Friday, July 18, 2008

Speech on Public Transportation

I had blogged earlier that as the 9th Malaysia Plan review debate time allocation was cut when I had my turn, I had to cut short my speech as well, and left out the portion on the public transportation mess.

On Wednesday, as we were debating the Supplementary Budget for 2008, I got my chance to speak as there was a period just after lunch break whereby many opposition MPs had not yet returned from a visit to the KL Police Station over Anwar's arrest that day. Hence, I was able to deliver my speech on public transportation in Malaysia. This is also the first time I had the opportunity to deliver a speech early in the day (when there are actually more MPs around, than say 10pm in the evening. Heh).

I won't repost my speech here, which was blogged earlier, but I had a few "minta penjelasan"s from Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs which I thought was interesting, which you can also read from the Hansard here, page 73.

The first was a question posed by former Minister, PADANG BESAR.
Dato' Seri Azmi bin Khalid [Padang Besar]: Boleh celah sikit?

Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: Sikit ya.

Dato' Seri Azmi bin Khalid [Padang Besar]: Saya ingin penjelasan. Petaling Jaya Utara datang ke negeri Selangor, negeri Selangor sudah diperintah oleh Parti Pakatan dan negeri
Pulau Pinang diperintah oleh DAP yang mana Yang Berhormat daripada DAP. Jadi, buatlah saja.
Kenapa dok blame kerajaan yang lama ini? Yang tak buat, tak mengapa, okey tapi kenapa
blame? Buat sekarang kerana kita dah memerintah negeri, tunjukkan teladan. Kita negeri kaya,
bukan negeri miskin. Kalau Perlis itu miskin tapi Penang dan Selangor negeri kaya. Buatlah.

Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: Itu masalah senang saja. Sebab negeri
Selangor, dia punya annual budget, satu budget RM1.3 bilion. Annual budget bagi Pulau Pinang
RM380 juta sahaja. Menteri Pengangkutan, dia punya bajet RM23 bilion. Apa nak buat? Mana
boleh bagi.

Dato' Seri Azmi bin Khalid [Padang Besar]: Itu bajet yang tak termasuk pengangkutan.
Masukkan pengangkutan, besarkan bajet.

Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: Pengangkutan satu tanggungjawab pihak
persekutuan. Bukan tanggungjawab dalam negeri.
Then, it was followed by REMBAU, who sought clarification in the later part of my speech:
Tuan Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar [Rembau]: [Bangun]

Timbalan Yang di-Pertua [Datuk Ronald Kiandee]: Ya Yang Berhormat Rembau Yang Berhormat. Nak bagi jalan?

Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: Sikit ya?

(We always ask "sikit ya?" because these interruptions actually eat into your allocated speech time of 10 minutes, so if these "penjelasan" turn into mini-speeches by the other guys, then you will have no time to finish your speech.)

Tuan Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar [Rembau]: Terima kasih. Tadi Yang Berhormat daripada PJ Utara ada sebut tentang penjimatan daripada penstrukturan semula subsidi ini dan
sebahagian daripada itu digunakan untuk pengangkutan awam. Ini soal keutamaan daripada segi
penjimatan yang didapati oleh kerajaan. Sama ada kerajaan akan membelanjakan duit itu untuk
pengangkutan awam ataupun untuk perkara-perkara yang lain. Kerajaan Barisan Nasional telah
putuskan untuk membelanjakan duit tersebut sebahagian besar dalam bentuk subsidi makanan
dan juga dasar keselamatan makanan. Jadi adakah Yang Berhormat daripada PJ Utara
menyarankan agar duit untuk menampung subsidi bagi seluruh rakyat Malaysia untuk memberi
makanan yang cukup dengan harga yang munasabah itu diambil untuk pengangkutan awam bagi
rakyat yang ada di Lembah Kelang. Ini adalah trade-off Saya minta penjelasan daripada YB.

[Fong Kui Lun (BUKIT BINTANG) then interjected here to repeat that the RM4.4b allocated for public transport disappeared since petrol prices were increased 30 sen in 2006]

Tuan Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar [Rembau]: Saya pohon laluan sebab ini dituju kepada kerajaan, saya Ahli Parlimen kerajaan. Saya minta laluan.

Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: Saya dah bagi tadi, saya dah bagi tadi.

Tuan Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar [Rembau]: Sikit saja, sikit saja.

Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: Saya tahu, faham you nak kata harga minyak dah naik sebab itu RM4.4 bilion itu sudah tidak ada. Saya tahu, saya tahu.

