THINK before you speak!
This seems to be the advice proffered by various online commenters to Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook.
This was in response to the Seremban MP’s suggestion that housing developers consider reducing the number of parking spaces in new projects built near public transport stations to bring down property prices.
It was revealed that the proposal had been submitted to the Housing and Local Government Ministry, noting that the current requirement of one or two parking bays per residential unit was among the factors contributing to higher property prices.
“For projects close to public transport stations such as the LRT or MRT, parking requirements could be lowered to encourage residents to use public transport,” he told a media conference after officiating the new Multiplex Land Sdn Bhd office building and the pre-launch of Residensi Alamanda Heights on Dec 7.
The DAP secretary-general also revealed that several transit-oriented development (TOD) projects in Kuala Lumpur had been allowed to apply for relaxation of parking requirements from local authorities.
As well-intentioned as the suggestion may have been, many commenters did not take kindly to ideas which seemed to lack thought or clarity.
The proposal was shared on radio station BFM News (@NewsBFM) on X and Malay language media site The Reporter Facebook page which prompted a glut of unfavourable comments.
One commenter pointedly asked if the Negeri Sembilan state assemblyman for Rasah had actually given any proper thought to this proposal. Not everyone’s workplace is near an LRT station or transport hub was highlighted as an obvious flaw.
Some commenters were of the opinion that this proposal would simply lead to even worse traffic woes with car-owning residents forced to park on the roadsides.
The frequent breakdown of trains and other issues involving public transport were also highlighted, including the lack of parking at LRT3 stations discouraging motorists from taking the rail option.
One commenter simply contended that such hare-brained schemes was why the DAP fared so poorly in the recent Sabah state elections where it lost all eight seats it contested. One observer even ridiculed the idea as “deserving of a Noble Prize”.
The verdict, by and large, was damning with one commenter urging the Transport Minister to “up his game” and not offer “half-baked solutions”.
Others told him to lead by example by “also taking public transportation” to better understand the woes of city dwellers.
Similar sentiments were also expressed elsewhere on social media. Jaywalker (@jaywalkertoto) lambasted Loke for even making the suggestion when the LRT3 system had exceeded its budget with no opening date in sight.
The poster further urged the Transport Minister to improve the public transport system first before asking citizens to switch.
One commenter mocked the DAP for “talking the talk but not walking the walk”. To which the poster hilariously replied that these politicians were probably waiting for the arrival of their airborne cars!
Politicians may be a thick-skinned bunch and are used to brickbats being hurled at them. But given that DAP’s image has taken a bit of a battering post-Sabah polls, any pronouncements should be well thought out and carefully crafted for maximum public relations mileage.
As poorly framed ideas will be subject to plenty of ridicule and trolling in the age of social media, perhaps it is best to avoid populist propaganda that will not stand up to scrutiny.
- Focus Malaysia
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