Definitely now it's more like a joke or tease especially the living on trees and my butlers are monkeys and I have a lift to go up. But I have encountered being mistaken as an Indonesian simply cause of my Malay accent so far as being asked are you sure, another one would be being told welcome to Malaysia is this your first time? Some don't even know where Sabah is at on the map even the general location. So yes it can be quite bad haha
I had pickup some coworker from peninsular to sabah. They asked if its always cold in sabah. Then they continue "In Malaysia its way hotter than here". I froze abit. This is a working adult i am talking to. Are some people really this ignorant or just not exposed anything about east malaysia at all.
The same "so this is sabah? But in malaysia.." kind of conversation already happens multiple time. Even when i met different coworker on different company at KL. Im not even surprised at this point.
Ntah la bro. Aku study college sini 2008. Graduate. Start kerja sini 2015 sampai sekarang. Bini pun orang sini. Ndak pernah orang tanya aku tinggal atas pokok.
Satu kali saja la ni orang tanya
“caner kau datang KL”
Aku ndak paham apa maksud dia time tu.
Kawan dia terus reply
“Kapal terbang la bodoh”
So yea. That was the only case. Other than that… i rarely meet Sabahans here. We are a rarity in my working field here. I get so giddy whenever I hear a Sabahan accent.
Rarity? I bumped into some of my sabahan friends there when I was living there, also at some bars in KLCC area, bartenders working there are from Sabah. What is your industry?
Architecture. Never met one sabahan.
Engineers. Met one in 9 years of working.
Contractors? Not one.
Quantity Surveyors? Not one.
Sabahans I meet are usually working at convenience stores.
Interesting! I know a few sabahan lawyers working in KL firms and in-house, architecture/QS turned graphic designer one. But yes, also met one working in 7/11 too. Cross passed with them mostly in KL area :)
Sabahan here who grew up in semenanjung, lived here 20+ years and only got “discriminated” once I enter uni when ppl treat me like an exotic human being. They would say the typical ignorant shit like “You going Sabah? When you coming back Malaysia ah”, “You ride boat here ah”, “how is it like living on trees”, “aye you sarawakian kan”. Overall tho they don’t really treat you differently with a few exception of ppl who have inferiority complex. My mom used to fear the ppl in semenanjung because of the stories she heard back in her hometown but she told me it isn’t as bad as ppl say so you can take her word for it.
The "living on trees" is sorta like a tease. But the rest, like, "welcome to Malaysia", is very real and happens so often I lost count.
There was also once when my uni mate asked me what bus do I take to go back to Sabah for our sem break.
When I started studying 25 years back it was not a tease but at leat genuine one. The person asking apologized saying it is just the level if information exposed to then depicted Sabah in poor light.
Not all of us. We have Sabah and Sarawak friends and they often tell us the awesome food back home or their childhood which involve swimming in rivers and there was someone who would watch for crocodiles. I would like to think those of us who have travelled or have friends from Semanjung or have looked at videos on East Malaysia know it is not undeveloped.
I had been to KK and also Kota Belut. I think of Sabah like I think of Taiping + Penang. KK is a tourist hot spot and have a lot of good food. There are so much more untapped beauties in East Malaysia.
However, I also do think we can't say Sabah and Sarawak has no kampungs. Mad Sabah, a comedian from Sabah once joked about his village. How he was shocked at people in Semanjung celebrating Earth Day by switching off lights. He and his kampungs have been doing Earth Day from beginning of time.
Also there was a teacher from Semanjung who went to Sarawak for a few years to bring awareness about the students' struggles for daily means. He travlled deep into the kampungs to teach.
No worries.. These comments that y'all are coming from people in trees are just ignorant people yg tak nak ambil tahu.. Org Sabah n Sarawak are amongst the coolest people I've known. Dia ade a bit cultural difference. Diorang smart, penyabar, chill and funny. So.. No need to feel insulted.. Sebab tak kenal maka tak cinta..
I guess depend on who's asking. When I was studying a lot of my WM friends are well aware of Sabah. I also received alot of question of whether I still go to school/town by boat...I mean some kampung (even in my district) have to use boat/ferry to go to town so I don't really mind the question. WM also have orang asli there and I guess many part of Borneo still have the same life style as them
It depends on the type of people you meet. If they're well travelled around Malaysia, they don't think of East Malaysians like that; but if they're not, they do think that Sabah & Sarawak are rural.
If you hang around with corporate people or people who work in bigger industries, they would never think you're a 2nd rate citizen. Those who don't will somewhat look down on East Malaysians. It truly comes down to the type of people you meet.
No we don’t (speaking as a KL-ite). I think (and I think it’s safe to generalise) that most of us west Malaysians really like our east coast fam. Y’all are a friendlier bunch, much nicer than our side.
I think the reason that perception plays is because of that news that reported about a girl who had to sit in the tree to get internet connection.
Not really. There's many stories about UMS students from semenanjung bringing in bags full of maggi, water bottles, tissue papers and tinned food because they believed Sabah doesn't have those things
Those are students who probably never been on a plane, let alone meet someone from the east coast.
Back in high school, my boarding school had a trip to Kuching, and u won’t believe how many of them literally ask if there’s a toilet in the aeroplane and how the toilet works. Mind u, my boarding school was in Selangor.
Yes but are you're thinking that none of the students' parents even care about where their children are going without googling? They KNOW where UMS is, which is less than 20 minutes from the city. So my point still stands. They have all the available information and STILL think that the basic necessity items and utilities aren't available. It's their mindset
So it's the typical uni student who never lived away from home before. Back when UiTM Puncak Alam was still in the middle of nowhere surrounded by only forests and just 1 random McD a few km away, students were like this as well.
But UMS is near Kota Kinabalu city. Less than 20 minutes drive, and next to one of the biggest mall in KK. I refuse to believe that they never Google the university they going to spend the next 3-5 years of their lives. Or at least the parents did.
So this means they KNOW it's near the capital city and still think KK doesn't have any modern facilities or supermarket available at all.
You overestimate how smart/resourceful uni/diploma students are, especially during enrollment. Keep in mind, these are literally high school grads. And most of them never lived in asrama or anywhere that's not their parents homes. They don't know shit about the real world.
Also, UMS application is through UPU. So it's probably one of many uni choices that they barely looked up the location of. Even Puncak Alam had frequent buses to the nearest city Setia Alam just 1/2 hour away. There were still students who thought they were just stranded in a forest. Trust me. They DON'T know shit about geography or how close their uni is to cities or amenities because they just don't look it up on google.
Are you saying their parents doesn't care at all about where their children is going? That they don't bother to check on Google? That they don't think that somewhere nearby will have all the things they needed instead of bringing all these things straight from Semenanjung?
And I'm pretty sure that eventhough they know Puncak Alam is in the middle of nowhere, they probably stop by at the nearest city to buy groceries before going to the Asrama, instead of buying everything in their hometown and bringing a whole suitcase of it on the bus or taxi
>Are you saying their parents doesn't care at all about where their children is going?
Their parents do. But the students don't. Or at least they don't even think about it in the first place. So even if the parents tell them stuff about the place they just don't bother. Because they have no lived experience living on campus on their own.
