Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib said the high number of Malays emigrating was not a cause for concern but it would be good to know why they wanted to leave their homeland.
Muhammad said the need to “move around and see places” was in their blood as their forefathers were seafarers.
“In a sense, the Malays are just doing what their forefathers did. Travel and see the world. Venture into new areas and the unexpected,” he said.
He said the total number of Malaysians who had left the country since Independence was 106,003, of which 10,411 were Malays, 86,078 Chinese, 8,667 Indians and other races 847.
"I want to clarify the figures given by my deputy (Datuk Tan Chai Ho) who said recently that more than 79,000 Malays have surrendered their citizenship to live abroad," he said.
Mohd Radzi said that between 1996 and April this year, 28,527 Malaysians had surrendered their citizenship.
