Sim (middle) with the Malaysian diaspora during TalentCorp’s Salam Dari Malaysia @ Singapore event held at a hotel in the island republic on Oct 29. — Photos by THOMAS YONG/The Star
SINGAPORE: Malaysians working and living in Singapore have given their thumbs up on the Malaysia@Heart, or MyHeart programme, which is a dedicated platform for global Malaysians to connect, collaborate and be part of the Malaysian community worldwide.
Among them is Siti Asma’ Abd Gani, 40, who has been staying in the island republic for the past three years due to her work with a multinational company.
“I believe that it is good that the Malaysian government, through the Human Resources Ministry and TalentCorp, is fully maximising the usage of social media through MyHeart platform.
“Among the benefits of the MyHeart platform is that we are able to find out more about the government’s initiative such as the Returning Expert Programme (REP),” she added.
Sim said his ministry wants to actively engage with Malaysian talents who are currently living abroad.
Siti Asma said this when met during TalentCorp’s Salam Dari Malaysia @ Singapore event held at a hotel here on Oct 29.
The event was attended by Human Resources Minister Steven Sim including about 230 Malaysian professionals and students living in Singapore.
She added that the MyHeart platform was very beneficial for Malaysians living abroad as it allows each one of them to form a network no matter the distance.
“I have signed up with the MyHeart platform and I found that it is very user friendly.
“It only took me a few minutes to do so and I am looking forward to connecting with Malaysians living in every part of the world,” she said.
Another Malaysian is Joytan Fu Hung Li, 20, who is currently in his second year of pursuing a degree in chemistry at National University of Singapore (NUS) here.
The Selangor born student applauded the Salam Dari Malaysia event, saying that the organiser has done a fantastic job in holding the programme for Malaysians in Singapore.
He added that during the event, he was able to engage with Sim and raised a few issues including employment opportunities and salaries offered in Malaysia for Malaysian students pursuing higher education abroad during the fireside chat.
“I was able to ask the minister questions and he immediately answered them. The whole event is catered for Malaysians in Singapore who want to know more about what is being done back home.
“The MyHeart platform is an example as it is one of the good initiatives carried out by the Malaysian government for Malaysians living abroad,” he added.
Fu said that through the MyHeart platform, not only are Malaysians living abroad able to reconnect with one another but they can also use it to channel their views to the government through the Human Resources Ministry.
“The MyHeart platform is a good start for us Malaysians, either students or working professionals, living abroad to highlight issues to our government.
“Hopefully, the ministry and the government can make positive policy changes that will bring good impact not only to Malaysian diaspora but Malaysians living back home,” he added.
Another Malaysian at the event is Shawn Lourdusamy, 51, who has been living in Singapore for about 33 years now.
He left Penang after his SPM exam in 1991 to further his studies here.
“While I may not yet be ready to return home, I have remained a committed advocate for Malaysia.
“This commitment has been central to my work, from running events like CausewayEXchange and the Malaysian Film Festival to serving as the president of the Malaysian Association in Singapore (Masis) and its chair of the board of advisors.
“Currently, I serve as an advisor for ChangeLeader Pte Ltd, a generative AI talent development platform focused on upskilling middle managers.
“I was able to register the company in Malaysia and secure HRDF programme approvals, which underscores my belief in bridging resources between our two nations,” he added.
Shawn also said that with TalentCorp’s recent directive to engage Malaysians overseas, he sees a significant opportunity for them to work with Malaysians abroad who, like himself, can leverage their networks to bring expertise and contribute meaningfully to Malaysia’s workforce.
He added the fireside chat with Sim was both insightful and affirming, aligning closely with ChangeLeader’s mission to nurture talent and fortify Malaysia’s workforce from within.“TalentCorp should consider more direct engagement with overseas Malaysians alongside government leaders as government-to-business (G2B) partnerships are indeed the way forward.
“We have many talented Malaysians eager to contribute back to our homeland, and this event exemplified how impactful such engagements can be,” he said, congratulating TalentCorp for organising such meaningful dialogue with the Malaysian diaspora.
About 230 Malaysian professionals and students living in Singapore attended TalentCorp’s Salam Dari Malaysia @ Singapore event held at the island republic.
A heartwarming effort
Since its launch last year, the MyHeart portal has connected Malaysians from 60 countries with over 40 associations globally.
Currently, it is estimated that over 1.18 million Malaysians work in Singapore, with approximately 300,000 to 400,000 commuting daily across the causeway.
According to a study made by Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) back in 2022, 38% of Malaysians in Singapore are there for work while 62% are for other purposes such as conducting business, training and research, education, or marriage.Some 39% of Malaysians working in Singapore are skilled workers with 35% semiskilled. The main reasons for their migration include better work environment, better salary, and high currency exchange, better tax structure, and better central provident fund (CPF).
Meanwhile, in his speech, Sim said that his ministry wants to actively engage with Malaysian talents who are currently living abroad.
He added that these Malaysian diaspora were longing for home and his ministry would facilitate to make it easier for their return to Malaysia.
“Our economy is vibrantly growing through good governance. Through the Madani economic framework, we are aiming to raise the ceiling and floor that will benefit all Malaysians,” he added.
Sim cited the Sarawak hydrogen energy, which aims to generate RM2 trillion for Malaysia’s economy by 2030 while last year in May, three global tech giants expressed their commitment to invest RM30bil in the country.
He also said that another global tech giant, Amazon, through its Amazon Web Services (AWS) also expressed its plan to invest almost RM30bil in Malaysia as well.“If we look at the southern part of Malaysia, there is the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) and the Special Financial Zone (SFZ) in Forest City.
“On top of that, the Rapid Transit System Link (RTS Link), which will make travel between Singapore and Johor easier, is on track to be operational by end of 2026,” he added.
Sim said that the mutual cooperation between the Malaysia and Singapore governments would garner more prosperity for both sides, which will see positive spillover effects in Johor.
On Friday (Nov 1), Sim said Malaysians living and working abroad are an asset to the country and can contribute to Malaysia’s development no matter where they are located.
He said the ministry, through TalentCorp, wants to reach out to the Malaysian diaspora scattered around the world.
“Under TalentCorp, we have the MyHeart programme, a dedicated platform for global Malaysians to connect, collaborate and be part of the Malaysian community worldwide.“With MyHeart, the government via TalentCorp offers initiatives like the Returning Expert Programme, employment facilitation, education facilitation, MyHeart Career and Facilitation Fest (MyHeart CaFe), and MyHeart Innovate to encourage skilled Malaysians abroad to return and strengthen the nation’s workforce.
“MyHeart also promotes ‘brain circulation’, allowing the Malaysian diaspora to contribute to national growth even while abroad.
“This way, the diaspora’s expertise can drive economic growth, productivity and innovation in Malaysia from anywhere in the world,” he added.
Sim was here to attend the 28th Asean Labour Ministers’ Meeting.
He encouraged Malaysians attending the event to register through the MyHeart portal which, he said, allows them to actively engage and foster collaborations with the ministry, its agencies and corporations.
“The Malaysian diaspora should not be viewed as a problem that we have to solve, but really as an asset to the country, and we want to develop this asset wherever you are,” he said.
