Saturday, May 26, 2007

Dinner With the PM. Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi


The Prime Minister of Malaysia have had a dinner with the Malaysian students in Osaka after his official visit to Tokyo Japan. I was there for the dinner and was able to sit with him on the same dining table. It was a nice experience having dinner with the national leader, to talk to him in such a short distance. What I regret was I should have use that opportunity to talk more to him about more important issue rather than the normal conversation. God knows I was a little nervous that time.

Anyway, I still have some disappointment towards this dinner among the PM with students. Maybe I was expecting too much about it. First of all, I was hopping for a good quality of question and answering session after the dinner. But the session was too short(only 4 students have the chance to approach the mic). Students were not really paying attention during the session, too noisy (they don't appreciate the chance to get feedback from the national leader about some issue?? I wonder). And I was not satisfy with the answer from the PM especially towards my question about the brain drain problem and the poor quality of national university in the country.

I was asking how the government going to do with the continuous brain grain problem in the country when the country itself cannot provide a quality working environment for professional workers. The well trained students are more likely to continue their research or work in the company in the oversea than going back to serve the country. How can the government achieve the goal to get the ratio of 60 researchers per 10,000 labours by the year 2010? The poor performance of national university(not in the list of 100 best University in the world by the last year report) is one of the reason it cannot draw back the current research at the oversea. How the government looking at these problem when we only 13 years away from year 2020.

The respond--I will make it short by listing down the important points:
-"About the government policy to achieve brain gain.better pay, easier visa proses to bring back husband or wife.....".
But we need to know the responds or results, since you already implement this since 1995???

-"Example was given about a doctor who has been return to the country when he knows that his brother(also a doctor) is getting better life in Malaysia. The facility in the hospital in Malaysia is better than the hospital he serve oversea."
I agree that the policy had attracted many attentions of Malaysians who really want to contribute to their home country, but there are cases where people who were back a few years in Malaysia and they finally decide to leave the country again this time for good. Why? What wrong with them? or what wrong with the policy? Don't always give us the good news, we want to know the problems!!!!

-"University ranking is based on the level of research of the university, and Malaysia's universities are weak on that part. I will discuss this matter with the ministry of education."
But how??? This is not the first year we listed poor in the ranking, 3 years you have been in the office, there must be something you have in your head. We need to know what you think. Discuss with the ministry??? too disappointed with this kind of answer.

To be continued......

1 comment:

Pit Fuh said...

maybe you should forward your posting to Malaysiakini (letter to editors)? Then you definitely get some attention..or to the blog "education in Malaysia" by Tony Pua??

+P, anyway, am proud of you!