Monday, December 18, 2006

A Non-Alternative

While I was waiting a very, very long for the Komuter to go to Midvalley yesterday after being caught in a massive traffic jam trying to get into the parking, I realised that someone has screwed us over.

The toll rates have gone up and I cannot fathom why it has gone up. The Minister's answer to any kind of hike is the usual "Malaysia has one of the cheapest rates". Sure, if compared to other countries, our toll rates and petrol may be cheaper, but what about our cars? What about the 300% import tax that we pay? What about that? And just because other countries are more expensive compared to us, does that mean that the hike is justified?

The public transport in Japan is super expensive, but for the price that we have to fork out, the service is fantastic. Here, we have to wait for bloody 20 minutes before the Komuter arrives, pay RM1.20 for ONE stop and then be shouted out by the Guard to "Masuk dalam sikit!Jangan berdiri dekat pintu!"
Like excuse me, if we could go any further inside the already packed to the brim aircondless Komuter, we would, ok?
And every other day is a technical failure for Putra and nobody can keep to a schedule for Star LRT.

Let's not even get started on the jams. If only the PM and his ministers were to drive their own car without any police man stopping traffic for them, then they would understand the kind of crap we have to go through every damn day of our lives before increasing the toll rates and the petrol and say its justified. And the new idea of charging us money to go into town to encourage us to use public transport and ease the jams? I would applaud that idea if the alternative to driving our cars does not involve waiting a long time, the hassle of changing trains and getting in and out of the station, paying for a toilet visit in the station, purchasing different tickets for different trains, being crammed like sardines in the infrequent trains, waiting for never-coming buses....

Let me just say it again, its NEVER justified when the alternative is so bad, it isnt an alternative at all.

I remember the petrol increase was to so called improve on the infrastructure and public transport. But the last I checked, its still in the same shitty condition.

So, arent we screwed over by someone?

I think so.

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