When Malaysia released statistics in February, showing that over one million of its nearly two million diaspora reside in Singapore, it set off yet another round of hand-wringing over the country’s decades-long brain drain problem, and much eye-rolling among my friends.

Why the hand-wringing? Because a government should be concerned that a good portion of its skilled workforce is contributing to another country’s economic success. All the more so if that same government’s policies are what is driving people abroad in the first place.