Public transport is a measure of responsible governance
By J. D. Lovrenciear
Fuel prices are going up, up, and up and so will all other related costs soon.
Now once again Malaysians will first form long queues at petrol kiosks to beat the price hike of fuel announced by the government. Next, they will be clamouring for salary adjustments. And after a while they will grudgingly settle to calculating their road trips, but only for a while. When they cannot squeeze any further out of the burdening fuel cost, they will cut corners in their food quality. And when this is no more workable, they have their credit cards to take them through.
And so Malaysians remain in debt eternally.
What we fail to demand and see through is the successful implementation of an affordable or low cost public transportation that adds to the nation’s strength in meeting economic challenges.
What we do not have after five over decades of independence and development, progress, prosperity and all that the government claims we have, is an adequately serviced public transportation system that can be ranked as decent, reliable, fair-priced, well networked and convenient.
The Komuter service was a welcome relief when the stage busses collapsed. But today, not only do commuters – men and women, pack like sardines they in fact have to leave home at unearthly hours to beat the milling queues.
Never mind when all hell breaks loose each time the Komuter service gets delayed. Yes, and never mind about finding a safe place to park your car in order to use the rail service. That nightmare is left solely as the commuters’ problem and his/her hard luck.
Within the Federal Capital’s city limits you get some good stage bus connections. But the government forgets that people do not live and work within the city limits anymore. They all have a good thirty to fifty kilometres to cover daily shuttling between home and office.
The government is now talking about some sophisticated rail systems again. But that is not going to be cheap for the citizens either. The government will soon tell you that if you want convenience you must pay for it.
And how you will have to get to the stations is not the government’s business. It is just the commuters’ misfortune perhaps.
Nobody really cares for the fact that hundreds of thousands of men and women are opting for motorbikes – leaving their humble Protons parked at home, as they brave rain, smoke and shine daily to and from work.
We can build monumental facades and iconic structures with tax payers’ money. We can pump billions of the tax payers’ money and the nation’s blessed wealth into keeping afloat companies that are in the red unendingly.
But we cannot ensure that the humble, tested, proven stage bus service that is synonymous with every developed and even fast developing nation is provided for nationwide.
Let us not forget the historical achievements of by-gone eras. Remember the time when having bicycles was deemed a luxury that few could afford? The then Sri Jaya bus company and other private operators enabled every citizen to commute length and breath of the country.
Not so today. To get anywhere with your family you need a car. Never mind if you end up puncturing your pocket as you burn rubber, fuel, spare parts and time on top of paying for the sixty thousand loan that eventually will not even fetch you twenty percent on the second-hand car market.
So whose responsibility is it to see to a great public transport system and service? If other nations around the world are enjoying this basic infrastructure, why are Malaysians deprived of it? Why are Malaysians not even demanding this option?
