Post on M'sian who regrets taking up S'porean citizenship, says he will have to 'work until he dies', sparks debate

An e-hailing driver, who was a former Malaysian citizen, allegedly said that he regretted giving up his citizenship to become a Singaporean.

The higher cost of living in his new country means that he would have to work until he dies, he apparently said.

The remarks were posted on a now-deleted Reddit thread by one of the man's passengers, according to Malaysian media WeirdKaya.

It has gone incredibly viral, provoking quite a few viewpoints.

According to the passenger, envisioning a comfortable retirement in Singapore feels increasingly out of reach for the man due to the high daily expenses.

He added that while his wife's retention of her Malaysian citizenship still gives the couple an option to return to Malaysia to retire eventually, his two children hold Singapore citizenships, which means they will have to serve National Service.

Malaysia offers more?

The Reddit user also gave his two cents, positing that while Malaysian politics is a sticking point for many citizens, giving up their citizenship has higher stakes than it appears.

Malaysia offers things Singapore cannot, he claimed, including land, space and a kampung lifestyle as compared to Singapore's public housing flats and abundance of rules.

There are also more options for Malaysians to escape a hectic city life, should they wish, unlike Singapore, he added.

The user further pointed out that, unlike Singaporean men, he would not need to serve National Service.

Singapore should simply be a place to earn a living and not to settle permanently, he claimed.

Comments on the WeirdKaya post appeared quite strongly in favour of Malaysia.

Commenters in the Malaysia subreddit appeared divided in their opinions.

Some agreed with the original poster, with one user, who identified as a Westerner retired in Malaysia, saying that he could not afford to retire early in Singapore after working there, but it was "quite doable" in Malaysia.

On the other hand, a number of users, who were supposedly Malaysians, pointed out that the ostensible "benefits" of their country, as claimed by the poster, did not apply to many Malaysians.

"How many of you have a backyard? I feel like there is a sizeable number of people living in apartments and condos," one said.

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