AEI Bulletin: Jan - June 2019

In Memory of Ambassador (R) Dato’ M. Redzuan Kushairi, Senior Advisor of AEI

We at the AEI would like to take a moment to remember and pay our respects to arwah Ambassador (R) Dato’ M. Redzuan Kushairi. As a senior advisor at the Asia-Europe Institute his contributions and support has been instrumental to all of us here at the AEI. Again we wish to convey our sincere condolences to his family at this loss. May Allah SWT bless him and return his goodness to him in fold.

“We belong to God and to Him we shall return.”

JANUARY 2019

Visit from Bryant University Delegation

On January 9, 2019, the Asia-Europe Institute in collaboration with the Marketing & Recruitment Centre (MRC) of University Malaya hosted a delegation from Bryant University, United States of America. The students and accompanying lecturer were part of an educational visit of Malaysia and Singapore. The purpose of the educational visit was part of the university’s effort to expose the students local cultural, economic, educational and entrepreneurial success stories specifically in Malaysia and Singapore. The students were greeted by representatives of the MRC and the Deputy Executive Director of AEI, Associate Professor Dr. Jatswan Singh followed by a short lecture on Malaysia by senior lecturer, Dr. Nurliana Kamaruddin. The visit closed with a Q&A and discussion session between the students and members of the AEI academic faculty.

Visit from Japanese Companies Delegation

As a part of their training module on foreign policy and international relations, a delegation of 12 middle management executives (general managers/managers) of companies supporting the Kansai economic circle visited Malaysia. On January 23, the delegation visited AEI for deliberations on the Indo-Pacific.

During the session, Prof. Azirah Hashim, the Executive Director, AEI gave the opening address. That was followed by Dr. Rahul Mishra’s talk on “Indo-Pacific and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue”, and a presentation by Mr. Peter Brian M. Wang, a MITI official and AEI student, on “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy”. This was followed by Deputy Director (Academic), Associate Prof. Dr. Jatswan Singh’s remarks on the Malaysian perspective on the overall security situation in the region.

AEI Talk - How to Fund Your Research in Germany

On January 24, 2019, the Asia-Europe Institute hosted a talk by Dr. Brian Trenaman the Country Director of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) on ‘How to Fund Your Research in Germany’. He outlined Germany’s education landscape and the portfolio of the various research institutes there. The session was followed by a discussion on opportunities to further postgraduate studies in Germany, funding opportunities provided by DAAD and how to reach out to potential German partners.

Jean Monnet Ambassador Lecture Series – The EU and ASEAN: Faced with the Choice of Democracy or Populism

As part of its long running Ambassador Lecturer Series (ALES), the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, Asia-Europe Institute was proud to host H.E. Frédéric Laplanche, the Ambassador of France to Malaysia. The event was held on January 30, 2019, at 3.30pm.

The Ambassador presented an invigorating talk on the topic “The EU and ASEAN: Faced with the Choice of Democracy or Populism” where he discussed the ongoing political changes happening not only in Europe but in other parts of the world. Ambassador (R) Dato’ M. Redzuan Kushairi moderated the event and Associate Professor Dr Sameer Kumar from the AEI was the discussant for the session.

Attending guests included the Ambassador of Egypt, Ambassador of Switzerland, the Ambassador of Bosnia & Herzegovina and the High Commissioner of Australia.

Click here for full report and photos

FEBRUARY 2019

EURAXESS – Researchers in Motion: Researcher Mobility Programmes in Europe

On February 11, 2019, the Asia-Europe Institute hosted a talk by EURAXESS ASEAN titled ‘Researchers in Motion: Researcher Mobility Programmes in Europe’.EURAXESS ASEAN is a network of researchers of all nationalities, all disciplines and all career levels in ASEAN. It is part of the international EURAXESS network that connects tens of thousands of researchers in 40 European countries as well as China, India, Japan, Korea, Latin America and Caribbean States, and North America.

EURAXESS is dedicated to helping researchers advance their research career. Through their dedicated teams and online portal, they provide free information on career opportunities, fellowships and funding programmes for researchers who wish to conduct research in Europe or to collaborate with European partners.

