My Malaysia


This was my responds to the email I received, forwarded from a friend, written by I presume a Malaysian Malay living in London ....

Salam all,
Just to comment on this email. I've not been in London, what more live in that city. However, I lived in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and now in Auckland New Zealand. I still have my parents and siblings living in Singapore. I've got comments on the senders email, with regards to my experiences living in the above countries...

> Singaporeans (average) earns around S$3000 to S$4000 and nearly everything> is half the price of Malaysia. Eg clothes, computer parts, electronics> etc. But the average Malaysian still earns M$2000 plusand goods are double> the price> of Singapore.

I assume the figure given was earnings per month. Average Chinese might earn that much ... average Malay earns lesser. You don't find many Malays working as high corporate figures. Singaporean Malays work as office boys, counter clerks, highest as Malay Language teachers in primary schools. Malaysian Malay, working in the public sector, may earn an average monthly wage of RM2000, but the same may earn an average of RM5000 in the private sector, I personally know some.

> 1) Good terrace house> It is more or less the same. If you want a house in KL, it would most> probably be in Puchong and not> Damansara Heights. So your house would be RM$200,000. In UK, you can get

I know many average earning uni graduates working with the public sector buying descent house (if not houses) in Gombak, Templer Park area, Kepong, and even in Damansara. It is a matter of preference and how near the house is to your work place, after that the price.

> outside London. The same also applies to buying a house in Seremban,> Kajang etc. You can buy a nice house for RM200,000 below.

Got my house in Gombak for RM150K.

> 2) A car> A good Wira is RM$55,000. Most Malaysians have to take 7-year loans and be> in debt all the time. If you are> earning RM$2000 a month, you take nearly 3 years saving the RM$2000 with> not eating at all just to buy a Wira.

I have to admit, cars are very expensive in Malaysia. And even more expensive in Singapore. However, more of my family members in Malaysia can afford to buy a car (if not cars) than my siblings in Singapore. My brother, in Singapore, had to sell his family car as he can't afford it, after the arrival of his 3rd child.

> In UK, the average local earns about 2000 pounds. He saves 3 months, he> can buy outright a good Ford Fiesta> or a Vauxhall Corsa without being in debt.

Here, in New Zealand, even as a student, I can afford to drive cars that I couldn't imagine I can afford to drive. I know friends in US can afford to buy big cars that they can't afford back in Malaysia.

> If buying a second hand car, even better. A 1990 Mercedes 190E cost 500> pounds. My 1996 Mercedes E220 cost 2000 pounds. My friend just gave me his> 1989 Honda Accord (Auto) for free because he said he could only get 30> pounds for it.> > I used it for a few months and decided to give it of for free too.> > That alone speaks for itself.

Like New Zealand, London is a dumping ground. Heaps of second hand cars, in Auckland. You name it, you get it. You see cars sold by the road side. Recently my friend bought a Toyota for NZD60. In Malaysia, you can see more Malaysians are driving NEW MPVs not old 1996 mercedes even if they cost like a loft of bread!

> Even if you are kuli or an office boy, you still can drive a Mercedes or a> BM. Yes, kuli's and office boy's get paid quite well.

Yeap dude... that is what you have to do ... a kulli to the "mat saleh" in order to drive a mercedes.... I'd rather work for my fellow citizens selling nasi lemak than scrub the toilets for the "mat saleh" ... for all u know .. mak cik jual nasik lemak tu pun bawak merc mata belalang ....

> Average temp/office boy in London can earn about 7 to 10 pounds and hour.> Overtime is 1.5 times or double. A brick-layer can earn 20 pounds an hour.> The same Indon who lays bricks in Malaysia earns RM$50 for the whole day.

Indon kat Malaysia ... boleh buat rumah banglow ... come to Gombak I'll show you ... (tapi come after 2008, only then I'll be back in malaysia ler)

> Before I became a doctor, I used to be an office boy and I earned near 300> pounds a week working about 70 hours a week. My makan was 30 pounds a> week. My rent was 70 pounds a week for a room but I still drove a BMW back> then. I bought the 10-year old BMW 3 Series car for 200 pounds. Amazing> how an office boy can drive a safe and luxurious car.

Apeler yg dibanggakan sangan naik BMW tu ... Only if that is your measure of success ler ...

