Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Relocate to paradise Hawaii?

I am 57 years old, probably too old to relocate anywhere. I am staying put but younger, more mobile Malaysians have that choice. If I can turn back the clock, I might just relocate to paradise Hawaii.

Why? Malaysia is a good country to live in, also in my opinion, a nice country to visit, so please if you are a non-Malaysian, do not let this post discourage you from visiting our beautiful country. It is a food paradise, available round the clock at at very reasonable prices. It has good infrastructure like good roads, highways, clean piped water (relatively speaking), except for some major serious incidents in the past, relatively peaceful, free of natural disasters like earth quakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, etc. It has a year round warm weather which I like because I don't need to spend money on heating in winter (and contribute to more usage of electricity or fuel combustion, thus global warming) and I have a high tolerance level, allowing me to do without air conditioning and usually, also the fan. See Environmentally Friendly sleeping. There are nice beaches, snorkeling and scuba diving sites. The country is racially and culturally diverse making it a mini-Asia where you can experience all the 3 major cultures of Asia plus Portuguese and native cultures. We don't have problems as serious as Burma.

However, since the former Lord President was sacked by a kangaroo tribunal in 1988, the independence of the Judiciary has been in question. The suspicions of Malaysians have been reinforced by the release of the now infamous VK Lingham tape which triggered the Malaysia Bar Council to organize a March for Justice to hand in 2 memoranda to Prime Minister. See Long March for Justice (click BACK button to get back to this page). From past experiences and from current statements and actions by those in power, things are not likely to change unless the Monarchy are brave enough to step in.

Further, although it has been agreed that while Islam shall be the official religion of the country (then Malaya), but that should not be taken to imply Malaya is not a secular state (essentially saying Malaya, now Malaysia is a secular state) when we first won independence from our colonial ruler, the United Kingdom, conservative Muslims have been pushing hard to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state and there is what they call creeping Islamization (implementation of an Islamic state by the back door). See Should non-Muslims have a say in Malaysia becoming an Islamic state? (click BACK button to get back to this page).

Many Malaysians, and not just non-Muslims or non-Malays are very unhappy at the situation in the country. I am in touch with some. Some may want to relocate to another place to escape an unhappy situation (I am staying put). If you are one of them, a good place to consider is paradise Hawaii. It has the same year round warm weather as Malaysia, it is also multi-racial and multi-cultural, it has beautiful beaches, and if you are ethnic Chinese, there are also a sizable Chines population in Hawaii. There is even a China Town in Honolulu, the capital city of Hawaii.

If you do have the intention to relocate to paradise Hawaii, you will obviously need a roof over your head. Hawaii real estate can assist you to find your dream home. They have a MLS (Multi-Listing Service) search box on their site and they say they have specialized agents in all the Hawaiian islands to help you find the best Hawaii homes and condos for sale.

There are 8 main Hawaiian islands of which Oahu is only the third largest, but the most populous (approximately 71% of Hawaii's population) plus the capital Honolulu is located there. Because of its large population, it is often referred to as the "Gathering Place". There are full of business, restaurants and activities on Oahu Island. If Oahu is your target, there is a site Oahu real estate devoted to help you find properties on Oahu Island.

Malaysians will probably feel very at home at Kailua on Oahu Island (there are actually two Kailua in Hawaii, one on Oahu Island and one Kailua-Kona on Hawaii Big Island). There are a variety of restaurants offering Thai, Mexican, Italian, Hawaiian, Pacific Rim, Japanese, Chinese, Steak and Seafood at Kailua, Oahu. And as you know , Malaysians are gluttons of food. Kailua boast of the Kailua Bay and the Kailua Beach, a beautiful award winning beach excellent for swimming, wind surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking and sailing. Sounds attractive to you? Then let Kauai real estate help you locate your ideal home.

There are other islands and locations. By all means browse through the sites above and find what suits you.

3 comments:

  1. Your recap of the situation in Malaysia has done more to inform me about the strife and conflict than the New York Times. I am terribly sorry to see a growing desecularization in many countries. The imposition of a religion-based goverment does not usually bode well for democracy and tolerance. You are a citizen-reporter of the world. Keep up the good reporting.

    I will be back to read more, often.

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  2. How sad.

    I follow Islamic "creep" in Europe and the attempts at it in the US, Canada, and Australia--I follow it closely. Yet I had no idea this had happened in Malaysia.

    They SAY it is secular, but it won't stay that way. Mark my words, it will not stay secular. Not unless the non-Muslims get well acquainted with Islam, Islamic law, and other Islamic states--and FIGHT BACK. You have a voice--use it while you still can!

    You may want to peruse
    this site or this or even this site, although there's sometimes unrelated content there.

    This is an excellent resource ("Being a non-Muslim under Islamic rule"), and if you go to their main page, you can navigate the site in the Malay/Indonesian and Chinese languages as well!

    Peace be with you!

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  3. Hi Old Word Wolf,

    Thanks for your words of empathy. Just wondering how you found this post or site.

    Peter (Blog*Star)
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