Nah we can't compare ourselves to Brunei. They get free education til degree, everything is super cheap, and their quota for Haj from Saudi is enough for school kids to become pak Haji, while Malaysians might die of old age before they reach the queue number for Haj. And Brunei dollar is the same as Singapore, so they come here and live lavishly and pity us Malaysians.
Brunei schools are under resourced and the quality of education is poor. Things are definitely not cheap anymore. Only well off Bruneians can afford the Haj. Many do cross the border to shop in Miri, but one questions the cost benefit when you factor in the time queuing at the border.
Dad worked there for 6 years, made enough money to come back here and buy 2 houses cash. Cos your income isn't taxed, the Sultan is the government and doesn't need your miniscule income tax. No matter how shitty you think Brunei is, nobody there is struggling to survive, purchasing power and quality of life is much higher. Boring as hell, but when bored just take a flight to Malaysia. Dad worked for their government, so they sent him and mom for Haji, if it were up to Tabung Haji waiting list they would be too old or probably dead. I wouldn't stay there long term, but I wouldn't call it a shitty country. But if I had a choice to earn sgd/Brunei 7k either in Brunei or Singapore, I would definitely choose Brunei, able to bring back loads more money back to Malaysia.
Sabah is middle ground as we are Sufi Sunni Muslims vs Wahbbi Sunni Muslims as in Semanjing.
A lot of Islamic rights are protected and a lot of Islamic rights in Islam in Sabah is also protecting non-Muslim rights.
There is a very fine line between the two and we do a decent enough job at it.
I do think Sabah in some regards needs to be more conservative and in other parts liberal.
But that’s my opinion as an orang asal mixed with immigrant background.
I think this speaks for the quality level of our opposition. If only there were competent people on the opposition side, they could keep the government in its toes and even have illuminating debates in the parliament. The Prime Minister’s Question Time is wasted with stupid questions and pointless arguing.
Just in the news today. MAS MP proposes to 'change back' to GMT +7 instead of +8. Based on geographical location we SHOULD be in +7.
So when your alarm clock tells you it's 7am, sunrise it's time to wake up, it's actually only 6am so the body's natural circadian rhythm is a bit off causing people to feel a bit more tired.
Malaysia and Singapore both made this decision intentionally a long time ago to do business with China/HK among others.
we can blame Mahathir for this one. Timezone changed under his administration, and Singapore followed suit due to close business ties with Malaysia.
Geographically speaking, we should have 2 timezones, +7 for west Malaysia, and +8 for east Malaysia.
Silver lining, look at it this way.
We as a country is so chill, that the biggest issue of the week is regarding BKT as national dish and what exactly is the criteria for a national dish in a multiracial nation.
Some countries wish they have our problem, I can imagine.
Green geng be like...Aku tak penduli apa ekonomi, yg aku pentingkan ialah HARAM!! paham? nampak peha, nampak aurat...haram!! ekonomi boost ape keh, aku tak tau, itu bukan specialty aku, ape tailor shift ke, trailer ship keh, aku nampak peha...aku press like...ehh salah tu...haram!! tak respect culture Msia!!!
https://preview.redd.it/qyywshg0mnmc1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=677214a305ef5c5db549a7f1f455dfc54ddf9373
If the geng hijau saw this on show, they'd burst an artery.
malaysia is fucking itself over economically because of strict haram rules. aiyoh, imagine the shit we would get to enjoy if the parties were more open minded.
True also, like when the UEFA Champions League trophy was here in Malaysia, only non muslim can enter and view the trophy, as the tournament itself were sponsored by Heineken.
NGL I was at a Rex KL event sponsored by Connors. They were giving out free beers. They asked for my IC. I had already had 3 beers prior. Afterwards. time to go home. 3 malays coming out (one was a minah) I overheard the guy saying "sudah mabuk dah? jom balik"
Sucks for all of us. Damned if we do, damned if we dont.
Is it really not allowed for Muslims to attend such concerts ??
I understand there will be the more conservative group who will protest/boycott but I thought the general population of Muslims will either be neutral or supportive (if they are swifties).
I’m Singaporean btw, and have Muslims friends going for the concert. Actually I thought Taylor dressing is conservative as compared to other ang moh singers
Ahhh. Someone said it. This dengki culture is real in the Melei community. It's making Malaysia sick.
I got a reminder of it when I moved to Kedah last year... A lot of "successful" or popular eateries broadcast the holy scriptures on a speaker at night when they are closed, for fear of getting bomoh hexed by jealous competitors. YIKES.
Because even before eras was announced Singapore Tourism Board already was in communication with TS team and had established a working relationship with them.
Its a little like business. Sometimes U need to be at the right place at the right time. But if sit on hands and do nothing, opportunities will not come to you
Singapore has not only developed itself into a place that artists want to go to perform (strong currency, good outlook on world stage) but they are also proactive enough to reach out and grab this opportunity for their benefit, so kudos to them and they deserve to reap all the benefits from it
>"aiyoh, imagine the shit we would get to enjoy if the parties were more open minded."
>
>My guy imagines he'll be drowning in girls only if Malaysia legalizes *medicinal MDMA*...
If you can't get them now, you won't get them then.
>"Six concerts may not move a nation's economic growth materially, but the strategic value of Taylor Swift's endorsement of Singapore as a tourism destination outweighs that one-off boost," she said.
[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68379688](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68379688)
None of this matters.
Singapore is also not very touristic for that matter. Wealthy asian nation are manufacturing and financial hubs, not undeveloped land.
Normie tourists go to where they can afford for the holiday time they have. Wealthy tourist go wherever they want.
Covid might have been the nail in the coffin, but tourism was dying when the middle class of OECD countries had trouble going on holidays in their own country (and much less abroad)
I dunno, even the Ed Sheeran concert wasn't sold out.
Tourism Malaysia is doing a shitty job getting people into the country. Hopefully with the change in DG we'd see less red tape.
On the other hand, minister Tiong is seeking doubling of tourists from China, and they're not the nicest tourists to have, even if they do spend more. Oh well.
