Speaking at a webinar today, UKEC chairperson-elect Nicole Siaw said it was easy for Malaysians abroad to lose interest in the country’s current issues – especially when they do not have family or friends informing them about it.

Siaw also said that youths can also get “detached” when they learn of better job opportunities overseas.

“That is why for nation-building, the number one thing for students abroad is to get them to care about Malaysia,” she said.

“Building a community for Malaysians abroad is the best way to get youths to care about Malaysia, and organisations like UKEC have an interest in gathering all these students together and talking about current issues.

“We try to bring Malaysia to them.”

She was speaking at a webinar titled “The Concept of Democracy and Building Bangsa Malaysia: Challenges, Obstacles and the Future” which was organised by Institut Darul Ehsan, a research body under the Selangor government.

Siaw said one of the main challenges UKEC faced was the perception by certain students that conditions abroad are better than in Malaysia – which then makes them hesitant to return.

In a bid to reverse this, she suggested the promotion of better job opportunities in Malaysia and getting students to participate in volunteer work, which would entice them to return to Malaysia once they graduate.

“It is our job to understand why people are feeling this way, and we have to try and identify other channels in which we can help them stay connected to Malaysia.”