Talent Corporation – Exercise in Futility?

JFK’s famous words were “Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country”. Spoken like a true patriot. I won’t be surprised if the talents at Talent Corp use the same words of wisdom as their tagline to lure talented Malaysians back home.

The Talent Corporation, which has been tasked with encouraging Malaysian professionals overseas to return home, will start operating this month. The Government announced the appointment of Johan Merican to head the corporation which will headhunt Malaysians who want to come back and work.

The keyword here is who “want” to come back and work.

The question is; does anyone want to come back and work in Malaysia ?

Before we answer that question, we should first ask why they chose to work overseas in the first place. Unfortunately I do not have answers to that. All I can offer is assumptions. In choosing careers many factors come into play. I may be wrong but I think most people choose their careers based on what they studied in university. What they studied in university most of the time was either determined by their parents, peers, current trend, government policy or simply availability of university places or scholarship. No doubt some are lucky enough to be able to enrol in a course of their choice at a university of their choice but do they form the majority? I personally do not think so.

So, the hypothesis is: courses taken at university determine career choice.

Now back to the question of why those people chose to work overseas. For those with unusual degrees (unusual in the Malaysian context) like Marine Biology or Russian Economic History or Classical Drama & Latin, they have no choice but to seek overseas career opportunities as I don’t think there is any suitable career options for them in Malaysia (based on the above hypothesis). For those with typical/common degrees (law, economics, mechanical engineering, IT etc), choosing to work overseas is probably motivated by the financial rewards and/or professional exposure. For specialised professionals like the doctors and architects, working overseas not only enlarges their wallets but also enlarges their knowledge base and develops their expertise.

The next question is why do they choose to remain overseas? The obvious reason would be money. It is without doubt professionals are paid higher overseas compared to their Malaysian contemporaries. The cost of living may be higher but it is adequately compensated by the pay package and on top of it all, cars are cheaper overseas, apart from Singapore that is. But money isn’t everything.

So what is the real reason these people prefer to make a living in a foreign land? Could it be that the government policies are unfavourable? This could be true for the non-bumis who feel discriminated in terms of promotion opportunities (in government or government linked organisations) or when buying property. What about the Malays working overseas? What is their raison d’etre?

For those who are overseas for the money, I doubt Malaysian corporations are able to match their wage demands without disrupting the wage structure.

For those who are overseas for the experience and exposure, I doubt there are many Malaysian corporations able to give similar experience and exposure.

For those who are overseas to escape from the unfair policies, they won’t be coming back until and unless those policies are removed.

For those who are overseas because they can’t find a suitable job (with a decent pay) in Malaysia , they won’t be coming back until such jobs are available and pays a decent wage.

Fro those who are overseas because the public transport is better over there may come back once our public transportation system improves, IF it improves.

For those who are overseas because they want their children to have better education will stay overseas until their perception of the quality of education in Malaysia changes.

For those who are overseas because their spouses are not welcomed here (Israeli citizens for example), won’t be coming back at all.

For those who are overseas because they are bitter (with the government policies perhaps) might not come back, ever.

For those who are overseas because they are gay will probably never come back.

If the government are considering incentives to lure these professionals home, it would be unfair to the rest of us who are already working in Malaysia . For example, why are they allowed to bring back their cars tax free when the rest of us have to pay exorbitant taxes on our cars?

Students who were given scholarships to study overseas by the government or GLCs have a social and moral obligation to come home and serve their benefactors (read: taxpayers, stakeholders). It is grossly unfair for them to not come back; working overseas for extended periods would render them ungrateful and unpatriotic. These people should not be the target market for Talent Corp., instead; it’s the Attorney General’s office who should be sending them letters demanding repayment of the scholarship.

Often our talents are taken away at a very young age. Foreign universities and governments have and will continue to offer scholarships, jobs and eventually citizenship to our bright young students, especially those neglected and “rejected” by our government. We must have policies that will keep these gems from being lured away.

While trying to attract the lost talents to come home; the Government should also have an anti attrition policy to avoid existing talents in Malaysia from moving abroad. They can start with promoting an equal opportunity policy. Personal tax rates should be reduced to a “competitive” level. Basic infrastructure should be improved. The local education system must be of a standard where everyone agrees is good. Government policies should not be seen to favour a certain group over others. Taxes on cars should be reduced. Freedom of speech and thought should not be punished.

Is the Talent Corporation able to do all that? Or will it be another exercise in futility?