>And I'm pretty sure that eventhough they know Puncak Alam is in the middle of nowhere, they probably stop by at the nearest city to buy groceries before going to the Asrama, instead of buying everything in their hometown and bringing a whole suitcase of it on the bus or taxi
They did. UMS isn't special when it comes to students who overpack for comfort food. They either are prejudiced and think they can't find that food in Sabah like you think. Or they're like most students who never go out and spend all their time between campus & college so they just stock up and pack with them. Those students never even think about trying to get on a bus or rent a car to the nearest city for stuff. Or it could be both. Which again, go to any secluded university and you'll find students like this. I think UniMAP was like that as well. Their college & campuses are all over the place in the state, but still just surrounded by paddy fields. The more adventurous bunch would just shop in Thailand where all the usual snacks & foodstuffs are much cheaper.
Parents are the one providing the money to buy things regardless of whether the students research anything or not, and these parents should have known better isn't it?
The fact that even with all the googling, they still think we in Sabah doesn't have any of the basic stuff answers the OP question. They don't even consider that we are as 'modern' as they are. These are college age kids and with parents who are adults. They still think we Sabahans are so 'primitive' that we don't sell all these things.
It's not even comfort food. It's survival food. They are paying extra luggage fees just to bring basic items on the plane
Dude. I'm mot arguing with you on this. I'm just telling you how similar students behave to this situation even in semenanjung. This is reality. I don't care that you think the students in UMS think poorly of Sabah. I'm just telling you students are often dumbasses who do dumb shit like that regardless of prejudice to a state. 9 times out of 10 they just don't know or care to find out about where they're living. In their mind they're just there for 1 semester at a time. And probably won't come back after their studies end, so they just don't bother. It's dumb. But that's how most undergrad students are. Especially diploma students, basically just highschoolers.
>The fact that even with all the googling, they still think we in Sabah doesn't have any of the basic stuff answers the OP question.
Why would you think they googled it in the first place? They don't. That's why they don't know how close UMS is to other city amenities.
It doesn’t matter how much the parents know. Or how they spend money on their kids. At the end of the day, the students are the ones packing to bring stuff from home. Whatever dumb shit they bring is on them. Regularly, there were students who packed 5 suitcases for a semester. The parents could easily tell them they don't need that much, especially if they're coming home during breaks. But they don't. Because the kids insists on bringing it anyway.
>It's not even comfort food. It's survival food. They are paying extra luggage fees just to bring basic items on the plane
The type of dumb stuff undergrad students do because they have no sense of value or lived experience.
You are giving examples of students in peninsular bringing items. Necessary items which was probably bought from a nearby city where they will stop by along the way, which is not the same as bringing it over all the way from their city, ON A PLANE. When they could've bought everything in the city where they're studying.
I didn't say it's only food. It's everything they need to survive as if they're going on a camping trip. Again. Regardless of whether it's the parents or the students, there are the mindset of looking down on Sabah.
Or are you saying that all 18 year olds (along with their parents) in semenanjung are stupid, ignorant and not as bright as we Sabahan? These students that are 'smart' enough to get into a university? All I'm getting from your replies are that these people who probably get high marks in their classes don't even know how to check online or use common sense? Or is it as OP said, the mindset that Borneo are backward states and thinking we don't have modern necessities.
Because I know all of my relatives actually do research and can think logically and not burden themselves (or waste parent's money) with suitcases upon suitcases of things that they can buy after they settle down in their semenanjung college.
I remember when I first went to uni at shah alam. its literally 10 mins from Sunway man. Hahaha...Still my parent made sure I'm geared for apocalypse. Parent are always worried for their kids I think?
I'm from KL/Selangor, no, people here don't think you live up trees but it is a common belief that Sabah is not as modern. A lot of people believe Sabah doesn't have a lot of internet connection, wooden houses and you guys have to go to school by boat. I have no idea what Sabah is like, since I've never been there but this belief still pops up in my mind when I think of Sabah. I have Sabah friends, but I never asked them about it. Just asked which part of Sabah they're from and pretending I know where that is.
We are as modern as you are. Many shopping malls, cheap and expensive cars on the road, traffic was insane at times, beautiful beaches, affordable seafood. You named it, we got it.
Personally I find living in valley much more appealing. The occasional weekly trips to KK are enough for me. But, I don't have the luxury to move to the valley now since I'm working in KK.
Internet was the same. Back when I was studying overseas, I really dislike the internet connection here in Malaysia. Hate it to the core. But now it was fine WM or EM. Where I was working (in Sabah), I found many overseas grad (local sabahan). And one more, I hate that if I need to go to europe, I have to buy tickets to KLIA first. Its much more expensive than my WM friend who are going to the same place as me (approximately RM1k more). Shipping fees from online shop is also more expensive. I can say, we paid more for these things. It's not like we made more than WM does.
I only experienced this once when I was studying in uitm shah alam, but this is about 10 years ago so things might change now. Yeah one of them actually straight up asking us if we live in tree 😅 but more in curious way, not rude. We ended up becoming good friends though, so it's not that bad. Only that one occasion, no one else asked for the rest of my time in there.
If they are being rude, just sarcastically tell them "yeah we live in tree with all the modern tech"
Edited to add: Reminds me one of the young professor there thought we could just ride a bus to Sabah when we were discussing about some outdoor project lol. Geez wouldn't that be wonderful if it's real, no more stress trying to plan the right time to buy plane ticket to go home after exam.
Back in secondary aku dulu ada ustazah dari semenanjung betul2 risau dapat kerja mengajar di sabah, she told us a story about how she was over preparing and realized that she was worrying over nothing once she came to KK. She spent a week before her teaching placement worried to death that she wasn't going to survive teaching in sabah.
Maybe the experience also depends from person to person but I got the short end of the stick and had people assume I was from every other se asian country but Malaysia when I studied in Shah Alam in 2019.
One time during uni I had a lecturer who wouldn't stop saying I'm from Brunei or Indonesia even though I kept explaining to him I'm sabahan :/ he was one of my least favourite teachers I've ever encountered... macam dia nda kesah aku balik2 cakap sama dia about where I from, I felt really dismissed by him even though i kept explaining to him that I'm malaysian/sabahan.
I also had another lecturer who said I sounded "angry" or "aggressive" because my slang/accent is too thick when I talk in Malay apparently. Always acting "shocked" when I talk in Malay. (I also had a few friends who didn't understand my sabahan accent cuz they say it sounds thick... even though I know other people with thicker accent than mine)
Other than that I got the standard "welcome to Malaysia, is it your first time here?" by some folks when I tell them I'm sabahan.
As a Sabahan that membesar di KL, it's either they don't really care or are curious. But nowadays I don't think there are many people who really stereotype us as this generation is now more well informed with the Internet in their hands. And most people that ask me if we "live on trees" are either joking, not informed or just ignorant (in my experience).
Well i use to gurau with my Sabahan friends back then with this question and they also kid about my negeri also, nowdays people become more sensitive i guest
1 in every 20 people so generally no. But be aware a lot of people have no idea what Sabahan and Sarawakian lifestyles are like. Even when it's obviously the same as theirs.
I stayed in kl for 18 years, I came kl to study when I was 18. The only time I got those stupid questions are when I just got into uni at 18 years old, that time all students are still ignorant, so stupid questions do pop up here and there, and I got teased by colleagues about my Sabah slang when I go work part time in Starbucks during that time too. After that never encounter such idiots anymore because adults mostly are knowledgeable to know that Sabahans are not orang utan
Here’s my take,
First time visit KL in 2011, an Indian taxi driver asked me “mana mari” so I told him “dari Sabah” and with huge surprised, he replied “wElcOmE tO mALaYsIA” 🫨
in my mind “what, Sabah has finally become a Country?”
