Even the philanthropists are sending money overseas!

The University of St Andrews in Scotland has named its new GBP40m (RM210m) medical school the B.C. Sekhar School of Medicine, after Tan Sri Dr B.C. Sekhar, a former chairman of the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia, reported the New Straits Times on 20 Nov.

Sekhar's youngest son Datuk Vinod Sekhar reportedly said his father loved creating solutions for problems that ailed the world. "This is what the School of Medicine and Science is about. It's a school that has a fully integrated scientific approach to research which will allow for faster solutions to be created," he said.

Here’s a point to ponder: Why did the Sekhars choose to spend their largesse in Scotland and not at home here in Malaysia? First, it was businessmen going overseas – the likes of Maybank, Telekom, Astro, Maxis, Genting, IOI and YTL Corp, for example. Remember Malaysia was the only ASEAN country to experience net capital outflows last year?Now even the philanthropists are taking their money out.

What’s wrong with Malaysia? We, the general public, know the answers – inept government, inefficient bureaucracy, out-dated policies …. Now if only the BN government would stop their internal party politicking and get on with preparing us better for the coming global recession.