Welcoming celebrations and dinner with coworkers, A very exciting routine together💫
Have a great day, everyone. Today I want to share something very important. This story has made me even more convinced that my birth country, Malaysia, is more assertive and strong. How was my moment today? Let's read my post this time.
Last night, while I was with my coworkers at our lodging in rural Kelantan, one of my colleagues informed me that there would be demonstrations tomorrow in several cities in Kelantan. I immediately understood that these must be demonstrations to expel foreigners living in Malaysia without permits. Moreover, the Malaysian President's Minister has changed the regulations on permits so that foreigners are not allowed to stay permanently. The price of permits and other things, including visas, has also been increased fivefold from the previous price.
And after I wake up, I'll get ready to go to work with my friends. Today, we decided to visit downtown Kelantan because we were curious about the demonstration and the celebration of the sky-high monthly permit and visa price hikes.
With this upcoming regulation, I'm very happy because foreign nationals will no longer be able to do as they please in Malaysia. There are so many job openings, and the employers aren't Malaysian. Meanwhile, Malaysian citizens find it very difficult to find work in their own country. Therefore, there will be a major change to prevent foreign nationals from making jokes in Malaysia.
Celebratory actions in several areas of the city of Kelantan, Malaysia, in celebration of the very high increase in permits. And this picture was taken using my colleague's iPhone 17 pro max cellphone 💫🫶
Long story short, while we were working in the central region of Kelantan, I witnessed Malaysian residents protesting the changes in permit and visa prices, demanding that migrants in Malaysia be made aware of the exorbitant fees. Furthermore, permits are likely only valid for about three months, while visas are only valid for one month. This means foreigners will have to pay for visas or permits that are valid for several months, and the fees will also increase by about fivefold. This means foreigners will no longer be able to live comfortably in Malaysia with such high prices.
Because I was so curious about this celebration, my colleagues and I took some time to observe the atmosphere of the brutal permit increase celebration. All of them were Malaysian citizens. They were very happy.
Oh yes, the four of us spent over three hours observing the celebration. And these pictures of mine, these are not from my phone, they are from my coworker's phone. I am truly delighted to see these pictures because they are so clear and of excellent quality. My friend uses an iPhone 17 Pro Max. Of course, the pictures are very good.
And this picture is one of my coworkers' pictures too, because we went to work this morning with more than 15 members, and every city in the Kelantan city region has this celebration. And in the city my friend visited in the Sarawak city region, I saw many Malaysian flags flying, indeed! Because in every other city, the atmosphere and situation are different and the way they celebrate is different.
To cut a long story short, after witnessing the celebrations surrounding the increase in permit and visa prices, and having worked in downtown Kelantan for several hours, it was already getting late. The four of us, along with our coworkers, were looking for dinner. We decided to stop at a roadside food stall in Kelantan city to avoid the long journey back to our accommodation in rural Kelantan.
Dinner tonight, the four of us with my coworkers, was a truly delightful experience. We were in the mood for delicious rice. I'd actually wanted to order spicy noodles since I rarely eat them anymore, but then I saw something else on the menu, wondering if I could just have rice! Instead of spicy noodles, I opted for rice for breakfast. We also ordered an extra delicious snack because we were so hungry.
Having breakfast with my coworkers is so delicious. It instantly takes away any fatigue, especially while having breakfast and sharing important things with them. After we finished breakfast, our dinner totaled 385RM (approximately $96 USD) for me and my coworkers. It's still quite affordable here, as we received a food discount voucher. Afterward, we continued on our way home to the Kelantan countryside.