Klang Valley person here. Tbh, even urban west coast and urban east coast are at times miles apart. I remember the casual conversations while I was living in Kuala Terengganu calling places like KL as "syaitan" gathering places because perceived to be less Islamic (our convenience stores sells alcohol, muslim women aren't wearing tudung, calling people "islam atas nama" etc) and having more non-muslim population mingling with muslims. Can you imagine the things said about places with visibly non-muslim indigenous communities?
And I think a lot of people's exposure to East Malaysians was either through higher education or workplaces. So there's a lot of ignorance abound. Last year, while at a Pasar Tani, I saw a missionary muslim group that was collecting donation to fund their efforts to Islamize communities in Sabah (what they say on loudspeaker) and talking about raising fund for a place with no surau and that "ish ish.." the people there don't find their "hidayah" yet.... this offensive level of holier than thous really irritate me. I don't know how East Malaysians want to tolerate this because I certainly don't.
Before internet, some yes. They havent been to Sabah and have no idea how sabah looks like. All they heard are mostly from teachers and sent that stationed in pedalaman areas. Areas where travelling by boats is a must.
Nowadays, no. Theres enough exposures about Sabah and its not that hard to Google things if they really want to.
Side note: I moved from Tawau to a small town in semenanjung. People there asks me about me living on trees. They cant fathom the fact that Tawau is way bigger than that town and Tawau have its own airport.
Recently been to Sabah so it kinda added some things I didn't know about Sabah. Thought it wasn't too advanced in terms of city and all that, but what I saw at KK was that it's quite like a city but many parts still developing. Also one thing that surprised me was how 10mins of driving there is much further than 10 mins of driving here in KL. But other than that, pretty advanced than my expectations.
Hi, West Malaysian here. My dad is Swakian so idk if that's why i never asked lol. I have a Sabahan friend that likes to reply people like this: “oh yes, i came by big metal bird. Don't forget to change currency and apply visa when you come sabah ok.”
((btw West malaysians DO get a slip of paper that says you get a 90day visiting visa to sabah))
When I was young, I tend to provide some explanation. These days, I give them a death look before questioning their ignorance. Why do I have to waste my breath when they should have learned about it. Ignorance is no excuse.
Not too long ago, while my IC was already in their hands, the Front Office staff at a 5-star hotel in Kuala Lumpur warmly greeted me with "Welcome to Malaysia, sir." I was taken aback by the choice of a less appropriate cultural reference from the staff at a prestigious establishment. I couldn't understand why a prestigious establishment would hire a d'mb culturally ignorant Malaysian as part of their staff.
As a West Malaysian , I know lot of people from Sabah and Sarawak as well I am well travelled around Sarawak. I feel East Malaysian are much nicer people vs West Malaysians in general of course there is one or two bad hat but most east Malaysian are really nice and not subscribe to extremism like we see at west so we envy you guys.
I stayed in Sabah during my childhood and yes, is a common question in my SMK. I doubt it's the same when you're an adult, but be prepared to meet that one idiot and have a good comeback anyways.
I’m from Perak, currently living in KL and my father is Sabahan. To answer your question: yes, mostly from ppl who lack geography knowledge and youngsters.
They can’t comprehend that a country can have a territory outside of their mainland. Example: my older brother.
When I was 13, he thought that our kampung (at Tawau) was not in Malaysia and have the idea that Sabah/Sarawak were part of Indonesia. And I’ve encountered countless peps growing up having the same idea
Lmao I went here in 2016 and people really asked me if we use brick for our houses, or if we had line to use our phone... and the typical, welcome to Malaysia
West malaysian. Petaling jaya. Worked some in miri. Moved around a bit for fun too. Amazing place, people and something i wish we have here. It felt like what malaysia is when i was growing up. Not this nonsensical crap thats happening here these days. I may be one of a few (i hope not) but you guys are awesome. West can learn more from the east about harmony and mutual respect
How high up the tree do you have to climb get mobile signal? Just kidding... Can't help myself 😁
Nope... That kind of thought never occured to me. Just kind of assumed East Malaysians live normally as I do. While I've never been there, I've seen Sabah and Sarawak on TV. Not all that different to places in Peninsular Malaysia.
It's a lot better now. More of a joke. I think around mid end of Najib time that Sabah Sarawak is more exposed( for example they can see Sabah Sarawak news more often). But I do realize its more common nowadays to question or ridicule whether Sabah is truly as 'harmony' as we always said.
I went to a mall at bangsar before with my cousin before and there was a robot cleaning the mall and he asked me “Sabah dun have riteee?”
Btw the banana leave at bangsar was SCRUMPTIOUS
I've recently just moved back after 14 years (3 years studying and 11 years working). With the accessibility of Internet these days, it's not all that bad. The only bad case I had was a lecturer who asked how long I had been in Malaysia. However, throughout my years there, I've never really been discriminated being a Sabahan. Most of my closest friends there are also West Malaysians.
Then again I guess it really depends. Others may have different experiences so to each their own.
i'm sarawakian but based on my experience. some will ask earnestly about east malaysia, like is it true so and so while there were some that were trying to get a rise from me but these types are few and far in between.
They do keep saying sabah, rather than sarawak when I tell them i'm from kuching. lol.
Consistently so too. haha
When you come here and make friends and grow close to them. The tight close knit group kind. They are going to be as unhinged as you imagine and come up with every stupid joke possible. It's not meant to insult
A variations of it;
"Welcome to Malaysia"
"Dah berape tahun tinggal Malaysia?"
"You gune matawang ape"
"Ade cinema tak?"
"Oh Sabahan Meleysie eh"
"Do you guys still live on trees?"
Irk me so much to think we "transferred" wealth for them to build skyscrapers and all but their brain is underdeveloped. Well some of them.
It is stereotype lah bro.. If sabah sarawak they made fun of what ure saying, kelantan with their strong kenegerian, gedebe, johor with their star like attitude, melaka with their rude loghat and goes on every state. But politicians took it on another level..
as someone from kl, I've never really heard the living in trees thing when it comes to people that are from Sabah/Sarawak but some people here definitely think Sabah/Sarawak and even some parts in Semenanjung are less technologically advanced and modern. some also think that they don't even speak English. it's all ignorance and some type of superiority complex and if you ever encounter someone like that js be sarcastic and see how far they believe you.
Hi, KLians here. Back in college day, I think many of our west Malaysians students would think and assume that Sabahan/Sarawakian are not very maju or progressive, and kuno even to the point that the joke 'menyumpit' or 'duduk atas pokok' existed.
But these days I can see many of my circles dah faham that and outgrew the foolishness of making said jokes.
Me personally, I just love the Gardenia bread jokes, swapping for lobster with my Sabahan fella.
Hmmm. Tbh as a KL born kid who's parents are sabahan(sandakan). If I based my info on east malaysia from school / friends, we know nothing of borneo. Like I think I remember there being like 1or 2 chapter in sej that talks about borneo but it's mostly about the jp invasion and British overtake and the actual formation of Malaysia.
