Last Saturday we had dinner in Alex and Li Har’s home with a family who arrived as migrants just a week earlier. This family represents a classic case of brain drain that has been plaguing Malaysia. The man is a neurologist and his wife is a dental surgeon.

The wife was offered a job back in April, with the RoyalDentalHospital in Melbourne. She had to ask for a later start as they weren’t ready to leave Malaysia in April. The man was also offered a job with the Footscray Health Group. He is contemplating holding out for a role closer to home – they live in the eastern suburbs and in any event Footscray isn’t exactly the sort of suburb you’d want to work odd hours, which will be required of this highly talented doctor.

Also at the dinner was a family with a child suffering from a very rare condition called Alagilles syndrome. While the neurologist did not seem familiar with this condition (it is very rare) he could intimately describe all the attendant symptoms and alternative but consequential treatments in the most coherent and intelligible manner. I can easily picture a patient being totally at ease with a doctor who obviously knows what he is talking about and can easily engage queries without pretending to know everything.

The couple was very engaging but was at the same time, very unassuming and humble. We enjoyed their company and we believe this family (they have 2 bright and very well behaved children) is an indictment on the racist and bigoted government who stupidly, is too happy to see the backs of such people simply because they aren’t Malays. He is only 41 years of age – at the height of a very bright career. Assuming his wife is a touch younger than him, she too has so many years of fantastic service left to offer. Malaysia loses, again, and it doesn’t seem to care.

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