Dr Susanne Rentzow-Vasu, Regional Representatives of EURAXESS ASEAN, provided information on the following:

• EURAXESS – Researchers in Motion: What is it and how can researchers in Malaysia benefit from its services
• The Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Programme: Learn about Europe’s most prestigious mobility fellowship for international researchers

Roundtable with Dr. Luciano Giorgi

The AEI hosted a roundtable with Dr. Luciano Giorgi, the Chairman of Tecnimont in Malaysia on February 19, 2019. Tecnimont S.p.A. is an international company based in Italy but working around the world. It provides engineering procurement and construction (EPC) services to oil and gas, petrochemical, and chemical industries. The roundtable “Reading For Doing Business In ASEAN Countries: Bridging The Employability Gap” is aimed at enriching the students’ practical knowledge for the job market as well as provide a constructive venue for students to interact with industry leaders.

Meeting with the House of Representatives, YB Mohamad Arif Md Yusof

Dr. Corrado Letta (left), Principal Research Fellow (Visiting) of the Asia-Europe Institute, met with the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Malaysian Parliament, Dato' Mohamad Ariff bin Md Yusof (right) in order to discuss possible professional collaboration.

MARCH 2019

Visit from Wahid Hasyim University delegation

A delegation from the Wahid Hasyim University, Kota Semarang, Indonesia visited the AEI on Thursday, March 7, 2019. The delegation made up of undergraduate students and an accompanying lecturer arrived at 10 am and was greeted by the Deputy Executive Director of AEI, Associate Professor Dr. Jatswan Singh and Senior Assistant Registrar, Mdm. Noraien Abu Samah. The visit began with an information session concerning the AEI followed by a short lecture on Malaysia by Senior Lecturer, Dr. Nurliana Kamaruddin. This was followed by a Q&A session and the visit ended with some group photographs.

Citation Workshop

On March 8, 2019, the Asia-Europe Institute ran a workshop for all its students and academic staff on how to increase the visibility and citation counts of academic publications. The workshop was conducted by Mdm Haslinda Lahuddin.

AEI Lecture Series - Terrorism in Southeast Asia: Trends and Challenges

On March 22, 2019 the AEI hosted a public lecture series titled Terrorism in Southeast Asia: Trends and Challenges in collaboration with the Centre for ASEAN Regionalism University of Malaya. The lecture featured an esteemed group of panelists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

	Associate Prof. Dr Bilveer Singh Department of Political Science, National University of Singapore & Adjunct Senior Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
	Jasminder Singh Former Senior Analyst, International Centre for Political Violence & Terrorism Research (ICPVTR), S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
	Muhammad Haziq Bin Jani Former Research Analyst, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

The speakers talked about the types of radicalization, religious ideology, the increase of radicalization in Southeast Asia as well as the role of social media in terrorism. The session was followed by a Q&A and interactive discussion with the panelist.

BRECIL’s UM Study Tour

Our EU Erasmus+ Brecil Project the Study Tour in University of Malaya was held on 27th & 28th March 2019. The coordinator and representatives from the University of Malaya, University Utara Malaysia, University of Gothenburg, University of Groningen, University of Applied Languages/SDI, Munich, Souphanouvong University and the National University of Laos had a successful study tour and mainly discussed the Dev2 (Research Governance). BRECIL stands for Building Social Research Capacities in Higher Education Institutions in Lao PDR and Malaysia.

APRIL 2019

Exhibition & Forum – Swiss Direct Democracy: Exhibition & Forum

The Embassy of Switzerland and the Asia-Europe Institute at the University of Malaya launched the Modern Direct Democracy Exhibition and Forum on April 8, 2019. In conjunction with the launching of the exhibition, there was a talk by Mr. Adrian Schmid (CEO of the Swiss Heritage Society and President of the Swiss Democracy Foundation), an introduction and opening presentation by the moderator, Y.B. Charles Santiago (Member of Parliament, Malaysia) and a moderated panel discussion with Prof. Rajah Rasiah, Distinguished Professor from University of Malaya, Mr Thomas Fann, Chairperson of Bersih, and Dr Khoo Ying Hooi, Senior Lecturer with the Department of International & Strategic Studies, University of Malaya.

Jean Monnet Ambassador Lecture Series – Direct Democracy: The Swiss Experience

On April 17, 2019, the Asia-Europe Institute hosted the Ambassador Lecture Series featuring H.E. Michael Winzap, Ambassador of Switzerland to Malaysia. The title of the lecture was 'Direct Democracy: The Swiss Experience', moderated by Mr. Wan Saiful Wan Jan, founder and former CEO of IDEAS & Chairman of PTPTN.

The Ambassador provided a historical overview and explained what is entailed in Switzerland’s direct democracy, noting the much more frequent referendums held compared to other European countries. The session was followed by an engaging Q&A and discussion between the Ambassador and lecture attendees. Reflecting on the discussion, he highlighted that whilst the current form of direct democracy may work for them, it is not easily exported to Malaysia or any other countries.

