Driving Opportunity Away

Today's piece in Alex Magno's column in the Philippine Star perfectly encapsulates my thoughts on the so-called brain drain currently being decried by the usual opportunistic politicos, greedy (yet inefficient) pseudo-nationalist businessmen, and (of course) our unexportable state-university intelligentsia. To wit, instead of looking at it as a problem, we need to look at it as an opportunity. If we find the supply drying up, the solution is NOT to bottle it up and hide it in the cupboard, thereby creating a huge class of pissed-off, underpaid professionals. Rather, the solution lies in taking advantage of the demand and, more importantly, expanding the supply. As Magno notes, the private sector is doing exactly that, moving swiftly to expand the supply of pilots, nurses, IT personnel, etc. This is being done even without any government support or incentives, though thankfully there isn't any government interference either.

Increasing the supply is the only solution equitable to all parties concerned. Being based on market forces, it's also the most stable and thus the most suited for the long-term. To take the perverse path being peddled by the usual suspects would not only be equivalent to creating a new indentured caste, but would also be tantamount to driving a great opportunity away.

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N.B. The Philippine Star has a problem with permalinks, and articles posted on their servers have a habit of disappearing after a few days. Such, unfortunately, is the case here. Copyright concerns prevent me from reproducing the entire article, and laziness precludes me from producing a suitable summary. If you have access to the Star's archives, then you can find Mr. Magno's piece in the April 13, 2006 issue. The title is Cameroon.