KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—The Malaysian government must reform its immigration policies to deal with the serious “brain drain” from the country, said parliamentarian Tan Sri Dr. Fong Chan Onn at a public forum organized by Huazong (Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia) in Kuala Lumpur last week.
Fong, a former human resources minister, said that in order to counter the brain drain, the government should drop its current cold-war mentality on immigration policies that impose strict rules for working permits, permanent residence (PR) status, and citizenship.
“Working permits for expatriates should be quickly approved for applications from employers for bringing in the expertise that they need to run their businesses or factories. PR status should be accorded to the top experts that we want to recruit,” said Fong.
Another major factor contributing to the flight of Malaysia’s human capital, according to Fong, is the country’s gender-biased permanent residence policy. Under Malaysian law, a child born overseas to a Malaysian mother but non-Malaysian father is not entitled to citizenship or even permanent resident status.
According to the World Bank, the number of emigrants out of Malaysia rose from 9,576 in 1960 to almost 1.5 million in 2005, a nearly 100-fold increase in the 45-year period.
Fong, a former human resources minister, said that in order to counter the brain drain, the government should drop its current cold-war mentality on immigration policies that impose strict rules for working permits, permanent residence (PR) status, and citizenship.
“Working permits for expatriates should be quickly approved for applications from employers for bringing in the expertise that they need to run their businesses or factories. PR status should be accorded to the top experts that we want to recruit,” said Fong.
Another major factor contributing to the flight of Malaysia’s human capital, according to Fong, is the country’s gender-biased permanent residence policy. Under Malaysian law, a child born overseas to a Malaysian mother but non-Malaysian father is not entitled to citizenship or even permanent resident status.
According to the World Bank, the number of emigrants out of Malaysia rose from 9,576 in 1960 to almost 1.5 million in 2005, a nearly 100-fold increase in the 45-year period.