Tuan Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar [Rembau]: Ya, memang betul. Jadi jawablah. Tolong didik sikit kepada Yang Berhormat .... sama.

Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: Tadi Yang Berhormat Rembau, Yang Berhormat Rembau....

Timbalan Yang di-Pertua [Datuk Ronald Kiandee]: Ya, teruskan Yang Berhormat.

Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: .....telah berkata bahawa subsidi makanan lebih penting. Subsidi makanan yang ditambah hanya tak sampai RM2 bilion, tak sampai RM2
bilion.

Tuan Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar [Rembau]: Dasar Keselamatan...

Timbalan Yang di-Pertua [Datuk Ronald Kiandee]: Nak bagi Yang Berhormat?

Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: Tak bagi jalan.

Tuan Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar [Rembau]: ...Makanan Negara adalah sebanyak RM4 bilion.

Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: Subsidi makanan tak sampai RM2 bilion. Mana boleh kata...

Tuan Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar [Rembau]: Dasar Keselamatan Negara...

Timbalan Yang di-Pertua [Datuk Ronald Kiandee]: Yang Berhormat.

Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: ...mengutamakan perbelanjaan terhadap subsidi makanan.

Tuan Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar [Rembau]: ...Food Security Policy...

Timbalan Yang di-Pertua [Datuk Ronald Kiandee]: Yang Berhormat Rembau, cukuplah Yang Berhormat Rembau.

Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: .....Jangan macam inilah. Saya gentleman selalu. Saya tak bagi, duduk dulu.

Tuan Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar [Rembau]: Kenapa Yang Berhormat PJ Utara tak baca RM4 bilion untuk Dasar Keselamatan Makanan?

Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: Inilah dia. Tuan Yang di-Pertua.

Timbalan Yang di-Pertua [Datuk Ronald Kiandee]: Ya teruskan, teruskan Yang Berhormat PJ Utara.

Tuan Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar [Rembau]: Tak, saya tak nak orang putar belitkan fakta.

Timbalan Yang di-Pertua [Datuk Ronald Kiandee]: Tak apalah Yang Berhormat.

Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: Eh, saya nak berikan fakta. You tak bagi saya jawab, saya nak jawab ini.

Tuan Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar [Rembau]: RM4 bilion untuk Dasar Keselamatan Makanan.

Puan Fong Po Kuan [Batu Gajah]: [Menyampuk] Jangan bisinglah Yang Berhormat Rembau.

Timbalan Yang di-Pertua [Datuk Ronald Kiandee]: Ya teruskan Yang Berhormat PJ Utara.

Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: Okey, perkara yang satu. Subsidi makanan tak sampai ....

Tuan N. Gobalakrishnan [Padang Serai]: [Menyampuk] Yang Berhormat Rembau jadi menteri senang. Bapa mertua Perdana Menteri.

Timbalan Yang di-Pertua [Datuk Ronald Kiandee]: Minta jalan Yang Berhormat ya.

Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: ....subsidi makanan tak sampai RM2 bilion.

Yang kedua, maksud Yang Berhormat Rembau itu sistem pengangkutan awam di kawasan
Lembah Kelang, di Johor Bahru, di Pulau Pinang tidak penting, tidak penting. Oleh sebab itu
dipinggirkan oleh kerajaan Barisan Nasional.

Yang ketiga, walaupun minyak petrol, harga minyak petrol pasaran seluruh dunia telah meningkat, akan tetapi bajet negara kita sejak tahun 2005 telah meningkat sekurang-kurangnya RM40 bilion. Kenapa tak boleh berikan sedikit, lebih sikit untuk pengangkutan awam. Kenapa tak boleh? Kegagalan sistem pengangkutan awam di Malaysia hari ini siapa yang patut bertanggungjawab?

Timbalan Yang di-Pertua [Datuk Ronald Kiandee]: Gulung Yang Berhormat, gulung.

Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: Okey. Hakikat ini, hakikat yang dijelaskan
Yang Berhormat Perdana Menteri telah mengumumkan satu lagi suruhanjaya yang baru iaitu
Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam. Penubuhan suruhanjaya ini nampaknya lucu sedikit kerana
kita sudah ada Kementerian Pengangkutan. Kenapa pula perlu sebuah Suruhanjaya
Pengangkutan lagi? Sebenarnya Yang Amat Berhormat Perdana Menteri menubuhkan
suruhanjaya baru ini adalah sebab Kerajaan Barisan Nasional ini mempunyai cara
menguruskan...
And now, I don't think I'll ever finish a speech in parliament without our PASIR SALAK friend raising the issue of blogs. It's quite farcical actually... ;-)
Dato' Haji Tajuddin Abdul Rahman [Pasir Salak]: [Menyampuk] Main blog saja lah.

Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: Terima kasih Yang Berhormat Pasir Salak. Saya tahu [Pasir Salak] tak ada blog.

Timbalan Yang di-Pertua [Datuk Ronald Kiandee]: Ya gulung Yang Berhormat, gulung.

Dato' Haji Tajuddin Abdul Rahman [Pasir Salak]: [Menyampuk] Tak layak jadi wakil rakyat pun. Main bloglah.
Anyway, it's certainly a better speech compared to some others I've made in Parliament (in terms of delivery, the last one being quite poor). Will see if I can put up a video of it somewhere. ;-) As mentioned earlier, the full text of the actual speech is here.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good job!

Regards,
CPK

Anonymous said...

int [cyberspace]: [Menyampuk] Yang Berhormat semua pandai buang masa saja la, potong sini, potong sana, haiyah, budak sekolah lebeh pandai...

tony, you should offer to set up a blog for pasir salak, and give him 2 hours training on how to use it ;-)

yauwenchin said...

Thank you for the enlightenment on our local political arena. However, I would like your pick your brain on the world economy, I have read contradictive views from Roubini and our local champion Tan Teng Boo of iCapital.biz. One says world economy will tumble and goes into recessionary the other is of the view world is decoupled, only US will suffer like the last Japan property crises, where world thought the entire world is effected but end up only Japan suffered. Your view is much appreciated here and it would save people like us in PJ billions if we know the direction clearly. You may send to me at yauwenchin@yahoo.com or publish in your blog. Tq in advance.

Anonymous said...

Tony,

PR needs to get their together and form the shadow government asap. It's already 131days since election and all we here about is politicking and pussyfooting. 5 years is very short and PR supports like me are getting very impatient!

All this lobbying for councillor post is a big joke.

Read here Penang's public transportation: A radical solution

Anonymous said...

I don't know if you realize it but many sees 'Tony Vs. Rembau' dynamic as representing much of what test this country. How Tony and Rembau end up will be highly symbolic to the aspiration of different groups in this nation.

I don't buy the math that when oil price rise, the govt loses money. Petronas payment to the govt more than cover subsidies. So when the govt remove subsidies, the gain in income does not dissapear when oil price rise again. It can only be so if petronas payment does not cover the subsidies.

So the idea that the original amount they were suppose to get from Petronas dissapear is nonsense if you ask me..

Anonymous said...

Dear YB Tony,

Great job in parliament.

I believe till today rakyat don’t know how our tax money that we contribute has been spend. The subsidies given to rakyat is so much little compare to the corruption and money given to BN colonies for million dollar projects which never benefits rakyat.

Just take an example, ITIS system. We spend million ringgit on the system to improve KL and PJ traffic, but I always facing issue accessing to the ITIS stream video somtime the map, you can always notice the roadside notice board (VMS) always not functioning, for example road block by police for pass few day not inform to public in details. Compare to similar system I saw in Bangkok, it is so much better and informative. Do DBKL know that VMS too many words and it could cause accident when we reading it and requires to make decision where to turn? Where else VMS in Bangkok city is so much easy to understand although I not able to read Thai language, it all present in graphic. Do DBKL know picture can represent thousand of word? And I heard my colleague in Thailand, they actually spend so much less investment on the traffic information system compare to Malaysia.

Another example is ours elevated highway, comparing with elevated highway in Bangkok city. You will notice although the traffic in Bangkok city is bad, but once you drive into elevated highway, you can get to your destination in very short time. Ours neighbor country is doing much better than us although Bangkok city has much more people and car.

I think BN using always said ‘Malaysia Boleh’, I think BN thinking we Malaysia ‘Bodoh’. Wakeup Malaysian, it is time we need to make the change.

Regards,
Strong DAP Supporter.

Anonymous said...

I think everyone who reads you blog notices Rembau deep lack of substance in his debate and argument. All show and not much material in it.

The issue is this: What does it says about the group that will elect him that he is considered qualified to be PM? Is there something fundamentally wrong with our political process that considers him a possibility even? Are we doomed to have mediocre people to head this nation for the next few generation?

Anonymous said...