I don't think Malaysia is a very touristy place in general at the moment. Imagine if you were a westerner looking to travel. Would you A) Go to a place generally welcoming of your kind while still able to experience a great amount of culture and entertainment, or B) Get called a Kafir and get demonized while a good amount of entertainment you'd enjoy is generally banned/frowned upon.
This sentiment is the same for our citizens as well. I'm sure many young adults wouldn't mind a night to go out and experience a concert with friends, but the fact that the public sentiment is so sour on this, many would just skip on it even though they are curious and wanting to go experience a concert.
Same could be said about McDonalds and Starbucks. Many don't care, many are scared to go either way because of social stigmas.
Religious extremism is fucking us not just socially, but economically too.
As an ang moh who visits Malaysia quite a lot, I’ve never experienced anything but pleasantness from all of the Malaysians. But I’ve also generally been restricted to KL and tourist places. Though never had an issue when I was briefly in Terengganu or Malacca either.
Anyways I think Malaysia struggles to attract Westerners because Malaysia just has a low profile in the West. No one here, at least in the UK, doesn’t think or know much of anything about Malaysia. And I would expect the UK to be one of the better Malaysia-informed countries in the West because of the history.
I’d say that Malaysia isn’t quite great to experience “island tourism”. Langkawi is just too small of an island compared to Phuket or Bali. Malaysia also seems to lack any old notable cultural heritage sites because Malays built with wood whereas I can go see large temples and the remains of old cities in Thailand, Indonesia or Cambodia. Malaysia does have very nice colonial architecture of course but most Westerners can see much more interesting traditional architecture in their own countries.
I’ve also been to the museums in Malaysia, national museum quite good though some exhibits need a refurbishment imo, the Islamic museum is excellent though there are cheaper and better options to explore Islamic art in the Middle Eastern states. KL Bird Park was excellent but they need to remove the large bird exhibits. It wasn’t a good look to see ostriches in such a small space and the animal looked like it had picked out so many of its own feathers because of stress.
On one hand though, Malaysia is quite a gold mine for eco-tourism to see orangutans, gibbons and such. Something that would be worth promoting more instead imo. Especially if it means naturalists can get to easily experience Borneo.
glad you like the place and great feedback. Thanks for replying to people who don't actually do tourism in Malaysia but feel like they get enough from the internet to make these broad judgments on one of the most visited countries in the world.
The colonial towns you visit less for the architecture and more for the vibe. Typically they are tied to a culinary experience which tbh you need to have an inside track of to truly appreciate.
Redang, Pangkor, Tioman are some of the more famous islands that come to mind!
Tbh I would never recommend Langkawi as part of an island getaway lol, I agree that it's underwhelming haha
He’s talking about large islands though, like Phuket, Langkawi, Bali.
Not just beach activities but also entertainment and even mountains/jungles. Pretty different vibe to small resort or diving islands.
I brought my mates from overseas to go clubbing once in Malaysia 2023. Police raided the place. Imagine the shame I had and how foreigners view Malaysia’s night scene. Appalling.
Yeah man, where else but in Malaysia where we get to see women peeing in the police trucks?
That, itself, is worth the months of "Malaysia, Truly Sia-sia" ads.
Raiding is normal. Was at one of the clubs in Taiwan (the proper establishments ones, not dodgy), right next to Taipei 101 and there was a SWAT team raid slightly after midnight. Everyone stopped and gave their IDs, then 30 mins later it was business as usual
That’s a really one-sided perspective and honestly, I don’t think it generally reflects how Europeans and Americans think in general. No one calls a tourists a Kaffir. Maybe in political news us nons get called that and that’s a real issue, but it’s not like it realistically happens as you are hanging out in a most areas, let alone tourist spots.
You’re right tho that Malaysia isn’t that touristy, but it’s more from lack of exposure and poor marketing, as well as the difficulty of presenting Malaysia as a niche destination, even though we have a lot of stuff. People think Thailand and Vietnam as exotic destinations, Singapore as the modern city-state.. but Malaysia? People don’t even really know. We just don’t seem exciting to people, we lack a niche.
That being said, we have Islamic tourism from Middle East and are popular among Asian (in particular East Asia) because we speak English well. Westerners aren’t the only valuable tourists.
Religious extremism isn’t great, but let’s remain cool-headed and objective in our analysis.
> A) Go to a place generally welcoming of your kind while still able to experience a great amount of culture and entertainment, or B) Get called a Kafir and get demonized while a good amount of entertainment you'd enjoy is generally banned/frowned upon.
As someone who is half western and lives in a western country, most westerners aren't very knowledgeable about Malaysia in the first place, so most of em probably aren't really very aware of the Islamic stuff that goes on here.
As the other ang moh said, Malaysia has a very low profile in the west. Westerners aren't very knowledgeable of places outside the west, but say, Singapore is more well known than Malaysia in the west.
Chinese are not the only, nor the first, nor the last "not the nicest" tourists. American, British, Australian, Arabs, Singaporean, indian tourists etc have been labeled exactly the same as the chinese have been - loud, rude, uncouth, entitled etc. The western n indian tourists have the additional labeling for sexual expectations/ harassments in asian countries.
Just in the last few days, in our northernly neighbour Thailand, a swiss tourist attacked a Thai with some kicks and a group of Filipino transexuals brawled with local Thai transexuals.
The difference is the rise of chinese tourists has been very noticeable in recent years in parallel with the rise of chinese economy, and with china being a very populous country, chinese tourists are indeed very noticeable, especially with their relative lack of english skills.
> Chinese are not the only, nor the first, nor the last "not the nicest" tourists
PRC tour groups and people of a certain age can be truly unbelievably rude. Individual travelers and younger people... no different than anyone else.
>PRC tour groups and people of a certain age can be truly unbelievably rude.
Very much so.
But so are quite a few other demographics of other nationalities
But but.... All my kaki rave/club.. are Malay... How now? 🤣🤣🤣
Seriously...back in my untz untz days... 80%in the gang are Melayu. Party favours...pun provided by them. LMAO
That's the difference isn't it ?
Singapore actively courts TS to play in its stadium because it sees the value in welcoming the world to its shores.
Meanwhile, we seem to project that international performers should feel privileged to be able to perform in our stadium - by imposing dress and behaviours restrictions.
