COMMENT | A good friend from Australia recently wrote to me this: “I hope all goes well. I note that Malaysian politicians have finally decided that the brain drain has become critical.

“As I’ve mentioned several times before, if one examines the postgraduate departments of any Australian university, one will encounter Malaysian students, including increasing numbers of Malays, whose expertise will never be enjoyed by Malaysia. A few anecdotes:

“Yesterday, I attended a specialist appointment regarding possible glaucoma, of which I was cleared. The specialist, ethnic Chinese, was the daughter of Malaysians who migrated to Australia.

“A cardiologist whom I consulted, now a professor of cardiology, was born in Malaysia. Similarly, a hearing specialist who diagnosed my hearing loss, both ethnic Chinese. My dentist, an ethnic Indian, is of Malaysian birth.

“The son, ethnic Indian, of my former KL amah, is a taxi driver in KL. He ensured all three of his sons excelled in school. All of them received results that should have gained them places in Malaysian universities. They were offered Singapore scholarships and have been lost to Malaysia...