The DAP has thrown a challenge to the government, emulate India in having our own annual diaspora conference to lure back talented Malaysians from abroad to help transform the country of their birth into an economic powerhouse.

In making the call DAP Parliamentary Leader and Ipoh Timor MP Lim Kit Siang ( left ) said the nation must follow the example of the Indian government which organises the annual jamboree of the Indian Diaspora to rope in the expertise, money and experience of the 25 million Indians abroad.

"Is (Premier) Najib (Abdul Razak) prepared to be as bold and innovative as the Indian Government in tapping into the wealth and resources of the Indian Diaspora? " he asked.

Lim pointed out that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had walked the extra mile in with his announcement of overseas citizenship for Indians living aboard and allowing duel citizenship in some form if their host countries allowed it.

He was speaking at a media conference at the DAP state headquarters here today.

At the recent Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held in New Delhi, Manmohan had also announced the proposal offer to non-resident Indians the right to participate in the Indian electoral process.

Lim wonders if Najib has the political will to emulate the Indian premier in thinking along similar lines to tap into the resources of the Malaysian Diaspora for transforming the our economy into a new model.

Broken promises, wasted millions

It is about time Najib, instead of just harping on the 1Malaysia theme, wakes up to reality and adopts practical moves to attract back the hundreds of thousands of Malaysians who have left the country for greener pastures overseas, he said.

According to Lim, Najib had announced in Singapore last November that his government would make Malaysia a better place to live and work in to lure back her citizens residing abroad as well as attract global talents to the country.

However, Lim claimed that the millions spent to promote the 1Malaysia buzz has fizzled out and the hard political realities at the ground level is discouraging overseas Malaysians from returning to our shores.

He added that the premier has not been able to walk the political talk that he is preaching that he will engineer a reverse brain-drain of Malaysians to other countries.

The fact is that the temperamental political climate and the country's hostile environment are accelerating the pace of migration of our citizens across the board.

"Is Najib prepared to issue a White Paper on why the `reverse brain-drain' policies of the Eighth and Ninth Malaysia Plans from 2001-2010 have failed miserably?" Lim asked.