The Push And Pull Factors That Operate

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For any nation to move up on the trajectory of long-term socioeconomic development, there must be a mix of factors which can collectively contribute to that objective.
First, there must be a set of responsible, credible, and competent people in authority and decision-making positions spearheading the administration.
These should be people who only have national service at heart, instead of self and vested interests which opens the floodgates for abuse of power and authority, leading to the abhorrent situation of kleptocracy.
Kleptocracy is defined thus: “Kleptocracy is a government whose corrupt leaders use political power to appropriate the wealth of the people and the land they govern, typically by embezzling or misappropriating government funds at the expense of the wide population.”
And also: “Kleptocracy is a government by those who seek, chiefly, status and personal gain at the expense of the governed.”
As such, when a government is seen and even proven to be a kleptocracy, then there is a deep erosion of trust and confidence both among the people and foreigners.
This is especially true when policies and measures are more often than not incoherent and not well-thought-out, uncoordinated within the administration and bureaucratic structure, among ministries, and between the federal and state governments.
There will always be that trust deficit.
Brain drain
This is one strong push factor that, among other things, deters others from investing and doing business in Malaysia. This is regardless of the presumed verbal commitments to invest, which may not even materialise.
It is also a push factor that continues to drive our skilled, competent, and qualified Malaysians, especially the younger generation, to emigrate to countries which have attractive pull factors to motivate them to undertake a wide range of truly value-adding endeavours.
We lose, other nations gain.
On a daily basis, we are also bombarded with incredulous statements, personal “fatwas”, and rules and conditions of minuscule importance to society and nation. Most of that is reflective of the disgusting “culture” of ‘menjaga tepi kain orang’, and ‘tidak mencermin diri sendiri’.
And of course, there’s the usual shifting of blame and the refusal to accept responsibility, such as for the rape of our forests and the environment, which is de rigueur (so commonplace it’s seemingly mandatory).
Reset, now or never
Clearly, the “push” factors far outnumber the “pull” factors.
Of course, there is also the “sword of Damocles” hanging over our collective heads. The ballooning of the national debt and its onerous obligations that are being shifted to the future generations.
The list of push factors is certainly long, and it is getting longer by the day.
Already, Malaysia has dropped several rungs in the global competitiveness index, and the country will continue to slide backwards and downwards if the issues and malaise pertaining to governance, administration, policy implementation, and purely politically driven decisions continue to prevail.
It is time for that national reset. It is now or never. - Mkini
RAFIDAH AZIZ is former international trade and industry minister.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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