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Friday, March 20, 2015

Fares Hikes: Who Is The “Saboteurs”?

Image result for Malaysian Public Transport

A Kadir Jasin

IT is rare indeed for Umno Youth these days to speak up, even faintly, in defence of the masses and to criticise the government.

It appears that the movement has ceased to become the strident voice of the party and the conscience of the Malays. My own acquaintance with Umno Youth started during the time when the late (Datuk) Harun Idris was its Ketua.

So it is refreshing to hear a member of its executive council, Ibdillah Ishak, twitting that the 20-per cent public transport fare hikes could be a form of sabotage against the government.

I think the fare hikes will sabotage the welfare of the rakyat more than the popularity of the government. These days the government is better than good at sabotaging itself - like the recent purchase of the Airbus A319 executive jet. It does not need anybody's help really!

Ibdillah was reported by the online media as having twitted:

“As a government-linked company, KTMB should not burden the people through such drastic fare hikes. Have they forgotten their obligation to help the people?

"The government must take the taxi, bus and KTMB fare hikes seriously. Is this a pre-GST sabotage against the government?"

Well, he can blame the KTM, but it is better for him to address the issue of who authorised the fare hikes. Since Mohd Najib’s administration created the Land Public Transport Commission (Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat) in June 2010, the power to determine public transport fares falls within its jurisdiction.

Syed Hamis is SPAD Chairman
Don’t just blame the KTM and transports operators. The decision was made by SPAD whose Chairman is (Tan Sri) Syed Abdul Hamid Albar while its Chief Executive Officer is Mohd Nur Ismal Mohamed Kamal. Other commissioners are (Dato’) Siow Kim Lun, Prof. Dr Ahmad Farhan Sadullah,  (Datuk) Himmat Singh Ralla Singh, (Datuk) Wan Ahmad Shihab Ismail, (Dato’) Izudin Ishaak and (Datuk) Dr Ismail Bakar. They were all appointed by the Prime Minister. 

Ibdillah should ask these SPAD men who are more important to them – the land transport operators or the public?

Is it necessary for SPAD to approve the new fares now and at that quantum when the people are about to be encumbered by the GST next month?

Surely these men have the interest of the rakyat and the Prime Minister in mind. Or are they?

So to accuse the KTM of sabotaging the government is as good as accusing these men of acting against the interest of the Prime Minister.

Then again, can we blame them for not postponing the fare hikes when the government itself is not postponing the implementation of the GST, which is likely to have a much wider effect on the rakyat than the fare hikes?

To me, all this sums up the lack of coordination in the government and the general disregard for the voices of the ordinary people.

So if Umno Youth wants to serve its true purpose instead of being just another apple polisher in the party it should start speaking out more loudly and act more decisively for the good of the people.

Or am I asking too much? Maybe in this day and age, conscience and struggle are no longer in the vocabulary of Umno Youth.

Wallahuaklam.

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