> 3) Petrol.> For a UK person earning 2000 pounds, 80 pence a litre/gallon is cheaper> than RM$1.52 paid in Malaysia.> If you don't convert, it is like paying 80 sen a litre in Malaysia

Minyak tu kat NZ ni NZD1.50 per liter ... kalau convert dlm RM4 per liter ... NZ pun complain to their government gak ... so tu samer aje ... kat sini ramai org jln kaki ... lebih healthy. Tengok ler cuaca tak der ler macam Malaysia ... kalau kat Malaysia nak jln kaki ... pakai nampak cair ler make up ...hehe

> 4) Shopping> 20 pounds (which is 1% of 2000 pounds) can buy you 1 week's worth of> groceries in Tesco.> > RM$100 (which is 10% of RM$2000) can also buy you 1 week's worth of> groceries in Giant or Carrefour.

Back in Malaysia, with a family of 2 children ... I spent around RM300 a month for groceries ... we have enough to buy life insurance policies for the whole family, buy a house, pay rent, drive a descent car, put the kinds in child care, save for hajj, sent money to our parents, buy shares and save for the children education ....

> 5) Utility Bills (This is what I pay in UK)> 1. Virtually non-stop heating the whole day only 20 pounds a month. (Only> 1% of the 2000 pounds earned)> > 2. Electricity, I use my electricity maximum only 20 pounds a month. (Only> 1% of the 2000 pounds earned)

Masa kat malaysia ... we wash using the fully automatic washing machine every day ... with a fridge, fan every nite ... our electricity bill is never more than RM30 a month ... 20.00 GBP United Kingdom Pounds = 129.556 MYR
Kat New Zealand ... in winter kami kena bayar NZD140 a month for electricity140.00 NZD New Zealand Dollars = 339.015 MYR
Even the Kiwis are complaining ... eat that ...

> 3. My water bill also comes to about 20 pounds a month (Only 1% of the> 2000 pounds earned)
Bill air masa kat Malaysia ... RM5 kat New Zealand water is FREE! > 4. My internet - I get 2Mbps for about 25 pounds (Bulldog DSL) (Also> slightly above 1% of the 2000 pounds earned)

I don't dial up at home (in Malaysia) ... coz in the office with use leased line ... can't beat that ... in NZ i pay NZD50 for phone+internet access

> 5. Astro Equivalent (NTL cable or Sky) - 30 pounds per month (Also> slightly above 1% of the 2000 pounds earned)

Never need the cable or SKY ... a waste of money any way ... after all don't watch tv that much ... other than news ...

> In Malaysia, this is what I used to pay> 1. Tenaga Bill comes to RM$200 to RM300 a month with 3 air-cons. This is> more than 10% of the RM$2000 earned)

Kalau tak tahan panas mmg tak leh duduk kat Malaysia ...

> 2. Water (Puas) comes to RM$40 (This is about 2% of the RM$2000 earned)> > 3. Astro RM$100 (if you take Chinese package) (This is about 5% of the> RM$2000 you earn)> > 4. Internet Streamyx 512K RM 88 per month (This is about 5% of RM2000 you> earn)

Ni dah comment tadi ...

> 6) Books> A good book is about 10 to 15 pounds in the UK. This is less than 1% of> the 2000 pounds you earn. In> Malaysia, you have to spend RM$75 to RM$100 for a decent book in MPH or> Kinokuniya in KLCC. This is> about 5% of the RM$2000 ringgit you earn.

I work in a university ... can just borrow books at the library

> 7) Education.> I think it is about RM$20,000 per year to do a degree in Sunway Monash and> about RM$12,000 per year to send your kid to UM, UKM, USM etc. I am not> sure about this.

A ah ... the early education u got in Malaysia ... brought u to UK kan?

> Even worse for the poor non bumi's not given a place in local university.

I wouldn't want to go to that area ... it is complicated ... but I got my early education in Singapore until A levels ... they said it is free for malays .. but actually it isn't ... i couldn't get into NUS although I am qualified ...

> Even if they can afford, they won't get a place because of the quota> system. Unfortunately, the> Chinaman and the Indian who gets 5A's in STPM have to be sacrificed and> not given a place to let the Malay> fellow with 2E's and 3 Fail's to enter the Medical Faculty or Law Faculty.

JPA is sending more non-bumis than bumis to NZ ... i am sure you'll say that they are more qualified that Bumis ya? I have never seen anyone with 2E's and 3Fs in any uni what more the Medical Faculty ... u got to get your fact straight Mister PhD holder ...

> So the non-bumi's have to save RM100,000 per year to send their kid to the> UK. In the UK, at least the white man still can go into university based> on results and merit and only pay 3000 pounds per year.

