"These 'fighters' were nowhere to be seen when the Islamo-fascists took over the country. They did nothing to stop the Arabisation programme which stifled democracy, where even the most basic personal freedoms are taken away."

– Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim

COMMENT | Former Member of Parliament Ong Kian Ming wrote a good solid piece about empowering TalentCorp and not shutting it down - but the problem with it, its only problem actually - is that it is a piece about a reformed Malaysia, or at least about an imagined Malaysia led by a government committed to reforms.

Not this rickety ship piloted by desperadoes fighting among themselves with theocrats nipping at their heels.

The reason why I chose to open this piece with the out-of-favour Zaid Ibrahim is because seven years ago he wrote a piece which neatly encapsulates why not only young Malays should leave this country but demonstrated articulately what crude majoritarianism was doing to the dominant polity.

There is a great passage in the piece, this one - “There are many things the Malays can learn by migrating. They need to realise that being in the majority and being able to impose their will, as they like, do not always bring tangible benefits. As migrants, they then realise what it is like to be a minority. They have to, by necessity, become part of a larger community. They need to know the meaning of consensus and try to live like other minorities” - which neatly captures why talent leaves this county....