The right strategy needs to be formulated to encourage bright and young entrepreneurs to remain in the country, said Deputy

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

deputy prime minister muhyiddin yassin at sekolah menengah sains hulu selangor 020410 02 He said this was not only as an act of loyalty to the 'Mother Land' but also to ensure that they are able to contribute to nation-building through their involvement in business.

Muhyiddin said it was also because the phenomenon of brain drain,

particularly by the young, from the Muslim world to the developed countries, was becoming a matter of serious concern.

"Some studies have indicated that in the last 50 years, a huge number of intellectuals had migrated from the Muslim world to industrialised countries," he said at a pre-forum and exhibition of the Sixth World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) today.

Muhyiddin said this phenomenon has not only affected the distribution of human resources but also the long term prospect of economic growth and development of the Muslim countries concerned.

He said the modern developed countries' immigration laws are designed to attract the inflow of high economic value-adding intellectuals and professionals, in order to help sustain their rate of high economic growth.

deputy prime minister muhyiddin yassin at sekolah menengah sains hulu selangor 020410 01 "In this, they have succeeded, with various attractive additional 'pull factors' on offer, such as an intellectually stimulating environment and an effective reward and recognition system, amongst others.

"But, 'push factors' in some countries of origin have also unfortunately played a part, including lack of intellectual liberties and a lack of fair economic opportunities," he said.

Muhyiddin said this situation would certainly become worse if not adequately addressed, however it's not irreversible.

He said to reverse the brain drain into a brain gain, the right liberal

ecosystem need to be created to stimulate creativity and a fair ecosystem to reward and encourage hard work in the societies.

"This will also entail establishing a flexible ecosystem and infrastructure that will support the different development stages of young people and allow them to excel in their numerous chosen fields," he said.

- Bernama