What About Malaysia?

[sandwichmaker]

Have you been to malaysia? Which cities / attractions? How is it? Relative to philippines? I'm guessing, a little more organised, a little bit more efficient. Less availability of pretty girls to date. Anything else?

[OnMyWay]

I liked Malaysia the only time I visited in the late 90's.  I guess the biggest drawback for me (for living there long term) would be that it is a predominately Muslim country and English is not as widely spoken there, although English is good there.

 

Their sandwiches are terrible too!

[Ynot]

i must admit I've only ever spent a few days there.  Was not overly impressed although a good friend of mine explored it as a possibility to live there.  He seemed to like it.  But I think there requirements are more steep than the Philippines in regard to financial requirements.  Those people trying to live in the Philippines on $1000 a month would find it hard to qaulify in Malaysia.  If you do not have a deposit of 150,000 Rm then you must have an income of 10,000 Rm which probably equates to about 3000 US a month or thereabouts.  I think there is an exception to the 10,000 Rm a month where you have a fixed income, but not sure what it is.  

 

As far as I can see the only real plus is that a foreigner is able to own land in their own right, but its a minimum spend of 1,000,000 Rm or about $ 330,000 Aud which is a hell of a lot of money.

 

But the big downside is that you dont have those lovely filipina ladies who speak english.

 

I think the Philippines retirement visa scheme is a lot more affordable. I just wish the Philippines allowed you to own land in your own name. 

[Curley]

Check out the MM2H program, not as good as it used to be but still in operation. http://www.mm2h.gov.my/index.php/en/

[Gerald Glatt]

What is the name of their airline?

[BrettGC]

What is the name of their airline?

 

You been hiding under a rock Gerald, or was that tongue in cheek?  Malaysian Airlines.

[BrettGC]

I’ve spent a lot of time in Malaysia over the years, most recently in 2012, and briefly considered it for as one of my options for leaving Australia.

 

It’s a country of contrasts but the contrasts aren’t as extreme as in the Philippines with regards to poverty and homelessness. This is due to it being compulsory for all Muslims to make compulsory tax deductable donations (“Alms”) to the poor and thus provides a vigorous safety net for the less advantaged in society. 

 

Cost of living is higher than in PI but still nowhere near as high as we’re used to in the West.  Infrastructure is better than PI but it’s not on a par with Singapore (which exceeds many Western countries) but it’s rapidly closing the gap particularly around the major regional centres. 

 

It has to be remembered, that whilst constitutionally Malaysia is a secular state as a whole, it is a federation of separate states that are individually administered much like Australia, Canada and the US.    However, Malaysia does have two parallel justice systems, one being the Secular system and the other being Sharia, the later administered by the Syariah Courts.  Each state varies in the degree of to what extent Sharia is enforced.  The Sultan of each state is the ultimate authority of Islamic law in their respective states, so the degree to which Sharia, and the power the Syariah Courts have varies across the country.  A word of caution:  As a non- Sunni Muslim, you have no legal standing in the Syariah Courts but can still be held accountable if you run afoul of the Morality (religious) police. To counter this, the secular courts do take precedence over the Syariah courts.  It should also be remembered that Malaysia does have both corporal (rattan cane) and capital punishment for offences involving drugs, sex or violence in the case of the secular (so nowhere near as minor as some of the offences you can be caned for in Singapore) and corporal punishment (again rattan cane) for some offences against Sharia law.

 

Now to the much spoken about ladies…  Most of the major regional centres I’ve spent time in such as Ipoh/Lamut, Kuantan, Penang (Georgetown) and of course Kaula Lumpar do have a thriving nightlife mainly patronised and run by the ethnic Chinese, Indian or foreign business interests.  Unlike PI and to a lesser extent Thailand, the women won’t throw themselves at you mainly due to the fact that Malaysia is increasingly an affluent country.  Just a hint guys, Muslim women wear their wedding rings on their right hands; no-go-zone, you will be in trouble with the Morality police.  Whilst many Muslim women in Malaysia do wear headdress, not all do so just be careful.  I’ve never seen a Niqab or Burka or even a Chador in Malaysia, most commonly worn are variations ranging from the Hijab through to the Khimar ( http://twentytwowords.com/not-all-headscarves-are-burkas-7-types-of-muslim-headwear-for-women/ ).  If you do become involved with a Muslim woman, don’t expect her to convert; she will have to go through 12 months counselling with her local Mufti and even then may not be granted permission. It is actually a secular and Sharia offence for a Muslim to marry a non-Muslim of any stripe in Malaysia, so you’re in for the long haul or not at all if you wish to reside there.

   

Discouraged you yet?  To be honest, I love Malaysia, it’s a beautiful country with much to see and do.  The nightlife is fantastic, cheap consumer goods (non-knock-off clothing etc) very cheap gold,  and the people are very friendly.  Particularly recommended are Pulau Tiomen and Lankawi Island for a true tropical island holiday experience.  Bahasa Malaysia is the national language but if you speak Bahasa Indonesia (I do a little) you'll be able to get by as their very similar languages and English is reasonably widely spoken in my experience.  As always, remember it’s their country and treat people respect and you’ll do ok.

 

Salamat Datang!

 

PS some was from the country briefs we received in the Navy prior to a visit to any foreign port and I found most of it to hold true, the rest from personal experience.

Edited April 29, 2014 by BrettGC

[sandwichmaker]

Fantastic post Brett, thanks! Ynot, thanks too! Now on to the subject of money, how much does daily life cost in Malaysia? In the Philippines i can eat for 40 pesos at a street canteen. Restaurant for 200 pesos. Or take away pizza from sbarro for 90 pesos. That's what I'm used to here. Hotels etc; i spend Max 1000 pesos per night on a room, but often as low as 500 or 700 pesos. How much would i need in malaysia, to get the same result?

[BrettGC]

you'll be able to get by as their very similar languages and English is reasonably widely spoken in my experience.

 

Arrrgh, I want to edit this.. I'm a grammar nut and broke the "They're, There, Their" rule!! Why can't I edit this now??

 

Sandwichmaker, I find this to be reasonably accurate for Malaysia, well more so than other countries available:

 

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_countries_result.jsp?country1=Malaysia&country2=Philippines

 

You can do the currency conversion yourself :P 

 

As to motels, you're probably looking a little more expensive than PI but not by much.  More and more, the larger world-wide chains seem to be matching prices across all their properties regardless of country.  Having said that, you can still find those 1k PHP places around for about 1200-1500PHP (Air, Bed, Shower, not much else).

 

Something I forgot to add to my first post.  Be careful in the North of the country, both sides of the Thai border.  Whilst nowhere near as bad as say Zamboanga, there can be a little excitement caused by the the more extreme Muslim elements on both sides of the border. 

Edited April 29, 2014 by BrettGC

[i am bob]

I have been to Malaysia several times and Brett really hit it with his post. Lots of great deals to be had, it seems that people respect property very much and don't even litter as much as most other countries... Very very beautiful! And where i was originally looking to retire. BUT! Isn't there always a but? I decided to follow through to the Philippines as simply because it is easier for me to understand the law and don't have to worry about religion per se.

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