Click here for full report and photos

Comparative Regionalism Workshop 2019

On April 24 and 25, 2019, the Asia-Europe Institute organized a two day workshop on Comparative Regionalism in collaboration with the Centre for ASEAN Regionalism University of Malaya. The session was conducted by Dr. Paul Gillespie, Senior Research Fellow at University College Dublin and co-facilitated by Dr. Rahul Mishra from AEI.

The workshop’s objective was to expose participants to the field of research on comparative regionalism as well as introduce participants to the use of comparative regionalism and the theory for comparative research. For this two day workshop, the organizers hoped to create an environment where all the students, researchers and participants are able to collaborate for a mock research design. Each modules or sessions were design to guide the participants through the process and at the same time, using comparative research to inspire newer ideas for future research projects. At the end of the workshop there were group presentations of the proposed or mock research project.

MAY 2019

Public Lecture – Global Jihad: A Brief History, 1979-2019

On May 3, 2019, in collaboration with the Centre for ASEAN Regionalism University of Malaya and the International Relations Department, the Asia-Europe Institute held a Public Lecture titled ‘Global Jihad: A Brief History, 1979-2019’. The talk was given by Dr. Glenn E. Robinson from the Department of Defense Analysis, Naval Postgraduate School, California USA.

Workshop – Europe Day High School Outreach

On May 8, 2018, the Asia-Europe Institute as part its Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence activities organized the first High School Outreach programme of the year in conjunction with Europe Day. The event was held on May 8th, 2019 at Sekolah Berasrama Penuh Integrasi Gombak (SBPI Gombak) from 3.30 to 5.30 pm. A total of 105 students participated in the day’s event. Dr Rahul Mishra, programme coordinator for the International Masters in European Regionalism at the AEI and Mrs See Yuen Beh, CEO of CirQuLer Global Centre and member of the Erasmus+ Student and Alumni Alliance spoke to 150 Form 5 students about the EU and studying in Europe in order to broaden their knowledge on possible future study paths.

JUNE 2019

Special Talk: Cultivating diversity and intercultural citizenship within the Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange (EVE) programme

The AEI was happy to host Dr. Liam Murray and Dr. Marta Giralt from the University of Limerick, Ireland on 14th June 2019. Dr Murray and Dr Giralt presented the findings from their research on assisting students to cultivate diversity and intercultural citizenship via the Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange (EVE) programme. The session was moderated by Dr Nurliana Kamaruddin.

AEI Alumni Day

The Asia Europe Institute hosted its first Alumni Day on 18 June 2019 (Tuesday). The Alumni Day was hosted over lunch from 12.00pm - 2.00pm and was open to all former AEI students and staff members. The session began with a short welcoming speech by Professor Dr. Azirah Hashim, Executive Director of AEI. This was followed by a Q&A session between the alumni and the current academic staff members. AEI hopes to make this event an annual tradition in order to continue forging closer ties between current students and their seniors.

Jean Monnet Special Public Lecture - Hungary and the Central European Countries: Perspectives and Challenges

On 20th June 2019 (Thursday), the Asia-Europe Institute as part its Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence activities, in cooperation with the Embassy of Hungary in Malaysia, was honoured to host Dr. Balázs Orbán, the Deputy Minister of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office. Dr Orbán presented a lecture entitled Hungary and the Central European Countries: Perspectives and Challenges.

He discussed Hungary’s recent foreign policy development and its development cooperation engagement. The event was attended by His Excellency Ambassador Attila Káli along with other members of the Hungarian mission. Delegates from other embassies in Malaysia were also present.

Academic Writing for Journal Publication in Social Sciences & Humanities Workshop

On 25th of June 2019 the AEI hosted an Academic Writing workshop Journal Publication in Social Sciences & Humanities. The Workshop targeted postgraduate students, researchers and academic staff who conduct research and need to develop successful scientific writing skills. It is held as a response to meet individual and institution’s needs to enhance research and acquire specific knowledge and skills to write and publish manuscripts in high-impact journals. Speakers included Distinguished Prof. Dr. Rajah Rasiah, Distinguished Prof. Datuk Dr. Looi Lai Meng, Prof. Dr. Sarinah Low, Prof. Dr. Sarinah Low, Prof. Dr. Maya Khemlani David, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fumitaka Furuoka, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sameer Kumar, Dr. Khoo Ying Hooi, and Dr. Corrado Letta.

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