Thesun 2008-10-29 Page16: Editorial: Remember Dirt Sticks

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theSun

| WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 29 2008

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Remember, dirt sticks AFTER more than seven months in power, the Pakatan Rakyat government in Selangor is still discovering “irregularities” committed by the previous government formed by the Barisan Nasional which it ousted on March 8. Had the previous administration abided by the principles of good government, it could have stayed on. In fact, for about 50 years the people of Selangor knew of no other government than that formed by the BN. However because of the long tenure, it gathered a lot of dirt just like any other government which stayed too long did. There were, therefore, abuses and cover-ups. After 50 years, it tended to lose sight of why it was there in the first place and was lulled into a false sense of security that no matter what it did, the people would return it to power in the next election. So sure was it of being returned again and again that many malpractices – sometimes no longer considered so after years and years of being considered perkara biasa – were not even covered up by the time of the general election, hoping to do so when it was sworn in again

after polling day. should also act as a warning to But the people, no longer them to constantly remind those amused by being taken for grantat the helm of power in Selangor ed for years and years, decided that they are accountable to the that enough is enough. The latest people for whatever they do. “irregularities” are found in the Those governing the state government’s property developnow, too, can leave dirt that will ment arm, the Selangor Governbe certain to be discovered when ment Development Corporation or the next government takes over. PKNS. Discovered was a conflict of Thus, those in the ruling group interest situation in the manageshould take heed that whatever ment structure of the corpora“evil that they do” can come back tion for a long time considered to haunt them later. At the same as perkara biasa. Among other time they are also to be conabuses also probably considered gratulated for attempting several perkara biasa by PKNS was the innovations that can only augur payment of RM100,000 “bonus” well for the future and happiness to its former chairman and mentri of all the people in Selangor. One besar, Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad of them is the appointment of Khir Toyo. The series of abuses one of PKNS’s Chinese managers in the corporation was disclosed as the corporation’s overall boss, by Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul albeit in a temporary and acting Khalid Ibrahim on Monday. He said capacity. more disclosures would be made Those governing the state now, later. While the too, can leave dirt that will be discovery of the irregularities certain to be discovered when could provide the next government takes over. Thus, a lot of political mileage for those in the ruling group should take the parties in heed that whatever ‘evil that they do’ the ruling state government, it can come back to haunt them later.

Hold school debate after SPM WE ARE students from one of the schools involved in the National Level English Language Debate and are writing this in support of the letter by “Disgruntled” from Puchong. We would like to thank him/her for bringing this up. As participants of this debate, we are disappointed with the dates set for the competition. We were supposed to be representing Selangor. Sadly, due to mismanagement and poor organisation on the part of the Federal Education Department, we were forced to pull out at such a high level, as the date set was a few days before the SPM examinations. Five of the six members in the team are in Form Five. Needless to say, none of our parents allowed us to go. Why did the ministry choose such an unreasonable date? We have been anticipating the event since July, which is when the debate was to be held originally. A delay of one or two weeks can be understood. But five whole months? And that too, when

they finally set a date, it falls six days before SPM. The preparation for debates includes extensive research and long hours of group discussions. Naturally, the fifth formers cannot sacrifice this sort time a few days before their SPM. This is extremely unfair to them as participating means a lot in their final year of school. Moreover, after five months of no news about the debate, our excitement has dimmed considerably. We are not talking about just our team, but all those from the other states with fifth formers in their teams who are now facing difficulty in attending the debate. As students, we are discouraged, as we never expected this sort of disorganised scheduling. We hope that the debate can be rescheduled to after the SPM examinations, so that all fifth formers have a chance to participate. Three Disgruntled Debaters Subang Jaya

Crowd control plan at LRT station WE THANK Haikal (“Selling short on LRT services, Oct 24) for raising the issues in his letter. Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Sdn Bhd (RapidKL)’s response is as follows: Queue system: The KLCC station is one of the stations with a very high volume of passengers. The standard procedure is to allot four gates each for commuters to enter and exit the platform area. On Wednesday night, congestion at the platform area was excessive. During such times and as a safety measure, our procedure is to hold back the crowd at the concourse area and to allow disembarking passengers to clear the platform as fast as possible. Therefore, the number of gates allowing passengers to enter the platform area is reduced and the number of gates for passengers to disembark is increased. This is for better crowd control management and the safety of the passengers. The expected arrival and commencement of additional trains with larger capacities on the Kelana Jaya Line next year is expected to ease the congestion. As for the elevators and

stairs at Masjid Jamek station, upgrading work has been carried out for the past year. The renovated station will be accessible to the public in November. As for the stairs at the Ampang line section for Masjid Jamek, repairs are ongoing. The underground access at the Masjid Jamek station between the Kelana Jaya line and the Sri Petaling line is part of the next phase of upgrading works for the Masjid Jamek station. The Touch n’ Go readers at Masjid Jamek station are experiencing technical problems and malfunction from time to time. We are working closely with Touch n’ Go Sdn Bhd to ensure more reliable readers and the stability of our system within RapidKL’s network. We appreciate constructive feedback from commuters and we encourage them to contact us with their feedback through our helpline (03-7625 6999) or Fax (037625 6667) or email at [email protected]. Our website is www.rapidkl.com. my. Ebi Azly Abdullah General Manager Communications RapidKL Sdn Bhd

Police and their priorities RECENTLY, we heard that police removed their beat base from Chow Kit area in Kuala Lumpur because they were worried about the safety of their officers. I hope I’m wrong but in the absence of any further explanation, it does seem that in Chow Kit, our police are running away from criminals. Today I read that in

Putrajaya, police had detained a six-year-old in jail overnight. I presume that in their infinite wisdom, they must have concluded that this girl was a threat to society. I’m just wondering. Have we got our priorities right? Cooldad Subang Jaya