Media Statement: Talent Corp needs 300 years to reverse brain drain (EN/CN)

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar should do his mathematics before saying that the Talent Corp Program has been effective in reversing brain drain. In fact, at its current efficiency, it will take at least 300 years to reverse Malaysian brain drain. 

It is impossible for Malaysia to become a high-income nation without good quality of human capital. Malaysia needs talent, but talent seems to be leaving. According to the World Bank Report in 2011, 2 out of 10 tertiary-educated Malaysians opting to leave Malaysia for greener pasture.

In his reply to Liew Chin Tong’s question in the parliament, Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar said that the Talent Corp program has been effective in reversing brain drain and the RM 65 million operating cost since 2011 was worth spent.

We would like to remind Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar that according to the World Bank report brain drain represents one third of the strong one million Malaysian diaspora, i.e there are more than 300,000 Malaysian professionals settled down outside of Malaysia. The Talent Corp program however, has only succeeded in bringing back 680 Malaysians professionals in 2011, 923 in 2012 and 502 up to June this year. Even at 1,000 professionals returning every year, at this ‘reverse’ rate, it will take 300 years for Talent Corp to reverse Malaysia brain drain. This is also the most optimistic estimation based on the assumption that there is no further brain drain.

约300年来缓和马来西亚人才外流现象算有效？(Talent Corp)

首相署部长拿督斯里阿都瓦希上议员在发表“专才机构(Talent Corp) 成功缓和人才外流现象”前，应当重新估算其数据。事实上，以目前的回流进度，我们须要约300年来达到缓和马来西亚人才外流现象。

若缺乏高素质专才，我国是不可能达致高收入国目标。我们须要人才，但人才却一直外流。根据世界银行的报告，每十名马来西亚专才中，就有两名选择离开，以寻找跟好的发展机会。

首相署部长拿督斯里阿都瓦希在国会回答居銮国会议员刘镇东提问指出，专才机构自2011年以来共耗资了6500万令吉，成功缓和了人才流失，因此这项开销是值得的。

我们要提醒拿督斯里阿都瓦希，在100万旅居国外马来西亚人当中有三分一 是有专业资格的人才。马来西亚足足的流失了30万人才。反之，专才机构仅成功在2011年召回680海外专才，以及2012年923名，同时今年截至六月为止仅成功召回502名。按照此回流进度，以最乐观的假设没有任何人才继续外流，即使该机构一年成功召回高达1000名专才回国，我们须要长达300年来达到缓和马来西亚人才外流现象。

Media Statement: Ridiculous to restrict PJ auxiliary police unit ops

We welcome Inspector General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar’s historic approval of auxiliary police forces to Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ). However the restriction imposed on the auxiliary police to only the MBPJ building and the court complex is completely nonsensical and unbelievably ridiculous.

First of all, we would like to congratulate Inspector General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar for being the first IGP to have approved auxiliary police force application from Pakatan Rakyat local council as he confirmed the approval of MBPJ application for auxiliary police force as reported by The Star today.

Looking at the rampant crime situation in Petaling Jaya, MBPJ has been proactively applying for auxiliary police since 2009 and the most recent application dated Jun 2012 was the third attempt and has finally been approved. We welcome the decision with open arms. However, we are surprised by the restrictions imposed on the auxiliary police to only MBPJ buildings and the court complex. We are further perplexed by his recommendation that MBPJ can hire enforcement officers as a replacement for auxiliary police to help with neighborhood security.

We cannot find the logic of IGP as such that the armed auxiliary police are to carry out their duties at MBPJ buildings and the Courts but the unarmed enforcement officers are to patrol on the street in the face of potential criminals who are often armed and ferocious.

Media Statement: BN Government Deliberately Blocking PR's Security Move

Inspector General of Police and Home Ministry must stop playing politics and immediately approve Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya and any other city council’s application to establish their auxiliary police force to combat crime.

To assist the battle against crime, Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ) has applied to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for an auxiliary police force in Feb 2009 and had allocated RM4.3million to train and equip 100 personnel from its enforcement unit to complement the police force in PJ. However, it was rejected in 2010 based on lame excuse that the crime rate had declined and there was no need for MBPJ to have its own auxiliary police as there will be ‘overlapping functions’ with the police.

MBPJ has since applied again for auxiliary police in the city in June 2012. However, the City Council has yet to receive any response from the IGP. We are extremely disappointed that the Police force is playing politics over the set up of the auxiliary police, and refuses to give priority to the safety and security of Selangor residents.

In fact, the establishment of auxiliary police forces is one of the recommended initiatives under Najib’s Governmental Transformation Program (GTP)’s Reducing Crime NKRA. Nevertheless, Inspector General of Police (IGP) and Home Ministry have shown clear double-standards in granting auxiliary police administration approval, as requested by Police Act 1967 (Part IX, 47-50).

