Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Take A Hike, Sarkas!

Foremost, this posting has nothing of whatsoever to do with Permatang Pauh by-election. I feel I just to have to put it on record as the Suruhanjaya Pemikiran Rendah might just be tempted to declare the polls tomorrow null and void, simply because of a jackass like cakapaje feels like blogging after midnight, and it be construed as part of campaign there. Though I'm no political blogger, the sarkas and the hounds at their heels may be tempted to do just about anything and everything in their desperation - not to win - but to make sure they do not lose. So, to them I only have to say this "Go take a hike!". Incidentally, that, is related to this post.

Last Thursday afternoon, I heard news on the radio about FOMCA objecting the sarkas decision to lower the fuel price. The reason cited is because they want the public to use either public transportation or carpool. Fine with me. But about the same time too, Palah was recorded riding the train from somewhere to somewhere, trying to show his concern to the commuters and issuing a statement "I am not satisfied with the public transporation. The operators need to improve on their services".

Now, if I were a Standard 4 kid, the word that would cross my mind is "Wow!". I mean to a kid, words spoken by the elderly and echoed by the fools around him, may sound like magic. Unfortunately though, the words rang hollow not only to the commuters, but even to the operators themselves. Year in and out, PM in and out, almost the same words were spoken and nothing came through. Well, almost nothing, as we now have LRT and Monorail which was planned decades ago but executed only sometime back.

On my way back from JB, a scene which I captured on camera actually triggered me to write this entry, which is related to the above. It was a short one-night trip. But throughout almost the entire stretch of up and down it was raining, and I was driving to the highway limits when I saw this bus infront put out its indicator on the right. I judged the distance and decided to let the bus through. The below was what I captured.
Now, I was speeding at 110 only, or thereabout, and did not even have to apply the brakes nor depress the accelerator pedal; I wonder at what speed the bus is going as it pulled away from me. Were one to take a closer look at the bus, its body tilts to the left. And when I observed it at that moment, I noticed that it was not moving forward in a manner one would expect from a vehicle. Rather, it was slewing its way though, perhaps all along the highway! I wonder how Palah and FOMCA would have reacted had they been on that bus?

There's very little point for an official to board a public transportation - and a railcar at that - with his entourage in tow. All those present in such a view would automatically put their best foot forward, and certainly not pressing on the accelerator pedal as the bus driver above did. In the end, what Palah saw was just a minuscule of the real thing that goes on everyday, much to the dismay of the public who have to put up with these forms of dangerous liaisons. In fact, FOMCA reps too, need to have a taste of REAL public transporation in Malaysia before encouraging the public to use it. Only then, either FOMCA or Palah, would know why the public would rather drive rather then risk their life away. In other words, FOMCA and Palah, go take a hike! (Oops, I mean bus).


As for the oil price reduction recently, I received an interesting text which I would like to share; it reads "Anda mungkin tak percaya Sarkas akan turunkan harga minyak. Percayalah. Sarkas juga boleh diturunkan".

Interestingly, a friend who works in Singapore informs that the non-producing country has twice reduced its domestic oil price.

18 comments:

mOEha Aziz said...

salam ya akhi,

betul betul betul... it just the same thing that shahrizat did many moons ago... she chose to be blind folded n kunun kunun wanted to cross the road, kunun kunun wanted to feel how the blind have felt... cheh.. yet, there were a group of policemen stopping every single vehicles... so y bother? they wont know it coz they live in their magical castle so high up...

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

i tell you whats even more amazing, my man.

it was his first time to have taken the train after 2 terms in the office! first try already faced with many woes. he should have known better la. a caring leader checks with the people on regular basis, not just during an election campaign...

knock, knock...hello? wake up and smell the asap bas la dei!

ZABS said...

Salam Shah,
Sarkas bukan sahaja boleh diturunkan, malah boleh dihilangkan terus dari tempatnya.
Berapa agaknya kerugian stesyen2 minyak, apabila harga diturunkan serta-merta apabila mereka menyangka ia akan diturunkan pada 1 Sep?
Ramai lagi atendan pam minyak akan diberhentikan lagi agaknya selepas ini..

cakapaje said...