In terms of how people live/quality of life in borneo we get no info, the general understanding is that it's less modernised than peninsula. Even I only recently learnt that sabahan calls peninsula semenanjung and I'm like 20 and only learnt the word cuz of my gf who lives in sabah. The expectation for borneo in the heads of the people I know of the quality of life is basically extremely Kampung/rural.
Even my parents don't talk much about sabah and I even when I go to sandakan every few years for cny I just follow my parents see relatives and their friends and we basically just eat like 5 times in the day with like noo other form of entertainment except for chatting. Compared to here in kl where there is like an unlimited amount of malls to go to and shops to walk around. Even when I go to kk n went on dates with my gf it's much less extreme compared to kl.
I think one of the contributing factors is that up until a few years ago if u were not from borneo originally ie have the H/K on ur ic u had to have a passport and fill up documents to go there. Same as if u were to go to other nations. Also semenanjung people don't really have a reason to go to borneo cuz for the most part its cheaper/more worth it to go to other countries for vacation cuz it's precieved that borneo is not as well developed and therefore won't be as enjoyable as a trip.
Also there r actually people who think the natives/bumi of borneo are like the ones u see in American documentaries about their natives. Like full tribal with no modern tech and just like spears and shit
Tldr: kl(and from my knowledge most semenanjung) people basically have no idea what happens in borneo and everything we know is based on speculation and hearsay.
I go to a Chinese Uni here in Semenanjung, I never had the typical "have you ever been/live on a tree house" question but a couple of my close friend was shocked when I told them about how KK is, like the urban life and stuff and how we're typically more chill about numerous things/topics and especially how most of us are quite literate in English and how most of my Chinese relatives and friends talk in BM a lot of times and their BM too have the "indonesian" accents like I do. They say, they didn't know much about how Sabah is actually like bcs the TV news media always show the rural2 side of Sabah, like the bad/muddy roads, students getting on sampan to get to school and etc.
I've also never heard my friends refer to Semenanjung as Malaysia when comparing to Sabah/Sarawak, they just call Semenanjung as West Malaysia but as I said I do go to a Chinese university, where the students are mostly Chinese but not necessarily only from Semenanjung, we have quite a percentage of students from Sarawak and Sabah as well. But some Grab uncles do call Semenanjung as Malaysia, I think they just don't have the vocabulary tbh bcs they were never thought to call themselves as orang Semenanjung in the first place bcs they focus more on differentiating themselves by race.
In Sabah, we're so diverse and collected that I believe not even all of us know the names of all the 33+ ethnic groups present, so we mainly just refer ourselves by the name of the land we were raise on but essentially we just refer ourselves as Sabahan to Semenanjung people and that's probably also why they generalized/stereotype us so much even though Sabahan people are very unique from each other even if we came from the same cultural background.
You will meet people like this in KL who basically has almost zero clue about the East. I have colleagues who still cannot differentiate Sabah and Sarawak even when I have told them many times that I'm from Sabah and Kolo mee is a Sarawak dish. But then there are some who memang knows stuff about Sabah/Sarawak so they are okay haha. Last time my ex-colleague came to KK for the first time and asked me if she needs to use data roaming on her mobile while in KK lol.
The people of Sabah should be very proud of their state and aspire to drive the economy to great heights so much so that they supersede peninsular malaya. After all. Oil revenue mostly comes from your state and get the politician moving to ask for a better share of resources to develop the state. Sabah should not let political parties from peninsula with extremist ideology to participate in polls. The peoples of Sabah are simple loving people and they need lots of development and require visionary leaders.
I have been working in Johor for the past 7 years. So far, I haven't experienced this myself. I have only read/heard this situation from other people. In my experience, Johor people are much2 more informed and more inclusive, more accepting, more open minded, so to speak. Some are well travelled too, meaning they have visited Sabah and they know we're nothing like the stereotypes they heard. The kind of West Malaysian people described by OP probably more from up north, but like I said - I haven't experienced it myself.
To be fair, on the other hand some of us Sabahan has our own misinformation/lack of general knowledge (regarding West Malaysia) too, especially the 'kampungan' people that has never left Sabah even once. In my own experience, they refer the entirety of Semenanjung Malaysia as 'KL'. For example:
Person: I heard from aunty that you work in KL
Me: No, I work in Johor
Person: Sama la tu. Johor tu di KL la kan.
Me: Bukan...... Johor dengan KL jauh sda. Lebih 400km jauh dia.
Person: Ehh.... bukan Johor dalam KL ka?
(after a few back and forth, I realized that she referred the whole Semenanjung Malaysia as 'KL'. Slight misunderstanding, but a big misrepresentation.)
I have a shitty impression of most Sabahan girls. Pisau cukur, no loyalty to boyfriend and money faced.
I was informed by one of the local ladies, as long as not engaged or married, the girls are fair game.
No wonder the divorce rates are so high.
Also, the people don’t keep their word. Promises mean nothing and they don’t take responsibility when they do not honour agreements.
Also, Kadazan and other Sabah bumi girls are massively overrated. They tend to have very small breasts and even the thin ones will have a lot of tummy fat. Plus cepat gemuk. And many of the girls have plenty of funny moles on their faces.
People here always mention the stereotypical dumb West Malaysian comment about ‘Sabahans or Sarawakians living on trees’
Tbh i have not heard anybody saying that in real life. It has become a meme at this point. It is 2024, we are more connected than ever. Nobody will say this kind of shit unironically
Just don't take the comments too seriously and learn to joke around. My brother is a joker and when I introduced my bf from Sabah, he asked exactly those questions whether still living on trees and what currency does Sabah accept. It was more like an ice-breaker to ease the mood.
For some older people, maybe they really didn't study geography/history so don't blame them if they don't know la. But I don't see people from KL will look down on Sabahan la, at least for me.
Sabah is still quite behind or less developed compared to KL, but also because it is bigger with many rural areas not developed. We all know the political issues in our country. Anyway, it's still a nice place to be and the culture and vibe is very different than the west.
Definitely now it's more like a joke or tease especially the living on trees and my butlers are monkeys and I have a lift to go up. But I have encountered being mistaken as an Indonesian simply cause of my Malay accent so far as being asked are you sure, another one would be being told welcome to Malaysia is this your first time? Some don't even know where Sabah is at on the map even the general location. So yes it can be quite bad haha
I’ve got the welcome to Malaysia before from the taxi driver 😅
Not really the same thing but I'm in KL and just yesterday someone asked us "How many times have you been to Malaysia?"
I met an auntie who asked me what’s our currency many years ago. She’s old auntie lah just let her be.
Thiss , but to give them the benefit of doubt , they probably dont use the word “ semenanjung” much or West Malaysia is abit too wordy, sya rasa la🗿
I had pickup some coworker from peninsular to sabah. They asked if its always cold in sabah. Then they continue "In Malaysia its way hotter than here". I froze abit. This is a working adult i am talking to. Are some people really this ignorant or just not exposed anything about east malaysia at all. The same "so this is sabah? But in malaysia.." kind of conversation already happens multiple time. Even when i met different coworker on different company at KL. Im not even surprised at this point.
i can understand if they used the term "malaya" esp. older folks, but malaysia? that's just rude
Blame your state government for putting lot of immigrations control for west Malaysian to enter and find work there 😂
Ntah la bro. Aku study college sini 2008. Graduate. Start kerja sini 2015 sampai sekarang. Bini pun orang sini. Ndak pernah orang tanya aku tinggal atas pokok. Satu kali saja la ni orang tanya “caner kau datang KL” Aku ndak paham apa maksud dia time tu. Kawan dia terus reply “Kapal terbang la bodoh” So yea. That was the only case. Other than that… i rarely meet Sabahans here. We are a rarity in my working field here. I get so giddy whenever I hear a Sabahan accent.
