Muhyiddin: Malaysians abroad, bring your expertise home

GOLD COAST, Nov 18 — Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today urged the Malaysian diaspora of experts abroad to return home and help Malaysia progress at even faster pace through their expertise.

With the diaspora estimated to number some 1.2 million with most of them in Australia, he said their expertise and skills could be harnessed in the nation’s interest.

Malaysian experts abroad were no longer limited to the fields of medicine, accountancy and law as before as the diaspora was now also involved in other fields like specific branches of science and were researchers at universities, he said.

“The Malaysian workforce needs more specialists. Malaysia needs you to come home, the country needs your expertise,” he said at a dinner with students and Malaysians living in Queensland here last night.

On Thursday, Muhyiddin had launched the Malaysian Scientific Diaspora Network (MSDN) to serve as a key platform to connect Malaysian scientists worldwide and promote collaborative research in their areas of expertise for the country’s benefit.

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said the transformation plans and programmes currently undertaken by the Malaysian government opened vast opportunities for the diaspora.

He said if before they might ask what were the prospects if they returned home but this no longer was the case as they would be able to flourish in their careers.

He also advised the diaspora to pick up as much knowledge and skills as possible while they were abroad as this would serve them in good stead when they came home.

He urged Malaysians keen to return to contribute to the growth of the country to get in touch with Talent Corporation Malaysia Bhd (TalentCorp), which was specifically set up by the government to facilitate this.

Earlier, Muhyiddin. who is also Umno deputy president, had held a meeting with leaders of Umno clubs in Australia and New Zealand.

At the meeting, he told them to use the social media to counter baseless allegations made by the opposition against Umno. — Bernama