Brain Drain

Statistics from the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) showed that two thirds of the estimated 785,000 Malaysian working overseas is likely to be professionals. 44 percent of them are working across the causeway, 28 percent in other parts of Asia and 15,000 are working in other parts of the world.

In 2000, the government launched a programme to lure them back to Malaysia with offers of tax and duties exemptions. They mainly targeted doctors, engineers and IT professionals. During the nine years of the programme, only 770 professionals took up the offer. If you ask me, the programme failed.

What are the possible reasons for its failure? Money obviously. But there are also other factors. Children’s education, for example. These professionals are overseas maybe because they want better education for their children. Some are probably overseas because they want to repay the faith shown in them by these foreign countries, perhaps some of them were given scholarships by those foreign countries/universities.

Some are overseas maybe because the Malaysian government didn’t give them (those qualified) scholarships, making them feel ‘unwanted’ and hence have no desire to return.

Money may be the biggest influencing factor but many say the cost of living in Malaysia is lower. But is it? A fresh graduate in Malaysia earns RM2500 per month and in the UK, £2200. Petrol is RM1.80 in (oil producing) Malaysia, while in the UK is £1.10. You do the math.