DAP Klang MP Charles Santiago and PKR Kelana Jaya MP Wong Chen said a more democratic environment would inspire new ideas, products and processes to take the economy to a higher level.
They issued the call following the publication of the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Democracy Index 2017 which listed Malaysia as among countries considered “flawed democracies”.
According to the EIU table, Malaysia is ranked 59th out of 167 countries polled, scoring 6.54 in the democracy index, far behind South Korea in 20th position, the US (21st), Taiwan (33rd) and South Africa (41st).
Malaysia is also categorised as “largely unfree” in the Media Freedom Index.
Speaking to FMT, Santiago, who is an economist, said one of the problems many Malaysian graduates have is their inability to think independently and critically.
“Many researchers believe this is due to the constraints they face under the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971,” he said.
“Social and technological advancement is hampered because everyone is so careful about what they want to say.
“That kills creativity and this is why we can’t come up with many intellectual properties like other more developed countries.”
In the meantime, he said, the cream of the graduates were getting job offers overseas and this brain drain escalated the problem of shortage of skilled people.
“The point is that when society becomes closed and democratic values are eroded, people will leave. The better minds will be bought over and they will go to greener pastures.”
Wong, the PKR commerce and investment bureau chief, agreed with Santiago, saying having low press freedom also meant that the majority of the population had a tendency to be less critical and creative and more docile.
“These are not attributes that can support the modern high-end knowledge-based economy,” said Wong, a lawyer who specialised in information technology.
He said a lack of press freedom would also have a negative impact on investors as it “shows a lack of rule of law and good and accountable governance.”
Santiago, however, disagreed that a more closed society would impact foreign investment, citing China as an example.
“Look at China. Why do people rush to China despite the fact that it’s very closed? It’s because it’s a huge market and you can make money as long as you play by the Chinese rules.”
Asked whether China, as a closed society, also suffered in terms of creativity and critical thinking, Santiago said China was unique.
“It’s got a middle-level management that can speak fluent English and develop new technology.
“They are closed but they put money in their research, technology, schools, universities, and send their children to good schools abroad so they can learn and come back with new knowledge to advance their economy.
“We, on the other hand, are fighting for a low wage market with countries like Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. This is where the problem lies.”