Why talented Malaysians go abroad

FMT:

Why talented Malaysians go abroad

Communications minister Saifuddin Abdullah says young Malaysians with fresh ideas are moving to other countries to develop their products

Freepik pic

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) sees bureaucratic red tape in Malaysia as only one of several reasons for the nation’s loss of talent to other countries.

Commenting on Communications and Multimedia Minister Saifuddin Abdullah’s recent call for a reduction of bureaucratic procedures to help stem the brain drain, MEF executive director Shamsuddin Bardan spoke of enticements from abroad as other factors to consider.

He told FMT many educational institutions collaborated better with foreign companies than with local firms.

“This is a major factor for the loss of talents to other countries,” he said. “They are snapped up by foreign employers even before they graduate.”

Shamsuddin Bardan

He also noted that many foreign governments were offering Malaysian students scholarships to study in their countries.

“Taiwan, Singapore, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Japan are some of the chosen destinations of Malaysian students for tertiary education as their studies are being fully funded by the respective governments,” he said.

“Furthermore, the entry requirements are largely based on linguistic abilities instead of academic achievements and this presents wider opportunities for young and spirited Malaysians to explore life overseas.”

Last Monday, after opening a YouTube workshop in Kuantan, Saifuddin spoke of young Malaysians with fresh ideas moving to other countries to develop their products and said they might have not done so if bureaucratic procedures in Malaysia were simpler.

Ramon Navaratnam

He gave the example of Pua Khein Seng of Selangor, whose idea led to the creation of the USB flash drive. The difficulty of getting funding in Malaysia caused him to seek help in other countries.

Economist Ramon Navaratnam also commented on the issue. He said discontent with Malaysia’s pro-Bumiputera policies was a major reason for the brain drain.

According to the Malaysia Economic Monitor 2017, non-Bumiputeras made up the bulk of the Malaysian diaspora.

“The lack of inclusiveness in policies is causing polarisation and mediocrity,” Navaratnam said.

But Shankaran Nambiar, the head of research at the Malaysian Institute for Economic Research, noted that there were also large numbers of talented Malays going abroad and doing well.

Shankaran Nambiar

“I don’t think it’s useful to look at the brain drain from an ethnic viewpoint,” he told FMT.

He said liberal environments, better support, better facilities for networking and the opportunity to be in cutting-edge cohorts could also be factors encouraging emigration.

He added that the high demand for Malaysian talents overseas was a positive indicator.

“Many developing countries have faced this phenomenon and it has turned out to be a blessing in disguise,” he said. “What seems to be a problem for Malaysia today could turn out to work in Malaysia’s favour a decade from now.”