Tough task ahead for Malaysia’s Talent Corporation
By Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad
Perusing through Amy Chua’s Day of Empire recently reminds me of how nations become not only superpowers but hyperpowers as well, amassing such extraordinary military and economic might that they essentially dominated the then world.
In a series of incisive chapters, Chua analysed history’s hyperpowers — Persia, Rome, the Tang Dynasty, the Great Mongol Empire, the Dutch, the British and the US — and revealed the underlying reasons behind their achievement and the roots of their ultimate downfall.
More importantly, Chua argues that every one of these powers shares a common trait of being extraordinarily pluralistic and tolerant.
The Yale law professor argues that each has succeeded because of their ability to attract and harness the skills and energies of highly talented groups of individuals from very different backgrounds and societies.
Specifically, she said Rome allowed Africans, Spaniards and the Gauls alike to rise to the highest echelon of power, while the ‘barbarian’ Mongols conquered their vast domain only because they practised an ethnic and religious tolerance unheard of in their time. In contrast, Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, while wielding great power, failed to attain global dominance as a direct result of their racial and religious intolerance.
That said, let’s come back closer to home. In our quest to achieve a high-income nation by 2020 — the government has made numerous pronouncements lately — the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP), the National Key Results Areas (NKRAs), the National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs), the New Economic Model (NEM), the Government Transformation Programme (GTP), and very recently the Economic Transformation Programmes (ETP).
The slew of 131 Entry-Point-Projects (EPPs) and 60 Business Opportunities (BOs) surely come as the much-desired kind of a ‘short-in-the-arm’ therapy, aimed at injecting excitement to our diminished confidence after a series of investment setbacks and admittedly a decade of economic stagnation. In general Malaysians, including the writer, would want these plans to be successfully implemented.
But despite all the good wishes and exciting stack of development projects roaring to roll out involving the 12 NKEAs, one is reminded that there are critical success factors (CSFs) that must be duly fulfilled before we hope to see success.
While funding seems to be high on the priority of the CSFs, as 92% of the RM1.4 trillion to be spent in the next 10 years is expected to come from private investments, both local and foreign, the arguably more critical stumbling block that is not easily surmountable is the bottleneck of human resource and talent.
While we could borrow to fund all the EPPs and the BOs, the contentious issue of the lack of skilled human resource to propel us to a higher-performing economy remains the biggest challenge.
We are rudely reminded that only 30% of Malaysians obtained higher education qualifications (as of 2005), compared to Singapore’s 46%, Thailand’s 41% and South Korea’s 89%. About 80% of our workforce have only received secondary level (SPM) education and only 25% of our workers are highly skilled (as of 2007), compared to Singapore where 49% are highly-skilled, Taiwan 33% and South Korea’s 35%.
Workforce productivity for Malaysian labour averages 2.9% (1998-2007), compared to China’s 9.2%, India’s 4.4%, Thailand 3.1% and Indonesia’s 3% during the same period. Worse still, the country is no where near success in reversing the brain drain phenomenon.
To a question which I raised in parliament, the Dewan Rakyat was told that 304,358 Malaysians migrated from March 2008 till August 2009 alone and the figure for 2007 was 139,696 citizens. Clearly the trend is at best worrying and at worst regrettable. Incidentally, the majority of them are professionals looking for greener pastures. But what “greener pastures” are they after?
It is this very question of what constitutes both the “needs and wants” of these professionals abroad that seems to elude those responsible in wooing these talents and brains back to their roots, including primarily the political leaders.
Recently Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced the launching of the Malaysia’s Talent Corporation in Brussels where he said: “Previously, we waited for them to get back to us but this time we will seek them out. We will find out what it takes for them to consider going back home and at the same time create more business opportunities and pay them wages that are more aligned with global wages.”
Wages and more business opportunities may be important. Yes, the economy looks good for now but there is a possibility of a double-dip in the major economies. But even that is not their greatest worry. The Malaysia’s Talent Corp should by now understand that there are more than just issues of wage and comfortable living. The Talent Corp must understand that there are serious issues which are not only perception but founded and real.
Living abroad, these professionals have become accustomed to being rewarded based on performance and merit. While the Talent Corp might be able to convince them that opportunities abound, they are uncertain of a level-playing field back home and if the best person regardless of skin colour, creed or even political affiliations will win. Their anxiety has become the greatest deterrent and as the world is globally wired, nothing escapes them from noticing the many unpleasant happenings in the country.