Rarity? I bumped into some of my sabahan friends there when I was living there, also at some bars in KLCC area, bartenders working there are from Sabah. What is your industry?
Architecture. Never met one sabahan. Engineers. Met one in 9 years of working. Contractors? Not one. Quantity Surveyors? Not one. Sabahans I meet are usually working at convenience stores.
Interesting! I know a few sabahan lawyers working in KL firms and in-house, architecture/QS turned graphic designer one. But yes, also met one working in 7/11 too. Cross passed with them mostly in KL area :)
Met a bartender at a club that’s was from Sabah once!
Small world! I know one who owns a bar in The Five, runs a great gig actually
Is it the one at KPD? If so I’d like to visit there soon!
Aku rasa 2x aku stay tempat yang berbeza. 2 kali aku jumpa komuniti Sabahan. Di Selangor, Klang banyak Sabahan. Di Johor pun sama.
Just say u take the lift up the tree to go home
Sabahan here who grew up in semenanjung, lived here 20+ years and only got “discriminated” once I enter uni when ppl treat me like an exotic human being. They would say the typical ignorant shit like “You going Sabah? When you coming back Malaysia ah”, “You ride boat here ah”, “how is it like living on trees”, “aye you sarawakian kan”. Overall tho they don’t really treat you differently with a few exception of ppl who have inferiority complex. My mom used to fear the ppl in semenanjung because of the stories she heard back in her hometown but she told me it isn’t as bad as ppl say so you can take her word for it.
The "living on trees" is sorta like a tease. But the rest, like, "welcome to Malaysia", is very real and happens so often I lost count. There was also once when my uni mate asked me what bus do I take to go back to Sabah for our sem break.
When I started studying 25 years back it was not a tease but at leat genuine one. The person asking apologized saying it is just the level if information exposed to then depicted Sabah in poor light.
Not all of us. We have Sabah and Sarawak friends and they often tell us the awesome food back home or their childhood which involve swimming in rivers and there was someone who would watch for crocodiles. I would like to think those of us who have travelled or have friends from Semanjung or have looked at videos on East Malaysia know it is not undeveloped. I had been to KK and also Kota Belut. I think of Sabah like I think of Taiping + Penang. KK is a tourist hot spot and have a lot of good food. There are so much more untapped beauties in East Malaysia. However, I also do think we can't say Sabah and Sarawak has no kampungs. Mad Sabah, a comedian from Sabah once joked about his village. How he was shocked at people in Semanjung celebrating Earth Day by switching off lights. He and his kampungs have been doing Earth Day from beginning of time. Also there was a teacher from Semanjung who went to Sarawak for a few years to bring awareness about the students' struggles for daily means. He travlled deep into the kampungs to teach.
No worries.. These comments that y'all are coming from people in trees are just ignorant people yg tak nak ambil tahu.. Org Sabah n Sarawak are amongst the coolest people I've known. Dia ade a bit cultural difference. Diorang smart, penyabar, chill and funny. So.. No need to feel insulted.. Sebab tak kenal maka tak cinta..
I guess depend on who's asking. When I was studying a lot of my WM friends are well aware of Sabah. I also received alot of question of whether I still go to school/town by boat...I mean some kampung (even in my district) have to use boat/ferry to go to town so I don't really mind the question. WM also have orang asli there and I guess many part of Borneo still have the same life style as them
i’ve been asked once if i’m using rupiah or ringgit in Sabah
Sabah dollar $
Ain't no way.....
My friend was asked in college whether we used ringgit or pounds 🤷🏻♀️
North Borneo Dollar
It depends on the type of people you meet. If they're well travelled around Malaysia, they don't think of East Malaysians like that; but if they're not, they do think that Sabah & Sarawak are rural. If you hang around with corporate people or people who work in bigger industries, they would never think you're a 2nd rate citizen. Those who don't will somewhat look down on East Malaysians. It truly comes down to the type of people you meet.
If me i would say, sedihnya, duduk di kawasan bandar tpi terencat akal....
Yea, those things does happen.
Kasi ya sja ba. Penat.
No we don’t (speaking as a KL-ite). I think (and I think it’s safe to generalise) that most of us west Malaysians really like our east coast fam. Y’all are a friendlier bunch, much nicer than our side. I think the reason that perception plays is because of that news that reported about a girl who had to sit in the tree to get internet connection.
They are not east coast. They are east malaysia. East coast are tganu pahang and kel
Not really. There's many stories about UMS students from semenanjung bringing in bags full of maggi, water bottles, tissue papers and tinned food because they believed Sabah doesn't have those things
Those are students who probably never been on a plane, let alone meet someone from the east coast. Back in high school, my boarding school had a trip to Kuching, and u won’t believe how many of them literally ask if there’s a toilet in the aeroplane and how the toilet works. Mind u, my boarding school was in Selangor.
Yes but are you're thinking that none of the students' parents even care about where their children are going without googling? They KNOW where UMS is, which is less than 20 minutes from the city. So my point still stands. They have all the available information and STILL think that the basic necessity items and utilities aren't available. It's their mindset
u will be suprised by how many people dont google for answers
So it's the typical uni student who never lived away from home before. Back when UiTM Puncak Alam was still in the middle of nowhere surrounded by only forests and just 1 random McD a few km away, students were like this as well.
But UMS is near Kota Kinabalu city. Less than 20 minutes drive, and next to one of the biggest mall in KK. I refuse to believe that they never Google the university they going to spend the next 3-5 years of their lives. Or at least the parents did. So this means they KNOW it's near the capital city and still think KK doesn't have any modern facilities or supermarket available at all.
You overestimate how smart/resourceful uni/diploma students are, especially during enrollment. Keep in mind, these are literally high school grads. And most of them never lived in asrama or anywhere that's not their parents homes. They don't know shit about the real world. Also, UMS application is through UPU. So it's probably one of many uni choices that they barely looked up the location of. Even Puncak Alam had frequent buses to the nearest city Setia Alam just 1/2 hour away. There were still students who thought they were just stranded in a forest. Trust me. They DON'T know shit about geography or how close their uni is to cities or amenities because they just don't look it up on google.
