Malaysia My Second Home Program failed

[Roel]

As I hear and read frequently that Malaysia is the place to be, you can own land, friendly regulations that welcome foreigners to settle down and so on and so on.
But in reality the grass is not that much greener after all if you read this:


Why Thailand preferred despite frequent demos?
9:36AM Mar 17, 2012

YOURSAY 'Thailand had more street demos and yet foreigners seem to be flocking to Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Bangkok for their second home.'

Eli Wong blasts Yen Yen for My Second Home dig

your sayJams McLellan: As a potential applicant for the ‘Malaysia My Second Home' scheme (MM2H), I can state categorically that it is not the fear of street demonstrations which puts me off applying.

Among a whole raft of reasons including the bureaucratic hassles, one of the most cogent is the sheer stupidity of Malaysian ministers and senior government politicians such as Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen, as evident from their foot-in-the-mouth public comments.

I would love to spend the remainder of my days living among charming, friendly and hospitable Malaysians. It's such a pity that those in power are the exception to this general rule. Talk about the people not getting the government they deserve.

WanChange: I have feedback from a few would-be seniors who wanted to take up MM2H but the policy changed and they had been rejected.

The security deposit has also been increased - the amount used to be for the husband only but now both husband and wife must put in separate bank deposits as security.

Other benefits are also not attractive so many have decided to go to Singapore or Thailand. Ng Yen Yen must wake up and not only try to blame streets demonstrations in order to score political points.

Amused Malaysian: I am a MM2H agent, thus have relevant information. I believe the programme has been successful in numbers, however the ministry's target area is wrong.

To date, the largest numbers have been from China and Bangladesh, with small numbers of Japanese and South Koreans. Recently, we see a spate of Iranians - certainly not the Europeans as we have expected.

The objective of the programme was to attract ‘rich' people to spend their twilight years in Malaysia by bringing in money and thus helping the economy. The reality has been for from that.

The majority of these visa holders are working full-time and or running businesses in Malaysia. They even employ their own relatives, thus depriving Malaysians of jobs. In that way, the programme is a failure.

Colling: I am a former Malaysian living overseas and had at one time contemplated living in Malaysia for a few months each year under the My Second Home programme.

The primary reason I decided not to do so is the rampant corruption in all spheres of Malaysian society, the breakdown of law and order, racism, lack of freedom of speech, the abysmal service and attitude of officials behind information counters.

These are only a few of the frustrations I experienced and saw first hand from frequent visits to Malaysia. The list goes on.

It has nothing to do with street demonstrations which I see as an avenue and democratic right of every citizen to express their view or opinion on an issue that needs to be put right.

Lim Chong Leong: Thailand has a similar programme and I understand it is more successful. And we know how these Thais can demonstrate.

Blaming the programme's failure on street demos is too simplistic and even opportunistic (by hitting out at the opposition), and this is done without comprehensive study on the actual and cumulative causes of why MM2H is not attractive to foreigners.

Has a survey been even conducted on why it had failed? What are the numbers involved of those approached, how much was spent on publicity and how were the promotions carried out?

Or did we just spend on some cronies who did nothing, as in the case of the Tourism Ministry's Facebook page or the Shanghai Expo's wooden house?

Disgusted: Thailand had more street demos and yet foreigners seem to be flocking to Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Bangkok for their second home, especially the Germans and North Europeans.

Why this is so is because the Thais are a very accommodating and hospitable people and Thailand is safer for them as their laws protect foreigners as well. Unlike here, where the authorities even raided an elderly married couple over alleged ‘khalwat' (close proximity).

Keep up with all your religious antics and you'll find nobody willing to stay here except Indonesians, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and some rogues from Africa. The remand prison in Sungai Buloh is full of them.

This country's tourism is going down the drain because of the government's chauvinism. Besides, Malaysia is not a safe place for tourists due to the robberies and snatch thefts.

Penang Voter: In Thailand, freedom of expression is a healthy thing. In fact, it can be a 'tourist' attraction.

Thailand has experienced more than 10 coups and countless demos over the years and yet, their tourism numbers remain sky high. Compare their airport to ours. Theirs is filled to the brim, ours is like a mortuary.

Fair&Just: It's true, ‘street demonstrations' that are violent and rowdy like those in Penang and other affected states, where the mat rempits and thugs from certain parties disrupting the peace seem to enjoy free and wanton behaviour without action from the authorities. Those are really frightening.

Giudice: The root cause of the problem is you, Ng Yen Yen, and the rest of your colleagues in government.

