“You’re Barely Eating” – Bill O’Reilly Isn’t Done With Malaysia
US commentator Bill O’Reilly compared Malaysia and US’s household per capita income.
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American political commentator Bill O’Reilly doubled down on his controversial remark that Southeast Asia aka ”Malays have no money.”
READ MORE: “Malays Have No Money” – No Love For US Host As He Mocks China’s SEA Trip
READ MORE: Malaysians Tell US TV Host His Mother Is Green After “No Money” Remark
In his latest YouTube video, the 75-year-old journalist read out Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s response to his ‘’no money’’ video.
O’Reilly was humoured that Anwar labelled him a ‘’colonialist’’ and maintained that Malaysians still do not have the purchasing power to buy China-made products.
He supported his claims by pointing out that the Malaysian household per capita income is RM25,110 (USD5,731) per annum while the US’s household per capita income is RM184,585 (USD42,220).
He further suggested that this makes it hard for Malaysians to buy a small hat from China since the US household per capita is eight times more than Malaysia. O’Reilly claimed Malaysians couldn’t afford to buy Chinese takeouts either in Kuala Lumpur and wished Anwar the best.
As if to soften the blow of his misguided take, O’Reilly revealed that he has actually been to Malaysia and said it is a beautiful country.
“Complicated, but beautiful,” he said.
While he is an award-winning journalist, it seemed he still has problems with geography. In his video, he said former US president Barack Obama was partially raised in Malaysia. In actuality, Obama spent his childhood in Indonesia, which is not part of Malaysia and vice versa.
A check on Google showed that O’Reilly likely cited his figures from CEIC but the figure he quoted for Malaysia’s household income per capita is true as of December 2022.
According to Statista, the household disposable income per capita in Malaysia is forecasted to reach around RM32,228 (USD7,370) in 2025.
While the data of household per capita income shows that the US is higher compared to Malaysia, but the cost of living in the US is also significantly higher.
Purchasing power parity (PPP) gives a better picture.
Malaysia’s PPP-adjusted income narrows the gap considerably.
In urban areas like Kuala Lumpur, consumer spending is robust and on average, middle-class households live comfortably.
KL people can’t afford Chinese takeouts?
Newsflash, O’Reilly: Chinese food is one of the most common and affordable cuisines in Malaysia.
Chinese restaurants, hawker stalls, and kopitiams offer meals from RM6 to RM20, easily within reach of the average KL resident.
Clearly O’Reilly misunderstood the local food culture — Chinese cuisine isn’t a luxury here; it’s a daily staple.
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