DAP Lawmaker Mistakenly Translates "Brain Drain" To "Longkang Otak"

During question time in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, 3 July, Sibu member of parliament (MP) Oscar Ling referred to a written question, asking about the government's efforts to address the brain drain involving private higher education options for scholarships under the Public Service Department's Program Khas Lepasan Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia Dalam Negara (LSPM).

He also asked how the government plans to elevate the quality of education in public institutions to match that of private ones.

Before Federal Territories Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa answered the questions, she pointed out Ling's mistranslation of the term "brain drain", which was written as "longkang otak" in the written question.

"Before I respond to the question, I would like to correct the term used by Sibu [MP] in his question.

"That translation is too literal. The term used by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka is 'hijrah cendekiawan' [migration of scholars or intellectuals]. 'Penghijrahan bakat' [talent migration] is also used, but that term is not entirely accurate," she explained, chuckling.

"The term is used by the general public colloquially.

"Hence, I used the term 'longkang otak'. But it's okay. What I was trying to refer to was brain drain," he said before asking a supplementary question.

The Sibu MP later used the term "kehilangan bakat" (losing of talents) to ask a further question.