Eager beaver: Dr Rebecca says she is excited to return and contribute as Malaysia takes over the Asean chairmanship in January. — Apec
RETIREMENT is neither in her vocabulary nor will she slow down after six years helming the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) secretariat in Singapore. Tan Sri Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria, who has been away in her job as Apec secretariat executive director, will be back in Malaysia soon.
She was chirpy as usual over the phone despite having back to back meetings Thursday morning and just returned from the Apec Economic Leaders Week in Peru. Dr Rebecca, as she prefers to be known, will always make time for people no matter how hectic her schedule is. She doesn’t like to waste time and she doesn’t hold back, always speaking her mind when necessary.
She will come home in the third week of December to celebrate Christmas first. Her diary is almost full with events and invitations to give talks, not just in Malaysia, after her short holiday.
Dr Rebecca is excited to return as Malaysia takes over the Asean chairmanship in January. The last time Malaysia chaired Asean was in 2015 when she was International Trade and Industry Ministry’s secretary-general.
“Yes of course I am coming home to do what I can. With Malaysia hosting Asean, there is so much we can do. Asean is an opportunity, if we don’t take it it will be a missed opportunity to make Malaysians understand what Asean is all about,” she says.
She is already getting invitations to give talks on Asean. Dr Rebecca enjoys working with young people and is interested in youth development in the country. She recalls that during the last chairmanship in 2015, Miti team then went to schools and universities and engaged youth on Asean matters.
Even during her stint at Apec secretariat, Dr Rebecca often reminded senior officials and ministers of the 21 member economies of the need to engage with youth in striving to make the forum relevant for all.
After more than three decades in public service and with her wide experience as a trade negotiator, the offer to lead Apec secretariat, the coordinating and technical advisory body for advancing the joint initiatives of the 21 Apec member economies, was a challenge she was ready to take on. Apec member economies are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea; Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.
“In the government, I was looking purely at Malaysia’s interest, whether in Asean, World Trade Organisation or Apec. At Apec, I have to balance perspectives, views, perceptions. I have to be an honest broker, the neutral voice. I cannot be Malaysian in that sense. I used to tease senior officials that in Malaysia, I only have to deal with one minister but in Apec, I have to deal with 21 ministers who are in nine different time zones.
“Then there is the organisation, the secretariat part where I have officers from the 21 economies, balancing the different understanding, cultural nuances within the organisation, which itself is a challenge.”
Her organisation skills came in handy. Before 2010, the position of executive director of the Apec secretariat was rotated yearly among officials assigned by the incumbent host economy. When she came onboard in 2019, time was on her side to bring changes to the secretariat.
“I have officers who have young families and at the same time have to look after their parents, so I introduced flexible work arrangements to give autonomy to unit heads to manage their staff. Apec secretariat is an old building, so I refreshed it, including introducing a resource centre which is multifunctional in place of a digitalised library.”
Just as she was getting ready for her first Apec leaders meeting in Chile as the Apec secretariat boss, mass protests in the country resulted in Chile pulling out as host in 2019. Malaysia hosted Apec in 2020 and as luck would have it, Covid-19 happened.
“When I first came in 2019, there was no leaders meeting because of Chile protests, but I had to do something to make sure a meeting still took place at senior officials level to wrap up for the year. In 2020, Malaysia had doubts whether it should host Apec.
“We worked with Malaysia and proposed if we can have virtual meetings. It was all new to us to have remote meetings, there were adjustments to be made.”
Having worked with the different economies, Dr Rebecca observes how countries like Vietnam are taking international exposure for its young officers seriously.
“They see it as very important for the growth of their officials. Vietnam will host Apec 2027 for the third time because they really value the exposure when they host international meetings because it helps to change the mindset of the people.”
Dr Rebecca only has praises for Peru, the recent host of Apec leaders meeting which was also attended by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“It is not a big economy but the President (Dina Boluarte) was able to chair a meeting and get (Joe) Biden, Xi (Jinping) and other leaders in the room. This is good optics and makes a difference to her reputation.
“That is the value that you get from this kind of organisation. You are discussing, hearing views round the table, different perspectives and how to use that information back to your country and use it.”
Despite her hectic lifestyle, Dr Rebecca still follows developments in Malaysia especially trade and economy. She thinks we are on the right track but need to do more in terms of skills and human capital to adjust to the needs of the industries.
“When investment comes in, the government must make sure human capital is ready. That is why Penang is able to get some of these high tech industries investments because they work closely with Universiti Sains Malaysia.
“There is always a lag when investment is approved and when it is on the ground. So during that lag period, you work with the university to make sure the skills required by the industry are ready when the investment is on the ground.”
Open minded, adjustment to the changing environment and managing the situation as it unfurls are what Dr Rebecca believes in when carrying out her tasks.
“You must be agile enough to adapt to the situation and think on your feet sometimes. Really work with the other parties because you cannot do this alone.
“In my case even in Miti, always question the status quo, I keep telling my officers at Apec, it doesn’t mean if you have been doing something for many years then you must continue doing it you can always improve and make changes. That is always at the top of my mind and how we can make things better, make things better and effective.”
When she returns, Dr Rebecca will not be shaking her legs either. For a start, she will rejoin the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs’ board of directors.
“I will be back and be more visible in that sense. At the end of the day, if you can make a difference, you can contribute, why not?” she muses.
