1. Malaysia faces significant brain drain as over 700,000 skilled Malaysians have emigrated abroad for opportunities in education, security, and work.
2. The government has created Talent Corporation to attract Malaysians back by 2020 and reverse brain drain, but faces challenges in convincing emigrants to return.
3. Religious and political issues like Islamization and Malay nationalism are additional factors that have contributed to emigration of non-Muslim and non-Malay Malaysians.
4. 1.The Great Malaysian Brain Drain
• 700,000 – 1,000,000 living abroad
• 300,000 alone in Singapore
• 304,358 in 2009 vs 139,696 in 2007
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
8. 2.1 Opportunity and Globalisation
• Work-life balance (Lam Kin Ben)
• Work opportunities (smart engineers)
• Less hierarchical overseas
Source : Star Education
10. 2.3 Education
• The classic case of Tan Zhongshan –
from Cambridge to Singapore Legal
Service
Source : Star Education
11. Amy Chua : “The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother”
12. 3. Historical Clues
3.1 Hyper powers amassing
extraordinary military and
economic might – an analysis
3.2 Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Rome,
Tang Dynasty, the Great Mongol
Empire, Dutch, British and the
USA versus Nazi Germany and
Imperial Japan
3.3 Pluralism vs monoculturalism
13. 4. Merits Based Culture
• Performance and merit vs social
protectionism
• Uncertain level playing field
• Skin colour, creed or even political
affiliations
• An anachronism in a globally wired
world and social media technology
e.g. Ambika
14. 5. Regional Comparisons for
1998 - 2007
(a) Higher Education (post-SPM)
Malaysia (30%), Singapore (46%),
Thailand (41%), S. Korea (89%)
(b) Skills level
Malaysia (20%), Singapore (49%), Taiwan
(33%), S. Korea (35%)
Source : Talent Corp.
15. 6. Demographics of Chinese in
Malaysia – Another Nail?
Proportion of Chinese in total population
Year Percent
1957 45..0 +
1970 35.6
1980 32.1
1991 26.9
2000 24..5
2010 22.6 *
2035 18.6 **
Source : Department of Statistics and ISEAS
16. 7. Islamisation and Race Supremacy
1. JAIS raid on Dream Centre and the
Royal Findings
2. Syariah laws vs Civil laws vs
Constitution e.g. Hudud controversy &
Valentine’s Day
3. Malay nationalism on the rise
4. Constitutional interpretation
17. “No greater love hath dad and
moms than they lay down their life
savings for their children to study
overseas and emigrate”
18. 8. 2020 Vision : Government’s
Answer to Brain Drain Reversal?
60 BOs GTP 7 NKRAs
High
NEM Income ETP
Nation
142 EPPs
10th 12 NKEAs
MP
19. 9. Talent Corp : Reversal of Talent
Migration & Challenges
9.1 1st January 2011 to attract the estimated
700,000 skilled Malaysians working abroad
9.2 Vehicle to facilitate Malaysia as a developed
country by 2020
9.3 Consideration of vocational stream along the
German model i.e. 60% workforce
9.4 Task of convincing, engaging and persuading
the Malaysian Diaspora
20. 10. Thinking Out Of A Box : Creative
Options
• Contribution from afar – Professor Danny Quah of
NEAC and the NEM, Dato Jimmy Choo on Shoe Institute
• The Chinese Methodist Church in Australia and SCAC
• Malaysian history as a clue to the past e.g. Peranakans,
Chittys, Eurasians and in the US today, Silicon Valley,
Wall Street & London
• Foreign Talent and the Resident Pass on a 10 year visa
entry, flat tax rate of 15% over 5 years
21. 11. The Malaysian Church & Diaspora
• Networking and dialogue with those who have
left by updating them on developments
• Avoid judgmental attitude on those who leave us
• Interesting phenomenon : some return to
contribute e.g. Gen. Y
22. 12. Age Old Debate on Immigration –
Quo Imus Hinc
(a) Scriptural and Theological Arguments (Tien Fock)
1. Genesis 12:1-9 : The Larger Plan of God
2. Genesis 46:1-34 : The Push and Pull Factor
3. Ruth 1:1-5 : Personal Choice or Necessity
4. 2 Chronicles 11:13-17 : Political Separation
23. (b) Is Immigration a Panacea (Hwa Yung/Selvendran
/Peter Young)
1. Fallen World : Moral decadence of the West
2. Church on the decline and secularism
3. Terrorist attacks
4. Modern developments : US, Eurozone (Greece,
Ireland & Portugal) under huge debt burdens,
Japan’s triple whammy, NZ’s earthquake,
Australia’s drought/floods, UK civil riots
24. 13. Conclusion :
Our Ultimate Confidence
• Malaysia as a nation has survived thus far
the critical junctions. Will it continue to do so
– where is God’s hidden Hand?
• The Jeremiah Confidence and Dual Citizenship:
Jeremiah 29:11-13, Jeremiah 32:6-44 &
Ephesians 1:1-3
