Ever After

The government has warned bus companies not to raise fares. Stern action would be taken against any company caught doing this. Sounds familiar? How many times have you heard this before? What, so many that you have lost count?

This drama has been going on for so long that the script has become stale, as stale as last week's ubi kayu rebus left uncovered on the dinning table. Its like a father threatening to kill his own beloved son if he refuses to brush his teeth before 12 noon everyday.

Look, the day the PM announced the rise in fuel prices we already know what are the follow-up communications from them going to be. The above is one. Then you will have one minister saying, taxi operators risk having their licence taken away if they increase prices. Then, we will get, something like, enforcement officers would be deployed throughout the country to check on errant traders.

I am waiting for something new, something that would win the rakyat's heart, something heroic like, 'Tourism Minister threatens to demolish hotels that raise room rates', or, Transport operators would be sent to the gallows and their vehicles would be sunk near Pulau Batu Puteh if caught taking advantage of the recent increase in fuel prices, or even maybe 'Home Minister authorises the lynching of traders who raise prices of essentials.

All these warnings is a load of bullshit. Okay let me tell you something. I have a brother who lives in Johor and travels often to Penang by bus. When I asked him what the fare is like, he told me that it depends. I was shocked. What does he mean by, it depends? He said that on normal days its about 48 to 50. On weekends its 60 and during festive seasons it could go up to 100.

Hey from what I know, a bus guzzles as much petrol on Monday as it does on Sunday or Hari Raya so why the difference. So how come? He knows it, now I know it, all the people who frequently travel between Johore and Penang know it, illegal immigrants from Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal and Tibet know it, I bet even Sufiah, that famous hooker, whom UMNO wanted so badly to help, know it, so don't the relevant ministry people know it too? Don't the JPJ people know it? Don't the police know it, don't the politicians know it?

How come this be a well contained secret that the authorities do not know it? Yes, you are right, the relevant authorities do know it, but why is it that its still going on? Why no actions taken? Are our enforcement people that impotent that they are incapable of acting? Is there a dysfunction in their erecting of the law mechanism? Do they need Viagra?

The answer is plain and simple as I had mentioned in one of my much earlier postings, most, if not all, of these companies have BN and especially UMNO bigwigs as their shareholders. So do you think they are serious about making artificial reefs of vehicles belonging to these errant companies? Even JPJ peole and the police bigshots have shares so do you think any action would be taken?

I tell you what is going to happen. They would continue with all these empty threats but close an eye to the abuse that would definitely not cease. Then they would come out with a statement that the government has approved an increase in bus fares and what other fares because it is aware that these companies can't cope with the rising fuel costs.

Then RTM, TV3 and all government prostitutes would come out with news to support this. Then we will get a clip of the Transport minister issuing a very stern warning, so stern that his dentures almost fly off, to these companies to adhere to the new pricing.

The next day maybe we will get a statement from the association of all these transport companies thanking the government but also complaining that the increase is still not enough but being the patriotic corporate citizen that they are they would absorb the extra costs and in the meantime a ticket to Johore for the Chinese New Year season would be 1about 140 to 150.

And they all live happily ever after.