Brain Drain in Malaysia

Malaysia is having problem with a brain drain nowadays. Many of our professional such as doctors and  engineers are leaving the country to work at other countries such as Singapore, Brunei and others.  

According to the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) quoted in the story, there are 785,000 Malaysians who work overseas, and an estimated two out of every three among them are likely to be professionals. The MEF added that of the Malaysian professionals who work abroad, 44 per cent are in Singapore and 28 per cent in other parts of Asia, with the rest residing in other parts of the world.

More than 2,500 engineering graduates from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia leave the country to work at Singapore every year. This was admitted by the UTM vice chancellor himself, Prof Datuk Dr. Zaini Ujang. He also said that Singapore companies headhunt the graduates right after graduation.

Same as the problem that appeared to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysian regarding to their medical graduates, the vice chancellor of UKM, Tan Sri Prof Dr. Sharifah Hapsah said this year’s brain drain of its graduates was the highest ever, with almost 15% of them leaving to work in Singapore even before completing their housemanship.   

So it becomes a trend nowadays where graduates from local universities leaving the country to work at other countries which offer better wage and other better benefits to them.

If this keep happening without government do something to prevent it, this will lead to a huge problem to our country someday.

Well, actually it already lead to the problem, like what happen in Penang, which had recently lost out on a multi-billion ringgit foreign investment because it could not guarantee the adequate supply of experienced electrical and electronic (E&E) engineers.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who is also a Parliamentarian, recently told the House of Representatives that the state lost US$3 billion (RM10.2 billion) worth of foreign investment because it could not commit to supplying 1,000 engineers to the investors. What a big loss for us and for the country.

The other problem that our country facing because of brain drain is regarding to the problem with shortage of doctors to work in government hospital, where the ratio of doctor to patients is at 1 : 1, 145.

Local medical graduates are leaving the country to work abroad, while the medical graduates who are actually studying at overseas don’t want to come home and they prefer to continue working overseas. It had been saying that the doctors were no longer having interest to serve at government hospital because they were treated like a slave. They have to work like a hell (long working hours), nurses never respect them, low income and certain others were among the reason why they leaving the country.

So these should give the ideas to government that is not just about money why our professional leaving the country. The government should study this case before it getting out of control.    

Public Service Department director-general Tan Sri Ismail Adam once said that: “We cannot compare with Singapore in terms of salary because Singapore woo locals with higher pay”.

Why can’t we compare with them??? Of course we can because this is the point here. Why Singapore can afford to pay higher salary but Malaysian can’t? Singapore has no petroleum, palm oil, rubber or timber like us, but still can pay their workers wages higher than Malaysia.

A graduate earning RM2,500 per month in Malaysia can earn S$3,000,(RM6,900) in Singapore and have that increases to S$5,000 after confirmation in three months. Why would he want to abandon Singapore?

Tan Sri Ismail also added: “ But we can offer better working packages for our graduates and convince them on moral and ethical grounds”. Well, going to greener pastures got nothing to do with morality or ethnics. It is a question of self-development.

While Datin Fauziah Mohd Ramly from Female Graduate Association said that the phenomenon of graduates leaving the country “showed that Malaysian youths lacked patriotism”.

The question of ‘patriotism’ is misplaced. Times have changed. The relevant idea nowadays is “do what is best for u and ur family”. Therefore, the responsibility of keeping graduates satisfied in the country so that they don’t migrate rests with the state. Patriotism must come from within the citizen. The state can inspire this by fair-minded policies of governance.

Why Malaysian’s brain drain seems to be escalating?

Many are dismayed by the rising crime rate, corruption, mismanagement and a flip flop education system. Some of the leaders keep saying that Malaysia have the best system of education. Quick question here, if our education system is best for us, why are our VIPs sending their children to international school or abroad?

In light of the ominous brain drain, there is a little hope of us becoming a developed nation by 2020. The authorities must take the bull by the horns to arrest the deteriorating situation instead of accusing other countries of being “poachers” of our intellectual property.

Maybe if our country can offer better salary, better work environment, fair step of promotion and certain others package, our best brain will come back home and serve the country. Because it cross to my mind that among the reason why Singapore is better than us is because of they have our best brain working over there, that’s why Singapore is so advance. Is it can be accepted?