by Maclean Patrick
The government has done an about-turn on its stand on
Malaysians choosing to immigrate overseas, sparking the brain-drain phenomenon.
The Malaysian diaspora is not unpatriotic, instead they are an asset, stated a
noticeably conciliatory Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
"It must be reiterated here that people who migrate are
not unpatriotic and the government does not view them as such. The Malaysian
diaspora is an asset to our country, an asset that we do not want to alienate
but an asset that we would like to cooperate with and hopefully entice to
return in the near future," the DPM said just a day ago.
Coming from Muhyiddin, who is famous for his Malay first and
Malaysian next comment, this is significant indeed. So why the sudden change of
heart.
Specific
reasons, not a vague 'global' issue
According to the World Bank, the number of Malaysian migrants
rose by more than 100-fold in a 45-year period, from 9,576 Malaysians in 1960
to 1,489,168 Malaysians in 2005. As of 2010, the Malaysian brain drain is
estimated at 1 million and grows at an average rate of 4.2% per year since
2000. The top three drivers for brain drain identified by the report were
career prospects, compensation and social justice.
“(Lack of) Meritocracy and unequal access to
scholarships are significant push factors and a deterrent to coming back,” said
World Bank senior economist Philip Schellekens. “Non-Bumiputeras are
over-represented in the brain drain.”
Compare the statement by Schellekens and that of Muhyidden
Yassin, who said brain drain was a global issue as talents were constantly
attracted by better perks such as remuneration, job fulfillment and career
advancement.
It is interesting to note that when the World Bank report was
released in April 2011, the biggest critic of it was Mahathir Mohamed who
derided the report as useless and politically motivated.
The response from Prime Minister Najib Razak was no less
disappointing. Najib acknowledged that brain drain was “one of the problems
that must be resolved” and then praised his own vision in setting up
TalentCorp, which so far has not won back many talented Malaysians at all.
Najib also pointed to the recent pickup in foreign direct investment to argue
that the World Bank report was not “quite correct”.
Action,
not lip service
Months have passed since the report was released and
the Malaysian government is still very much in denial mode.
The fact is the Najib administration is avoiding the real
reasons for Malaysians leaving the country. Bad government policies, granting
of economic incentives based on racial lines and unequal opportunities are all
contributing to the brain-drain.
And instead of making changes to an already broken system,
they hope to put forward a friendly face in order to entice such talents back.
But being nice will not be enough to gain the trust of those who have left in
order to have them return. But too much damage has been done.
"Why should I want to
come back when there has been no change at all, in fact, I hear it is even
worse than before. Yes, I have heard of TalentCorp but I don't think they are
gunning after me or my cohorts. Our guess is that they will nab a few big names
just to show that Najib's plan worked. Don't you think so?" Sam Cheng, who
newly graduated from an Australian university, told Malaysia
Chronicle.
He was among those who participated in the overseas Bersih
2.0 rally on July 9 and has just found himself a job with a British-based head
hunter agency with offices in Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.
Another Malaysian, Stella Chiu, who has lived in Britain for
close on 13 years showed the same cynicism as the younger Sam. In her early
40s, Stella is a successful manager in an accountancy firm in London. She said
she would be happy to return to her native Kuala Lumpur, but only if there real
reforms in law and economic policy.
"In this day and age,
nobody wants to put up with all the racial nonsense they dish out back home.
Most of the time, even when Najib was here recently, he only said things to
make himself or the BN look good. They don't really have any plans to change,
or surely we would know by now. Many of the younger ones go and see the big
shots when they come because they feel homesick, the food is not bad and they
get a chance to reminisce. But going back now, no way," Stella told Malaysia
Chronicle.
Brain
drain may worsen, BN seen unable to change
In 2010, 88% of the diaspora were Chinese. This percentage is
no surprise given the racist overtones evident since Najib assumed the
premiership in 2009. So is the government finally going to get serious and
change its stance to draw the Malaysian diaspora back home? One is left to
wonder.
The recent Utusan Malaysia cartoons, depicting the evils of
the Communist Party in Malaya, is not helping the cause to attract back the 88%
of Chinese who left the country. Instead, it continues to point to the dark
nature of the BN government that is unable to control its own newspaper from
scaring citizens, and in particular the Chinese, out of the country.
In other words, it is merely lip-service to say nice things
about those who form the Malaysian diaspora. But the litmus test of sincerity
will be whether it will really implement changes to a system that has
continuously victimized its citizens along racial lines.
Unless the BN government is serious in changing its racial
policies, expect the brain drain to further accelerate in the coming years.
Asset or not, the Malaysian diaspora still means Malaysia has lost.
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Source : MC
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