Anyone who has dealt with ministers and the like will know the kinds of ridiculous demands made in terms of protocol and treatment. Who do you think you are?

You have forgotten that you serve the public and not vice versa. Maybe you should try doing your job effectively instead of playing the blame game.

You are not VIPs or VVIPs. You are servants of the people. And we, the public, should treat you all as such.

Yum: It should not surprise us when this minister ascribes a simple-minded reason to a complex problem. Like the time she suggested womenfolk should wear perfume and dress in see-through lingerie to stop their husbands from straying.

Yes, folks, this is the ministerial quality we have in government. Doesn't the BN have any skilled technocrats left to helm the ministries anymore?

Source: malaysiakini.com

A few rather surprising quotes there, but all in all it seems best that we all stay put.

[johnnyk]

Lots of opinions here, few facts. Rant on, dude.

[Takiap]

I can only speak for myself, but I quite like Malaysia, and if finances allowed, I would certainly have considered the "second home" program. The only thing that would stop me from wanting to live there is that it's too similar to the west in a way - It lacks the craziness and the mai pen rai attitude of Thailand. Saying that, I would choose Malaysia over Singapore any day, but for the time being, Thailand is still the place I call home.

[PET]

A VERY interesting post Roel and most enlightening, as they say '' there is no smoke without fire''.

[charlesh]

Non Muslims in Malaysia including home grown Chinese are discriminated against in many ways however you are unlikely to get blown up or shot while having a coffee or bludgeoned to death in your house or ripped of by the cops or rendered a second class citizen in the courts and their food is better in Malaysia!

[Spitfire]

Malaysia is definitely not all it's touted to be and people vote with their feet, so must be something in it. However, I would ultimately, amongst some other notable reasons, cite the liberal entertainment regime parameters and general attitude in Thailand as the real winner as too why Thailand is so full of tourists and expats.

The religious rubbish in Malaysia doesn't help imo and would put me off a bit.

Also, as an aside, I can't stand the incessant playing of that annoying Malaysian tourist advert on TV all the time, it's on 30 times a day on TRUE.

[STEVE G]

The religious rubbish in Malaysia doesn ... off a bit.

Me as well. Having spent six years living in a Muslim country, I wouldn't be too keen to move to one permanently. Whilst it's not a problem generally, there always seems to be a lurking animosity that has the potential to go badly wrong. When you find yourself on the street on a friday morning surrounded by thousands of the faithful emerging from a mosque, staring at the infidel with hatred in their eyes, you don't feel either particularly safe or welcome.

[aragon]

My father-in-law is based in KL for work and has been there for the last 5 years, my wife and I visit him there from time to time and I myself worked up in Kuantan for a year some time back. At some point in time we all considered the MM2H programme, which seemed to offer quite a good option, but we have both bought in Thailand instead, why I hear you muse?? Well basically for most of the reasons quoted in Roel's post, plus the fact that Malaysians are not the nicest people in the world by any stretch of the immagination and the level of crime, granted mostly petty and mainly non-violent, is quite horrendous. IMHO LOS has it beat hands down, despite the problems there are there.

[asifmooxani]

Qualifying criteria

1. Income of RM 10,000-00 per month.

2. Liquid Assets of RM 350,000-00 (if 50 years OR older) OR RM 500,000 (if below 50 years of age).

3. Intention to make a fixed deposit in a Malaysian bank of RM 150,000 (if 50 years OR older) OR RM 300,000 (if below 50 years of age).


Advantages

• 10-year Visit Pass and Multiple-Entry Visa, which is renewable every ten years and it means eventually it will give you a lifetime easy access to the country.

• Tax free Importing OR purchasing of a new car plus other tax incentives.

• Other tax benefits include, no tax on any income derive outside of the country.


• There is no inheritance tax and no capital gains tax on assets other than property. There is also no VAT, but there is a Government Sales Tax (GST) of five percent on hotel and restaurant bills and on professional bills such as lawyers' fees.

• Benefit of owning business and investing in Malaysia.

• Affordable luxury lifestyle at a comparatively low cost.

• Above all, you will retain your citizenship and all its privileges in your own country.

• No restriction of number of days to stay in Malaysia and you can travel back and forth, as much as you want.

• Medical insurance policy is affordable.
[Mod Edit: Spam link removed.]

[Gregjam]

As my wife is Thai and from the Hua Hin area I never considered Malaysia as an option and here was top of the list. Would be nice if similar incentives were available here... would be nice if I won the lottery too... dream on.

[asifmooxani]

[Mod Edit: Final warning, please contact this forum to advertise business services here.]