Media Statement: Ensure oil money put into good use

Petronas executive vice president of finance Datuk George Ratilal on 5 Jun 2013 has openly disagreed with the Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Paul Low, who had previously attributed Malaysia poor ranking Resource Governance Index (RGI) to Petronas’ overseas non- disclosure agreements (NDA). Ratilal insisted that Petronas has been transparent in overseas operations and their standard of disclosure is as good as other international oil companies such as Shell and Exxon-Mobil.

This open disagreement from Petronas is clearly a rebuke aimed at our newly minted Minister in Prime Minister’s Department. My earlier rebuttal statement had argued that the poor RGI ranking has little to do with disclosure of overseas operations but operation and business activities within Malaysia and now Petronas confirmed it that even there’s such indicator, Petronas has been living up to international standard.

We hope that by now Paul Low has already read the RGI report and realize that Malaysia poor ranking in RGI is due to the lack of comprehensive disclosure policies in Malaysia legal framework such as the freedom of information law and the lax of Petroleum Development Act 1974 in requiring Petronas to disclose certain information of their operations and business decisions within Malaysia such as the award of contracts, exploration license, subsidies, royalty transfers etc. Petronas is not required by the law to disclose this information and therefore should not be the scapegoat of the Barisan Nasional government for their inability in resource governance.

If the BN Government is really serious about transparency, we would like to challenge BN to push for Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, which allows the public to seek information made by government ministries and department as well as government-linked companies (GLCs) like Petronas. With that, the public can ask for information from Petronas such as the award of contracts and license grants, which in turn lessen leakages and corruption in the process.

Media Statement: Singapore no role model for online media controls

Communications and Multimedia Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek has said that the federal government is studying the possibility of regulating online news portals, imitating Singapore’s move to do so.

Since Singapore - seen as being more sophisticated - has come up with the regulation, the Malaysian government will look into its feasibility, he said.

Before taking Singapore as a ‘role model’, we suggest that the minister looks at the 2013 Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters without Borders to measures the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information in 179 countries.

Singapore ranks worse than Malaysia, standing at 149th while Malaysia is at 145th. This is even after Malaysia suffered one of the biggest falls in ranking - a sharp drop of 23 places - among the countries surveyed.

Therefore, it is obvious that emulating Singapore’s regulations on Internet monitoring would be a clearly regressive move for Malaysia.

Media Statement: Stop Being 'BN Apologist'

Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Paul Low should perhaps do his homework first before attempting to “justify” Malaysia’s poor rankings in the Revenue Governance Index Report

Paul Low should read the Revenue Watch Institute (RWI) 2013 report first before defending the Barisan Nasional government of their inability in resource governance, which is clearly shown by the Malaysia’s poor ranking in the report’s Resource Governance Index (RGI).

In responding to the poor ranking, Paul Low was reported saying that it is because the disclosure of overseas agreements make up a "big item" in the index and Petronas has to respect the host government’s requests for non-disclosure while doing operation overseas. This excuse given is contrary to that stated in the RGI report.

Media Statement: Malaysia Poor Ranking in Resource Governance Index (RGI)

Malaysia fares worse than Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Iraq in the latest Resource Governance Index published by Revenue Watch Institute.

Malaysia ranks 34th out of 58 countries with a score of 46 out of 100 in Resource Governance Index (RGI) published on 8 May 2013 by Revenue Watch Institute (RWI), a non-profit organization that promotes effective, transparent and accountable management of natural resources. Malaysia is categorized as ‘weak’ among the four standards of governance - satisfactory, partial, weak and failing while our neighboring countries Indonesia and Philippine are categorized as partial with better rank of 14^th and 23^rd respectively. We also tail behind 8 African countries - Ghana (15^th), Liberia (16^th), Zambia (17^th), Morocco (25^th), Tanzania (27^th), Botswana (30^th), Gabon (32^nd) and Guinea (33^rd) as well as countries like Indonesia Kazakhstan (19^th), Venezuela (20^th), Azerbajian (28^th) and Iraq (29^th).

Petroleum sector is one of the most important sectors in Malaysia, representing 10% of gross domestic product and 20% of exports as well as 40% of federal government revenue in 2011.  According to Petroleum Development Act of 1974, Malaysia national oil firm, Petronas, has the exclusive right to manage the petroleum sector and can grant licenses and sign contracts without public scrutiny. It is only accountable to the Prime Minister. Because there’s a lack of disclosure policies, Petronas is currently publishing little information on extractive contracts or resource-funded subsidies. On licensing, it announces the award of licenses through press releases with little details and without the disclosure of the terms and conditions.