I know many "mat saleh" in NZ are very angry coz their gov. are giving more uni seats for these chinaman children as they can afford to pay high education fees. The locals here can get in as their seats are given to them ... and u don't see many good chinese students either ...

> 8) Luxuries> Panasonic Plasma TV in Malaysia about RM20,000. If you are earning RM$2000> a month, memang mahal! You have to save 2 years your monthly salary to buy> it. In UK, the same Panasonic ironically, Panasonic plasma is made in> Japan and Japan is close to Malaysia, so the plasma should be cheaper in> Malaysia) is only 2000 pounds. And this is only 10% of the 2000> pounds earned.

Dunno about UK ... but I don't see much plasma TV here in the NZ homes ... coz they expensive ...

> 9) Health> NHS is free. Though the service is slow, quality is still there. You still> can get a top quality by-pass> for free although you may have to wait many months.
> In Malaysia, IJN charges RM$30,000. SJMC charges RM$50,000. GH is free but> as many people know, GH and UH have clown doctors. For example doctors who> wear tudung and use a pen to touch the patient because scared dosa).

That is not a fare judgement ... i have Muslimah friends who are doctors and specialist. They are professionals and still abide by the religious ethics .... ever heard of gloves before?

> 10) Assessments to local councils> I may pay high council tax but at least my council assures my streets are> clean and safe, got no holes> (pot holes) on my roads, and they jump and attend to me whenever I call> them.> > When I stayed in Malaysia, I paid my assessment and quite rent but MPSJ I> lived in Subang) told me to> "podah" whenever I asked them to come and fill up the pot holes, cut the> long lalang, put street lighting> etc.> > The councils, especially MPPJ and MPSJ, were more interested in eating> nasi lemak and going for 10 teh> tariks in a day during office hours and hardly did anything for their> residents.

Subang Jaya is never a good place to stay ... come to Gombak or Melaka ... u will live life like you never live before. I know Shah Alam is very good place to live too ...

> 11) Income Tax> My national insurance and income tax also is not wasted. When I was> unemployed in 1997, the government> via social security paid for my 2-bedroom flat for one whole year and I> was given about 100 pounds per week> for me and my wife to live on. I am happy to know that one day if I lose> my job, I can still claim social> security and get my apartment paid and food to eat again for free. It is a> good security to know.

Look at the tax and GST that you have to pay ... that goes in NZ ... tax is almost 30% of your annual income ... it is only logical that you receive such good services from the government ...

> Jonathan, the list goes on. Here alone you can see, the sterling you earn> goes a long way in the UK. So> your quality of life is far better in the UK than a Malaysian in Malaysia.> It is just that Malaysians are> just too content with what they have. But you compare apple for apple.

Itu nama nya bersyukur atas kurnia Allah ... rezeki dari Allah ... bukan dari kita or org lain ... In Malaysia ... letak meja satu tepi jln ... boleh berniaga sara hidup keluarga ... anak belajar sampai uni ...kat London boleh ke? Kat Singapore ... buat macam tu ... sesia kena tangkap .. sama lagi ... "City of Fines". Kat Malaysia ... berbudi pada tanah .. dapat hasil ... kat London boleh ke? I heard of org Melayu .. biler dpt duduk kat negara org putih ni ... mula ler .. semua pasal Malaysia and org Melayu tu buruk ... lupa mana asal ... beras mana yg dia makan ... hasil bumi mana yg sekolah kan dia ... titik peluh mana yg hantar dia ke negara "mat salleh" tu ... lupa semua tu ... Yg problematic tu yourself ... not others ... u can't live in Malaysia ... then don't ... you don't have to point that is not good, this is out of place, the weather is hot, the people like to gossip, jonathan the list goes on ...

> The British just love to complain. They have it made but still they love> to complain. Nothing is good enough for the British. The government gives> the citizens so much but they still seem to want more and more.>

Malays like to complain too ... but most are living outside malaysia ... thank god ... hope they stay out ... To me there is no place like Malaysia ... i've got my children to teach they sense of belonging to the country i call home ... For those Malays esp. living outside the country ... if you think you like living in the foreign land ... go on but don't point out bad things of your the country which received you when you were helpless and knows nothing of the alphabet. At least you owe Malaysia some good words for giving you your primary and secondary education. What you learnt out of it is a different story all together.

My friends who knows me ... kindly don't just read and believe what others has said ... about the beauty and serenity of living in other countries ... i've been in several and talk to many ... Malaysia is still the best ... at least for me and my family. Kat negara mana yg pendatang boleh settle down and make bungalows? Kat Malaysia aje.