A nation’s greatness is measured
by the intellect-level of its people. How true is this statement one may ask?
One of the greatest countries of this century in terms of economic and
technological prowess would have to be the United States of America. To reach
this pinnacle, much of the effort is attributed to its leaders and the people.
How did it all begin?
America gained its independence
from the British Empire in the year 1776. At that point of time, peace is not
readily available within the country. Sporadic battles between the colonial
army and the British army rages on. After achieving total independence from the
British Empire, the civil war between the north and south came about. With all
these obstacles, it still managed to crawl out from the depths of uncertainties
and become the sole superpower of the world as seen today.
Is America so much different
compared to our beloved country Malaysia? For one, both countries declared
independence from the British Empire. After independence, Malaysia did
encounter upheavals within the country as well, from the communist insurgencies
to racial riots. Both countries are made up of immigrants and natives. So why does
Malaysia seem to be moving backwards year after year in terms of competitiveness
in the global market?
The major headache has to be our
education system. In a survey done recently, our younger generation does not
have what it takes to compete intellectually with the outside world. Knowledge
is not only power in the current era, but also a necessity for survival. Only
with knowledge and the proper skillsets, nation building can progress
substantially. Only with knowledge and proper skillsets, the world will
recognize Malaysians as an intellectual workforce to be reckon with and sort
after. And only with knowledge and proper skillsets, the quality of life of an
average Malaysian can improve substantially.
People may argue that knowledge
and proper skillsets can be bought in the form of immigrants, as can be seen
practiced by our southern neighbour. But as our neighbour is bringing in
skilled immigrants, including Malaysians mind you, our country is attracting
the opposites. Not to belittle the contributions of the immigrants, but for a
country to achieve a higher growth per capita, the population should be moving
towards an industrialized-type skillsets.
It is therefore imperative that
education and immigration policies should not be wielded as a political tool
for the benefit of the nation. Unless there is a sinister agenda whereby the
standard of education is purposely lowered to subjugate the population by the
western-educated ruling class, the government of the day should ensure all
Malaysians are provided with the necessary knowledge and proper skillsets to
compete in the global market. God bless our great nation.