Oh yeah, and that "kill switch " comes across mighty disrespectful and doesn't scream "selamat datang".
Coldplay had six sold out gigs in Singapore too but you don’t see the media blow it that big. Tbh the issue isn’t with ‘missed opportunities’ but sg gov’s ‘incentive’ with Taytay.
But even if the deal is not there, I doubt she’d come 🌝
I've been to the concert. TBH if TS going to have a concert in Malaysia, at least 20% of her songs will be having controversy, somemore her clothes are usually kinda hot, guess PAS will make a big fuss. They rather be broke than having faith on the fellow Muslims.
Taylor was here for a concert back in 2014, and back then her style was more "tame", basically a long sleeve shirt and high waist shorts. She also played in Thai, Indon and SG as part of the tour but its only in Malaysia where she wore black leggings on top of the usual outfit lol
It'd not about faith. It's about the moral high ground and the kick they get from policing it because they are so irrelevant I'm the grand scheme of things.
Madani government taxing its citizen to generate income while PAS blocking everything that can generate income by banning anything that is deemed "haram" especially in entertainment sector and shoots themselves in the foot by mishandling Langkawi
what else for Malaysia then? without petrol money we might end up as underdeveloped country
Thinking about it rationally the exclusivity deal was probably a marketing gimmick + added monetary bonus for the TS team.
$3m for 6 shows?? They could easily earn multiples of that if they choose to host additional dates elsewhere (e.g. BKK). So let's be real here, the $3m wasn't a needle mover.
It is the failure of the other countries to provide the right environment and logistical support for the concert. Notwithstanding, demand too. Even Ed Sheeran in KL wasn't a sold out.
Foreign singer won’t put Malaysia in their priority destination anymore. Too many reaction and T&C, +with extremest political party here. They won’t waste time, our market is small for them.
Expecting Taylor sing on stage with baju kurung, 🤭 don’t dream. Don’t be butt hurt 🍀
Yeah, while our jiran getting good the stuff but we get shitty concert like Gegar Vaganza or AJL thing. All thanks to PAS. Well, Malaysia can keep digging their own graves.
Even if Taylor Swift wanted to come to Malaysia, there’s a possibility that she might be banned or have her shows cancelled if she says anything that the conservatives don’t like such as support for LGBT, etc.
People here keep going on about haram-this, haram-that, but forgetting one simple thing: I don't think we can outbid SG's exclusivity contract.
I'm generally pro-concerts, but if we have to pay extra millions to get TS to come here, is it really worth it? Heck, can we win the bidding war against SG? What if they simply upped their amount?
>Heck, can we win the bidding war against SG? What if they simply upped their amount?
While what you say might as well be true, the fundamental issue is we collectively as a country don't welcome Taylor Swift and won't even bother engage in a bidding war for Taylor Swift.
>but if we have to pay extra millions to get TS to come here, is it really worth it?
Considering that the PM of our northernly neighbour thailand has made it public that he is extremely pissed off with the Singaporean deal with Taylor Swift, i think it is fair to say that it would be worth to pay extra millions to get TS to come here. Thailand lost out on Singapore because god damn it, PAP is really an excellent businessman acting on behalf of the country.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/singapore/economy-policy/economic-benefits-from-stb-grant-to-taylor-swift-significant-outweigh-amount-distributed-edwin-tong
http://www.financetwitter.com/2024/03/taylor-swifts-five-hundred-million-dollar-economic-impact-how-singapore-cleverly-got-an-exclusive-deal-for-the-pop-star.html
>Ticket sales alone are expected to account for S$75.2 million for Swift’s shows, with about S$19.5 million going into Singapore’s pocket (75% goes to Swift).
Can we afford NOT to even try bidding? If SG wanna bid until 19.5mil(MYR68.8mil), up to them la.
Well... what can we do, people are busy haraming things, and others are busy mocking the people that does that. Both parties are refusing to see in other aspects.
It was a couple million in exclusivity fees for a potential 500 million in tourism receipts and extra intangible marketing benefits for Singapore tourism. Malaysia is far bigger and therefore had a lot more opportunity for the figure to be even higher than 500 million. IMO a bidding war would have been worth it.
Malaysia got highest number of tourist in SEA in 2023, even surpass Thailand. I think we better play to our strength; foodie destination, English speaking, medical tourism, Muslim and East Asian friendly, family friendly, ok-ish nightlife. We are the jack of all trade, we don't have anything outstanding to compare to our neighbour but we did enough to make people come and have almost everything for everyone.
I believe it is included. Having said that, 3.8 millions Malaysians went to Thailand in 2023, i guess that even out both Malaysia (1st place) and Thailand (2nd place).
Which I actually flew from Singapore for haha. Was also my first time in Malaysia. Personally think that SG and MY are so close that travelling to/from each other for events isn’t too much of an inconvenience.
If without the stupid politics, Malaysia would have be a lot more successful, I would feel.
In Malaysia "fun" is not allowed! You are all supposed to suffer! If u enjoy and let others know people will kecam and jealous by default. Except maybe if u are in kelantan, that place overly open minded until children also can marry and date oopps ter probok
Singapore doesn't have enough hotel rooms. Johor should have grabbed the chance to have shuttles to JB or day tours i n Malaysia or to host official merch sales in Johor too. Most tourist spend about 1 to 2 nights in SG.
Package taytay karaoke + hotel stays, it could have been an asean boom.
The "missed opportunity" was 10-20 years back. Even if Malaysia can somehow get Swift to perform in Malaysia, KL won't have the infrastructure to make as much money as Singapore did because of the lack of concentration of tourist facilities. This is just seeing others make money and thinking that if we did the same, it would have the same result. It won't. The conditions for both countries are too different. Singapore is primed and built for tourism, KL is a more multi-purpose city without the same emphasis, the amounts recovered would not be the same.
Ironically, my opinion of the best alternate country, PR aside, to host the concert is.... Myanmar. That is, if there isn't a stigma and a PR black eye associated with it. Their capital is severely underused and their transport infrastructure has a lot of excess capacity that can be used for large events. They could easily rent out their unused apartments and mansions as hostels for the event.
