We have to thank Dr. Mahathir for the prolonged dismal state of buses in Malaysia. Yes, we have to remember the "Doctor in the House" being the father of the rotten state the bus system of transportation in Malaysia. While he hopes to be remembered as the Father of something good for Malaysia, some of the negatives will be so outstanding as to eclipse even the KLCC Twin Towers long after he is gone for good.
Apart from the KL bus system which has been upgraded after years of heated public outcry, the rest of the country is riddled with no discernible bus system worthy of mention.Even in Melaka which is hailed to be a tourist centre of the nation the bus system is antiquated and squalid in the main. Only outstation buses are modern because of competition and private enterprise. But public local transport has been entombed in ramshackle rattlers.
To what does the Malaysian public owe this deplorable state of public bus transport?
Some iron fist has seen to it that State Governments nor Federal Government should improve public bus transport for the simple economic reason of protecting the Malaysian car industry. Since Mahathir started his ambitious Proton car industry some 3 decades ago, the authorities have had to keep the national car industry going. To keep the public buying Kancils and Sagas, public bus transport has been neglected and depressed. The public in many towns have to wait half an hour or more for a public bus, in contrast to our neighbouring country's efficient public bus and MRT transport. Europeans and Westerners and the Japanese wonder at the clockwork precision of most Singapore buses.
When will the government in power think of the interests of the ordinary people of Malaysia? Promises are made at election fever periods only to be voiced again after another 4 years. Some big capitalist cronies are benefitting from the neglect of public transport, to say the least.
And our Dr M started the whole process.
Harakah newspaper dated 18th April has an article on Melaka public bus system being found in a deplorable condition due to the State Government not having fulfilled its promises to provide funds to the private companies to buy new buses. The Chief Minister has wasted several hundred thousands of ringgit on Panorama buses bought old from London only to be kept as museum pieces instead of having new buses to serve the Melaka public. The UMNO dominated State Government has no interest in serving the public but only to work for their own cronies.
ReplyDelete