(asapercentageoftheoveralltradeoftheAMS)notincreasedmarkedlysince2003andonlybyamere4.4%since1998?

Chart 5: Intra-ASEAN Trade 1998-2010

5MyrnaS.Austria,2012.“MovingTowardsanASEANEconomicCommunity”,EastAsia,Vol.29,pp.141–156.

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

• The Value added rule is simple in principle but difficult to comply with: AMS,especiallyCLMV(Cambodia,Laos,Myanmar,Vietnam),areoftenunabletocumulatethenecessarylocal/regionalcontent,partlyduetothehighdegreeofproductionfragmentation,withhalfofitstradeinelectronicsandmachinerywhereproductionnetworksarewidespread.Theimportcontent(fromnon-ASEANsources)ofexportsishigh,makingitdifficulttocomplywiththe40%VArule.

• High administrative cost of compliance to prove origin: Thecostofprovingoriginishigh—computationofcosts,invoicing,andotherdocumentationdemandsinherentinVArulesarecomplex,especiallyforSMEsfrom less developed economies6.

3.2 COMPETITION POLICY AND LAW

Competitionpolicyandlaw(CPL)andcompetitionregulatorybodieshavea

positive and influential role to play in facilitating economic development, promoting

consumerwelfare,andimprovingmicro-levelefficiencyandproductivity.

Competition policy has been included as one of the elements of the AEC Blueprint

underitskeycharacteristicsofpromotingahighlycompetitiveeconomicregion.In

particular, the AEC is envisaged, and is to be integrated, as a highly competitive and

dynamicregionintotheworldeconomy.

TherelevantsectoralbodytoworkoncompetitionpolicyinASEAN,theASEAN

ExpertsGrouponCompetition(AEGC),wasendorsedatthe39thASEANEconomic

Ministers(AEM)MeetinginAugust2007.TheASEANSecretariat–throughits

Competition,ConsumerProtectionandIPRDivision(CCPID)–providesthe

necessarysecretariatandtechnicalsupporttotheAEGCandcoordinatesAMS

contributionsandrequestsinthisprocess.

WhiletheAEGChasfocused,amongothers,ondevelopingtheASEANRegional

Guide-linesonCompetitionPolicy;compilingaHandbookonCompetitionPolicy

andLawinASEANforBusiness,andotheractivities,ASEANisfarfrombeingable

tocreatealevelplayingfieldforcompanieswithregardstoaharmonisedregional

competition regime.

6SeeChia,S.Y.2010.TradeandInvestmentPoliciesandRegionalEconomicIntegrationin

EastAsia.ADBIWorkingPaper210.Tokyo:AsianDevelopmentBankInstitute.

The research is guided by the following preposition:AMS have made progress towards strengthening CPL but the differences in individual countries are significant. Furthermore the adoption of national Competition acts does not necessarily imply swift implementation and enforcement of the legal framework. Often enforcement is hindered by a lack of political will among national governments.

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

3.3 CUSTOMS REGIMES

Based on the AEC Blueprint the gradual implementation of the ASEAN Single Window(ASW)andASEANCustomsDeclarationDocument(ACDD)andCertificatesofOrigin(particularlytheCEPTFormandpreferentialCertificatesofOrigin)arethestepsonthewayofafullycomputerisedASEANCustomsTransitSystem(ACTS),whichissupposedsignificantlyreducetransittimesinintra-ASEANtrade.TheACDDhastheoverallobjectivetoreduceaverageclearancetimespercontainer to less than 30 minutes, and to lessen the burden on goods crossing national borders.

Theresearchisguidedbythefollowingpreposition:ASEAN’s power to fulfil this task is limited in view of some AMS reluctance to implement and enforce new customs regimes. The widely publicised and donor-endorsed ASEAN Single Window initiative is a case in point. The system can only be established once all ten AMS have implemented the necessary reform at the respective national levels so that all ten national single windows are operating in an integrated manner. However, the 2005 Agreement and 2006 Protocol on the ASEAN Single Window are non-binding and it is doubtable that all AMS stick to the agreed implementation deadlines.

Thereisnoclearpictureastowhathasactuallybeenachieved.DataprovidedbytheGlobalEnablingTradeReportwhichhasbeenpublishedbytheWorldEconomicForumsince2008(itmeasures,interalia,theefficiencyofcustomsadministration,theefficiencyofimport-exportproceduresandthetransparencyofborderadministrationandtheWorldBankLogisticsPerformanceIndex(LPI)(measuringtheeffectivenessofcustomsprocedures)areinconclusive.Theprojectwillsupplementtheexistingsurveyswithadditionaldatacompliedmainlybydonororganisations to present coherent findings on the effectiveness of customs reforms

and particularly clearance times.