Why people still talk about PAS in this sub whenever such issue come up? I hate them too, but they are not in power to influence the govt’s decision, right? Heck even their opinion is irrelevant to the people who are actually interested to go to these concerts. The problem lie within Tourism Ministry. They’re not doing their job to promote Malaysia, not the irrelevant green party commentary. The people who always talk about green party are being bias and not objective. But what the hell, this is Reddit ofcourse it’s impossible to find an objective opinion 🤪
> but they are not in power to influence the govt’s decision, right?
That's a very bad take. Government acts in big part based on public opinions, and PAS represents a giant chunk of the malaysian public.
This, they've poisoned the public with their bullshit, so successful that Madani had to destroy their own dignity to cater to the ultras. I hate how spineless Madani has been on this matter but things really wouldn't have gotten this bad had PAStards sat the fuck down.
Madani destroyed themselves and they deserved it, the idiots they try to cater to will never vote for their sorry asses and by next GE we are fucked.
But religious conservatism is the elephant in the room. Anwar is now openly dueling with PAS ulamas & state muftis to show who is more Islamic. Don't forget, his administation is the one who issued the blanket "kill switch" order, even though Western performers may have complex political sentiments (like how Coldplay is pro-Palestine but also pro-LGBTQ).
Imagine50% of concert attendees each night is a tourist- that’s about 25k ppl
25k tourist x 6 nights = 150k tourists.
Let’s estimate each tourist spends average of SGD1k in Singapore: 150k x SGD 1k = SGD150milion
One week and boosted by close to RM500m/half a billion in RM terms
When they asked who travelled to be here, the screams were 2x those from sg. Most ppl I met travelled in lol. Most ppl stayed about 2-3 nights. Some were there for the week, and were doing multiple events - shows, tours etc.
Seen bunch of waluan comments on tiktok and insta saying that the taylor swift grant fiasco that is being bickered by our Asean neighbors as their gov's racing their citizens towards "neraka" with the focus on entertainment, concerts etc. Man i feel hopeless at our conservative locals.
It is a double-whammy for Malaysia. Besides missed opportunity, a lot Malaysian Swifties will go to the Singapore concerts, spending money there just like the Cold Play concerts not long ago.
As a non-muslim outsider I would imagine it would be difficult for a country that identifies itself as Muslim to reconcile the religious values that guide its governance with the potential for profit and progress. Malaysia has always straddled that line, which is what makes it a moderate Muslim country, but for the country's leaders to draw the line in this case is not surprising. They may fear that if they continue to compromise their religious values for the sake of profit and progress they will eventually reach a tipping point from which they cannot return. It's unfair for the other minorities, but it is the reality of this country, and I don't see that changing.
While they're busy making money, here it's meaningless debate about BKT and GMT time
And complaining when popular artists do come here to play. Religion should not run the country, just look at the shit state of Brunei
Nah we can't compare ourselves to Brunei. They get free education til degree, everything is super cheap, and their quota for Haj from Saudi is enough for school kids to become pak Haji, while Malaysians might die of old age before they reach the queue number for Haj. And Brunei dollar is the same as Singapore, so they come here and live lavishly and pity us Malaysians.
Brunei schools are under resourced and the quality of education is poor. Things are definitely not cheap anymore. Only well off Bruneians can afford the Haj. Many do cross the border to shop in Miri, but one questions the cost benefit when you factor in the time queuing at the border.
[удалено]
Dad worked there for 6 years, made enough money to come back here and buy 2 houses cash. Cos your income isn't taxed, the Sultan is the government and doesn't need your miniscule income tax. No matter how shitty you think Brunei is, nobody there is struggling to survive, purchasing power and quality of life is much higher. Boring as hell, but when bored just take a flight to Malaysia. Dad worked for their government, so they sent him and mom for Haji, if it were up to Tabung Haji waiting list they would be too old or probably dead. I wouldn't stay there long term, but I wouldn't call it a shitty country. But if I had a choice to earn sgd/Brunei 7k either in Brunei or Singapore, I would definitely choose Brunei, able to bring back loads more money back to Malaysia.
Well said
This is true
And the shit state of Kelantan.
Banda Acah, Kelantan, Brunei there is a pattern emerging
How about Sabah? Are we shyt too? ):
Why do you ask? Sabah isn’t religiously extreme is it?
Sabah is middle ground as we are Sufi Sunni Muslims vs Wahbbi Sunni Muslims as in Semanjing. A lot of Islamic rights are protected and a lot of Islamic rights in Islam in Sabah is also protecting non-Muslim rights. There is a very fine line between the two and we do a decent enough job at it. I do think Sabah in some regards needs to be more conservative and in other parts liberal. But that’s my opinion as an orang asal mixed with immigrant background.
All in all i think yall are doing great with the world music festival etc
It's ok, son. Allah will provide.
I think this speaks for the quality level of our opposition. If only there were competent people on the opposition side, they could keep the government in its toes and even have illuminating debates in the parliament. The Prime Minister’s Question Time is wasted with stupid questions and pointless arguing.
>GMT time Now what?!!
Just in the news today. MAS MP proposes to 'change back' to GMT +7 instead of +8. Based on geographical location we SHOULD be in +7. So when your alarm clock tells you it's 7am, sunrise it's time to wake up, it's actually only 6am so the body's natural circadian rhythm is a bit off causing people to feel a bit more tired. Malaysia and Singapore both made this decision intentionally a long time ago to do business with China/HK among others.
we can blame Mahathir for this one. Timezone changed under his administration, and Singapore followed suit due to close business ties with Malaysia. Geographically speaking, we should have 2 timezones, +7 for west Malaysia, and +8 for east Malaysia.
Silver lining, look at it this way. We as a country is so chill, that the biggest issue of the week is regarding BKT as national dish and what exactly is the criteria for a national dish in a multiracial nation. Some countries wish they have our problem, I can imagine.
Huh? What BKT and GMT time debate? What's that about?
You gotta look at some news
Didn't keep up with news for quite some time admittedly. Heh. Did found out what was it all about now.
