The minister and the pothole

 

When a minister rode over a pothole and injured himself, the Public Works Department (JKR) went into overdrive. They issued an apology and promised to take prompt action to mend the pothole.

The million ringgit question is: would JKR have acted with extreme urgency for ordinary Joe Public?

If Khairy Jamaluddin, the Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, had not ridden into a pothole in Banting, Selangor, on Dec 26, would we have known about the serf-like behaviour of our civil servants and their bid to move heaven and earth to repair the damaged road and their reputation?

Khairy claimed that he posted his injury on social media to highlight the dangers of potholes to other road users. Few Malaysians believed him.

More incredible was the Twitter posting in which an Italian premium bicycle maker apologised to Khairy and offered to replace his bicycle, estimated to be valued at over RM45,000.

While the JKR grovelled, this company decided to take full advantage of the accident to gain free and cheap publicity. If the tweet is true, how low can businesses go? Why give a free bicycle to a minister who already has too many perks? Would this company give the ordinary Malaysian a free bicycle if he hit a pothole?

A week after Khairy’s fall, an elderly man fell off his motorbike and died after riding into a pothole near Mid Valley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur. The KL Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department said that 74-year-old Ho Yan Fee’s death would be classified under Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act, for causing death by reckless or dangerous driving.

How about JKR’s role in causing this death?

Over the years, many bicycle and motorbike riders have suffered serious injuries or died after riding over potholes. None of the victims received an apology from JKR. How many would have demanded compensation?

Few Malaysians are knowledgeable about the law and their rights. The need to engage a lawyer to act on their behalf, in their moment of grief, is not on their list of priorities. Moreover, most people are distrustful of lawyers, and lawyers cost money.

The day after Ho’s death on Jan 3, a food delivery rider died when he hit a pothole near Mutiara Damansara. He lost control of his vehicle, fell off his bike and was rendered unconscious.

Where are the apologies from JKR or the city council? Where are the offers of help from the various motorbike companies?

This is why I say that the bicycle company in Khairy’s case was just making a cheap publicity stunt.

In Ipoh, potholes are a postcode lottery. If you live in an area where VIPs or politicians live, the chances are that potholes are repaired quickly, your rubbish is collected regularly and the drains are clear of shrubs and trees.

In other areas, many Ipohites have given up about phoning JKR or the Ipoh city council to lodge reports about potholes, rubbish collection or litter.

Few Malaysians know ministers or ADUNS (state assembly members) who are prepared to fall off a bike to highlight the dangers of potholes or to alert other road users.

We know that in many cases, roads are repaired before the visit of a prominent politician. Buildings are given a lick of paint, and roads are cleared of rubbish. Road lights function. Road signs are spruced up. Overhanging branches are trimmed and drains are cleared of obstruction. Roadside plants are installed to make the town look pretty just for the visit. The major problem with this magical transformation is that it only takes place once every five years.

Perhaps, Malaysians can emulate residents in some town of Europe or Canada where residents have taken matters into their own hands after lack of local council action.

Activists have a novel way of alerting road users, and the authorities, about the location of these potholes. They brighten up the area by filling up the cracks and craters with brightly coloured flowering plants to highlight the dangers. They know that the media spotlight will prompt an immediate repair.

However, this method may not work in Malaysia.

Within minutes of plants being placed in the potholes, some enterprising Malaysian would probably dig them up and replant the shrub in his own garden, or sell it.

Ministers live in ivory towers and do not know what it is like to queue at government departments and face abusive Little Napoleons, to have their applications placed at the bottom of the pile, nor understand what it is like to be stuck in a traffic jam or give backhanders to make petty officials do the job which they have already been paid to do.

Anyone who regularly drives along a road littered with potholes, knows how much damage it can do to a car’s suspension. In some Western countries, local councils pay for damage to cars. Will ours?

In other countries, activists place flowering plants in potholes. Malaysians will probably take them home, or sell them. - FMT

 

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.