3.4 INVESTMENT REGIMES

ThepromotionofinvestmentinASEANwasguidedinitiallybytheFrameworkAgreementonASEANInvestmentArea(AIA)signedinOctober1998.TheAIAaimedtoestablishacompetitiveinvestmentareawithamoreliberalandtransparentinvestmentenvironmentamongthemembereconomies.Theschemeincludes gradual elimination of impediments to investment, liberalization of investment rules and policies, granting of national treatment and most favoured nation (MFN) treatment to investors and investment of member economies, and opening up of industries to ASEAN investors by 2010 and to all investors by 2020.

The research is guided by the following preposition: While some progress has been achieved, overall the liberalisation of investment regimes has not kept pace with the liberalisation efforts on goods. The ASEAN economies are cautious to make binding commitments and there is a lack of a monitoring and compliance mechanism that requires members to be committed to the implementation of targets.

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

3.5. TRADE IN SERVICES

Liberalization in the services sector is believed to benefit a country through creating efficiencyandeconomicgrowth.Theremovalofbarrierstoentry,suchasthelicensingofforeignserviceproviders,mayincreasecompetitionbetweendomesticand foreign suppliers, thereby leading to economic benefits such as higher rates of economicgrowth.

LiberalizationisundertakenthroughtheASEANFrameworkAgreementonServices(AFAS).TheobjectiveistoeliminatesubstantiallyrestrictionstotradeinservicesamongMemberStates.TheAMShavecommittedthemselvestoliberalizingtrade in services by expanding the depth and scope of liberalization beyond thoseundertakenundertheGATS(WTO)withtheaimofrealizingafreetradeareainservices.AFASwassignedattheFifthASEANSummitheldinBangkokinDecember1995.Thefirstscheduleofcommitmentswasagreedonin1997andtheseventhin2009.ThescheduleofcommitmentsisbasedontheGATSwithitsfourmodesofsupply,namely,cross-bordersupply(Mode1),consumptionabroad(Mode2),commercialpresence(Mode3)andmovementofnaturalpersons(Mode4).Undereachmode,therearecommitmentsdealingwithmarketaccessandnationaltreatment

Ofthefourmodes,themostrestrictiveone-Mode3–isappliedtofinancialservices.Eachandeverycountryrequiresthatanyfinancialinstitutionoperatinginits territory has a license or permission from a central financial institution, such as theCentralBank,theMinistryofFinance,oraBoardofInvestment.

Quantitativemeasuresthatpermitestimationofthegrowtheffectsofservicesliberalizationaredifficulttoobtainbecause,unlikethepricewedgeeffectsthatcanbeobtainedforseveralmeasuresthatimpedemarketaccessforgoods,thereisnoequivalentmeasureavailablefortradeinservices7.

The report will present data to show that the liberalization of trade in services lags behind schedule. There has been only limited progress by each country on the schedule of commitments in AFAS and especially in financial services. The progress of service trade liberalization, particularly in the financial sector, of the

ASEAN member countries has to be seen pessimistically.

7 Hapsari,IndiraM.;Maclaren,Donald.“ThegrowtheffectsofservicestradeliberalizationinASEAN”.

ASEANEconomicBulletin,August,2012,Vol.29(2).

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3.6 SME SUPPORT

TheAECBlueprintincludesachapteronSMEDevelopment.In2009theAECCouncildecidedtodevelopanASEANActionPlanforSMEDevelopment2010-2015.ThePlandefinesthemission,objectives,guidingprinciples,currentstatus,andfuturepoliciesandprogramsforASEANSMEDevelopment.TheASEANSMEAgenciesWorkingGroup(SMEWG)steersrespectiveactivitiesandhasadopteda“WorkProgrammefor2011-2012”.TheASEANSecretariatsupportsSMEWGinacoordinatingroleandalsoliaiseswithdialoguepartnersanddonorsprovidingadditionalassistance.However,crucialquestionsremainunanswered.Forexample,

• HowareSMEsdefinedandhowisthespecificdefinitionrelatedtothesupportprovided?

• HowcanSMEsobtaininformationonpolicies/regulationsandbusinessopportunitiesrelatedtospecificSME-support?

• Which SME programmes or SME promotion activities are most successful in AMSandcouldbeusedexamplesfor“goodpractise”?

• What are the most innovative SME programmes or SME promotion activities in individualAMS?

3.7 STANDARDS AND NON-TARIFF BARRIERS

TheAMShavenothadgenerallyapplicableobligationsinrespectofSanitaryandPhyto-Sanitary(SPS)andTechnicalBarrierstoTrade(TBT)amongstthemapartfromtheWTOAgreementsandhavereliedinsteadonthenegotiationandimplementationofsectoralmutualrecognitionagreements.ThischangedwiththeimplementationofthenewASEANTradeinGoodsAgreement(ATIGA)whichenteredintoforcein2010andcontainsnewobligationsinboththeTBTandSPSareas.

