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Ignore race rhetoric, says Talent Corp

The Malaysian Insider | May 16, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 — The man in charge of Malaysia’s talent drive wants overseas Malaysians to ignore the heightening race rhetoric in the country.

In an interview published by the Singapore Straits Times today, Talent Corporation chief Johan Mahmood Merican said that ultimately race rhetoric should not be confused with government policy.

“Ultimately, what gets implemented are the policies of the prime minister and the government,” he told the Singapore newspaper.

Johan’s comments came amid rising concerns that heightening race and religious rhetoric could derail Malaysia’s ambitious drive to attract top talent.
Continue reading “Ignore race rhetoric, says Talent Corp”

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Malaysian human capital outflow

By Michael Lee
May 14, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

MAY 14 — Once, on the way to the airport in the cold dead of night, I had a heated discussion with an acquaintance of my father from the US about having a life outside of Malaysia.

I was in my teens then, fresh from the Malaysian public education system and was a staunch supporter of our government’s policies. The man who initiated the discussion, on the other hand, was a successful overseas Malaysian himself and was going on about the many merits of leaving Malaysia for a better life abroad. He himself had left Malaysia decades ago after getting his degree and has since found success in an auto-parts business he founded.

Throughout the drive, he cherry picked on the rampant corruption and injustices, particularly against non-Bumiputeras, like us, deep set in the Malaysian social, economic and political system.

While I believed most of what he said to be true, it was not something I haven’t heard before.

Again and again, my defence was that Malaysia was young in being independent compared with the US and needed more time to mature before the inequalities and inefficiencies fade away. The conversation ended in, what I believe, a stalemate, with his detailed reasoning unable to pierce the wall that was my youthful optimism. This took place about 18 years ago. Continue reading “Malaysian human capital outflow”

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Brain drain: Understanding the root causes

Ronald Benjamin
The Malaysian Insider
May 12, 2011

MAY 12 — The ongoing brain drain has become a topic of intense debate since a World Bank official said that Malaysia would have had five times the foreign direct investment if not for its pro-Bumiputera policy. This comes at a time where there are about a million skilled Malaysian workers overseas who have no intention of coming back to the country.

Perkasa has claimed that even the Malays are leaving Malaysia due to the discrimination in the private sector, but fell short of providing detailed arguments on what it means by private sector discrimination.

All these debates only deal with positions that interest a particular political position without any serious attempt to resolve the issues through objective criteria that require politicians to accept truths about the real situation.

Politicians need to have the courage to take the nation along the right path — especially in creating an environment and cultural mindset for work excellence and in reducing the chronic brain drain. Continue reading “Brain drain: Understanding the root causes”

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Malaysia’s Brain Drain: Government in Perpetual Denial

by Koon Yew Yin | CPIAsia
Monday, 09 May 2011 14:07

For some years now, various analysts have written about the brain drain from Malaysia arising from the country’s racist policies. Now the World Bank has finally come out with a definitive report detailing that the number of skilled Malaysians living abroad has tripled in the last two decades with two out of every 10 Malaysians with tertiary education opting to leave for either OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries or Singapore.

The report also studied the factors that would entice Malaysian currently staying overseas to return. The top picks were a change in the country’s race-based policies and fundamental reforms in the public sector with “Paradigm shift away from race-based towards needs-based affirmative action” and “Evidence of fundamental and positive change in the government/public sector” receiving 87 and 82 per cent positive responses respectively.
Continue reading “Malaysia’s Brain Drain: Government in Perpetual Denial”

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Slowing talent growth adds to brain drain woes

By Leslie Lau

KUALA LUMPUR, May 7 — Malaysia ranked 36th out of 60 countries in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Talent Index which saw the United States placed as the top country in producing talent, while Singapore and Nordic nations were rated stellar performers.

The Global Talent Index (GTI) report for 2011, released yesterday, also projected Malaysia’s ranking would fall marginally by three places to 39th out of 60 countries by 2015, reflecting the country’s struggle with brain drain and retaining talent.

The World Bank’s report on the country’s brain drain released last Thursday showed that the number of Malaysians with tertiary education who moved abroad tripled in the last two decades.

Two out of every 10 Malaysians with a tertiary education opted for either OECD countries or Singapore.

As of 2010, the World Bank estimated the Malaysian diaspora at about one million, of whom one-third were tertiary educated.
Continue reading “Slowing talent growth adds to brain drain woes”

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The Migrant’s Eye

The World Bank 2011 Essay Competition finalist – Shaun Tan from Malaysia on brain drain.
By Shaun Tan

‘Our young people represent the future of our country’. This phrase has been echoed by almost every politician in almost every country in modern history. However the changes instigated by the increasing ease of migration are such that not even this time-honored cliché holds the weight it once did. Young people still represent the future, but it is the future of whichever country they decide to settle in or impact, which may or may not be their country of origin. As with most changes, there are new benefits and drawbacks, and new winners and losers. Among the most pressing questions countries now face are how to prevent their young people from migrating, and how far they should go in providing for the migrants residing within their borders.