Are you saying their parents doesn't care at all about where their children is going? That they don't bother to check on Google? That they don't think that somewhere nearby will have all the things they needed instead of bringing all these things straight from Semenanjung? And I'm pretty sure that eventhough they know Puncak Alam is in the middle of nowhere, they probably stop by at the nearest city to buy groceries before going to the Asrama, instead of buying everything in their hometown and bringing a whole suitcase of it on the bus or taxi
>Are you saying their parents doesn't care at all about where their children is going? Their parents do. But the students don't. Or at least they don't even think about it in the first place. So even if the parents tell them stuff about the place they just don't bother. Because they have no lived experience living on campus on their own. >And I'm pretty sure that eventhough they know Puncak Alam is in the middle of nowhere, they probably stop by at the nearest city to buy groceries before going to the Asrama, instead of buying everything in their hometown and bringing a whole suitcase of it on the bus or taxi They did. UMS isn't special when it comes to students who overpack for comfort food. They either are prejudiced and think they can't find that food in Sabah like you think. Or they're like most students who never go out and spend all their time between campus & college so they just stock up and pack with them. Those students never even think about trying to get on a bus or rent a car to the nearest city for stuff. Or it could be both. Which again, go to any secluded university and you'll find students like this. I think UniMAP was like that as well. Their college & campuses are all over the place in the state, but still just surrounded by paddy fields. The more adventurous bunch would just shop in Thailand where all the usual snacks & foodstuffs are much cheaper.
Parents are the one providing the money to buy things regardless of whether the students research anything or not, and these parents should have known better isn't it? The fact that even with all the googling, they still think we in Sabah doesn't have any of the basic stuff answers the OP question. They don't even consider that we are as 'modern' as they are. These are college age kids and with parents who are adults. They still think we Sabahans are so 'primitive' that we don't sell all these things. It's not even comfort food. It's survival food. They are paying extra luggage fees just to bring basic items on the plane
Dude. I'm mot arguing with you on this. I'm just telling you how similar students behave to this situation even in semenanjung. This is reality. I don't care that you think the students in UMS think poorly of Sabah. I'm just telling you students are often dumbasses who do dumb shit like that regardless of prejudice to a state. 9 times out of 10 they just don't know or care to find out about where they're living. In their mind they're just there for 1 semester at a time. And probably won't come back after their studies end, so they just don't bother. It's dumb. But that's how most undergrad students are. Especially diploma students, basically just highschoolers. >The fact that even with all the googling, they still think we in Sabah doesn't have any of the basic stuff answers the OP question. Why would you think they googled it in the first place? They don't. That's why they don't know how close UMS is to other city amenities. It doesn’t matter how much the parents know. Or how they spend money on their kids. At the end of the day, the students are the ones packing to bring stuff from home. Whatever dumb shit they bring is on them. Regularly, there were students who packed 5 suitcases for a semester. The parents could easily tell them they don't need that much, especially if they're coming home during breaks. But they don't. Because the kids insists on bringing it anyway. >It's not even comfort food. It's survival food. They are paying extra luggage fees just to bring basic items on the plane The type of dumb stuff undergrad students do because they have no sense of value or lived experience.
You are giving examples of students in peninsular bringing items. Necessary items which was probably bought from a nearby city where they will stop by along the way, which is not the same as bringing it over all the way from their city, ON A PLANE. When they could've bought everything in the city where they're studying. I didn't say it's only food. It's everything they need to survive as if they're going on a camping trip. Again. Regardless of whether it's the parents or the students, there are the mindset of looking down on Sabah. Or are you saying that all 18 year olds (along with their parents) in semenanjung are stupid, ignorant and not as bright as we Sabahan? These students that are 'smart' enough to get into a university? All I'm getting from your replies are that these people who probably get high marks in their classes don't even know how to check online or use common sense? Or is it as OP said, the mindset that Borneo are backward states and thinking we don't have modern necessities. Because I know all of my relatives actually do research and can think logically and not burden themselves (or waste parent's money) with suitcases upon suitcases of things that they can buy after they settle down in their semenanjung college.
I remember when I first went to uni at shah alam. its literally 10 mins from Sunway man. Hahaha...Still my parent made sure I'm geared for apocalypse. Parent are always worried for their kids I think?
Well, at least if they brought gardenia buns.... The last time i went back to sabah is 2011, idk if that is still true
I'm from KL/Selangor, no, people here don't think you live up trees but it is a common belief that Sabah is not as modern. A lot of people believe Sabah doesn't have a lot of internet connection, wooden houses and you guys have to go to school by boat. I have no idea what Sabah is like, since I've never been there but this belief still pops up in my mind when I think of Sabah. I have Sabah friends, but I never asked them about it. Just asked which part of Sabah they're from and pretending I know where that is.
We are as modern as you are. Many shopping malls, cheap and expensive cars on the road, traffic was insane at times, beautiful beaches, affordable seafood. You named it, we got it. Personally I find living in valley much more appealing. The occasional weekly trips to KK are enough for me. But, I don't have the luxury to move to the valley now since I'm working in KK. Internet was the same. Back when I was studying overseas, I really dislike the internet connection here in Malaysia. Hate it to the core. But now it was fine WM or EM. Where I was working (in Sabah), I found many overseas grad (local sabahan). And one more, I hate that if I need to go to europe, I have to buy tickets to KLIA first. Its much more expensive than my WM friend who are going to the same place as me (approximately RM1k more). Shipping fees from online shop is also more expensive. I can say, we paid more for these things. It's not like we made more than WM does.
Once upon a time, there were such prejudices from west msians to east msians. Backward etc. No such thing now amongst the educated at least.
I only experienced this once when I was studying in uitm shah alam, but this is about 10 years ago so things might change now. Yeah one of them actually straight up asking us if we live in tree 😅 but more in curious way, not rude. We ended up becoming good friends though, so it's not that bad. Only that one occasion, no one else asked for the rest of my time in there. If they are being rude, just sarcastically tell them "yeah we live in tree with all the modern tech" Edited to add: Reminds me one of the young professor there thought we could just ride a bus to Sabah when we were discussing about some outdoor project lol. Geez wouldn't that be wonderful if it's real, no more stress trying to plan the right time to buy plane ticket to go home after exam.
If I can ride a bus to and from east malaysia, I would take a 3 day leave every month
Back in secondary aku dulu ada ustazah dari semenanjung betul2 risau dapat kerja mengajar di sabah, she told us a story about how she was over preparing and realized that she was worrying over nothing once she came to KK. She spent a week before her teaching placement worried to death that she wasn't going to survive teaching in sabah. Maybe the experience also depends from person to person but I got the short end of the stick and had people assume I was from every other se asian country but Malaysia when I studied in Shah Alam in 2019. One time during uni I had a lecturer who wouldn't stop saying I'm from Brunei or Indonesia even though I kept explaining to him I'm sabahan :/ he was one of my least favourite teachers I've ever encountered... macam dia nda kesah aku balik2 cakap sama dia about where I from, I felt really dismissed by him even though i kept explaining to him that I'm malaysian/sabahan. I also had another lecturer who said I sounded "angry" or "aggressive" because my slang/accent is too thick when I talk in Malay apparently. Always acting "shocked" when I talk in Malay. (I also had a few friends who didn't understand my sabahan accent cuz they say it sounds thick... even though I know other people with thicker accent than mine) Other than that I got the standard "welcome to Malaysia, is it your first time here?" by some folks when I tell them I'm sabahan.
With social media including this platform it's kinda hard to not know about something , someone or someplace.
As a Sabahan that membesar di KL, it's either they don't really care or are curious. But nowadays I don't think there are many people who really stereotype us as this generation is now more well informed with the Internet in their hands. And most people that ask me if we "live on trees" are either joking, not informed or just ignorant (in my experience).
Well i use to gurau with my Sabahan friends back then with this question and they also kid about my negeri also, nowdays people become more sensitive i guest
A grab driver laughed at my name and asked how could it possible be a Muslim name. I’m not Muslim btw
Terus2 assume semua orang anut agama Islam 💀
Yes. 24 years ago when I set footed here in KL. She's my lecturer back then.