ThecosmeticssectoristheonlysectorinASEANtohaveintroducedacommonregulatoryframeworkintheformofaDirective(closelymodelledonthatoftheEU)requiringformal“transposition”intothelawofparticipatingstates.IntheelectricalandelectronicssectortheASEANHarmonisedElectricalandElectronicsEquipmentRegulatoryRegime(EEERR)wassignedinDecember2005andhasresultedin139harmonised standards for electrical appliances, electrical safety and electromagnetic components.Harmonisationoftechnicalregulationsisalsounderwayforrubber-based, automotive, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, traditional medicine and

health supplement sectors.

The research is guided by the following preposition:Activities under the AEC Blueprint are not yet clearly aligned with the interests and priorities of SMS. The ASEAN Action Plan for SME Development has not been given the necessary attention by the ASEAN Secretariat and related regional bodies.

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

The research is guided by the following preposition:The Cosmetic directive is considered as one of the most effective ASEAN standards and process has been made in other sectors too. However, there is clear lack of information on how regional standards effect businesses across the region and to what extent agreed standards have actually been implemented nationally.

4. METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH

Theprojectwillbeconductedasadeskstudy.Theobjectiveistocompileandevaluate several hundreds of documents (reports, studies, statistics, project evaluations,pressreleases,academicpapersetc.)ofdifferentstakeholders,including

• ASEAN Secretariat and related regional bodies• ASEAN member states• Bilateralandmultilateraldonororganisations(mainlyEU,AusAID,USAID,JICA,

AsianDevelopmentBank,WorldBank)• Internationalorganisations(UN,IMF)• Foreign Embassies in ASEAN member states• Chambers of commerce and industry• UniversitiesandThinkTanks.

Whileallofthematerialisinthepublicdomain,thevastpartofitishiddenawayonspecialisedwebsites,suchastheoneoftheEuropeanUnion’sevaluationunit,andhas so far been neglected by researchers.

Theprojectteamwillsystematicallyextractandsynthesiseallrelevantdataandanalysisontheafore-mentionedaspectsofregionaleconomiccommunitybuildingresulting in a comprehensive, coherent, concise and reliable report on the status of economic integration in ASEAN.

Additionalinformation,whichisnotcoveredinexistingreports,willbegatheredthroughemailandphone.Tothisend,thePIwillmakeuseofhisextensivenetwork

ofkeystakeholdersinASEAN.

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

5. THE RESEARCH TEAM

Theprojectwillbeconductedasadeskstudy.Theobjectiveistocompileandevaluate several hundreds of documents (reports, studies, statistics, project evaluations,pressreleases,academicpapersetc.)ofdifferentstakeholders,including

Prof Dr Joern DoschwillactasPrincipalInvestigator(PI)oftheproject.ProfDoschisProfessorofInternationalRelationsandDeputyHead(Research)oftheSchoolofArtsandSocialSciencesatMonashUniversity,SunwayCampus,Malaysia.Hehad previously held the chair of Asia Pacific Studies at the University of Leeds wherehewasalsoHeadoftheDepartmentofEastAsianStudies,oneofthelargestuniversitydepartmentsofitskindinEurope.Hebeganhisacademiccareerintheearly1990sasaLecturerinPoliticalScienceandInternationalRelationsattheUniversityofMainz,Germany,beforemovingtoStanfordUniversityasaFulbrightScholarlaterinthesamedecade.HehasalsoheldvisitingfellowshipsatseveralUniversities and research institutes, including the East West Center in Honolulu, UNPARinBandung,PrinceofSongklaUniversityinThailand,theInsituteofSoutheastAsianStudies(ISEAS)inSingapore,DeLaSalleUniversityinManilaandtheCentreforStrategicandInternationalStudies(CSIS)inJakarta.ProfDoschhasbeenworkingonASEANformorethan20yearandhaspublishedseveraldozenbooksandarticlesonASEAN-relatedissues.HehasalsoworkedasanevaluatorandconsultantfortheEuropeanUnion,theGermanFederalMinistriesofEconomicCooperationandDevelopmentandForeignAffairsrespectively,UNDP,andseveralotherorganisationsonASEAN-matters,mainlyrelatedtotrade,investmentandgovernance, and has been team leader or deputy team leader of ten missions to the ASEANSecretariatandASEANMemberstatessince2008.

Ms Nadiah AhmadwillactasResearchAssistant(RA)oftheProject.Shereceivedher Bachelor of Arts (major in Political Studies) form the University of Otago, NewZealandin2009and,in2010,completedherBachelorofArts(Honours)inInternationalStudiesatMonashUniversity,Sunwaycampus,withexcellentresults.MsNadiahhasampleworkexperienceinthepublic,mediaandprivatesectors.Interalia,sheworkedastutorinContemporaryTelevisionStudiesatMonashUniversityandhasbeenaMediaRelationsExecutiveattheMediaRelationsDepartment,GroupCorporateAffairsDivision,atPETRONASsince2011.Shehasextensiveresearch

skillsandexperiences.

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