Putrajaya’s left hand doesn’t know what the right is doing, says DAP

DAP's Liew Chin Tong says Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai must demand that the Land Public Transport Commission be placed under the transport portfolio instead of under the PM. – The Malaysian Insider pic, March 21, 2015.DAP today took the Transport Ministry to task for allegedly not knowing about the multiple fare hike for bus, taxi and train services announced by Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD), which comes under the Prime Minister’s Department.

Calling it a classic case of “the government’s left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing”, DAP's National Political Education director Liew Chin Tong said SPAD should be placed under the Transport Ministry.

"Malaysia has the most ridiculous institutional arrangement governing the Transport sector where the Ministry of Transport has no say over public transport," the Kluang MP said in a statement, adding that the Minister of Transport Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai should demand that SPAD be placed under his ministry.

"Liow must not allow this to continue as the current drama is just a symptom of the cancer that is affecting our political system."

He added that since SPAD is responsible to the Prime Minister’s Department, Prime Minister Najib Razak cannot run away from the political responsibility of its decisions.

"Najib has to overrule the fare hike decision of SPAD immediately," Liew said.

SPAD had announced that taxi fares went up by 43% effective last Thursday while the fare for express buses will go up by 23% from May 15.

On the same day, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad in a statement said new fares for the Komuter service will be announced on April 1 with the fares being implemented on May 1.

If the government is so rich to purchase a new private jet, there is no reason why buses cannot be subsidised by the government, said Liew, referring to Putrajaya's purchase of an Airbus ACJ320 through a direct negotiation hire-purchase deal with Jet Premier One (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.

The Prime Minister's Department defended the purchase of the new jet as a cost-saving move.

It said that the decision to purchase a new plane was made two years ago in view of the increasing costs required to maintain the older aircraft.

Liew pointed out that the more people using public transport means the less people driving on the roads.

"We need a paradigm shift from the government paying for road construction to the government paying for buses.

"There is a need for major rethinking in the transport sector as the current institutional arrangement is untenable," he added.

- TMI