Earlier, we shared how Israeli content creator Nas Daily had allegedly managed to enter Malaysia again, leaving Malaysians fuming over his apparent presence in the country. However, something else has since caught the attention of locals.
Showcased in Nas Daily’s latest video in Malaysia is a start-up community based in Forest City, Johor, named The Network School, founded by American entrepreneur and investor, Balaji S. Srinivasan.
The Network School plans to turn Forest City into the ‘new’ San Francisco
“The Network School is a frontier community for techno-optimists. Our members include remote workers, digital nomads, online creators, personal trainers, self-improvers, event organisers, and engineers of all stripes,”
“You should apply if you want to build yourself up while also building a startup society that bootstraps other startup societies. If you’re accepted to The Network School, membership starts at USD1,500 (~RM6,306) a month with roommates, and includes everything from meals to gym to accommodations. We think of it as society-as-a-service,” he shared on The Network School’s website.
His goal is to ultimately turn Forest City into the ‘new’ San Francisco.
“It’s easier to start a new city than to fix San Francisco,” Balaji S. Srinivasan said in Nas Daily’s video.
“Gaining independence”
While Nas Daily’s entrance into Malaysia was brought into question, many also focused on the start-up community that was highlighted in his video, as the community seems to have taken over a hotel in the Forest City island, where residents of the Network School live together and work on their start-up projects.
On top of that, another video has since gone viral, as it shows a resident of the start-up community claiming that the community can use the Forest City island to gain independence and start their own nation.
The video, by Yes Theory, shared that The Network School was set up within Forest City, which operates as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) under an agreement with both the Malaysian and Singaporean governments.
“(The Network School’s) hope is to utilise Johor’s Special Economic Zone and mostly abandoned facilities across the (Forest City) island to grow their community, and some say, to maybe, eventually, become their own nation,” Yes Theory explained.
The resident of The Network School then said, “There’s, like, a new society kind of growing on this island. It’s, like, kind of in between Singapore and Malaysia. So, there’s a chance of this island, like, gaining independence to, like, potentially become its own state.”
“And then, there’s maybe, like, a new passport, or like, if we live here for, like, longer periods, then maybe we become citizens of this new state.”
“Malaysian territory”
The claims by the resident have since left Malaysians questioning the legitimacy of the claims for potential independence.
“I was watching Yes Theory’s video on Forest City the other day, a member of this group said they’re aiming to have their own independent state and passport, in Johor? Malaysia? Isn’t Forest City supposed to be a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and not a new state?”
“Their dialogue is like they’re daydreaming. But if there are people who can allow for unacceptable things, then anything can happen. May our country’s sovereignty be preserved.”
You can check out Yes Theory’s video here:
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