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Set aside non-bumi, the talented Malays also leaving Malaysia for greener pasture.
Hassan Merican, the one who transformed Petronas into a second most profitable company in the world has joined Singapore Power Limited (SP) in June as its Chairman.
I remember a reputed and caliber former Tenaga CEO (forget his name) also resigned after friction with UMNO cronies and joined foreign MNC.
Why brain drain?
Because UMNO appoints donkeys to run GLCs besides imposing racial policies in the public sector.
Shankaran Nambiar | December 29, 2011
The present and future quality of Malaysia’s human capital is of considerable concern for the country’s policy makers.
Human capital is not improving as it should, and it threatens to constrain Malaysia’s growth objectives.
The Second Industrial Master Plan (IMP2) discusses at length moving up the value chain. This can have various meanings, but it must involve sophistication in production processes and an accompanying improvement in management methods.
The IMP2 covered the period 1996 to 2005. But the need for a skilled workforce is more pronounced now than it was 15 years ago when the IMP2 was drafted. This is especially true since multinational corporations can choose from a variety of locations within the region, like China, India and Vietnam. But even discounting the need to attract FDI by offering skilled labour, the development plans charted for Malaysia require high-quality workers.
The New Economic Model for Malaysia (Part 1) unequivocally admits the country has a human capital deficit.
The NEM observes that Malaysia’s weak productivity growth “highlights the stark reality that Malaysia still lacks the sort of creativity and innovation that results in technological and technical progress.” Nothing can be more telling than a sub-section heading in the NEM Report that reads: “We are not developing talent and what we do have is leaving.”
However, the 10th Malaysia Plan 2011–15 (10MP) was launched on the premise that Malaysia has an adequate supply of skilled labor.
The 10MP forwards “10 big ideas” to move Malaysia into the high-income category, and two of these ideas are particularly pertinent to high-quality human capital. The 10MP also mentions “developing and retaining a first-world talent base” as one of its five key thrusts.
In addition, the 10MP is supposed to focus on 12 national key economic areas (NKEAs), some of which are heavily dependent on the availability of skilled labor. Of these areas, financial services, information and communications technology, education, electrical products and electronics, business services, private health care, and greater Kuala Lumpur are the NKEAs that require a strong skilled labor force to achieve the targeted objectives.
For example, the “greater Kuala Lumpur” NKEA is meant to transform KL into a world-class city and international financial district. But without skilled workers with international exposure — from top-level management supported by competent middle-level managers and, lower down, skilled officers — it will not be possible to have an international financial district.
Similarly, the indicators regarding the level of science and technology in Malaysia do not portray an encouraging picture.
Malaysia’s research and development expenditure, as a percentage of GDP, stands at 0.6 percent. This lags behind Singapore’s expenditure of 2.3 percent, South Korea’s 3 per cent and Japan’s 3.4 percent. And while Malaysia had about 531 patent applications in 2006, Korea had 125,476 and Japan over 300,000. The number of journal publications is equally unimpressive: Malaysia had 808 published articles in 2007, eclipsed by Singapore’s 3792 and Japan’s 52,895.
But despite the Malaysian government’s concerns, surprisingly, very little is being done to rectify human capital issues. Plans like the 10MP speak as if nothing is wrong. They are being drawn up on the assumption that skilled workers are readily available: the areas specified for moving up the value chain are those dependent on high-quality labor.
On top of all this, there are complaints that fundamental education reforms have diluted the spirit of nationalism and the rights of the majority. Until 1976, English was the medium of instruction in schools and universities. This was subsequently changed to Bahasa Malaysia, and remained so until 2002 when then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad directed that science and mathematics be taught in English, with the medium of instruction otherwise remaining in Bahasa Malaysia. The reason for this sudden shift was so Malaysians could be better equipped to keep abreast of developments in science and technology, making Malaysia more globally competitive.
But now there are emotional suggestions that the teaching of science and mathematics should revert to Bahasa Malaysia. The arguments for this reversion are justified in a number of ways, primarily by appealing to nationalistic feelings and the imagined threat of the erosion of the Malay identity. Nevertheless, there is widespread acceptance that the general level of competence in English is declining. People ranging from industry leaders to former ambassadors are bemoaning this phenomenon. Again, the resulting implications for the development of human capital are not good.
A labour force that is educated, creative and innovative is the foundation for economic growth. Unless education reforms, including the teaching of science and technology in schools, are approached in a realistic and far-sighted fashion, it may be difficult to achieve substantial changes.
East Asia Forum
Shankaran Nambiar is an economist who consults for national and international agencies.
Whether these sectors are opened or not, these sectors already filled with foreign workers. New policy is just to cover up the lack of enforcement and corruption in the government.
There are only two stalls staffed by local among the 40-50 stalls in KK food court behind the Econ supermarket in Taman Connaught.
By legalizing foreign workers for these sectors, more money will be collected by UMNO agents to support GE13.
This is another form of legal human trafficking!
With UMNO foreign labor friendly policy, local low income groups will be squeezed out from the job market, the only options for them are becoming beggars, prostitutes, mat rempit and robbers.
Indians are the most affected group, but they are so happy with UMNO. I call it slavery or pariah mindset inherited from the caste system.
Malaysia is heading to a pariah nation flooded with foreign workers hired by rich tycoons is a certain fate.