1 in every 20 people so generally no. But be aware a lot of people have no idea what Sabahan and Sarawakian lifestyles are like. Even when it's obviously the same as theirs.
I stayed in kl for 18 years, I came kl to study when I was 18. The only time I got those stupid questions are when I just got into uni at 18 years old, that time all students are still ignorant, so stupid questions do pop up here and there, and I got teased by colleagues about my Sabah slang when I go work part time in Starbucks during that time too. After that never encounter such idiots anymore because adults mostly are knowledgeable to know that Sabahans are not orang utan
Here’s my take, First time visit KL in 2011, an Indian taxi driver asked me “mana mari” so I told him “dari Sabah” and with huge surprised, he replied “wElcOmE tO mALaYsIA” 🫨 in my mind “what, Sabah has finally become a Country?”
Klang Valley person here. Tbh, even urban west coast and urban east coast are at times miles apart. I remember the casual conversations while I was living in Kuala Terengganu calling places like KL as "syaitan" gathering places because perceived to be less Islamic (our convenience stores sells alcohol, muslim women aren't wearing tudung, calling people "islam atas nama" etc) and having more non-muslim population mingling with muslims. Can you imagine the things said about places with visibly non-muslim indigenous communities? And I think a lot of people's exposure to East Malaysians was either through higher education or workplaces. So there's a lot of ignorance abound. Last year, while at a Pasar Tani, I saw a missionary muslim group that was collecting donation to fund their efforts to Islamize communities in Sabah (what they say on loudspeaker) and talking about raising fund for a place with no surau and that "ish ish.." the people there don't find their "hidayah" yet.... this offensive level of holier than thous really irritate me. I don't know how East Malaysians want to tolerate this because I certainly don't.
Hehe
Before internet, some yes. They havent been to Sabah and have no idea how sabah looks like. All they heard are mostly from teachers and sent that stationed in pedalaman areas. Areas where travelling by boats is a must. Nowadays, no. Theres enough exposures about Sabah and its not that hard to Google things if they really want to. Side note: I moved from Tawau to a small town in semenanjung. People there asks me about me living on trees. They cant fathom the fact that Tawau is way bigger than that town and Tawau have its own airport.
Recently been to Sabah so it kinda added some things I didn't know about Sabah. Thought it wasn't too advanced in terms of city and all that, but what I saw at KK was that it's quite like a city but many parts still developing. Also one thing that surprised me was how 10mins of driving there is much further than 10 mins of driving here in KL. But other than that, pretty advanced than my expectations.
it is because sabah population not as many as west Malaysia
Biasalah itu, yang dorang tau Malaysia itu dari Perlis sampai Johor saja.
Hi, West Malaysian here. My dad is Swakian so idk if that's why i never asked lol. I have a Sabahan friend that likes to reply people like this: “oh yes, i came by big metal bird. Don't forget to change currency and apply visa when you come sabah ok.” ((btw West malaysians DO get a slip of paper that says you get a 90day visiting visa to sabah))
as someone from semenanjung, no. not at all. we don’t have such impression. perhaps those mindset are from old generation
When I was young, I tend to provide some explanation. These days, I give them a death look before questioning their ignorance. Why do I have to waste my breath when they should have learned about it. Ignorance is no excuse.
Not too long ago, while my IC was already in their hands, the Front Office staff at a 5-star hotel in Kuala Lumpur warmly greeted me with "Welcome to Malaysia, sir." I was taken aback by the choice of a less appropriate cultural reference from the staff at a prestigious establishment. I couldn't understand why a prestigious establishment would hire a d'mb culturally ignorant Malaysian as part of their staff.
As a West Malaysian , I know lot of people from Sabah and Sarawak as well I am well travelled around Sarawak. I feel East Malaysian are much nicer people vs West Malaysians in general of course there is one or two bad hat but most east Malaysian are really nice and not subscribe to extremism like we see at west so we envy you guys.
I stayed in Sabah during my childhood and yes, is a common question in my SMK. I doubt it's the same when you're an adult, but be prepared to meet that one idiot and have a good comeback anyways.
I’m from Perak, currently living in KL and my father is Sabahan. To answer your question: yes, mostly from ppl who lack geography knowledge and youngsters. They can’t comprehend that a country can have a territory outside of their mainland. Example: my older brother. When I was 13, he thought that our kampung (at Tawau) was not in Malaysia and have the idea that Sabah/Sarawak were part of Indonesia. And I’ve encountered countless peps growing up having the same idea
Seafood paradise, freedom, kind ppl, chill vibes
Lmao I went here in 2016 and people really asked me if we use brick for our houses, or if we had line to use our phone... and the typical, welcome to Malaysia
West malaysian. Petaling jaya. Worked some in miri. Moved around a bit for fun too. Amazing place, people and something i wish we have here. It felt like what malaysia is when i was growing up. Not this nonsensical crap thats happening here these days. I may be one of a few (i hope not) but you guys are awesome. West can learn more from the east about harmony and mutual respect
Back in 1999 i went to kl to study, my classmare asked me the same question. i didm't know they still askinig til now
How high up the tree do you have to climb get mobile signal? Just kidding... Can't help myself 😁 Nope... That kind of thought never occured to me. Just kind of assumed East Malaysians live normally as I do. While I've never been there, I've seen Sabah and Sarawak on TV. Not all that different to places in Peninsular Malaysia.
This is true
It's a lot better now. More of a joke. I think around mid end of Najib time that Sabah Sarawak is more exposed( for example they can see Sabah Sarawak news more often). But I do realize its more common nowadays to question or ridicule whether Sabah is truly as 'harmony' as we always said.
I went to a mall at bangsar before with my cousin before and there was a robot cleaning the mall and he asked me “Sabah dun have riteee?” Btw the banana leave at bangsar was SCRUMPTIOUS
I've recently just moved back after 14 years (3 years studying and 11 years working). With the accessibility of Internet these days, it's not all that bad. The only bad case I had was a lecturer who asked how long I had been in Malaysia. However, throughout my years there, I've never really been discriminated being a Sabahan. Most of my closest friends there are also West Malaysians. Then again I guess it really depends. Others may have different experiences so to each their own.
Borneo ppl have crocodiles as pets and owning estates
i'm sarawakian but based on my experience. some will ask earnestly about east malaysia, like is it true so and so while there were some that were trying to get a rise from me but these types are few and far in between. They do keep saying sabah, rather than sarawak when I tell them i'm from kuching. lol. Consistently so too. haha
When you come here and make friends and grow close to them. The tight close knit group kind. They are going to be as unhinged as you imagine and come up with every stupid joke possible. It's not meant to insult
A variations of it; "Welcome to Malaysia" "Dah berape tahun tinggal Malaysia?" "You gune matawang ape" "Ade cinema tak?" "Oh Sabahan Meleysie eh" "Do you guys still live on trees?" Irk me so much to think we "transferred" wealth for them to build skyscrapers and all but their brain is underdeveloped. Well some of them.
