Wednesday, April 04, 2007

A Malaysian's Singaporean dilemma

Huey GunApr 3, 07 4:07pm


I have been working in Singapore for eight years now. For eight years, I have been travelling to and from my home in Johor Bahru.

For the past eight years, I have been enjoying the benefits of earning the Singapore dollar and bringing it back to Johor Bahru to spend. This includes owning a bigger home and a luxury car.

A large number of Malaysian permanent residents in Singapore are doing this as well. Most of these PRs play an important role both in the development of Singapore and in the bringing back of money back to Johor Bahru to help the latter as well.

I must also say that a lot of these PRs are a ‘brain drain’ that Malaysia is losing.

I have been following the news from both Johor Bahru and Singapore. I want to share this to all of you in Malaysia.

It seems like Singapore is moving in a right direction in creating a vibrant, fun and safe place to live in. They are also luring our best brains to their country. However, in Malaysia, we are constantly being surrounded by such negative issues such as corruption, a deteoriating security situation and time-wasting racial politics.

I am currently in a dilemma as to whether I should just stay in Singapore permanently and buy a house there. I feel safe and appreciated there while I feel insecure and disappointed with the state of our country.

The charging of RM20 daily for my Singapore-registered vehicle to re-enter Johor Baru, I’m sure, will help make up my mind.

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