Wa'alaikumusalam ya Muha,

How so very true...its so very much like wanting to know how death feels like, and then kills someone and watch him die in agony...ala ala fir'aun lah!

cakapaje said...

Salam kerpie,

Hehe...the asap bas got smell like diesel smoke lah! That's why Palah don't want to smell one ;)

cakapaje said...

Wa'alaikumusalam Pak Zabs,

Oops! Benar tu Pak Zabs, saya pun terlupa mengenai perkara tu - bahawa setiap stesen minyak terpaksa meletak caruman tambahan setiap kali harga minyak naik dan stok yang ada pula terpaksa dijual dengan harga baru samada turun atau naik.

Ydiana said...

Salam Shah

The picture you posted is a common scene on the hiways. Sad thing is, not only they risk the lives of the passengers, also the other transportation around it.

On the testing out the public transport, no point doing it if there are no steps taken to change or improve afterwards. :(

cakapaje said...

Wa'alaikumusalam ydiana,

As ever, the enchanting ydiana with her precise comment: Yes, there's no point to Palah's joyride if nothing is done to change and improve it - its been almost the same for decades! The only real changes are cosmetic and nothing more than that.

While the picture is a common scene to us, the rakyat, to the sarkas and perhaps FOMCA, it may well not be at all.

Ydiana said...

Hi Shah

Just read Sang Kelembai saying the trip maybe a 'belalang' for his Prime Minister de Fato (?)

Go figure out. Hahaha....

P/s. Just not me to 'extensively blog hopping' but I am glued to my PC for updates on pematang pauh, (not TV, hah!)and something to do in between updates. A bit jittery in suspense.

cakapaje said...

ydiana,

Hehe...I just left a long comment at your piano blog. As for Permatang Pauh, alhamdulillah, DSAI won by 18,000.

Ydiana said...

Alhamdulillah! Our prayers are answered. This is the beginning of a new era in Malaysian politics, and hopefully we are back on the right path.

hee hee..I've read your comments. haven't answered yet, got to go sleep now, smiling. :)

Unknown said...

Pak Lah was lying when he said he was dissatisfied with the LRT and ERT and whatever 'Ts'. Actually he did not know what happened coz he was in deep sleep.

arsaili said...

salam bro..wow...isu panas panas panas..errr ni nak spring..summer akan menyusul ehehehe.

saya tengah menunggu pemimpin yg mempunyai keperibadian seperti Saidina Omar al-Khattab..mungkin ada kah?

cakapaje said...

ydiana,

My apologies for the late reply: I was (and still am) down with fever and flu.

Yes, Alhamdulillah, DSAI won. InsyAllah, it is a victory of a just and clean Malaysia ;)

cakapaje said...

Salam Cikgu,

Lol! Yes, he was, wasn't he? :)

cakapaje said...

Wa'alaikumusalam arsaili,

Hehe...bro, mana ada panas? Ni kan dah masuk musim tengkujuh kat sini :)

Mengenai keperibadian pimpinan yang dicari, insyAllah, ada. Hanya, mungkin kita perlu membuka hati untuk melawan tomahan media yang sentiasa memburukkan pihak yang tidak bersetuju dengan Sarkas. Saya rasa pasti ramai yang perasan bahawa hanya pujian yang melangit tinggi sahaja media memberi kepada pimpinan sarkas semenjak 20 tahun atau lebih yang lalu.

Saya... said...

Shah,

I saw the same thing on way to Tganu...the chassis going one way and the body the other...who gives a shit...after all its only the poor buggers yang naik bas kan?

Kimak2 lain tu semua naik Benz...

My friend Moaz and his Transit group have been doing a great job coming up with suggestions and solutions to our transport woes, tapi gomen buta, pekak dan tuli susah la...

cakapaje said...

Salam Tehsin,

When a woman uses foul words, it means she's really pissed off with the people intended, lol! I share your sentiment there.

Actually yes, there are lots of people with good suggestions, and that includes from the civil servants. But the gomen, being controlled by those clowns, will not act or do anything about it unless they stand to profit, whether financially or otherwise. Most of the times, they want to see the monetary gains first.