Let’s not miss the boat! — Ramon Navaratnam

Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed sounded the right alarm in his thoughtful comment in “An opportunity  to prepare Malaysians  for jobs of the future.” (NST, June 18)

This vital issue is indeed a  major concern among all right thinking Malaysians. Their own jobs and especially that of their children and the future employment outlook and their wellbeing and welfare are all  at stake.

It is therefore pertinent that the minister responsible for socio economic planning, in the Prime Minister’s Department, has shared  his views and rich experience as a senior civil servant and former outstanding Minister of Trade, with us the public. 

Having been his colleague in the Treasury  many years ago, I can say with conviction that the minister is serious in his analysis and plans for the future.

But what he has proposed is necessary but may  not be sufficient to solve our unemployment and other socio economic problems, for now and the future. But I believe the minister has an open mind and will welcome and consider all relevant views for inclusion in his economic planning.

Need structural changes

The estimated unemployment  rate at 5 per cent is worrisome. But it is possible that this high rate will  worsen, unless we reform the economic structure more  significantly, as follows:

1. The minister has rightly proposed that we should ramp up our digital agenda. But we must also raise our standards of proficiency in the English language to get  better  access to the knowledge in the English  language worldwide.

Of course we could stick to the present practices, but we will lose out to other competing countries,  for trade and investment and academic excellence. Already we are losing out in the IMD (Institute for Management Development) World Competiveness Ranking. We dropped 5 points from 22 to 27 in the ranking.

I would hope the government needs to set up a committee to examine our shortfalls. They may show the structural weaknesses seeping into the system. We could send an expert team of our officials to see what there is in Singapore that we can learn and improve, as they were ranked Number One.  

2 The minister`s proposal to reduce Foreign workers is  laudable. But the estimate of just 2 million foreign workers may be too low if you include about another 2  million  unregistered foreign workers.

Furthermore the government has to review our Wag Structure to reward our  skilled workers, those frontline workers doing the 3 D jobs. If they can flock to Singapore to do the “dirty jobs,” surely they would be happier to work at home if given better pay.

3. Here again, the basic needs of our society must be met as a matter of high priority, as Covid-19 has revealed the poverty, hunger, and lack of housing, health and environmental protection are serious  weaknesses in our economy.

These fundamental  economic right and others have been denied to  millions of Malaysians. Here we cannot miss the boat again, please.

4. Education quality has declined at many levels from school to universities. Our international scores have not been internationally competitive enough. This is because of the neglect of meritocracy  where we went out more for quantity than quality education.

This has a severe bearing on unemployment. Indeed as the minister points out that the management guru Peter Drucker has stated that “the ultimate resource in economic development, is people.”

But we have over the years driven away some of our best  brains due to deprivation of opportunities to study and work here at home! It our bring power that also attracts investment and jobs. So we must ask ourselves, how  we can create opportunities to create and find jobs at home?

Conclusion

The minister  has done  very well to stress the  opportunities to revitalise, recognise, strengthen and future proof  our economy . It’s a big  task and some of his sound proposals would need  much more structural changes for us sail more  confidently  into the  open rough  seas of   severe competition. More has to be done to ensure that as the minister says “let’s not miss the boat.”

I would respectfully  add  that I hope Mustapa's  bold  foresight is shared by other broad minded leaders  or we will be left behind on the sea shore, without much hope for more employment and  greater progress!

* Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam is chairman of ASLI (Centre for Public Policy Studies) - MM