BOSTON: A snow storm and icy roads did not stop a group of bright Malaysians here from turning up for an important date with the Deputy Prime Minister.
About 100 professionals, researchers and students from world famous institutions such as Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Berklee College of Music braved the blizzard to hear what Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had to say about wooing talent home.
And his message to them was clear: “Please come home.”
After dinner, Muhyiddin took questions from the floor, mostly from students and professionals who expressed a desire to return to Malaysia but were concerned over the political situation, security, research funds and opportunities, education and salary.
A researcher, who has been in the United States for six years, asked whether her future husband would be able to obtain permanent resident (PR) status.
Muhyiddin acknowledged that there had been problems in the past.
However, he said the Government was now more flexible and was extending PR status to foreigners with the right qualifications. He cited the example of several foreign CEOs being accorded PR status a few weeks ago.
+++++
The bright sparks asked mundane questions about salary, research funds, security, PR status for their spouse. Is it because of a free dinner and being Malaysians you do not slap the hands that feed you that they asked these motherhood questions!
If they were bright (aka SMAR)T they would be asking these open-ended questions:
You said that you were Malay First and Malaysian Second. Can you elucidate, elaborate and equate your statement to 1Malaysia slogan?
Why are we overseas Malaysiabns not given our birth-right as Malaysians to vote in the General Elections?
Why is only government scholars allowed to vote from overseas?
We read that 1,806 (the latest was some two weeks ago a wireman M Krishnan aged 37 died whilst in custody at the Sentul Police station.) have since died between 2003 and last July whilst in remand cells, prisons, detention centres or whilst being questioned as witnesses. If not you, can any of your aides have available statistics to tell us how many died of ill-health, ill treatment or misadventure like suicide by self-strangulation or hanging? This information could dispel the rumors that our authorities, pledged to protect the citizens are not being protected when they are seen to behave otherwise.
Dang, there are more questions our smart overseas Malaysians could ask but I know why they did not. They obviously followed a cardinal rule learned in lawschool during cross-examination:
Do not ask the question the answer to which you do not already know.
Or maybe our smart people did ask but the Star decided it more expedient not to publish those embarrassing queries.
Zorro,
ReplyDeleteIts pretty obvious the 100 malaysian "professionals" who turned up to "listen" to the malay first - DPM are UMNO plants or scycophants. Which real professional in their right mind would bother to turn up to listen to a half past six minister of education cum DPM who is impotent to act against racist school principals. Yup, only stupid and greedy malaysian "professionals" would turn up for a free dinner and these are the same "talented" malaysians the government is trying to lure back to malaysia. Malaysia is further doomed if these crap professionals come back.
Zorro
ReplyDeleteAre u sure the 100 are Malaysians in the US? Or are they actually members of the entourage who flew there in the first place and students who are currently under government scholarship who risk having their scholarship withdraw if they don't go for dinner?
The meeting is pre-arranged with Apco-prepared closed ended questions for the Umnoputera scholars to pose to Mushitdin for answer.
ReplyDeleteThen they get Bernama to give it a nationwide report to show how serious Bolehland in its Talent Corp effort.
Mushitdin should answers those questions posed by Nades (in his Citizen Nades column recently in The Sun), then only we can see how honest is the effort.
The meeting is pre-arranged with Apco-prepared closed ended questions for the Umnoputera scholars to pose to Mushitdin for answer.
ReplyDeleteThen they get Bernama to give it a nationwide report to show how serious Bolehland in its Talent Corp effort.
Mushitdin should answers those questions posed by Nades (in his Citizen Nades column recently in The Sun), then only we can see how honest is the effort.
Dpm should answer these questions posed by The Sun's R Nadeswaran:
ReplyDeleteCan I keep my job if I turn down the loan application of a titled politician because he did not meet the criteria? I am told that requirements are sometimes dispensed with on directives from the Finance Ministry or the central bank. And if these applications are not approved, banks can get into trouble.
If I notice that my bosses have compromised their personal and professional integrity for their own interests, will I be penalised for pointing them out? Can I be assured that they would be prosecuted and barred from working in the financial world?
Can I move up to the top on sheer hard work, dedication and competency and not having to worry of the colour of my skin? I am told that certain positions in GLCs are reserved for bumiputras. Shouldn’t meritocracy be the order of the day?
