KLCC photo touts: Did the FT Minister offer a simple and smart solution?

 

I AM not sure what to make of a report with the heading “FT minister: KLCC photo touts won’t be there if there are no buyers”.

It was indeed commendable for the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa to turun padang and see for herself the goings-on near the base of the Petronas Twin Towers and post her observation and solution on her Facebook page.

Turun padang means to go down to the field or ground and find out about issues first-hand without relying on various third-party reports or interpretations.

During her visit, she noticed that there were men carrying phone mounts, LED lamps, power banks, and probably smartphones with high-definition cameras touting their photography services to visitors in the vicinity despite being barred from operating in the area.

She said the police have already conducted operations against the touts following complaints of coercion, but the public must also play their part to discourage touts from returning. Otherwise, efforts by the authorities will not be effective.

She wrote, “First, do not use such services – because without a ‘willing buyer’ there will be no ‘willing seller’. Second, if you encounter services that cause discomfort or concern, immediately report them to the nearest police station for enforcement action.”

She said that a concerted effort from the authorities and the public was the most reliable way to stamp out the problem effectively. If it is so simple and can be done, then it is a shame that we have not stopped touting activities in many public places over the past decades.

For example, we still read reports of touts operating at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), which had not ceased ever since its opening in 1998.

In 2006, I was tasked to check on people wearing name tags of a leading travel association and approaching arriving passengers.

At that time, the public had a clear view of the arrival hall, and arriving passengers were checked by uniformed police personnel on duty. On that fateful day, I saw a man wearing a tie, jacket, and lanyard with a tag displaying Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA).

To me, he looked more like a thug than an executive and I should know, having interviewed thousands of job applicants and hired hundreds of staff. But he could easily be mistaken for an airport official by arriving passengers, as the arrival hall is out of bounds to the public.

Ironically, while a policeman was sticking up ‘Beware of touts’ posters on the pillars, the tout was busy approaching passengers to offer them transport services. Over the years, touting could not be permanently eradicated as the touts were able to offer bribes from their lucrative incomes.

(Image: Malay Mail)

Dr Zaliha recommends that visitors immediately report photo touts to the nearest police station for enforcement action to be taken reminds me of foreigners who wanted to make a police report on taxi drivers who tried to fix fares instead of using the meter.

I drove metered taxis in the Klang Valley from 2000 to 2010 and always used the meter. Some of the foreigners who got into my taxi and were still sore with the taxi drivers who tried to fix fares earlier had wanted to report them to the police.

But fixing fares and touting for services are not criminal acts that warrant police action, and few visitors will not go out of the way or spend time escalating relatively trivial matters and ruin their travel plans or other more important matters.

I find the first advice: “Do not use such services – because without a ‘willing buyer’ there will be no ‘willing seller’” fascinating.

Does that mean all is hunky-dory whenever there is a willing seller and willing buyer? If so, that will allow the oldest profession to flourish in the city.

But on a more serious note, how is Dr Zaliha able to convey her advice to the ‘public’? She has called for them to play their part to discourage touts from returning to the happy hunting grounds. The so-called public could be visitors travelling from anywhere globally.

Will many ‘Beware of photo touts’ signages be placed around Kuala Lumpur City Centre? If signages could easily be spotted and adhered to, then there would not be any traffic offenses. Instead, millions are committed every day, with most of the offenders getting away.

But I wish to be wrong and hope the minister is right. After all, it is plain simple logic that there will be no photo touts if nobody buys from them. And presto, they will be gone in a flash. 

YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant.

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

- Focus Malaysia.