KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is continuing its calls for expatriate Malaysians living abroad to promote their national culture. The most recent push was done in Australia by Talent Corporation Malaysia with culture discussions with Malaysian students and residents in Adelaide and Sydney this past week. According to a press release, the sessions were attended by more than 200 Malaysian professionals in the two Australian cities. TalentCorp CEO Johan Mahmood Merican invited successful Malaysian professionals in Australia to form linkages to explore opportunities to contribute towards Malaysia's economic transformation from abroad. Deputy Director-General of Health Noor Hisham Abdullah was able to secure commitments from eminent Malaysian medical specialists to nurture Malaysian talent, by providing training opportunities in Australia and by visiting Malaysia to lecture. The annual career fair in Sydney organized by the Malaysian Students Council of Australia (MASCA) and GRADUAN attracted more than 500 students, mainly from universities in Sydney but also included students traveling in from Canberra and Queensland. Last year it featured only six companies, but this year saw a significant increase with the participation of 18 Malaysian companies at the Sydney career fair, including Gamuda, Sunway, Ernst & Young, PwC, 1MDB and Securities Commission Malaysia. “This is the largest career fair we've organised for Malaysian students in Sydney since 2005. With the support of TalentCorp, leading Malaysian employers and MASCA, this event has grown from strength to strength,” said Elia Talib, who heads GRADUAN. “The Sydney fair this year offered us a better crop of people. We have met some very bright, promising young people,” commented, Gamuda human resource director Lai Tak Ming. It came less than one week after Malaysia's first lady urged Malaysians living abroad to promote the country's culture wherever they were living. Malaysia's first lady Rosmah Mansor called on Malaysians living abroad to promote their national culture and cuisine in a “spirit of patriotism" in order for their children to learn about their homeland's traditions and cultural heritage. “This is what is being championed by our prime minister, Najib Razak, through the 1Malaysia concept," she said at a dinner gathering of Malaysians in Qatar on Monday. Some 300 Malaysians in Qatar attended the event. Overall around 4,600 Malaysians, including professionals and non-professionals, work in various fields, especially in the private sector, in Gulf country. Several children of Malaysians living in Qatar performed dances of the various Malaysian communities at the event. The first lady was in Qatar to deliver a keynote address at the Qatari Businesswomen Association's program at the Inside Investor Forum Asia 2012 held last Monday and Tuesday. Back in Malaysia, local residents praised her comments, telling Bikyamasr.com that “it is great to promote our culture to other countries." The first lady said Malaysians living abroad should also prove to the world that Malaysians were courteous, well-mannered and upheld high moral values. “Your success will reflect the culture of Malaysia. Continue with your efforts to make Malaysia proud in West Asia," she said. She said they could harness all the expertise and experience garnered abroad to help develop their own country. “When the time comes, return and serve our nation. The knowledge you gain abroad will help shape a more glorious future for our children and grandchildren," she said. A local shopkeeper in Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur said that he respected the first lady's efforts on the global scene, adding that “she makes Malaysia proud."
