Lobbying for job directly to 1M PM6 Najib...

Whilst some are busy campaigning in Bagan Pinang, let's get loose and think about public transportation system...afterall, some need a break from Bagan Pinang's hectic campaign schedules and rising food cost...

Nice strategy, beamed directly from Paris, France.

Taking advantage of 1M PM6 Najib's official 4 day visit to France, an Electrical Engineering student believed that his Malaysian peers (in France) and him can improve the Malaysian's transportation system. His selling point? Two years ago he had conducted a study on public transportation operated by RapidPenang.

This is what I termed as selling oneself as a product. Nothing wrong there, at least this guy has an innovative idea to secure a job back in Malaysia once he graduated from his study in France. Better still, he may end up as one of the fourth floor boys in the PM's department.

However, I see that his proposal is limited to Penang. If this person can offer himself to solve Penang transportation system, why not open up UTM to resolve JB's public transportation system, UiTM to resolve Shah Alam/Klang public transportation system with UM tackling KL's transportation system? Maybe, there is a grain of chance by giving these young upstarts the exposure they need to showcase their innovative design and skills in solving the many public transportation headache of major cities in Malaysia.

Back in mid 80's when recession hit our shores, young graduates were roped in and placed in various government departments for training and paid an allowance of roughly RM 600 per month. Some of these graduates became "shadow cabinet" of state administration, offering ideas and suggestions on various fields. Of course, their novel ideas were not fully accepted by the "establishment" who are more concern of protecting their interest than serving the state and the nation.

Since Najib is willing to listen, why not provide grants to our local universities so that they can come up with possible solutions to our never-ending public transportation system. Consider these :-

1. What is the rationale of extending Kelana Jaya LRT line now from Lembah Subang – Kelana Business Centre, through Subang, USJ, Alam Megah and ending at the hub in Putra Heights?. The proposed line will consist of 13 new stations and approximately 17km of guideway.
2. What is the rationale of extending Ampang LRT line now from the present Sri Petaling station, passing through Puchong, Kinrara and ending at the hub in Putra Heights? The proposed line will consist of 13 new stations and approximately 17.7km of guideway.
3. Not only both extensions will cost a lot of money but will also include land acquistion and new trainsets. Are we ready to spend mega? Instead of extending the lines, the government should first solve the problems faced by thousands of komuters users daily plying Rawang - Seremban and Sentul - Port Klang routes.
4. The authorities could not claim ignorance on this issue as it has been raised countless times in the newspapers and also in this blog. Do any of the officers from DOR, KTMB, Prasarana, MOT ever tried komuter services? If not, you guys who have relatives working in any of these so-called departments should urge them to try the komuter service (at peak hour operation).
5. And since a relative of Rosmah is currently the third spouse of KTMB's top echelon leader, why not get the good doctor to try KTMB's service for a change (instead of chasing after beautiful "skirt wearers")
6. What about RapidKL services? Have anyone tried their services in KL Sentral? Just imagine how many buses RapidKL provided for their VIP customers using route 82? Do these buses provide the services to Malaysian office workers or are they providing cheap transport to the many foreign workers in Damansara?
7. Kl monorail services? Is somebody monitoring their deteriorating services? The frequency of "technical glitches" between stations is increasing. Is this signs of wear and tear? Or is it signs of poor maintenance? Signs of bad workmanship and sub-standard equipments, perhaps?
8. Puduraya bus terminal? Honestly, I have not been there for a while. Remind me to make a trip there before I can provide my comments....
9. Hentian Putra? Is it acceptable to have long queus of buses along the external road? Isn't this a safety hazard? What about the poor ventillation at the counters? It's stuffy inside the terminal.
   
10. The new bus terminal at Bandar Tasik Selatan? My first impression is wow!!! That's all but look at it this way - how will the komuter service cope with the passenger load boarding from Bandar Tasik Selatan? How will STAR line cope with the expected increase passenger load?
11. ERL service? Has anyone lodge an official complain on the possible safety hazard on the platform? I mean, imagine a 140 kph ERL whizzing through the platform and the waiting passengers have no safet guardrails to protect them from "incidentally" suck in. Is this the best YTL-ERL can do? Any comment from our guy in MOT? DOR?
12. Klang bus station? Or is it the ever nostalgic "Toshiba" bus stand? Why isn't the place upgraded? It is still heaty waiting for the busses there...
13. What about the "unofficial" bus stand in front of Pudu Raya? Has any so-called hardworking official or politician noticed the discomfort facing those waiting their bus to go home to Puncak Alam or Sungei Buloh? No seating, no shade - it is testing time, indeed...
14. The bus stop near Pasar seni area? Observe how the buses revved their engines as if they are ready to go...only to move inches at a time. Waiting time for metro buses and Sri Jaya buses? 5 minutes (at least) before the buses departed for the next stop.
15. And I am not touching the taxi services yet...
    

This is an SOS on our public transportation system. Much can be done but the relevant people are dragging their feet in solving the issues. Why? Because they are not public transport users. They are mostly car users who enjoy the comfort of air-cond cars, driving alone to their respective offices. Is this why the government failed to implement car-pooling system? Just because these guys are using their own transport to work (alone), they will delay (and most probably shoot down the idea of) car-pooling for their own benefit.

More can be said about this but who cares? Do you think Najib cares when he has the luxury of traffic policemen escort with sirens wailing? Do you think Ong TK and his band of merry-men from MOT, DOR, Prasarana cares? The answer - Najib don't care, Ong TK don't bother to care...unless the public transportation solution brings opportunities for mega-quick bucks projects.

Let us be open on this. I am not against the proposal of LRT extension line per se. What I am objecting is the timing and the priority. Why should we invest on extending the lines when our present public transportation system is still wanting? Shouldn't we be fixing the existing problems first before venturing into extending the lines or introducing new services? This is public money that we are talking about. Why not use it wisely to buy the needed hardware for the peoples' comfort or at least until the services are punctual? Remember that our productivity will be affected if the public transportation is lousy. Imagine the number of workers arriving late at workplaces and getting home dead tired because of poor public transport system.

If a friendly blogger boast his capability to predict share trading, maybe I too can lobby the job to solve the public transportation problems facing Malaysia. Will Najib give me the 1chance to prove my worth? Frankly I doubt it because my "political" involvement is not to 1M PM6's standard...However, I the practical and ever pragmatic Nightcaller believe that I can do the job better- much better than the so-called henchmen heading the respective GLCs' connected to Malaysian public transportation system. And for 1M PM6 Najib's information, I will not cost a bomb like the so many fortune seekers surrounding him. The choice is his, either to go for practical solutions or forever surrounded by henchmen hungry to chip away the goldmines in public transportation system.

By the way, if Najib can spend 4 days to officially tour France and Muhyiddein can spend most of this week wooing BN's Bagan Pinang "golden sons", I can provide 1 day guided tour of existing Malaysian public transportation system to Ong TK. And I will forego the normal charges of guide fees if Ong TK, the Mechanical Engineer, is willing to experience first hand the trappings of Malaysian public transportation system.

As proof of my capability in solving public transportation system (and dispensing off traffic jams), I can almost guarantee that I am confident of resolving the traffic problems in Bagan Pinang within 1 week. Yes, I can solve the Bagan Pinang traffic snarl by 12th October 2009. Why? You still don't believe ah????

Till then...G'nite M'sia...wherever u are... Read More