Head you Win, "Toll" I Pay ?

I have to drive down to downtown Kuala Lumpur the other day to attend to some personal matter. Guess what, we do have beautiful highways but the costs of using the highway is nothing but disgraceful and immoral ! Imagine, travelling from Subang Jaya to Kuala Lumpur, I need to pass through 3 tolls, costing an average of RM 13.20 for a round trip. Coupled with the high costs of Petrol, probably cost about RM 25 for a round trip, these high charges are politically sinful and socially immoral!!!!

Of course, I can always use the alternative route and keep my mouth of the grumpy complaints. But again, despite all the personal taxes, petroleum taxes, and road taxes collected, did the government made an effort to upgrade the existing alternative routes and made it comfortable for low income road users like me ? Your guess is as good as mine ! Why am I paying all these taxes for ? Feeding the rent seekers and parasites ?

Besides, all these toll concessionaires are given soft loans by the government to built and managed the toll roads, the government even guaranteed these toll concessionaires revenues and profitability. So, it is legitimate to raise the toll charges to ensure profitability for the toll concessionaires, otherwise, the government may have to "compensate" the concessionaires! I am sicked and tired of all these unconsciously incompetent people running around negotiating loop sided commercial contracts to socially irresponsible commercial enterprises. The said, these are prices of progress. BUT, have we progress ? If I protest, I will be perceived as trouble maker and unpatriotic !

Despite the promise of transparency, it is equally sickening to note that these infrastructure agreements between the government and the concessionaires are veiled in secrecy. Did the government made an efforts to disclose the agreements and its rationale for public scrutiny? What justification does the toll concessionaires have to increase the toll charges ? Why can't the government seek the toll concessionaires to transparently disclose their accounting books.

I do wonder, how much it costs to built the toll roads ? how much soft loans the government extend to the concessionaires, what revenue guaranteed and profit assurances are given by the government to the concessionaires ? Are we being force to pay exorbitant toll charges due to unfair practices and operational inefficiencies of the toll operators ? Does it make moral sense for the government to compensate the toll operators where the amount of compensations is significant compared to the cost of constructions ? Does it make sense for the government to guarantee the toll operators profitability and revenues ? What if the losses of toll operators are due to inefficiencies and questionable management practices ? Why are tax payers being subject to these immoral financial abuses ?

Poor wage earners (like me) are working our butts off to pay high assessment rate to the local town councils, high income taxes to the federal government, high "subsidized" prices for every litre of petrol, occasional summonses issued by the town council for parking tickets, and all sorts of direct and indirect taxes, etc... Now, I am also subject to pay high toll charges for using the "tolled" roads. In short, I and many generations of Malaysians are dubiously subjected to the mercy of the contractual agreements between the government and the concessionaires.

Somehow, I am getting the discomforts and ill feelings of being cheated by the government who intentionally leave out road users' welfares in the equation of balancing the rights of the concessionaires and the consumers like me. The scale is unfairly tilted to the side of the concessionaires. Lands are allocated to the concessionaires, taxes collected are being extended as soft loans to them by the government. Why can't the government use the money to be loaned out to construct new roads or to maintain and upgrade existing roads ? Is the government already arrogantly out of touch with the realities and plights of average Malaysians ?

Please don't get me wrong, I am all for economic progress and agreeable that, there is a price to pay for progress. But, at what price ? Are we building highways to foster economic progress, or, are we, in the name of economic progress, building highways to cause unnecessary financial burdens to all Malaysians ?

Higher toll ? Again and again ? I guess I am already very fed-up with these never ending demands for higher toll charges. I simply don't care anymore ! For that matter, the toll operators can even raised the prices by 1000% ! Anyway, 2008 general election is coming soon.... I have already made up my mind ! Happy Retirements to all those unconsciously incompetence, decadence, arrogance, ignorance, and rent seeking politicians.

Anti Toll Hike Protest at Sunway Pyramid.

I drove back from Ipoh to Subang Jaya on Sunday. As I approach the exit into Bandar Sunway, I saw an unusual large presence of policemen. Strange, I thought maybe there are some VIP visiting the area, and the policemen are there to beef up security arrangement. I never gave any further thoughts to this unusual sight and carry on with my drive. However, at the turning into Sunway Pyramid, I saw a large number, probably a few thousands of protesters carrying banners, large number of FRU ( anti protesters armed personnel ), and massive traffic jams in front of the shopping complex. Thinking that there maybe riots, and I am worry for the safety of my family members in the car, I make a U-turn to take a longer route home.

After reaching home safely, I made a few calls to my friends in the Bandar Sunway area, primarily out of concern for their safety and well beings. I was told that, there was a huge anti toll hike protest and demonstration in the area organized by PAS, Keadilan, and DAP. What a relief ! At least it is not a racial riot. Demonstration by opposition political parties are usually very peaceful. They ave done a great job in serving as a platform for Malaysians to voice out their frustrations on the never ending spiralling of costs of living.

Welcome to Visit Malaysia Year 2007. Please visit HERE to register your protest on TOLL HIKE.

Come to think of it, the toll charges are getting ridiculous unaffordable nowadays. For example, the rate at the Kesas highway was hike up by almost 50% and the rate at LDP was hiked up by almost 60%. This increased toll charges coupled with the recent hiked in petrol prices, and many spiralling costs of essential items, are causing hardships to average Malaysians.

In case you are not aware. Effective January 1st 2007, the government has increased toll charges up to 60%. Is average Malaysian affected by this toll hike ? You can safely bet your smelly ass that it is !Take the case of my teenage son who has to travel to college passing through the Kesas toll everyday, a return trip will cost him RM 110 a month, petrol costs RM 250, parking fee costs RM 75 per month, and installment of his second hand car costs RM 500. Bearing in mind that the the non subsidized tuition fees is RM 1,200 per month. That works out to be RM 2,135 per month minimum excluding other living allowances. Here I am talking about average Malaysians who can not afford to send their children oversea to study. And I happened to be one of them. Kan-lin-low-boo, What farking government is this ? A caring government that work with the people or more interested to ensure sinful profitability for large corporations ? Robbing the poor to enrich the already filthied rich ? Robbing Hoods or Hooded Robber ? Either way, we are screwed !

Surprisingly, none of the local newspapers reported the incident on today edition. Was there an intentional "blackout" of people voicing their grievances ? Most of the local papers are indirectly own by political parties and their printing licenses are subject to annual renewal. I guess the local paper are playing safe not to print anything that is not music to the ears of the government.

Hey, Mr Yang Berhormat, please come out from your ivory tower and power hallway, put your right palm on your left chest and feel your heart beats, can you feel the hardships of average Malaysians ? Can you smell the burning frustrations of average Malaysians ? Can you hear the voices of economic desperations of average Malaysians ? In your congested self denial minds, do you understand the plights of Malaysians.

Frankly, if you ask me whether the anti toll hike demonstrations is going to have any influence on the government, well, I can safely tell you that it won't ! They are quite capable of seeing without visualizing, hearing without listening, and touching without feeling. I do have my doubt whether they understand the sufferings of average Malaysians. I am beginning to wonder whether they are already out of touch with reality, politically too decadence, engaging in too much in racial politics, or too busy conducting rent seeking demands. However, I have already made up my mind on my electoral rights. Come 2008, they can raise whatever emotional racial issues they like to desperately justify their stay, and I shall vote accordingly to retire them.