Dissatisfaction with Mahathir's legacy cause of emigration

Last week, Mahathir who retired as the Prime Minister in 2003 told delegates at the Langkawi International Dialogue that developed nations did not pay a single cent when they “whisked away” brilliant students. He said,

"But our countries spent money educating our people, right from kindergarten to university and after spending that much of money, only a handful are brilliant.
"Yet, they come and grab our IPs to work in their countries without paying us anything, ..."

In Malaysia, many people especially students leave the country not because developed countries come to entice them away. They leave because of the deplorable state of affairs in the country. Mahathir should be reminded that this state of affairs is partly a legacy of his 22 years of iron-fist administration. Perhaps he should read the moving letter reproduced below eloquently-written by a father who has reluctantly sent his son overseas.

Reproduced from Malaysiakini

I bade my son farewell today
A Father's Yoke
Jul 16, 07 5:00pm

My son, Ryan, who is 18, left to further his studies in Australia
today. He goes to embark on his tertiary studies at a reputed
university - ordinarily, something to be proud of. However, it was
more sadness than pride that ruled the day.

I have pondered many a time as to why we come to a point where it
is like tossing your child out of a flaming or sinking ship. We have
many universities here, yet we have to sacrifice so much to send
them abroad. Why? Thanks to the politicised education system, it is
not in his interest to study here - even when we are now a global
village.

Many nations who lagged behind us have closed the gap or gone
ahead. Had he gone through the local universities, his mobility in
terms of employability worldwide would be seriously curtailed. The
major corporations in Malaysia generally prefer the foreign
graduates - especially those from ranked universities.

The polarisation that is systemic ensures that his circle of friends
more likely would be non-Malay or non-Muslim. This would be a
major disadvantage in a multi-cultural society - increasingly the
trend in many progressive countries. When I was a student in the
70s, our friendships were not determined by our race or religion. In
fact, in many cases, we got to know our friends' ethnic origins many
years later when they got married and we attended their wedding
ceremonies.

In today's increasingly common parlance, I am reminded repeatedly
that I am a third generation 'pendatang'. My son therefore will be
the fourth - one who like me, speaks only English and Malay.
‘Pendatang’ nonetheless. Scholarships by and large are a mirage for
folk like us. Just like crumbs and morsels that fall off a dining table.

So what are we griping about in the land of blue skies and 'ais
kachang'? Our land of blue skies could and should have been a land
of milk, honey and plenty. Instead, we have increasingly unfettered
corruption, polarisation, degeneration of our education system right
from Standard 1 to full blown chaos at the tertiary level.

The perception of fair play as played out in the judiciary gives one
little to look forward to in seeking justice. Our sports achievements
- barring a few rare exceptions - have seen a massive slide. Even
this has been politicised. From a feared soccer nation, we are now
below Singapore and Thailand. Sportsmen sell out on their honour
and country. Wonder who they learnt this from. From multi-racial
teams for soccer, hockey and rugby, we put out almost
homogenous teams today. The results speak for themselves.

When my son is ready to join the job market, the civil service would
not even be a considered option. Turn back the clock about 50 years
and one sees the stark difference - when the best brains competed
to join the service.

So, as a 'pendatang', my advice to others like me is that you
cherish and value the limited time you have with your children
because unlike others, you are not guaranteed the opportunity to be
at their side - or even a short distance behind - to see that they
don’t tumble along life's walkway.

When they are packed off at 18, the chances of them returning is so
much less. The plus side is that as parents, we know that we have
given them the opportunity to make their best shot for the years to
come.

Farewell son, the grass may not be greener on the other side, but
the skies are more blue. And even if the grass is not greener, it is
grass you can stand on with your head held high. God Bless.