Serius - Why Are We Always Playing Catch Up?

FOA di BS

I know this piece of rambling should have been posted on FOA. But since I am not in the mood to write I might as well vomit all the anger I have balled up inside my chest cavity here. The topic for today is playing catch up. To be precise why are we playing catch up with Singapore?

As we all know when Singapore was unceremoniously dumped from the federation they were they poor southern neighbour. The value of the Sing Dollar reflect this fact. My old onyang once told me that Johorean use to go to Singapore to shop due to the fact that stuff were cheaper there and the exchange rate was to our favour. Singaporeans also came flooding up northbound from the causeway to look for jobs in Johor. This was her story. I believe her because she lived in Johor Bahru for so long.

Now lets move 30 years up the memory late to 1991. I was a boy of twelve and living in JB . Back in those days I started collecting American comics. Despite of KL having 7 major comic book shops we had none in JB. It was so bleak I was forced to open a membership at The Mind Shop KL. I remembered that day. I went to what is now Damansara Uptown and paid the annual membership fees of around RM10. The Mind Shop would keep my monthly comic in a box and dad would pick it up each time he got a meeting in KL. I was a member for about 2 years before finally I was deemed old enough buy both my parents to be allowed to go to Singapore on my own. Me and a few of my old MSAB JB comic kakis would go on a monthly SG trip for the latest comic. Our favourite shop was in Singapore Paragon. Another one was near Suntec City whose name I can't remember right now. To cut a long story short comics were cheap and the exchange rate at that time was RM 1.53 = SGD 1 . We would borong comics like crazy. It was fun

Back then we would go around Singapore using the SMRT. Even back in those days people were praising the SMRT for its efficiency. Meanwhile in KL we have yet to start constructing our own MRT.

The topic of the day is catching up. I just need to remind you guys about this. In 1965 Singapore was playing catching up us. By 1991 they catches us and then continue to leave us behind.

The first SMRT train started servicing Singaporeans in 1987. It started with services between Yio Chu Kang to Toa Payoh. As of 2012 they are 89 SMRT stations all over Singapore. Since its inception the EMU units designs were revised about 6 times. I went on one of the newer EMU (class C830) while on honeymoon the other day and was really impressed at how much roomier it was form the ones I use to take back in 1993 (Class C651). The coaches were fitted with LED panels telling passenger of their ETA and public service reminders. The door are now fitted with route and door opening indicators.

Now compare this with OUR awesome RAPIDKL Mass Rapid System. Star LRT started operation in 1996. Putra LRT and Monorail both started operation in 1999 and 2003. I have been baffled by the 3 train system since Putra went operational in 1999.

When MONOFAIL went into service in 2003 I was further baffled by YET ANOTHER different train system. Why? To make matters worse none of the these train system CONVERGES to one hub where passengers can easily alight on train system and transferred to another one. Don't even get me started on the HIDEOUS multi ticketing system. Only now in 2012 do we start seeing integration. It only took 3 MASSIVE BANKRUPTCY and acquisition by Prasarana Negara to correct this fuckery. Yes sirs and madam the 3 systems of trains and payment system is a fuckery of the highest order. You just can't defend the decision made by the government then.

Again. SMRT started operation in 1997. Since day one there was a grand plan to make it a MASS TRANSIT system for the people with one train system and one unified ticketing system as well. Since Star LRT, Putra and Monofail were constructed AFTER SMRT was well established I don't know why the hell are we STILL playing catch up to make our RAPIDKL system to be at least on par with Singapore.



One wonder how could a NEWER mass rapid system build AFTER the SMRT, New York Subway and London Underground be so terkebelakang in terms of service, technology and reliability. Why?

Why? Why? Why?

I shall end my rants here before I burst an artery. Just talking about SMRT dah buat aku rage, I haven't talk about other modes of transport yet. I think I would explode like a ballon IF I start doing that. Since I'm married I won't rage about it today. Let us keep that for another time shall we?

p/s : Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. You don't fail overnight. Instead, failure is a few errors in judgement, repeated every day. - Jim Rohn