YOURSAY | ‘The layman can see solutions to the problems but not the government.’

PM vows to fix public transportation woes ignored for decades

Mushiro: PM Najib Abdul Razak makes a pledge as if he was reading from a prepared text, without realising that these were the failures and non-fulfilment of the BN government's promises.

Najib pledged to improve public transportation which has been ignored for decades - and by whom?

JD Lovrenciear: Little do these jokers realise that by belittling their predecessor (and being of the same political party, mind you), they are admitting how useless they have been, are, and will always be.

So why blame the rakyat who are flocking to congregate peacefully at Bersih 5 and to register to vote with the opposition political parties in anticipation of GE14?

Telestai!: Of the decades of neglect, Najib has to take a big share of the blame as he was a senior leader of that very government for almost two decades, including half a decade as the PM.

Mamadias: Yes, what were you doing in the cabinet for two decades? A failed leader is always talking about the past leaders. They teach us that in business school.

Again my question to you Najib - what were you doing in the cabinet for so long?

SSG: This is what Dr Mahathir Mohamad did. He built toll roads allegedly for his cronies to make money from the tolls. The cabinet was there only as an eyewash to agree and pass whatever was decided by this old man and his sidekicks.

So Proton was started not to help the Malays by teaching them how to build cars but to make them buy cars which, of course, depreciate in value. Which then made them poorer when the cars depreciated in value.

But this PM of the day never did care about that. He only allegedly wanted his cronies to fund his election machinery or for other causes when called upon.

In this way, he made a few of his cronies rich but the majority of the population became poorer because they were buying cars which depreciated in value. Public transport was ignored altogether.

Dalvik: Ten years ago, I repeat, 10 years ago, Najib asked us to change our lifestyle due to the increasing cost of petrol, because the government will “put focus on public transport”.

Thanks for the recycled commitment, Najib.

Oscar Kilo: So when are you going to improve pedestrian facilities? Improve bus services? Reduce public transport fares?

There is no point building expensive urban rail transit networks if people cannot walk to and from the stations safely and conveniently.

Right now, for the majority of commuters, it is still faster and almost at the same cost to drive to work compared to taking public transport.

Hopeful123: Najib, can you please do something about the KTM shuttle service between Johor Bahru and Woodlands, Singapore.

Don't you have any pity and concern for the thousands of workers and schoolchildren who are commuting daily between JB and Singapore struggling to get into a bus only to find that it takes 45 minutes to one hour just to cross the Causeway. That is, if you lucky.

Why can't KTM revamp the timings of its service to start from 5am onwards, with a train going to Woodlands every 15 minutes? It would be such a relief for these commuters.

The irony is that we are talking about alleviating public transport problems but the easiest and most practical thing that can be done is being ignored. The layman can see solutions to the problems but not the government.

Anonymous #01428088: What about 1MDB? You promised to settle the issue in six months’ time.

Survey: Chinese traders pessimistic on M'sia's economic outlook

Vijay47: In my profession, I often have to discuss business performance with my clients and their expectations for the forthcoming year.

Without fail, for the last 35 years or so, they have almost to a man said that things were looking very bleak, last year was always better. Incidentally, these clients come from all races.

And if the Malays feel that everything is better under a BN government, they deserve the government they have.

I suppose Umno people will now condemn the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Malaysia (ACCCIM) for its comments which they would claim are intended to sabotage the national economy and Najib's vision. But I am not too sure where the DAP fits into this.

Cogito Ergo Sum: Only a pathological optimist will be optimistic about the economy. It is interesting that the majority of respondents pointed to government policies.

This is the surest indicator for the finance minister to go back to the drawing board and rethink the upcoming budget.

Bob the Builder: The Chinese are not so blind as to accept Najib's assurances for business prospects in 2017. This is because Najib himself is not a business-minded man and has tainted his own reputation.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.