Rajah Rasiah, a professor with the Department of Development Studies in Universiti Malaya‘s Faculty of Economics and Administration, said Malaysians in successful positions overseas were willing to consider returning.
However, there needed to be opportunities for such people with skills and experience to work in the country, he said.
He was quoted by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) yesterday as saying that state-run firms “must emphasise merit and be subject to performance standards” in helping to meet the expectations of these people.
“They have made it clear that unless the state shows a passion to welcome them back as real Malaysians, and offer the same privileges as for the others, they will not return when they are still productive,” he said.
He also said the feeling of being politically disadvantaged was one reason driving migration.
Perceptions of creeping Islamisation, as well as the nature of politics in Malaysia, may also have an influence, he was reported as saying.
Figures released by TalentCorp on May 9 reveal that fewer Malaysians are taking the opportunity to return home over the last few years.
In 2013, 900 Malaysians registered with the agency returned, but the number dropped to 606 in 2014. In 2015, it managed to draw only 616 Malaysians.
Last year, the figure dived to 398.
Its CEO, Shareen Shariza Ghani, attributed the declining number to the fact that the agency was not accepting applicants indiscriminately, adding that it was done according to the country’s needs.
She also said some Malaysians found it difficult to return as their children were still in primary or secondary schools in the foreign countries where they had settled.
She added that those who took up the offer cited family as their main reason to return to Malaysia, followed closely by the need for employment.
The SCMP report also quoted analyst Hwok-Aun Lee, a senior fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, as saying that Chinese in Malaysia showed a much greater inclination to emigrate, contributing to a disparity that was not healthy for the country.
“Chinese Malaysians on average have greater means to emigrate and have largely ingrained the ethos of self-reliance,” he was quoted as saying.
“They are also more likely to have emigrant family and friends who may encourage the decision and provide moral and practical support.”
He reportedly said academic high-achievers who moved elsewhere “often express the sentiment they were not given a fair chance, or felt undervalued” when in Malaysia.
Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed, however, said Malaysians may find that there is more discrimination elsewhere.
“Brain drain is about many factors. But with many countries being more closed about immigration policies, those who emigrate from Malaysia may find fewer opportunities and more discrimination in other countries,” he was quoted as saying.