Malaysia to attract global talents, citizens abroad

2009/11/14

SINGAPORE: Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the government would make Malaysia a better place to live and work in to bring back its citizens who are residing overseas as well as attract global talents to the country. "We will create more opportunities, more excitement and more buzz in Malaysia to attract the Malaysian diaspora and expatriates to the country," Najib said last night.

Speaking at a dinner he hosted for the Malaysian community here, the prime minister said that in the current challenging world, Malaysia needed the best talents and brains to develop and prosper the country.

However, he said, it would not be easy to get them because competition was stiff as other countries were looking for global talents too, adding that without good brains Malaysia could not be considered a knowledge-based or innovation economy.

Najib said Malaysians of all races with good talent and brains had high mobility today and were always moving from place to place looking for better prospects in terms of career opportunities, good companies and conducive living conditions.

He said the government would make the country a better prospect for them and also other global talents by creating more iconic companies and investing in cutting-edge research and development.

The prime minister said such Malaysians looking for greener pastures overseas had become global citizens and not that they were not loyal to the country or deemed unpatriotic.

He said it could not be assumed that because they were Malaysians, they must work in Malaysia, but not denying that the country's 20-year investment in them in terms of education was not giving dividends.

However, Najib said, the country had not lost them for good as the government was taking a new dimension in its approach to connecting with Malaysians residing abroad by reaching out to them and leveraging their presence in the host countries.

He said the government would seek their help in marketing or promoting the country''s interests through their local network, or at the least help to paint a positive or correct picture of Malaysia abroad.

He also said that they could help the government in luring foreigners to consider working in Malaysia and making the country their second home.

The prime minister also said that the country was still grappling with its economy and the government would be making an adjustment on the economic and growth model soon, taking into account the changing world environment.

Najib said one of the models was to collaborate with as many countries as possible in order to integrate Malaysia into the world economy, which he added was taking a new shape in the post-economic crisis.

He said his new administration should be judged by its deeds and not by promises as he was determined to make Malaysia a worthy place to live in, and provide prosperity and stability to all Malaysians.

Najib's wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman and the Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore, Datuk Md Hussin Nayan, and their wives also attended the dinner.

-- BERNAMA