The DAP today proposed the enactment of an Equal Opportunity Act, in tandem with an Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) to stop the outflow of talent from Malaysia.

Party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the country has suffered an outflow of some two million Malaysians since 1957, pushing the nation down to fourth place among Southeast Asia's economies in 2010, behind Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore.

teoh beng hock group meets lim guan eng 080111 lim guan eng Lim ( left ) said DAP supported the initial proposal for an EOC under the New Economic Model (NEM).

An Equal Opportunity Act, he added, would at the same time, allow the nation to maximise its human talents and effectively stop Malaysians leaving for greener pastures abroad.

Quoting Malaysian Institute of Corporate Governance president Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas, he said having such a law would give equal chances to all and develop sustainable economic policies.

'We have failed to expand'

"Increasingly, many Malays are also leaving... just look at Dubai. The terrible cost we are paying can be seen by the failure to realise our full economic potential, causing Malaysia to lose out to other countries that were far behind us previously," he added in a statement.

Lim, who is also Penang chief minister, said Malaysia had "failed as a country" to grow its economy and had lost out in the race for economic competitiveness.

Comparing the country's economy with that of South Korea, he said South Korea's gross national income (GNI) per capita in 1970 stood at US$260 (RM792), less than Malaysia's average of US$380 (RM1,158).

However, the scale tipped heavily towards South Korea in later years, with the republic's GNI of US$21,530 (RM65,606) in 2009 becoming more than three times greater than the Malaysian average of US$6,760 (RM20,598).

Closer home, Lim pointed out that Singapore's GNI per capita far surpassed Malaysia's, standing at US$36,537 (RM111,365) last year.

'Economists, not racists, should set policies'

He also took a swipe at the government for caving in to pressure from right wing "racist" pressure groups such as Perkasa by watering down the NEM to the extent of excluding the Equal Opportunity Commission from the policy.

NONE Referring to a recent revelation by National Economic Advisory Council member Zainal Aznam Mohd Yusof ( right ), Lim said it only proved that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's administration had failed to live up to the premier's promises on reforms.

"How can Malaysia reform itself into a high-income economy with a GNI per capita of US$15,000 by 2020 if the NEM is determined not by learned economists such as Zainal Aznam but by ignorant racists such as Perkasa?" he asked

Zainal Aznam said two days ago that the cabinet had been cowed on the NEM by Perkasa and other right wing groups - particularly on the removal of the 30 percent bumiputera quota - proving that there was "no political will" to push for reforms.

Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali yesterday rose in their defence, calling Zainal Aznam a " sick " academic who had "no experience" in business.