Who will monitor KTM commuter discounts?

Cassa says the policy is ridiculous as it would cause a logistical nightmare while Fomca feels the government needs to overhaul the entire public transport system.

PETALING JAYA: Consumer groups today wanted to know how the government was going to monitor the 50 percent KTM discount for those earning RM3,000 and below.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak made the announcement last Friday while delivering Budget 2013 at the Parliament.

Consumer Association of Subang and Shah Alam (Cassa) president Jacob George referred to the announcement as ridiculous and not being helpful to the people.

“How do they propose the check whether someone is earning RM3,000 and below? Refer to their payslips everytime they buy a ticket?

“Do you know there are many millionaires out there who don’t even have a payslip? How can you announce something without having the infrastructure in place?” said George.

He said the whole thing would create a mess like the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) programme and the RM520 tyre aid under the Teksi Rakyat 1Malaysia programme.

“When BR1M was announced without the infrastructure in place, people had to meet the MPs and state assemblyperson to get the forms.

“Same thing could happen here. This could lead to corruption,” claimed George.

Calling it an election gimmick, he also said it would have been better if the government had announced a blanket discount to senior citizens instead.

“With senior citizens, you can check their MyKads to verify their age,” he said.

Offering a solution, George said the govermment should empower local councils and district officers to form a special team to verify payslips and issue a special card to get the discounts.

“But make sure the card is a standardised one. We don’t want one local council in Klang Valley to offer a different card from another local council,” he said.

He added that the team should also include officers from the Prime Ministers’ Department and civil society movements in order get views from all parties.

“Have a checklist that include who is going sign the card. Plus, the card must be of high quality. These days even high security cards like our MyKads could be forged,” said George.

Piecemeal solution

Echoing George’s sentiments, Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca) chief executive officer Paul Selvaraj said he was also in the dark on how the government would implement the policy.

“I’m not sure what to say. We’ll have to wait and see but it’s going to be tough,” he said.

Selvaraj said it would have been better if Najib had announced a comprehensive reforms on the public transport system, instead of offering a piecemeal solution such as the discount.

“Besides, we had many complains before saying KTM commuters’ provide unsatisfactory service. That has yet to be addressed,” he said.

Selvaraj said that the bus system need to be properly integrated with all commuters in order to ensure public transport becomes the preferred choice of transporation among the masses.

“If your workplace is near a commuter station, then it’s fine. But what if you need to take a bus from the commuter station to reach your destination? That needs to be addressed.

“Besides, I don’t think the discount is going to attract more passengers,” said Selvaraj.

Meanwhile, KTMB is tight-lipped on the matter with its spokesperson Sahril Sahak saying, “Everything is under progress. The president (Elias Kadir) will make an announcement soon”.

When contacted, a source from the Railwaymen’s Union of Malaya (RUM) said, “The president told us not to say anything until he makes an official announcement”.