Taking pains over brain drain

The Government must take more pains to stop the brain drain and to attract experts such as scientists to Malaysia. How do we change the mindset that only pays lip service to talents?

Statement by Dr Tan Seng Giaw, DAP National Deputy Chairman and MP for Kepong on the priority to develop the creative content industry as mentioned by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on 8 September, 2005 at the opening of the 9th Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC)-International Advisory Panel (IAP) meeting. 10 September, 2005.

The Prime Mnister said that the Government was re-examining the package of incentives that we offered to make the MSC a more compelling choice for investors and that MSC companies achieved sales exceeding US$1.6 billion last year.

It would be beneficial to analyse the number of ICT scientists and technologists that we have attracted and the number of homegrown ones we have managed to keep in the nine years of MSC. The number of patents for intelectual property rights gives a picture of the amount of research in the country. According to the Government, in 1996, the number of such patents in Malaysia was 141, compared with 335,061 in Japan and 127,476 in USA.

We desperately need brain to do research. There has been brain drain in the country, especially after 1970. During Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's premiership, I had heard certain ministers replying to questions in Parliament on brain drain, especially in the 80s last century. They derogated those professionals and scientists who left the country, saying 'good riddance.' Since the 90s, many leaders have shown some interest in the matter.

Genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains. Brain drain has been going on from time immemorial. Countries that receive the most brain do better. Hence, Malaysia has to take pains to overcome the lip service, mediocrity and feudal mentality.

On 8 September, 2005, Tun Mahathir commented on the need to welcome foreign scientists. We wish he had put more emphasis on this during his tenure as prime minister. He said:

"This is not about asking foreigners to take over what is rightfully ours, this is about research...if we do not take them, others will.

" Malaysia is a multi-racial country and in future, all countries will be multi-racial. For Malaysia to accept a few foreign scientists, it will not change the composition of the population in this country much.

"Today, Silicon Valley (in California) is full of Pakistanis, Indians, Iranians, Chinese and even Arabs."

Besides attracting foreign experts, keeping and luring back Malaysian experts should be a priority. There are many factors that attract these people. Hitherto, the Government incentives are not so attractive.