We’re squandering talents, potential of our youths, says Umno veep

 

Mohamed Khaled Nordin slams ‘slowbalisation’, saying the government has no strategy and instead allows the market to dictate the salaries of local talents.

PETALING JAYA: An Umno vice-president wants the government to address underemployment in Malaysia, warning that the nation was squandering the talents and potential of its younger generation.

Mohamed Khaled Nordin said that by right, Malaysia should already have a clear policy on exporting its talents.

He cited India as a good example of a country that sent out its best talents to work around the globe, while millions more were offering their services to international companies without even having to migrate.

Khaled said the Philippines had also done the same till the point Manila was forced to issue a moratorium to prevent its nurses and medical workers from leaving the country during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He added that various unicorn companies – businesses that are valued US$1 billion (RM4.1 billion) or more –  were rushing to poach talents from Eastern Europe.

“Unfortunately, Malaysia was still in a ‘slowbalisation’ phase, without a strategy and choosing instead to take the easy way out by allowing the market to dictate the salaries of local talents.

“Graduates should get a dignified start to their career. Their potential needs to be unleashed by paying them accordingly. Only then would it give them the impetus to work hard and come up with the most creative ideas,” Khaled, a former higher education minister, said in a statement today.

Khaled said data from the higher education ministry showed that at least 10% of graduates earned between RM1,001 to RM1,500 a month for the past decade.

A survey by the ministry also revealed that 22.3% of graduates last year were in the same category.

“And these figures are worrying, seeing that the country invests a lot in higher education.”

Khaled went on to warn that a government that ignored its best generation would end up paying a hefty price when it came to developing the country.

“It looks like Malaysia is headed that way, squandering the talents and potential of the younger generation, without a strategy in line with the current times.”

Earlier this month, economic affairs minister Mustapa Mohamed said that graduates should be grateful if they get a job even with a low salary amid a struggling economy due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mustapa said graduates’ salaries were lower than usual because of a weak job market resulting from the economy shrinking 5.6% in 2020. However, he said the situation should improve in the next three to four months. - FMT