RobSg

In retrospect, I'm glad to have opted not to retire in Malaysia. I don't want to call my retirement home a place where justice may not be equally given to all. I know that you can mentally separate yourselves from that injustice, but I prefer a country that is more transparent and there are viable and legal re-courses to offset any injustice.

When I desire to retire in Malaysia, that reputation of the country and it's politics is important in deciding to call that home. Again, if you can forget all that and just live your lives separated from that, then that's fine for you.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Twixy

Which country did you choose?

You say you prefer a country with equal justice but is that really true? Is there no glass ceiling effect in your current country? No corruption at all?

If those problems are real where you reside, then we are only talking about a matter of degree. Keeping this idea in mind will help you mentally prepare for a less developed country with more issues than you're accustomed to.

InVinoVeritas

I've ended up disappointed with every country I've lived in, maybe familiarity breeds contempt or maybe things looked better through a long lens but nowhere ever quite lives up to my expectations. That's not to minimise the seriousness of the latest development in Malaysia though.

ex reg

So no injustice in the USA????????????

Or UK ?????????????

That's OK then.

Or any other country in the world?

Some people are in Cloud Cuckoo Land

hong_konger

So you are going to live on a boat in international waters ?
or volunteer for the Mars trip ?

bakedbean

Agree with all of that.

Stuurman

Me too.

I think for those following the news it's hard not to acknowledge Malaysia is changing. The way the sedition act is being used lately makes it for opposition parties very hard to even mildly criticise the government. The opposition also has hardly any access to mass media (apart from the internet up till now but those days seem to have gone as well if you read the article from The NYT bellow). Also the judicial system seems to biased, Malay NGO's like Perkasa seem to enjoy the freedom of speech others don't have.
Anwar’s case was widely seen at home and abroad as politically motivated to eliminate any threats to the ruling coalition.
The current government calls liberalism a threat to Malaysian society and seems to shift more and more to a more conservative Islam. The racist Bumiputra system is still in place and even though a couple of years ago there was talk of abolishing it looks like it is here to stay for a while.

Oh and drawing some cartoons can get you in trouble as well.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/12/wo...=fb-share&_r=0

bakedbean

The biography of Karpal Singh is an interesting read. Though reading it, you may come to conclusion that actually Malaysia hasn't changed so much I will say no more.

xizzles

bakedbean & fellow esteemed forum members;

The blatant racism (think apartheid) and regression into fundamentalism are two of the reasons why I've been struggling with the thought of migrating to Australia instead of the more obvious moving across the border into Malaysia & enjoying a far lower cost of living and the perks of being retired.

I know it wouldn't affect a foreigner like me personally - I mean, without meaning to be rude to the Malaysians here, there's still this mentality that "White is Might", or "White is Right" or something silly like that. It's actually quite prevalent in Singapore as well (hence the "Sarong Party Girl" monicker) - and it's quite funny too, when you listen to them trying to "slang" (speak with a badly put on accent) themselves to impress the Angmoh. But, I digress. Anyway, just because it wouldn't affect me directly doesn't mean I could (or should) accept it.

Racism is wrong - and to have racism enshrined in the Malaysian constitution is utterly unacceptable, in my opinion. I mean, I can change my religion if I wished to, heck, I could even change my gender (like Bruce Jenner's slowly doing, good God!), but how does one change one's race!? (and please don't start about Michael Jackson, look where that attempt got him! )

So, yeah, although I know my hard earned dollars will stretch a lot further in Malaysia than it would in a comparably expensive country like Australia, the former will not be a viable consideration for me.

OK, time to get off my soapbox now...

bakedbean

Bit puzzled why you're addressing me in particular?

xizzles

Oh, hello there, bakedbean . No ill-intentions whatsoever, just thought I'd begin my soapbox riposte by addressing the ever helpful concierge (i.e. your goodself) and the others who've also contributed to this thread.

Sorry if I alarmed you... it was an extremely s l o w T u e s d a y afternoon here in Singapore haha

bakedbean

Oh OK. I thought you may have mistakenly thought that I am working for the Malaysian Tourist Board or something. Yeh, you carry on on your soapbox

I find most countries have their good and bad points. There is no Utopia I'm afraid.

I've never been to Australia, though I have plenty of Aussie friends here in Penang. There used to be a guy who went to the expat meetups here (a European) and he and his spouse were splitting their time between Penang and Australian Gold Coast for a few years. Now left both countries and buggered off to Spain I understand.....and why not. Plenty of places to try out around the globe.