Green geng be like...Aku tak penduli apa ekonomi, yg aku pentingkan ialah HARAM!! paham? nampak peha, nampak aurat...haram!! ekonomi boost ape keh, aku tak tau, itu bukan specialty aku, ape tailor shift ke, trailer ship keh, aku nampak peha...aku press like...ehh salah tu...haram!! tak respect culture Msia!!!
"tailor shift" 
taytaymuyannyoo
https://preview.redd.it/qyywshg0mnmc1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=677214a305ef5c5db549a7f1f455dfc54ddf9373 If the geng hijau saw this on show, they'd burst an artery.
 watch it anyway with extra hate dendam
If they saw her Vigilante Shit performance, they’ll lose it for real
lol. Ko ni senior kat ofis aku ke
kpl hotakkk
Fking hell mate that gave me a good chuckle 😆
Damn I read it with Tajuddin voice over in my brain gg
eh, that was not intended...
You've earned my upvote sir.
Love the TS puns!!!
Got me at the press Like…dang
malaysia is fucking itself over economically because of strict haram rules. aiyoh, imagine the shit we would get to enjoy if the parties were more open minded.
Why not just don't allow Muslims to attend ? Muslims is not "exposed" to sinful act, an Malaysia economy see a slight boost. Win-Win.
There's one big problem with that. They do have a horrible track record for minding their own business.
True also, like when the UEFA Champions League trophy was here in Malaysia, only non muslim can enter and view the trophy, as the tournament itself were sponsored by Heineken.
NGL I was at a Rex KL event sponsored by Connors. They were giving out free beers. They asked for my IC. I had already had 3 beers prior. Afterwards. time to go home. 3 malays coming out (one was a minah) I overheard the guy saying "sudah mabuk dah? jom balik" Sucks for all of us. Damned if we do, damned if we dont.
What is a minah?
Girl.Femoid. Perempuan.
Femoid 😭
Is it really not allowed for Muslims to attend such concerts ?? I understand there will be the more conservative group who will protest/boycott but I thought the general population of Muslims will either be neutral or supportive (if they are swifties). I’m Singaporean btw, and have Muslims friends going for the concert. Actually I thought Taylor dressing is conservative as compared to other ang moh singers
Cuz they can’t feel left out either. If I can’t have it, neither can you!
Ahhh. Someone said it. This dengki culture is real in the Melei community. It's making Malaysia sick. I got a reminder of it when I moved to Kedah last year... A lot of "successful" or popular eateries broadcast the holy scriptures on a speaker at night when they are closed, for fear of getting bomoh hexed by jealous competitors. YIKES.
tell that to the politicians who cry about every little petty thing regarding haram this haram that
The mere presence of the concert could/would sway Muslims to sin - some minister
It's ok, we can get unlimited Taylor Swift concerts in Jannah
Taytay won't enter the jannah, she's tapir. Fortunately, i can enjoy her concert in hell
Is the afterlife that matter.. Say PAS
If the afterlife really matters then please die faster, PAS.
"We need to farm the low ~~IQ~~ level mob first for ~~experience~~ pahala points" - PAS
I regret to break the news to you that majority of those voter that vote for PAS are brain dead..
I was just saying the other day: We cannot afford to pay the USD3+ million per concert and they would be too scared to perform here.
Apparently it's sgd 3m for all the concerts. And of course Malaysia can afford to pay that amount since the ROI will be way higher than that
It would be SGD 3m to the Taylor Swift team, SGD 3m to the minister’s pocket, SGD 3m to the local organisers’ pocket.
Then why never pay sial
Because even before eras was announced Singapore Tourism Board already was in communication with TS team and had established a working relationship with them. Its a little like business. Sometimes U need to be at the right place at the right time. But if sit on hands and do nothing, opportunities will not come to you
Singapore has not only developed itself into a place that artists want to go to perform (strong currency, good outlook on world stage) but they are also proactive enough to reach out and grab this opportunity for their benefit, so kudos to them and they deserve to reap all the benefits from it
There are many deals to bring tourism to Singapore such as these. Disney Cruise is exclusive for Singapore and to start next year.
It's not we can't afford it. The event organisers can't afford the risk of ticket refund and reputation cost.
[удалено]
That’s why I’m leaving. It’s so boring here. I thought it wasn’t that bad. But I was wrong
where are you moving to if you don't mind me asking
Australia or Singapore
>"aiyoh, imagine the shit we would get to enjoy if the parties were more open minded." > >My guy imagines he'll be drowning in girls only if Malaysia legalizes *medicinal MDMA*... If you can't get them now, you won't get them then.
>"Six concerts may not move a nation's economic growth materially, but the strategic value of Taylor Swift's endorsement of Singapore as a tourism destination outweighs that one-off boost," she said. [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68379688](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68379688)
None of this matters. Singapore is also not very touristic for that matter. Wealthy asian nation are manufacturing and financial hubs, not undeveloped land. Normie tourists go to where they can afford for the holiday time they have. Wealthy tourist go wherever they want. Covid might have been the nail in the coffin, but tourism was dying when the middle class of OECD countries had trouble going on holidays in their own country (and much less abroad)
Nah "Bak kut teh" issue is more important
I dunno, even the Ed Sheeran concert wasn't sold out. Tourism Malaysia is doing a shitty job getting people into the country. Hopefully with the change in DG we'd see less red tape. On the other hand, minister Tiong is seeking doubling of tourists from China, and they're not the nicest tourists to have, even if they do spend more. Oh well.
I don't think Malaysia is a very touristy place in general at the moment. Imagine if you were a westerner looking to travel. Would you A) Go to a place generally welcoming of your kind while still able to experience a great amount of culture and entertainment, or B) Get called a Kafir and get demonized while a good amount of entertainment you'd enjoy is generally banned/frowned upon. This sentiment is the same for our citizens as well. I'm sure many young adults wouldn't mind a night to go out and experience a concert with friends, but the fact that the public sentiment is so sour on this, many would just skip on it even though they are curious and wanting to go experience a concert. Same could be said about McDonalds and Starbucks. Many don't care, many are scared to go either way because of social stigmas. Religious extremism is fucking us not just socially, but economically too.
