Heather in Neverland Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 (edited) that is supposed to be sung to "lions, tigers and bears, oh my!" :D So I've been learning more and more about Malaysian laws as compared to the U.S. So I thought I'd throw a few out there and see what you thought of these: 1. If you are caught selling drugs you get the death penalty. 2. If you are caught with drugs for "personal use" meaning not "dealing" it is life in prison. 3. No one is allowed to own guns of ANY kind including air soft guns or BB guns. 4. It is illegal to text or talk on your cell phone while driving (you can use hands free). 5. You cannot turn on red anywhere ever. But what's funny is that they are really lax in other areas, like the driving laws, or complete lack of them. 1. I have never seen or heard of anyone getting a speeding ticket or any kind of traffic violation. In fact, I have never seen a speed limit sign anywhere. 2. They have a seatbelt but do not enforce it. 3. They have a carseat law but do not enforce it. 4. They have a helmet law for motorcycles but do not enforce it. 5. You will see families of four on ONE motorcycle and the mom and dad will be wearing helmets but the kids are not. I have mixed feelings about some of these. I am in support of gun ownership but I also notice that between gun laws and drug laws, there is almost NO crime here. The crime here consists of the occasional purse-snatching or home break-in. That's it. And why put drug dealers to death but parents can ride around town with their infants on a motorcycle with no protection at all and that is fine? Just pondering.... Edited October 6, 2009 by Heather in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 And why put drug dealers to death but parents can ride around town with their infants on a motorcycle with no protection at all and that is fine? Just pondering.... In many Asian states there is a strong emphasis on law and order (or government control of societal action) so anything that can lead to social unrest is carefully controlled. Family and personal matters are not seen as so important. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgm Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 >>And why put drug dealers to death but parents can ride around town with their infants on a motorcycle with no protection at all and that is fine? Drug dealers and drug users disrupt society in ghastly and costly ways. A family choosing not to take precautions affects few other than themselves. Some people also beleive they'd rather be dead than incapacitated in the event of an accident...don't know if that's the case where you are. Do they have the custom that the wealthier in the accident pays the damages? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Can you buy an infant motorcycle helmet? It may not be a lack of wanting to protect the kids, it just may not be available. I'm sure they'd rather have a car, but they can't afford it, so they make do the best they can with a motorcycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammy Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Wow.....if they had those drug laws here in the US.....half the population would be either in prison or well....gone, LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted October 6, 2009 Author Share Posted October 6, 2009 [quote=lgm;1243385Drug dealers and drug users disrupt society in ghastly and costly ways. A family choosing not to take precautions affects few other than themselves. Some people also beleive they'd rather be dead than incapacitated in the event of an accident...don't know if that's the case where you are. That's true. It does seem like, when it comes to you and your family, they just let you do what you want. But bigger issues like drugs and guns they regulate. I can't decide if I feel safer knowing no one has guns or less safe since only the police/military have guns. I guess it doesn't bother me as long as things are peaceful but what if a new government came into power that repressed the people? How would they defend themselves? It makes me want to know more about how the "right to bear arms" clause came about in America? Did they want to be able to own guns so they could fight off the British? Sorry to ask what probably seems like a silly question, but I never really pondered "why" we want to own guns before (I mean, besides hunting). My ds is a sharpshooter and has won awards for target shooting so I am not anti-gun. And I have always voted in favor of gun ownership. And when I have asked other people why they want to own guns they usually say "for protection" but it makes me wonder...protection from what? from criminals? from the police or military? from other invading nations? It is definitely nice being in such a safe area but I am not sure I am ready to throw away my NRA card yet. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 The second ammendment was put in place so that the people could protect themselves from the government if they needed to. It's been awhile since I looked at it, but if I remember correctly they intended us to be able to have equal weapons as the gov. Not sure I want people running around with nuclear weapons, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Wow.....if they had those drug laws here in the US.....half the population would be either in prison or well....gone, LOL! Really? You think that half of the US has either done illegal drugs or dealt drugs? Do you work as an addiction counselor or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Really? You think that half of the US has either done illegal drugs or dealt drugs? Do you work as an addiction counselor or something? I assumed that was hyperbole. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlowetx Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 I lived in Singapore for a while and noticed similar laws. Personally it drove me crazy and was glad I was just an expat and could leave. But as I've posted before, I'm a strong libertarian and can't deal with government regulation - especially those designed to change behavior. The alcohol and vehicle tax in Singapore is used precisely in that manner. Now, does Singapore have the crime we do? No (although there are some of those who debate that the crime is just not reported to keep their stats low), but you give up a great deal of personal freedom. To each country their own laws...just happy we haven't yet gotten that extreme. Oh and my favorite Singaporean laws - No Durian on the trains.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 I assumed that was hyperbole. :001_smile: I'm a bit dense at times...:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 But as I've posted before, I'm a strong libertarian and can't deal with government regulation - especially those designed to change behavior. The alcohol and vehicle tax in Singapore is used precisely in that manner. Now, does Singapore have the crime we do? No (although there are some of those who debate that the crime is just not reported to keep their stats low), but you give up a great deal of personal freedom.. I'm interested to hear why you say that people are giving up their freedom in Singapore moreso than the U.S. in light of Heather's comments. Her comments gave me the impression that there is a lot more personal freedom in Singapore as long as you follow the few big rules whereas here everything is regulated. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 I'm interested to hear why you say that people are giving up their freedom in Singapore moreso than the U.S. in light of Heather's comments. Her comments gave me the impression that there is a lot more personal freedom in Singapore as long as you follow the few big rules whereas here everything is regulated. Lisa Both Malaysia and Singapore were part of the old Malaya, but they are now separate countries with different laws and customs. Singapore is very tightly controlled. Until recently, it was illegal to sell chewing gum, because it makes a mess in the streets. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted October 6, 2009 Author Share Posted October 6, 2009 Oh and my favorite Singaporean laws - No Durian on the trains.. now THAT is a law I can get behind except that I would rewrite it as "No Durian. Period"). Durian is the devil's food. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieB Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Asian countries are most definitely more focused on the "greater good" than on individuals. Drugs and guns (crime) bring society down, therefore they must be stopped at all costs. Obedient citizens are preferred. They also are big on personal responsiblity. Social aide is much less acceptable in most Asian countries, it's not available like in the US. Asians take care of their own....children grow up knowing and expecting to take care of their parents and grandparents. A person that is living in the streets is not looked down on nearly as much as their family for allowing them to do so! Safety is also very oddly not stressed in Asian culture.....yet considering the chaos that is traffic it's very strange that there aren't more accidents than there are. Driving in Singapore terrified me! I preferred walking (which is a hazard all it's own) to driving, and that is SOOO not me in the US....take my car away and I can't function knowing it's not in the driveway if I want it, lol. And I don't walk here except around the block for exercise, lol. I do wish we had a lot harsher laws for drugs....the drug dealers look at it as "IF (big IF) I get caught, I'll just use some of the huge money I'm making to pay an attorney to get me a fine and I'll be back selling next week". Drug users don't truly get the help they need to get off it once and for all...our drug programs are good, but when you finish there is no net to help you turn your life around so most go back to using to ease the pain or because it's all they know. Treat and street is the term used, sadly. I'd vote for death for drug dealers in an instant. Sadly that would mean the loss of a family member, but honestly, the betterment to society would be worth the loss (ok, and he's "lost" to us now anyway as we want no part of his life in ours). Our jails would be a LOT less overpopulated, maybe we could start putting away the other bad folks instead of having to let them go because of overcrowding both in the jails and courts. Gun control....in a perfect world I'd like to see this, but I don't see how it would be possible to ever get to that point here. Honest folk like me would not be willing to give up their protection until all the bad guys didn't have guns anymore....and so it's a big Catch 22. I loved living in Asia (Hong Kong, Sinapore, Thailand, Tokyo and some smaller places). It was hectic and chaotic, but even with the lack of personal bubble space which was difficult to get used to at first.....there is an underlying respect for fellow man that is gone here in the states. It isn't a "me" society. But it's not a pushover one either. I miss it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Both Malaysia and Singapore were part of the old Malaya, but they are now separate countries with different laws and customs. Singapore is very tightly controlled. Until recently, it was illegal to sell chewing gum, because it makes a mess in the streets. Laura Thank you, Laura! I see that now. I didn't pick up on the fact that we were talking about 2 different countries so I was a little confused. When the other poster mentioned Singapore, I was thinking Heather was in Singapore too. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyinNNV Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 there is almost NO crime here. Just doing a casual internet search- I can find evidence that disproves this comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted October 6, 2009 Author Share Posted October 6, 2009 Just doing a casual internet search- I can find evidence that disproves this comment. Crime is higher on the mainland but here on the island of Penang, it's pretty darn peaceful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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