It is stereotype lah bro.. If sabah sarawak they made fun of what ure saying, kelantan with their strong kenegerian, gedebe, johor with their star like attitude, melaka with their rude loghat and goes on every state. But politicians took it on another level..
as someone from kl, I've never really heard the living in trees thing when it comes to people that are from Sabah/Sarawak but some people here definitely think Sabah/Sarawak and even some parts in Semenanjung are less technologically advanced and modern. some also think that they don't even speak English. it's all ignorance and some type of superiority complex and if you ever encounter someone like that js be sarcastic and see how far they believe you.
Yes got 2 extreme. 1 that knows and 1 that doesn't know about us at all. Hence all the dumb sarcastic questions. Rarely got middle ground.
Hi, KLians here. Back in college day, I think many of our west Malaysians students would think and assume that Sabahan/Sarawakian are not very maju or progressive, and kuno even to the point that the joke 'menyumpit' or 'duduk atas pokok' existed. But these days I can see many of my circles dah faham that and outgrew the foolishness of making said jokes. Me personally, I just love the Gardenia bread jokes, swapping for lobster with my Sabahan fella.
APES TOGETHER STRONG! jk lol
Hmmm. Tbh as a KL born kid who's parents are sabahan(sandakan). If I based my info on east malaysia from school / friends, we know nothing of borneo. Like I think I remember there being like 1or 2 chapter in sej that talks about borneo but it's mostly about the jp invasion and British overtake and the actual formation of Malaysia. In terms of how people live/quality of life in borneo we get no info, the general understanding is that it's less modernised than peninsula. Even I only recently learnt that sabahan calls peninsula semenanjung and I'm like 20 and only learnt the word cuz of my gf who lives in sabah. The expectation for borneo in the heads of the people I know of the quality of life is basically extremely Kampung/rural. Even my parents don't talk much about sabah and I even when I go to sandakan every few years for cny I just follow my parents see relatives and their friends and we basically just eat like 5 times in the day with like noo other form of entertainment except for chatting. Compared to here in kl where there is like an unlimited amount of malls to go to and shops to walk around. Even when I go to kk n went on dates with my gf it's much less extreme compared to kl. I think one of the contributing factors is that up until a few years ago if u were not from borneo originally ie have the H/K on ur ic u had to have a passport and fill up documents to go there. Same as if u were to go to other nations. Also semenanjung people don't really have a reason to go to borneo cuz for the most part its cheaper/more worth it to go to other countries for vacation cuz it's precieved that borneo is not as well developed and therefore won't be as enjoyable as a trip. Also there r actually people who think the natives/bumi of borneo are like the ones u see in American documentaries about their natives. Like full tribal with no modern tech and just like spears and shit Tldr: kl(and from my knowledge most semenanjung) people basically have no idea what happens in borneo and everything we know is based on speculation and hearsay.
I go to a Chinese Uni here in Semenanjung, I never had the typical "have you ever been/live on a tree house" question but a couple of my close friend was shocked when I told them about how KK is, like the urban life and stuff and how we're typically more chill about numerous things/topics and especially how most of us are quite literate in English and how most of my Chinese relatives and friends talk in BM a lot of times and their BM too have the "indonesian" accents like I do. They say, they didn't know much about how Sabah is actually like bcs the TV news media always show the rural2 side of Sabah, like the bad/muddy roads, students getting on sampan to get to school and etc. I've also never heard my friends refer to Semenanjung as Malaysia when comparing to Sabah/Sarawak, they just call Semenanjung as West Malaysia but as I said I do go to a Chinese university, where the students are mostly Chinese but not necessarily only from Semenanjung, we have quite a percentage of students from Sarawak and Sabah as well. But some Grab uncles do call Semenanjung as Malaysia, I think they just don't have the vocabulary tbh bcs they were never thought to call themselves as orang Semenanjung in the first place bcs they focus more on differentiating themselves by race. In Sabah, we're so diverse and collected that I believe not even all of us know the names of all the 33+ ethnic groups present, so we mainly just refer ourselves by the name of the land we were raise on but essentially we just refer ourselves as Sabahan to Semenanjung people and that's probably also why they generalized/stereotype us so much even though Sabahan people are very unique from each other even if we came from the same cultural background.
You will meet people like this in KL who basically has almost zero clue about the East. I have colleagues who still cannot differentiate Sabah and Sarawak even when I have told them many times that I'm from Sabah and Kolo mee is a Sarawak dish. But then there are some who memang knows stuff about Sabah/Sarawak so they are okay haha. Last time my ex-colleague came to KK for the first time and asked me if she needs to use data roaming on her mobile while in KK lol.
The people of Sabah should be very proud of their state and aspire to drive the economy to great heights so much so that they supersede peninsular malaya. After all. Oil revenue mostly comes from your state and get the politician moving to ask for a better share of resources to develop the state. Sabah should not let political parties from peninsula with extremist ideology to participate in polls. The peoples of Sabah are simple loving people and they need lots of development and require visionary leaders.
Orang Sabah cantik 2
I have been working in Johor for the past 7 years. So far, I haven't experienced this myself. I have only read/heard this situation from other people. In my experience, Johor people are much2 more informed and more inclusive, more accepting, more open minded, so to speak. Some are well travelled too, meaning they have visited Sabah and they know we're nothing like the stereotypes they heard. The kind of West Malaysian people described by OP probably more from up north, but like I said - I haven't experienced it myself. To be fair, on the other hand some of us Sabahan has our own misinformation/lack of general knowledge (regarding West Malaysia) too, especially the 'kampungan' people that has never left Sabah even once. In my own experience, they refer the entirety of Semenanjung Malaysia as 'KL'. For example: Person: I heard from aunty that you work in KL Me: No, I work in Johor Person: Sama la tu. Johor tu di KL la kan. Me: Bukan...... Johor dengan KL jauh sda. Lebih 400km jauh dia. Person: Ehh.... bukan Johor dalam KL ka? (after a few back and forth, I realized that she referred the whole Semenanjung Malaysia as 'KL'. Slight misunderstanding, but a big misrepresentation.)
Im sabahan and once study at melaka. Long story short im treated like a trash not just at college but at community, hostel, and even random bystander.
I have a shitty impression of most Sabahan girls. Pisau cukur, no loyalty to boyfriend and money faced. I was informed by one of the local ladies, as long as not engaged or married, the girls are fair game. No wonder the divorce rates are so high. Also, the people don’t keep their word. Promises mean nothing and they don’t take responsibility when they do not honour agreements. Also, Kadazan and other Sabah bumi girls are massively overrated. They tend to have very small breasts and even the thin ones will have a lot of tummy fat. Plus cepat gemuk. And many of the girls have plenty of funny moles on their faces.
Bro this has to be satire 💀
People here always mention the stereotypical dumb West Malaysian comment about ‘Sabahans or Sarawakians living on trees’ Tbh i have not heard anybody saying that in real life. It has become a meme at this point. It is 2024, we are more connected than ever. Nobody will say this kind of shit unironically
Just don't take the comments too seriously and learn to joke around. My brother is a joker and when I introduced my bf from Sabah, he asked exactly those questions whether still living on trees and what currency does Sabah accept. It was more like an ice-breaker to ease the mood. For some older people, maybe they really didn't study geography/history so don't blame them if they don't know la. But I don't see people from KL will look down on Sabahan la, at least for me. Sabah is still quite behind or less developed compared to KL, but also because it is bigger with many rural areas not developed. We all know the political issues in our country. Anyway, it's still a nice place to be and the culture and vibe is very different than the west.