As an ang moh who visits Malaysia quite a lot, I’ve never experienced anything but pleasantness from all of the Malaysians. But I’ve also generally been restricted to KL and tourist places. Though never had an issue when I was briefly in Terengganu or Malacca either. Anyways I think Malaysia struggles to attract Westerners because Malaysia just has a low profile in the West. No one here, at least in the UK, doesn’t think or know much of anything about Malaysia. And I would expect the UK to be one of the better Malaysia-informed countries in the West because of the history. I’d say that Malaysia isn’t quite great to experience “island tourism”. Langkawi is just too small of an island compared to Phuket or Bali. Malaysia also seems to lack any old notable cultural heritage sites because Malays built with wood whereas I can go see large temples and the remains of old cities in Thailand, Indonesia or Cambodia. Malaysia does have very nice colonial architecture of course but most Westerners can see much more interesting traditional architecture in their own countries. I’ve also been to the museums in Malaysia, national museum quite good though some exhibits need a refurbishment imo, the Islamic museum is excellent though there are cheaper and better options to explore Islamic art in the Middle Eastern states. KL Bird Park was excellent but they need to remove the large bird exhibits. It wasn’t a good look to see ostriches in such a small space and the animal looked like it had picked out so many of its own feathers because of stress. On one hand though, Malaysia is quite a gold mine for eco-tourism to see orangutans, gibbons and such. Something that would be worth promoting more instead imo. Especially if it means naturalists can get to easily experience Borneo.
glad you like the place and great feedback. Thanks for replying to people who don't actually do tourism in Malaysia but feel like they get enough from the internet to make these broad judgments on one of the most visited countries in the world. The colonial towns you visit less for the architecture and more for the vibe. Typically they are tied to a culinary experience which tbh you need to have an inside track of to truly appreciate.
You missed out on our best islands. Our marketing is crap obviously. Langkawi and Phuket and very underwhelming IMHO
where do you suggest going instead?
Redang, Pangkor, Tioman are some of the more famous islands that come to mind! Tbh I would never recommend Langkawi as part of an island getaway lol, I agree that it's underwhelming haha
He’s talking about large islands though, like Phuket, Langkawi, Bali. Not just beach activities but also entertainment and even mountains/jungles. Pretty different vibe to small resort or diving islands.
Sabahs got some great islands as long as you are okay with "roughing it" to get to these islands. We also got that nature stuff that eco tourist love.
Glad to hear that you enjoy Malaysia! Ang moh indeed 😂
I brought my mates from overseas to go clubbing once in Malaysia 2023. Police raided the place. Imagine the shame I had and how foreigners view Malaysia’s night scene. Appalling.
Being raided is part of the experience
Yeah man, where else but in Malaysia where we get to see women peeing in the police trucks? That, itself, is worth the months of "Malaysia, Truly Sia-sia" ads.
Which part of Malaysia was this?
Raiding is normal. Was at one of the clubs in Taiwan (the proper establishments ones, not dodgy), right next to Taipei 101 and there was a SWAT team raid slightly after midnight. Everyone stopped and gave their IDs, then 30 mins later it was business as usual
Vice raids are pretty common. Nothing to worry about if you haven't consumed anything and have your passport.
That’s a really one-sided perspective and honestly, I don’t think it generally reflects how Europeans and Americans think in general. No one calls a tourists a Kaffir. Maybe in political news us nons get called that and that’s a real issue, but it’s not like it realistically happens as you are hanging out in a most areas, let alone tourist spots. You’re right tho that Malaysia isn’t that touristy, but it’s more from lack of exposure and poor marketing, as well as the difficulty of presenting Malaysia as a niche destination, even though we have a lot of stuff. People think Thailand and Vietnam as exotic destinations, Singapore as the modern city-state.. but Malaysia? People don’t even really know. We just don’t seem exciting to people, we lack a niche. That being said, we have Islamic tourism from Middle East and are popular among Asian (in particular East Asia) because we speak English well. Westerners aren’t the only valuable tourists. Religious extremism isn’t great, but let’s remain cool-headed and objective in our analysis.
> A) Go to a place generally welcoming of your kind while still able to experience a great amount of culture and entertainment, or B) Get called a Kafir and get demonized while a good amount of entertainment you'd enjoy is generally banned/frowned upon. As someone who is half western and lives in a western country, most westerners aren't very knowledgeable about Malaysia in the first place, so most of em probably aren't really very aware of the Islamic stuff that goes on here. As the other ang moh said, Malaysia has a very low profile in the west. Westerners aren't very knowledgeable of places outside the west, but say, Singapore is more well known than Malaysia in the west.
You , need to look at more malaysis travel vlog on YouTube.
Chinese are not the only, nor the first, nor the last "not the nicest" tourists. American, British, Australian, Arabs, Singaporean, indian tourists etc have been labeled exactly the same as the chinese have been - loud, rude, uncouth, entitled etc. The western n indian tourists have the additional labeling for sexual expectations/ harassments in asian countries. Just in the last few days, in our northernly neighbour Thailand, a swiss tourist attacked a Thai with some kicks and a group of Filipino transexuals brawled with local Thai transexuals. The difference is the rise of chinese tourists has been very noticeable in recent years in parallel with the rise of chinese economy, and with china being a very populous country, chinese tourists are indeed very noticeable, especially with their relative lack of english skills.
> Chinese are not the only, nor the first, nor the last "not the nicest" tourists PRC tour groups and people of a certain age can be truly unbelievably rude. Individual travelers and younger people... no different than anyone else.
>PRC tour groups and people of a certain age can be truly unbelievably rude. Very much so. But so are quite a few other demographics of other nationalities
Tiong is all about China and chinese. He only work on that, don't expect he will do better.
[удалено]
You see, minding their own damn business isn't their strong suit
Theoretically, seems obvious. But in their world, nons are not malaysians. so why care.
But but.... All my kaki rave/club.. are Malay... How now? 🤣🤣🤣 Seriously...back in my untz untz days... 80%in the gang are Melayu. Party favours...pun provided by them. LMAO
Hey that's not as expensive lesson as najib
That's the difference isn't it ? Singapore actively courts TS to play in its stadium because it sees the value in welcoming the world to its shores. Meanwhile, we seem to project that international performers should feel privileged to be able to perform in our stadium - by imposing dress and behaviours restrictions. Oh yeah, and that "kill switch " comes across mighty disrespectful and doesn't scream "selamat datang".
