The Libertine Post

I heard something strange on the radio the other day. A Malaysian girl who used to live abroad but has since returned home was chirping away about how amazing Malaysia was and it seemed apparent during the course of her little ditty on the radio that her love for Malaysian food and ‘where else in the world can you get such a variety of food at 2am in the morning (repetitive) were the main reasons she returned home. Before I dive into my point, I’d like to point out that most major cities around the world have a vibrant 24-hour food scene so it seems misplaced that Malaysia is unique in this regard.

Anyway, the reason I found that radio segment a little strange was that it baffled me that such a large decision could be hinged on such simplistic reasons. And to be fair to her, I’m sure the segment was largely intended to portray a sort of Prozac-induced reality that the brain-drain that Malaysia is currently facing can be reversed by reminding people how wonderful this country is, because after all, this is a fantastic country isn’t it? Ask most Malaysians what the best thing about this country is, and more often than not, you’ll get some variation of the fact that not only is the food great but you can gorge in the wee hours of the morning. Isn’t there more?

Don’t get me wrong, I love our food and I love eating nasi lemak at 3am in the morning but surely there’s gotta be more to Malaysia than just that? Tell me that our country has more to offer than mamaks and cosmopolitan cuisine. Tell me that TalentCorp, the agency responsible for luring back almost 1 million Malaysian diaspora around the world is going to bank on more than street food. Those in the fold will say that TalentCorp also offers attractive personal income tax rates and tax-free allowances on car imports. *yawn* Gimme a break!

I guess a constructive way to approach this is to ask why do people leave Malaysia for Australia, or the UK, or the USA, Canada and New Zealand? And let’s not forget Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. What do these destinations have in common that Malaysia lacks? Let’s see now, just off the top of my head…

1. A wage that doesn’t make you feel like a luxury-starved villager everytime you walk into a supermarket.
2. A sense that if you work your ass off, you’ll be able to see the fruits of your labour either in terms of remuneration or recognition.
3. A system that generally seems to function in a way that doesn’t confound or frustrate you.
4. A vision of a better future for your children.
5. Uncensored movies and books.
6. Good customer service, accountable public service, and reliable infrastructure service.

Oh and the list goes on I’m sure, but the point is pretty clear. By identifying the reasons why Malaysians leave, it naturally leads to the solution to get them to come back. Because at the heart of it all, I’m sure most people would prefer to be in Malaysia with their family and friends.

So from this line of thinking, it would seem that TalentCorp, which I’m sure has been allocated millions of dollars of funding to hire highly-qualified professionals to come up with policy to reverse Malaysia’s brain drain, isn’t really needed at all. Common sense will easily prevail. My critics will scream ‘easier said than done!’ Of course… no one is denying that the solution to transforming Malaysia into a brain gain state is neither quick or easy. Clean politics, political will and good policies is essential to say the least.

But a good start will be to stop drinking the kool-aid of how wonderful Malaysia is because we can get char koay teow at 3am. Because if it wasn’t for family, friends and the rare instance of true patriotism, Malaysia’s middle-class and academic elite would take root elsewhere if given the chance. Even if nothing beats a teh tarik.