#PayItForward - Discussion - Surviving in The City

Most of my peers have lived through 4 decades of vast changes in Malaysia, and this is what we have seen and observed:

• In the 70s, we started to see the small shifts from an economy focusing on agriculture, into the technological wonders of industrialisation.

• Foreign direct investments were pouring into Malaysia, especially Selangor (and subsequently Kuala Lumpur).

• This was largely attributable to several factors, including political stability and English being the second language of the nation. We were still very British-oriented back then.

• Those who were amongst the first wave of economic migrants to the Big City (my parents included) quickly settled down into stable jobs and began investing in the metropolitan life.

• With what my parents earned back then, they could put down a reasonable sum of money as deposit for a house costing RM 50,000.00, in the suburb of Subang Jaya, and have a brand-new Mazda as their first car.

• In the 80s, the industrial-led economy grew even stronger, helped by easy access to cheap labour. It wasn't as if people were not being paid well, but the inherent cost of living back then was relatively low.

• The "Look East Policy" was introduced to Malaysians, as a means of inspiring everyone to emulate the commitment and aptitude of the Japanese in building their nation from the ruins of war.

• Malaysians were encouraged to work harder and aspire to be 'committed salarymen', and help the nation progress even further into being a developed nation. You take care of us, we take care of you and your family.

• More Malaysians from rural areas came to Kuala Lumpur in search of better opportunities and higher standards of living.

• Competition amongst entry-level workforce became more pronounced in the capital, as the supply began to outweigh the demand.

• Corporations were then encouraged to build factories outside of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, to also help other parts of the country to develop alongside the growth in the central region.

• Pulau Pinang and Johor started seeing a boom in industrial growth, and so the migration now were spread across the three major cities of KL, Penang and Johor Bahru.

• With growth, costs of living started to escalate dramatically. The number of home owners in these large cities were almost equal to the number of people who could only afford to rent. The economic crisis of 1987 didn't help the situation.

• In the 90s, industrialisation reached a plateau, not because demands for the products were declining, but because cost of labour in Malaysia started to rise too rapidly in comparison to neighbouring countries such as Indonesia and Thailand.

• Foreign investors were no longer so worried about going into nations that didn't have English as a major language, because they could higher locals from the upper crust of the societies in those nations, who were usually foreign-educated, to manage their companies and investments.

• In realising that, Malaysia revved up its growth concept from industry-driven to knowledge-economy.

• Foreign investments were once again sought amongst corporations already intent on harnessing the power of knowledge and information to deliver products and services of a more premium nature, and creating the demand before consumers made them trendy.

• People were now seeing the value of their earnings being rather low to afford living in Kuala Lumpur, so they made do with very little, and resorted to renting homes in the meanwhile, so that they can stretch their earnings better. It was still cheaper to rent than to buy then.

• In the new millenium, the growth of K-economy brought on the advent of a new capital, Putrajaya. And it's next door neighbour, the all-new and tech-friendly city of Cyberjaya.

• Kuala Lumpur was now far too expensive to build any form of industrial factories or lavish expansive offices. Corporations began to build upwards and no longer widespread. More bang for the buck indeed.

• With tech being the new-driver for the nation's economy, costs of living went up even further.

• More people were being paid higher than the country's average income, but the disparity became even worse than ever due to the fact that almost 85% of Malaysians earn below the national average income of RM 7,000.00

• There were now property clubs being properties en-bloc, but the number of people who couldn't afford to buy homes within the vicinity of where they work and socialise became far greater than ever before.

• City workers were now not necessarily city dwellers. More often than not, their daily commute would be in the region of 2 hours back and forth between home to office and back home.

• Simply because the homes in suburbs such as Puncak Alam, Seremban, Port Klang and Nilai were the only ones people could fathom to buy. Or in most cases, rent. Unless you were willing to stay 20-to-a-flat/apartment.

• It is 2017 now. Most of my friends are still renting.

• Not because they don't want to buy, but because they can't afford to buy in the area that would provide the most conducive of environments:

(1) proximity to parents/in-laws,

(2) proximity to workplace,

(3) accessibility to good schools and facilities for children.

• Quality of life as in expanse of space and bigger homes were no longer priorities.

• People are now more concerned about the amount of time spent being caught in traffic, rather than lengthy commutes.

• Improvements in public transportation are very much welcomed, but many feel that the rates are rather burdensome for the bulk of the population.

• Perhaps when the number of people using public transportation increases, the operators could consider bringing the rates down.

• But then again, the same notion was attributed to highway concessionaires. And 30 years on, toll rates have not gone down at all, despite the number of users on highways every day.

• In retrospect, Malaysians in general are feeling the crunch, and facing the fact that their earnings don't stretch as much in comparison to their parents' time

• More and more people have had to resort to working 2 jobs, and sometimes 3. Just to make ends meet, especially if one lives in the City.

• And more and more people can't even afford to put a roof over their heads.

• Perhaps it is time we all take a step or two back and assess our ways of living, instead of lamenting of high costs of living.

• Perhaps, we could also start to care a bit more about what's happening around us, so that we can stop living our lives as if in a bubble, and not wondering what would happen if the bubble bursts.

• Not perhaps. Must more likely.

I certainly look forward to your thoughts, opinions and sharings. Please feel free to comment!