I stay nearby SS2. I take LRT to ofice.Lately, due to petrol price hike, more people take LRT.
This created many issues

i. There are not enough Parking space. YB,Please see the situation at paid parking space (Kelana Jaya, Tmn. Bahagia, Tmn. Paramount, Asia Jaya, Tmn. Jaya). You can see weird and creative parking styles there due to scarcity of parking lots. (Side topic: Many are not issued ticket after pay parking fee. Use own imagination why is it so.)

ii. Many park at housing areas. Residents complain to MBPJ and therefore many are summoned. I was issued one last friday. I must compliment MBPJ for being more efficient than past, i seriously mean it. But the story doesn't end here. Pls continue to read.

iii. I went to settle my summon today at MBPJ. The officer reduce my summon from RM100 to RM50. He refuse to reduce further even after I nego with him. Last time they will reduce to RM30 automatically if you settle within a week. Then a chinese uncle having same offence was told to pay RM50 too. As he receieve summon this morning, the officer reduce to RM40 after that uncle appeal. I went to see the officer again if he can reduce further knowing he just reduced uncle summon. Officer took out a letter from drawer said it's instruction from top that we have to pay RM50 and as the uncle settle on same day, he can reduce RM10. Then, he reduced a Malay lady summon to RM30 eventhough she didn't say anything. I knew all these coz I sit nearby the officer counter and crosscheck with the uncle and lady. I'm disappointed not because have to pay more but the unfair treatment. Thing become worst than last time! We talked a lot about politic that's not ethic based but what I see now is ethic based policy. It's instruction from top as claimed by the officer.
I think People Alliance is in dilemma now. It's either incompetent to execute or unaware of these symtoms. Either way, it's not so positive for People Alliance.

iv. Riding LRT become unpleasant now coz we are squeezed like sardin in can food twice a day during workday. I suspect LRT has load issue now as both Star and Putra AT LEAST break down 3-5 times monthly. Maybe poor maintenance play it's part. No explanation given for those breakdown. I suggested to Putra before to put those announcement at it's website to serve 2 purpose 1.) has a way to show employer why come late to work 2.) understand reason behind those breakdown and therefore make informed decision. Besides that, high pitch sound come from friction that can last for 5-10 second is scary. I also experience 2 times of sudden stop where pasengger almost fall (but they didn't coz everyone lined up compactly like sardins!). Believe me, there are pregnant women.

YB, to improve our LRT transportation, we should look into the relevant topics as well, parking is a prime one. MBPJ must be more fair to everyone. LRT travelling need to be more pleasant and safer.

Anonymous said...

YB Tony,

As I mention many times, inflation will hit hard on the poor people.
The riches will take advantages to increase the selling prices of the products they sell. The business owners are making huge profit in the expense of underpaid their workers and yet took advantages of raising the selling prices.
The income gab between the riches and poors are becoming widening. I am not surprise when the widening gab will be soon near to country like India, China, Vietnam etc.

The goverment should introduce the minimum salary guide for each profession like what it practice in Australia. This guide should be review every year and taking into account of inflation effect or deflation effect. By doing so, workers are being proctected.

Sagaladoola said...

Hi Tony,

Thank you for bringing up the public transportation issue.....

Anonymous said...

Tony,

In ss 2 /66 and /64, there are a lot of crow and several wild dog. Mostly around at 4-6pm. Please concern it.
Thank You.

Anonymous said...

Transportation issues are critically embedded in everyday life. For this very reason, addressing such issues is almost always hugely politically contentious. With the oil prices projected to reach USD150 or even USD200 in future, people will have to change the way they live and travel. Malaysia has long been suffered from under-investment in public transport system as we have been fortunate all these years to enjoy the cheap petrol. The fuel related tax and profits should and could be 'ring-fenced' to ensure enough money to support the development and improvement of public transport system. Looking back we have wasted a good twenty years (since 1980s) and found ourselves in desperate and awe with the public transport system in other parts of Asia. The thoughts of some of the MPs just highlight how far we are going to further lag behind. It is clearly a need for clarity and long term strategy in central government objectives in the implementation of transportation approach, unless, of course, the central government is willing to empower and share the Petronas dividends and fuel tax with local governments in providing the needs for the people.

d'Frog Prince said...

Dear YB Tony,

To have some brains at work in the parliament is really a breath of fresh air. Many BN rep elected not because brain but because "carrying" and "currying" capabilities, carry what, we all know lah, curry what, we all also knows.

Anyway, please do soldier on and give the BN half-past-sixer a run for their money, let them work their grey cells a bit (albeit not much there to begin with)

As for Pasir Salak, well, you knows what "salak" means? And which animal normally associated with "salak"? So, coming from Pasir Salak, it is not surprising if he is only good in "salak"-King.

Rgds
www.tmithomas.blogspot.com