Writer: Tricia Yeoh
Published: Fri, 02 Nov 2012
Published: Fri, 02 Nov 2012
At the Singapore FreedomFilmFest 2012 where the three documentaries
were screened (including The Rights of The Dead, on the late Teoh Beng
Hock’s story), a sizeable number of Malaysians interspersed the
audience. Roughly making up 20% of the crowd size, the
question-and-answer session following the screening reminded me of the
aspirations Malaysians living overseas continue to have about their
country, back home.
The interactions I have with Malaysians in Singapore
usually centre on whether or not things are improving back home. During
the discussion, one person even asked if life in Kuala Lumpur or
Singapore is better for me as a young Malaysian. There is a genuine
sense of struggle that I felt amongst them – the emotional ties they
have with their tanahairku,
but yet making the tough decision to leave because of better salaries
and an education system and other reasons like marriage.
The World Bank report on Brain Drain released last
year said that out of the one million Malaysians living abroad, close to
60% are in Singapore, out of whom almost 90% are Chinese. Two out of
ten Malaysians with a tertiary degree migrated in 2000 to Singapore and
other OECD countries, more than twice the world average. More than a
third of those interviewed cited career prospects as the primary reason
for leaving, and social injustice as the second reason.
With this staggering number of talented Malaysians
abroad, the question has always been: how can the country continue to
grow without them around? But the truth is that migration is a global
phenomenon, and all developing countries are facing this problem
equally. The best way to tackle the issue is to accept that cross-border
movement is inevitable. People will move to where they feel
opportunities exist, and trying to stem this tide may be futile.
The more pertinent things to ask are: first, how can
Malaysia be so attractive that its citizens would prefer staying back?
And second, even if they were to move abroad, how would it be possible
for them to contribute from wherever they are, to the development of the
country? The first issue is something Talent Corporation is trying to
tackle, but it cannot do this alone given that it is the structural
problems of Malaysia that need working on – if the education system was
improved, economic barriers of cronyism and corruption removed to allow
for greater opportunities, and the handling of the police force was more
systematic, for example, things might change in the minds of those
intending to migrate.
However, the assumption that Malaysians cannot help
the country by being away must also be questioned. One of the best tools
at our disposal in helping to open up minds is the Internet. Because we
have a fairly high Internet penetration rate at 60%, and an equally
high social media penetration rate of 91% among those who have access to
the Internet, the power of online organisation should not be
underestimated. This is precisely the medium within which overseas
Malaysians can, and already have been, contributing to. Writing articles
or using the medium of video is just one way of doing it.
The experience of overseas Malaysians in their
respective fields of interest is an important resource that ought to be
tapped into. All around the world, Malaysian experts exist in a variety
of fields including medicine, engineering, the arts, and science, all of
which are areas that will be needed to expand our own economy in the
immediate and long-term future. These professionals can contribute to
Malaysia by either conducting trainings for locals, or building networks
with Malaysians for transfer of knowledge.
MyOverseasVote, a group of overseas Malaysians
advocating for their right to vote in the elections, believe that
Malaysian citizens overseas can be engaged “in charting the future
course of the country”. As such, they are bringing legal proceedings
against the Election Commission, challenging the Election (Registration
of Electors) Regulations 2002 that only members of the Armed Forces,
public servants, students and their spouses living overseas are eligible
to register and vote as absent voters.
One argument against overseas voting is that because
they are not physically present in Malaysia, and are therefore not
paying taxes to the Malaysian government, they should not have a right
to determine policies and plans for citizens within the country. (Hui Mei add here: I still pay Cukai Taksiran & Cukai Pintu every half of year even i dont live in the country right now!)
However, this is a fallacy, given that many Malaysians
abroad do harbour hopes of returning to the country. They may also have
vested interests within their home land for their parents and relatives
who still live in Malaysia.
Can overseas Malaysians contribute? It is my opinion
that it is a resounding yes. Especially for the 600,000 Malaysians
living in Singapore, it is likely that they form an extremely important
pool of influence and opinion-shaping that would be crucial for the
future. Coming from all over Malaysia, they are more likely to return
for Chinese New Year, other festivities, or to vote, given the proximity
of the country to home.
In one sense, Malaysia can be likened to a lover who
can make or break your heart. It is hoped that the social and political
movements of change taking place in and outside of the country will help
to eventually convince overseas Malaysians that they, too, still have a
crucial role to play in charting the course of the country forward.
