(S)cent To A Million

My personal blogging is now at My Neverland; do visit it.


I think many people have got it wrong about those clowns in Sarkas, as well as their goons. And I think, I did too. For instance, it was only yesterday that the cabinet announced a toll hike for 5 highways. Suddenly late this afternoon, that decision made was rescinded, much to the relief of many motorists who have little choice but to travel on those highways. And I too am glad for this turnabout decision as I was already putting on my war paint. I guess now, all concerned have to thank Paklah, a former minister who suddenly feels the burden of having to pay the charges, and one or two clowns in the Parliament who voiced their concern. But then again, my suspicious mind tells me they are playing a good cop/bad cop role, just to show how the sarkas have the people at heart.

Anyway, I wonder if anyone has noticed that everytime there is a toll hike, somehow, the charges are always brought to the nearest ten cent. I mean for all the exits there are on the highway, please don't tell me that there are none rounded off to the nearest five cent?

OK, I admit that 5cent is not worth a shout for many. But if one have to pay the toll something like 5 times a day, that would be 25cent. Again, not worth hoarsing one's voice. But multiply 5cent with the number of vehicles at say, just 500 on that particular exit, it would be paltry RM25 extra money the concessionaire gets per day. On a month of 24 working days, the figure comes to RM600 a month. Peanuts, some would say. True. But how many vehicles pass through the toll gates per day? And how many toll gates are there throughout the penninsular? If there's 10,000 vehicles per day, the concessionaires gets something like RM12,000 a month. And that, is on top of the toll hike!

I had planned to do something I have long not, and that is to collect the receipts of the toll, tomorrow. Then, when the toll hike takes effect, do the same on Sunday, as proof of my point. Sadly now, I will have to wait till the end of the year.

No big deal to some. Well, that may be true them, but for others where every cent counts? Daim Zainuddin purportedly once said "You cannot have a million if you don't have that last cent". Make sense?