My wife is a Lebanese Muslim but since our marriage, she follows me to church and our two children are being brought up as Christians. Will I have problems with the religious police? I am told that in Malaysia, a Christian has to convert to marry a Muslim and that the children will be forcibly converted.
I know many Malaysians on government scholarship who went to university with me. Some of them barely made it while I got a first class. Looking at the system, I would be reporting to someone who is less qualified and perhaps less competent than me?
I went through the whole system of racial profiling and discrimination throughout my 18 years of upbringing in Malaysia. I couldn’t get this or that because I was not a bumiputra. Does this policy still exist and if so, what are my chances of furthering my career as a consultant physician with my qualifications, experience and ability? Is the post of director-general restricted to a bumiputra?
I am married to a doctor who holds an Israeli passport. Will she be able to get a job, let alone be allowed to enter and stay in Malaysia?
Reference:
http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=55947
I think your last sentence is more on the dot...
ReplyDelete"Why are we overseas Malaysiabns not given our birth-right as Malaysians to vote in the General Elections?" - Zorro.
ReplyDeleteAs you have your ear closer to PR, can I ask why PR has not helped myoverseasvote.org in money terms as they are trying to raise funds to sue the EC for unlawful discrimation? I believe they have only raised 20,000 RM to date.
There are currently an estimated 1 million potential PR voters out there who are denied postal votes.
Can you imagine how much money BN would raise if there is 1 million votes to be had?
If they consider themselves as smart elites,they are not to smart!... if they were so easily baited to return. 53 years of deceiving from these immoral and corrupted "Ketuanan UMNO assholes" should be more than enough reason to show them the middle finger!
ReplyDeleteWe know how to read news from the govt controlled medias.
ReplyDeleteWhich stupid professor and scholars will ask nonconstructive questions.
BTW, Pakatan & PRK especially must apologise to N46 / Port Klang constituency for fielding a monkey during the last election.
Hopefully there will be another by election after Tenang.
There are 994 secret US diplomatic cables from Kuala Lumpur held by the WikiLeaks team. Only two have been published.
ReplyDeleteI guess more will be released closer to the General election to the embarassment of BN.
I have organised close to about 50 dinners when I was in the GLC.
ReplyDeleteEverytime there was a VIP, Pak Lah, Najib, Auntie Rafidah etc, we would need to get the "numbers".
It was irrelevant whether the people/numbers were "smart" or otherwise.
Their presence was solely needed to make the VIP "feel good".
The worst part was us, the organising committee, making up "planted questions" to make it look like a lively exchange cum discussion.
These questions were planted into several areas, mostly given to our "friends" who were paid to attend.
The management of the Star is not stupid, at least they won't risk their publishing license being revoked again.
I know the govt read yr posts Zorro so I will post my comments here!
ReplyDeleteMy own experience:
My spouse is a defintely not a CEO now but he is more than well qualified (phD Econs fr a reputable university)but he will never get a PR - as many non-malay malaysian spouses can attest.
Even our PR qualification isnt based on Meritocracy! Cant we be open stating criteria to qualify for PR - like elsewhere in the world?
Why did we opt out of being here in our own wonderful country?
We dont come home? Why? Because no matter how bright our kids are, or what they can contribute to Malaysia, NOTHING is based on meritocracy here..so their future is BLEAK.
It's NOT the pay!
It's not even the education level
It's the lack of equal opportunities!
Do you know who gave us CITIZENSHIP rights after 8 yrs? SINGAPORE!
2 yrs after work permit, you can apply for, and get PR (provided u work for a singapore based company)
5 yrs later; based on the fact you hv contributed to the country (tax & qualifications), BANG! Citizenship
No wonder Singapore is booming & we are dooming!
Looks like Utusan has become a microcosm of the wretched junta in Myanmar putting Hata under “house arrest”.
ReplyDeleteCould this be an indication that the BN gomen will have the same idea once they win the next GE. Right now, they are practising this new authoritarian rule via Utusan to see how it pans out.
rampant corruption by the billions are acceptable. all other activities are banned by bn except rampant corruption. this the new malaysia in 2011
ReplyDeleteSome 55% of the population that control 99% of the political power for the past decades has been realized through on block votes based on race and religion.