***

Exodus

Smart Indians go to med school,
Smart Chinese go to investment banks,
Smart Malaysians go to Singapore.
– Anonymous

Continue reading “The Migrant’s Eye”

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Kit Siang: Soi Lek killing the people’s hope for change

By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 29, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 — Lim Kit Siang accused Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek today of destroying the people’s hopes by dictating that they had no choice but to accept the status quo in the present administration under Barisan Nasional (BN).

This, said the DAP adviser, was reflected in Dr Chua’s recent reminder to the Chinese community that their hopes should be based on the political realities in Malaysia.

Lim insisted that the MCA president had missed the point when he challenged PKR to abolish Malay privileges, pointing out that the opposition had never argued over the special position of the Malays as enshrined under Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.

The point of contention, said Lim, was the BN government’s “blatant abuse” of the New Economic Policy (NEP) and refusal to implement needs-based affirmative action policies.

“His (Dr Chua’s) theatrics interest no one. Article 153 is not an article of controversy… it does not arise. The point of controversy is that the NEP must go.

“Dr Chua is just trying to create something out of nothing so that the people are distracted from the focal issues.

“Now that the people have some hope that for the first time, they have a proper alternative, he is trying to quash that hope,” Lim told The Malaysian Insider today. Continue reading “Kit Siang: Soi Lek killing the people’s hope for change”

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Malaysia’s brain drain getting worse, says World Bank

By Lee Wei Lian
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 28, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 — World Bank senior economist Philip Schellekens painted a gloomy picture of the Malaysian brain drain situation today saying that it not only grew rapidly but is likely to intensify, further eroding the country’s already narrow skills base.

Schellekens said that the number of skilled Malaysians living abroad has tripled in the last two decades with two out of every 10 Malaysians with tertiary education opting to leave for either OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries or Singapore.

“Brain drain from Malaysia is likely to intensify in the absence of mitigating actions,” he said at the launch of the World Bank report titled “Malaysia Economic Monitor: Brain Drain”. Continue reading “Malaysia’s brain drain getting worse, says World Bank”

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NEP, brain drain holding back Malaysia, says World Bank

The Malaysian Insider
Apr 28, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 — More than one million Malaysians live abroad, the World Bank said today, adding that policies favouring Malays are holding back the economy, causing a brain drain and limiting foreign investment.

In a Bloomberg news service report today, World Bank senior economist Philip Schellekens was also quoted as saying that foreign investment could be five times the current levels if the country had Singapore’s talent base.

“Migration is very much an ethnic phenomenon in Malaysia, mostly Chinese but also Indian,” Schellekens told Bloomberg in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday ahead of the report’s release today.

Governance issues and lack of meritocracy are “fundamental constraints” to Malaysia’s expansion because “competition is what drives innovation,” he said. Continue reading “NEP, brain drain holding back Malaysia, says World Bank”

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Explain RM888b illegal funds leak

by Lim Guan Eng
23.1.2011

DAP wishes to extend our congratulations to the Royal Malaysian Navy for its success in capturing 18 Somali pirates and preventing their attempted hijack of a Malaysian chemical tanker near the Gulf of Aden. This successful operation in saving the tanker and their crew without any loss of life inspires confidence in a professional navy that justifies the people’s faith.

Whilst our navy boys are heroes for their successful capture of Somali pirates in international waters, DAP regrets that land “pirates” are allowed to roam freely in Malaysia. The US-based financial watchdog Global Financial integrity (GFI) reported that illicit money outflows from Malaysia tripled to US$68.2 billion (RM208.1 billion) in 2008, from US$22.2 billion in 2000.

For the period 2000-2008, China tops the chart among the world’s exporters of illicit capital with a whopping US$2.8 trillion of outflows, followed by Russia (US$427 billion), Mexico (US$416 billion), Saudi Arabia (US$302 billion) and Malaysia (US$291 billion or RM888 billion). Other Asian countries with high illegal capital flight are Philippines ($109 billion), Indonesia ($104 billion) and India ($104 billion).

Clearly illegal capital flight from Malaysia of RM888 billion over 9 years from 2000-8 has dwarfed legitimate capital inflows into the country. GFI defines illicit financial flows as generally involving the transfer of money earned through illegal activities such as corruption, transactions involving contraband goods, criminal activities, and efforts to shelter wealth from a country’s tax authorities.