Government relaxes labour rules
KUALA LUMPUR: The Government has reopened 10 sectors and 11 sub-sectors under services previously frozen for the 6P amnesty programme.
Home Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Mahmood Adam said the decision, effective immediately, was on condition that the employment of workers and illegal immigrants was only for two years.
“At the same time, the informal sector, namely foreign maids, was approved for the legalising process,” he said.
“This decision was made by the Deputy Prime Minister as chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Workers and Illegal Immigrants and it is valid until the legalising process is completed,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Mahmood said the decision followed appeals from various parties who wanted the matter to be reviewed.
The 10 outside policy sectors are croupier, mining/quarrying, mangrove wood, stall/cafe/canteen/catering, restaurant, fast food, grasscutter, newspaper vendor, house and vehicle cleaners, and car workshop workers.
The 11 sub-sectors are scrap metal, cargo handling, welfare home, spa/reflexology, hotel, golf caddy, laundry, barber, goldsmith, wholesale and retail and textile business.
He said the ministry had opened a third one-stop centre for the legalising process at the Seberang Jaya Immigration Department in Penang.
All three centres will operate daily from 8am to 5pm until the process ends on Jan 10.
For more information, visit www.moha.gov.my or call the ministry’s hotline 03-8880 1157.
The punishment for offense of asking maid doing non-household works is more serious than corruption which is more detriment to the country
Those people hire maid is better watch up your backside, your maid may do other works at her own initiative and then extorting you for RM50,000 or more for not reporting trump-up charge against you.
I have forewarned you now, don’t be regretted later after you are falling into such blackmail plot.
Boycott Indonesian maids and do your homework for the peace of mind.
Minimum Fine Of RM500,000 For Employer Who Orders Maid To Do Outside Jobs
PUTRAJAYA, Nov 24 (Bernama) — Employers found to have ordered their Indonesian maids to do other tasks, other than at the employers’ home, can be fined a minimum of RM500,000 or jailed three to 20 years under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.
Peninsular Malaysia Manpower Department Director-General Datuk Sheikh Yahya Sheikh Mohamed said the offence included ordering the maid to work at night markets or groceries, attending to the sick other than at the employer’s house, or working in other homes, including those of the employer’s relatives.
“In Indonesia, when we apply for house maids, we will be ask the purpose because if the maid is employed to look after elderly people, the training to be given will specifically be for the task.
“If the maid is employed to do house work, she will be trained to do house work,” he told a media conference here Thursday.
When asked whether it would be alright if the maids themselves volunteered to do other jobs to supplement their income, Sheikh Yahya said they would not be allowed to do so.
“The maid is employed for house A. So she has to work at house A. If the maid is caught at other houses, action can also be taken against her,” he added.
With Indonesia having agreed to resume the sending of domestic maids to Malaysia, Sheikh Yahya said he hoped employers and employment agencies would be more responsible and to respect the terms that had been agreed upon by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at a bilateral meeting in Bali recently.
They included the need to have a working contract for domestic maid, the cost of recruiting Indonesian maid fixed at RM4,511, compulsory 200-hour course and one day off per week.
Employers, on the other hand, are allowed to take back RM1,800 from their cost in advance payment for the maids by deducting their pay of not more than 50 per cent per month from their salary.
Sheikh Yahya said that only 121 of the 400 registered maid agencies agreed to the terms on the employment of Indonesian maids.
“The list of the agencies will be displayed at the department’s portal early next month. Agencies who do not agree to terms will not be allowed to supply Indonesian maids,” he added.
He said there were about 50,000 Indonesian maids waiting to come to Malaysia.
— BERNAMA
Malaysians especially the Chinese families hire maid not for necessity, but most of the time is to show off they are rich like other neighbors.
My parent generations have five to ten kids was very common and no maid was needed to bring up big families.
Today’s youngsters upbringing matters are no more handled by the parents, they outsource the godsend duty to foreign maids and TV stations. No wonder Malaysian youngsters call Namewee’s rudeness and racism is a cool thing.
It’s better not to have children at all due to the laziness and irresponsibility attitude if people refuse to take care and bring up children by themselves.
Let change the maid hiring policy, only those families with household income of more than RM20,000 per month is allowed to hire foreign maids.
Besides the minimum salary requirement should be imposed, the potential employers have to be interviewed and gone through background check before they are allowed to hire maids.
There is NO in-site spot check by the government department to ensure the welfare of the maids is safeguarded. This mechanism has to be built in if Malaysia does not want to be alleged as the number one human rights abuser.
Malaysia Today is an international pariah with Indonesia and Cambodia decided to ban their people to work in Malaysia as domestic maids because of a few bad apples. Probably there are hundred unreported and hidden cases for each abuse case reported in the news.
Cambodia bans citizens from working as maids in Malaysia
PHNOM PENH — Cambodia has banned its citizens from going to work in Malaysia as maids, its prime minister said on Friday, following a series of horrific reports of beatings and rapes.
The order follows a similar ban imposed by Indonesia on its citizens from taking new jobs as domestic workers in Malaysia, where maids are common in middle-class households, thanks in part to a large migrant labor pool.
Continue reading >> Suggestion :: Only household income of more than RM20,000 is allowed to hire maids
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