ReplyDeleteNow that corruption has become an important issue because it had made this a low-income country, and only a few representatives of the endangered race cornered a vast percentage of the wealth ‘transferred from national coffers’, UMNO realizes that the risk of losing political power is real, despites bags of postal votes.
All the so-called conflicts are created by politicians aiming at scare mongering. The so-called 30% equity share to be shared by Malays are held by a tiny fraction of the real Malay population. A Malay will soon have monopoly in running ports in Malaysia. How does it help the ordinary Malays who work in the informal sector? But the excuse that the 30% target had not been reached so other unfair NEP programmes cannot end. That sends trained persons on emigration. The human resource level of the country lags others.
No amount of money under Najib’s NEM would change the indigenous (not bumiputras only) human resource situation.
would expect tens of thousand professionals filling a baseball stadium...
ReplyDeletebut only 100?
lol!
Zorro,
ReplyDeleteIt was not opened for all Malaysians, those attended were friendly guests invited by Malaysia Consulate and the Malaysia Embassy.
I attended such function in the past in NY and raised smart question, since then i was removed from the thier Invitation list.
http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=55947
ReplyDeleteI have 16 years of working experience and hold a senior post in the financial district in London. Would I have to work under someone who is less competent than me or someone who is not suited for the job? I understand that there are some restrictions on senior positions which are reserved for bumiputras, especially in government-linked companies.
Can I keep my job if I turn down the loan application of a titled politician because he did not meet the criteria? I am told that requirements are sometimes dispensed with on directives from the Finance Ministry or the central bank. And if these applications are not approved, banks can get into trouble.
If I notice that my bosses have compromised their personal and professional integrity for their own interests, will I be penalised for pointing them out? Can I be assured that they would be prosecuted and barred from working in the financial world?
Can I move up to the top on sheer hard work, dedication and competency and not having to worry of the colour of my skin? I am told that certain positions in GLCs are reserved for bumiputras. Shouldn’t meritocracy be the order of the day?
My wife is a Lebanese Muslim but since our marriage, she follows me to church and our two children are being brought up as Christians. Will I have problems with the religious police? I am told that in Malaysia, a Christian has to convert to marry a Muslim and that the children will be forcibly converted.
I know many Malaysians on government scholarship who went to university with me. Some of them barely made it while I got a first class. Looking at the system, I would be reporting to someone who is less qualified and perhaps less competent than me?
I went through the whole system of racial profiling and discrimination throughout my 18 years of upbringing in Malaysia. I couldn’t get this or that because I was not a bumiputra. Does this policy still exist and if so, what are my chances of furthering my career as a consultant physician with my qualifications, experience and ability? Is the post of director-general restricted to a bumiputra?
I am married to a doctor who holds an Israeli passport. Will she be able to get a job, let alone be allowed to enter and stay in Malaysia?
It's the discrimination!! Double standard. As a non-Malay Malaysian, we are treated as equals in many countries if we decide to adopt their citizenship. But not here in Malaysia. We are born here as Malaysia but we do not enjoy the same rights as other Malaysian. Why should we stay back in Malaysia? Does the government appreciate our talent? Or maybe talent or skills gets you no where in Malaysia, it's the corruption and connection that does it. Does the government really want the non-Malay Malaysian to come back? I am sure they know what we want. Equal rights, meritocracy and etc. But they are not doing anything about it.
ReplyDeleteI got my citizenship after 2 years PR in Oz (it is 4 years now). The receptionist at the Citizenship office asked me if my English was ok. When I said 'yes', she called the interviewing officer. He spoke to me for less than 5 mins and commented: 'you are highly educated. Your citizenship will be approved." So it was a few days later.
ReplyDeleteThen I got a letter from the lection Comssion asking me to enrol. Being ex-Malaysias, I took my time and I got a reminder! They actually wanted me to vote!
We now live in our large home with views of the CBD and the Tasman Sea. No way will I or mine ever return to Malaysia.
(Lucky One)
CSL said:'If we vote for PAS, we are telling the Malays that we can accept the nation to be ruled according to Islam.'
ReplyDeleteHe forgot that ex-PM (Apanama) had previoulsy declared Malaysia as an Islamic State.
Maybe he should re-attend BTN class in order not to embarass his 1Msia boss.