GFI said that poor governance, pervasive corruption and rising income inequality as contributory factors, making serious allegations that even GLCs such as Petronas could probably be driving illicit flows. This is a devastating indictment of the lack of enforcement, rule of law and a culture of corruption that has eroded confidence in our capital market. Continue reading “Explain RM888b illegal funds leak”

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Brain drain continues: Newest Singapore senior counsel – equivalent to island republic’s Queen’s Counsel – a Malaysian from Seremban

[Update and correction: The statement that Chan Leng Sun had “never worked in Malaysia” is wrong. In fact, Chan worked in Malaysia first. He was a pupil assisting a few dedicated counsel who were representing the former Lord President Tun Salleh Abas when he was being tried by a tribunal for alleged misconduct in 1988. It was only later that he went to Cambridge on a Kuok Foundation scholarship. Sincere apologies for the error – Kit 12 January, 2011 6.50 pm]

Yesterday, it was reported that a Malaysian is again the top Singapore student for the third consecutive year – 16-year-old Chia Pei Yun of CHIJ St Nicolas Girls’ School who hails from Damansara Utama, Selangor and who scored 10 A1s in Singapore’s GCE O-level exams.

Today, my attention has been drawn to another Singapore news report last Friday underlining the grave problem of brain drain from Malaysia.

The following is the Channel News Asia report:

Two lawyers appointed Senior Counsel
By Dylan Loh | Posted: 07 January 2011

SINGAPORE: Two lawyers with over 50 years of combined experience have been appointed Senior Counsel. They are Mr Roderick Martin, 63, and Mr Chan Leng Sun, 46.

The announcement was made by Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong at the Opening of the Legal Year on Friday.
Continue reading “Brain drain continues: Newest Singapore senior counsel – equivalent to island republic’s Queen’s Counsel – a Malaysian from Seremban”

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2011 challenge to Malaysians – to unite and demand that they enjoy equal opportunity to earn a good living and provide a secure, happy life for each individual and the family

“Malaysia is at the crosssroads.” – 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme Road Map (January 2010).

“Malaysia has reached a defining moment on its development path.” – New Economic Model (March 2010).

“We need to see the reality for what it is: we are on a burning platform” – Tenth Malaysia Plan (June 2010).

However, the year 2010, which also marks 21 months of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s premiership, has not been distinguished by any conviction or sense of urgency that Malaysia is “on a burning platform”, “at the crossroads” or “a defining moment” – that the country has no choice but to forge ahead with a paradigm shift in national economic strategy and public policy.

It is the exact reverse. Despite the 21 months of Najib’s premiership, based on his signature theme of “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now”, multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural Malaysia has suffered greater racial and religious polarization and loss of social cohesion, with the concepts of unity in diversity and inclusiveness, social justice, excellence, integrity and our international competitiveness receiving one setback after another. Continue reading “2011 challenge to Malaysians – to unite and demand that they enjoy equal opportunity to earn a good living and provide a secure, happy life for each individual and the family”

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Struggle to stem ‘brain drain’ as talent departs

Malaysiakini
Dec 30, 10

(AFP) When computer engineer Wan Jon Yew left Malaysia in 2005 for a job in Singapore, all he wanted was to work in the city state for a few years before going home. Now, he says, he will never return.

With a family, a home and a car, he now plans to settle in Singapore for good – just one of the many Malaysians stampeding abroad every year in a worrying ‘brain drain’ the government is trying to reverse.

“I wouldn’t consider going back to Malaysia, I won’t look back. If I were ever going to leave Singapore, I would migrate to Australia,” said the 28-year-old, who now has permanent resident status.

“It’s not about the money. I could have a better quality of life in Malaysia with my pay. I could have a semi-detached bungalow and have a maid there, but I would rather live in a government flat in Singapore.”

Wan, who is ethnically Chinese, is one of some 700,000 Malaysians – most of them highly educated – who are currently working abroad in an exodus that Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government is struggling to reverse. Continue reading “Struggle to stem ‘brain drain’ as talent departs”

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Why is Malaysia experiencing a brain drain?

by Evelyn Wong, Guest Contributor
New Mandala
December 20th, 2010

In the past six months, there’s been a surge of local interest in the trend of brain drain in Malaysia. Out of a population of 27 million, there are an estimated 1.5 million Malaysians living abroad. Many of these Malaysians are skilled workers who emigrated to Singapore and OECD countries such as Australia, UK, and US. In response to this, the government has set up the Talent Corporation under the 10th Malaysia Plan to attract and retain highly-skilled human capital. Operating under the Prime Minister’s Department, Talent Corp will commence operations in January 2011.

While this is a promising step towards ameliorating the problem, the causes of brain drain are complex and deeply-entrenched in other aspects of Malaysian society. Continue reading “Why is Malaysia experiencing a brain drain?”