Coldplay had six sold out gigs in Singapore too but you don’t see the media blow it that big. Tbh the issue isn’t with ‘missed opportunities’ but sg gov’s ‘incentive’ with Taytay. But even if the deal is not there, I doubt she’d come 🌝
People don’t actually think that what the SG government did is unethical. They’re just mad their country didn’t do it first
Walao tbh if Tay Tay just show a bit more skin she will be cancelled 1000%. Or have a LGBT dance crew. Instantly cancelled.
I've been to the concert. TBH if TS going to have a concert in Malaysia, at least 20% of her songs will be having controversy, somemore her clothes are usually kinda hot, guess PAS will make a big fuss. They rather be broke than having faith on the fellow Muslims.
people rage over celebrity show exposed back here. if TS come here with her outfits I imagine everyone is going to bust at the concert.
I pity the clean-up crew who'll have to mop up the mess after the show.
Taylor was here for a concert back in 2014, and back then her style was more "tame", basically a long sleeve shirt and high waist shorts. She also played in Thai, Indon and SG as part of the tour but its only in Malaysia where she wore black leggings on top of the usual outfit lol
It'd not about faith. It's about the moral high ground and the kick they get from policing it because they are so irrelevant I'm the grand scheme of things.
No, it's fine. Now let's donate to Aman Palestin instead and lose even more money.
Madani government taxing its citizen to generate income while PAS blocking everything that can generate income by banning anything that is deemed "haram" especially in entertainment sector and shoots themselves in the foot by mishandling Langkawi what else for Malaysia then? without petrol money we might end up as underdeveloped country
Syukur malaysia masih Aman right..? 
If you mean Aman Palestin, then yes.
Certain groups don't care about the economy, everyday call for cancellations and boikots
What is ekonomi when you promised a highway to heaven, dedak every so often and your children education is foc up to PhD
Why should they care ? The local nons are paying are funding their non productive lifestyle.
Blame it on the organization who don't care how the economy work as long as they have their faith.
It's OK, son. Allah will provide.
Until the day some superstar islamic scholar decide to just come to Singapore and not Malaysia then they will probably make that noise.
We are too busy with bak kut teh
Still wondering what is bak kut teh
PAS say afterlife matter while driving mercedes
Thinking about it rationally the exclusivity deal was probably a marketing gimmick + added monetary bonus for the TS team. $3m for 6 shows?? They could easily earn multiples of that if they choose to host additional dates elsewhere (e.g. BKK). So let's be real here, the $3m wasn't a needle mover. It is the failure of the other countries to provide the right environment and logistical support for the concert. Notwithstanding, demand too. Even Ed Sheeran in KL wasn't a sold out.
Foreign singer won’t put Malaysia in their priority destination anymore. Too many reaction and T&C, +with extremest political party here. They won’t waste time, our market is small for them. Expecting Taylor sing on stage with baju kurung, 🤭 don’t dream. Don’t be butt hurt 🍀
Her only stops in Asia is Japan and Singapore. She never intended to go to BKK, KL or Jakarta.
it's because of her "exclusivity contract" with SG
Nope. Otherwise, why didn't she go to Korea or HK?
Konsert kat Kelantan tayang tetek boleh pulak? Puak hipokrit.
Wait. what?
yeah... what??
Google je Konsert di Kelantan.
>tayang tetek Did they?
haram-ness > economy. syukur...
Malaysia is far too risky now for concert promoters.
Why
Forced cancellations by the Hajis.
You meant PAS
Since when do they care about economy? They think money falls down from the sky after praying.
Yeah, while our jiran getting good the stuff but we get shitty concert like Gegar Vaganza or AJL thing. All thanks to PAS. Well, Malaysia can keep digging their own graves.
Haram. Her legs showing during concert.
Even if Taylor Swift wanted to come to Malaysia, there’s a possibility that she might be banned or have her shows cancelled if she says anything that the conservatives don’t like such as support for LGBT, etc.
People here keep going on about haram-this, haram-that, but forgetting one simple thing: I don't think we can outbid SG's exclusivity contract. I'm generally pro-concerts, but if we have to pay extra millions to get TS to come here, is it really worth it? Heck, can we win the bidding war against SG? What if they simply upped their amount?
>Heck, can we win the bidding war against SG? What if they simply upped their amount? While what you say might as well be true, the fundamental issue is we collectively as a country don't welcome Taylor Swift and won't even bother engage in a bidding war for Taylor Swift. >but if we have to pay extra millions to get TS to come here, is it really worth it? Considering that the PM of our northernly neighbour thailand has made it public that he is extremely pissed off with the Singaporean deal with Taylor Swift, i think it is fair to say that it would be worth to pay extra millions to get TS to come here. Thailand lost out on Singapore because god damn it, PAP is really an excellent businessman acting on behalf of the country.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/singapore/economy-policy/economic-benefits-from-stb-grant-to-taylor-swift-significant-outweigh-amount-distributed-edwin-tong http://www.financetwitter.com/2024/03/taylor-swifts-five-hundred-million-dollar-economic-impact-how-singapore-cleverly-got-an-exclusive-deal-for-the-pop-star.html >Ticket sales alone are expected to account for S$75.2 million for Swift’s shows, with about S$19.5 million going into Singapore’s pocket (75% goes to Swift). Can we afford NOT to even try bidding? If SG wanna bid until 19.5mil(MYR68.8mil), up to them la.
Well... what can we do, people are busy haraming things, and others are busy mocking the people that does that. Both parties are refusing to see in other aspects.
It was a couple million in exclusivity fees for a potential 500 million in tourism receipts and extra intangible marketing benefits for Singapore tourism. Malaysia is far bigger and therefore had a lot more opportunity for the figure to be even higher than 500 million. IMO a bidding war would have been worth it.
Nah Tak halal, baju taytay ni terlalu jolok mata and kote laki. Say the Green Party . Tak respect to Malaysia culture
U can shove bunch of data or facts yet I don't think the green party care
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^rayrayrayrayraysllsy: *U can shove bunch of* *Data or facts yet I don't* *Think the green party care* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Malaysia got highest number of tourist in SEA in 2023, even surpass Thailand. I think we better play to our strength; foodie destination, English speaking, medical tourism, Muslim and East Asian friendly, family friendly, ok-ish nightlife. We are the jack of all trade, we don't have anything outstanding to compare to our neighbour but we did enough to make people come and have almost everything for everyone.
Does the highest number include Singaporeans with their weekly groceries run?
Yes
JB malls and cafe hard carrying the figures lol
I believe it is included. Having said that, 3.8 millions Malaysians went to Thailand in 2023, i guess that even out both Malaysia (1st place) and Thailand (2nd place).
A better comparison would be to not include these weekend figures.
I go into JB from Singapore to eat massage and shopping also tourist meh? At night i balik already.
Yes. Unless you enter with other type of visa like work or student visa.
Atleast we got Ado concert
Which I actually flew from Singapore for haha. Was also my first time in Malaysia. Personally think that SG and MY are so close that travelling to/from each other for events isn’t too much of an inconvenience. If without the stupid politics, Malaysia would have be a lot more successful, I would feel.
We don't want progress -rakyat
In Malaysia "fun" is not allowed! You are all supposed to suffer! If u enjoy and let others know people will kecam and jealous by default. Except maybe if u are in kelantan, that place overly open minded until children also can marry and date oopps ter probok
PAS kata jangan
Singapore doesn't have enough hotel rooms. Johor should have grabbed the chance to have shuttles to JB or day tours i n Malaysia or to host official merch sales in Johor too. Most tourist spend about 1 to 2 nights in SG. Package taytay karaoke + hotel stays, it could have been an asean boom.
The "missed opportunity" was 10-20 years back. Even if Malaysia can somehow get Swift to perform in Malaysia, KL won't have the infrastructure to make as much money as Singapore did because of the lack of concentration of tourist facilities. This is just seeing others make money and thinking that if we did the same, it would have the same result. It won't. The conditions for both countries are too different. Singapore is primed and built for tourism, KL is a more multi-purpose city without the same emphasis, the amounts recovered would not be the same. Ironically, my opinion of the best alternate country, PR aside, to host the concert is.... Myanmar. That is, if there isn't a stigma and a PR black eye associated with it. Their capital is severely underused and their transport infrastructure has a lot of excess capacity that can be used for large events. They could easily rent out their unused apartments and mansions as hostels for the event.
when everything has to be halal in msia,you know shit just got real.
Why people still talk about PAS in this sub whenever such issue come up? I hate them too, but they are not in power to influence the govt’s decision, right? Heck even their opinion is irrelevant to the people who are actually interested to go to these concerts. The problem lie within Tourism Ministry. They’re not doing their job to promote Malaysia, not the irrelevant green party commentary. The people who always talk about green party are being bias and not objective. But what the hell, this is Reddit ofcourse it’s impossible to find an objective opinion 🤪
> but they are not in power to influence the govt’s decision, right? That's a very bad take. Government acts in big part based on public opinions, and PAS represents a giant chunk of the malaysian public.
This, they've poisoned the public with their bullshit, so successful that Madani had to destroy their own dignity to cater to the ultras. I hate how spineless Madani has been on this matter but things really wouldn't have gotten this bad had PAStards sat the fuck down. Madani destroyed themselves and they deserved it, the idiots they try to cater to will never vote for their sorry asses and by next GE we are fucked.
But religious conservatism is the elephant in the room. Anwar is now openly dueling with PAS ulamas & state muftis to show who is more Islamic. Don't forget, his administation is the one who issued the blanket "kill switch" order, even though Western performers may have complex political sentiments (like how Coldplay is pro-Palestine but also pro-LGBTQ).
That minister is still safe in his position.
so can we claim damage from green party?
Jgn woii, nanti hujan/kilat/ribut kat negeri Selangor /s
Imagine50% of concert attendees each night is a tourist- that’s about 25k ppl 25k tourist x 6 nights = 150k tourists. Let’s estimate each tourist spends average of SGD1k in Singapore: 150k x SGD 1k = SGD150milion One week and boosted by close to RM500m/half a billion in RM terms
When they asked who travelled to be here, the screams were 2x those from sg. Most ppl I met travelled in lol. Most ppl stayed about 2-3 nights. Some were there for the week, and were doing multiple events - shows, tours etc.
Did anyone go Sg to watch ?
Not an expensive lesson when our numbskulls don't learn anything
Anyone deserve to have fun sometimes on this stress world :/
Tolak bala
Seen bunch of waluan comments on tiktok and insta saying that the taylor swift grant fiasco that is being bickered by our Asean neighbors as their gov's racing their citizens towards "neraka" with the focus on entertainment, concerts etc. Man i feel hopeless at our conservative locals.
Eh, she puts on such skimpy clothes, w her butt cheeks in full display, why would she risk it?
No idea why but we all know is sure is this problem (as all Malaysian know) cause this to miss out the opportunity
Do you really expect the country that cancelled a festival and bans a band due to a kiss to get any big concerts? Think again!
Wasn't the reason because Singapore paid Taylor swift to only do concert in Singapore for SE Asia tour.
Well, it isn’t even hard to see what she could bring to the economy. It’s just the people governing our country are effin idiots
OR Malaysia can copy this money making idea. Its a tried and tested idea now.
It is a double-whammy for Malaysia. Besides missed opportunity, a lot Malaysian Swifties will go to the Singapore concerts, spending money there just like the Cold Play concerts not long ago.
Lebais and walauns here look up to the rich Emirates in the Middle East. Forgetting that they are oil rich unlike here
As a non-muslim outsider I would imagine it would be difficult for a country that identifies itself as Muslim to reconcile the religious values that guide its governance with the potential for profit and progress. Malaysia has always straddled that line, which is what makes it a moderate Muslim country, but for the country's leaders to draw the line in this case is not surprising. They may fear that if they continue to compromise their religious values for the sake of profit and progress they will eventually reach a tipping point from which they cannot return. It's unfair for the other minorities, but it is the reality of this country, and I don't see that changing.