In Malaysia, its on the 27 of November 2008, and its the Hindu Festival of lights. To all my Hindu mates out there, have a good one!

I opened the free newspaper Metro Lite and I was tickled pink. This paper doesn’t really have any quality news, after all its free, but I totally question their editorial process. If you read the caption it says “volunteer villagers in Kuala Lumpur pour water over a beached whale”. Firstly, anybody who has been to Kuala Lumpur would realize that its not a seaside city! Its in the middle of the peninsular, and has two rivers, but no whale would ever swim near. Secondly, KL is not a village! Its the biggest city in Malaysia!! People who live in Kuala Lumpur are so not villagers!

To All my muslim readers, wishing you a “Selamat Hari Raya AidilFitri! Maaf Zahir and Batin”

Malaysia’s ‘worst in the world’ taxis tarnish national image
[source]

The ads promoting “Malaysia: Truly Asia” aim to welcome visitors with a warm smile to a prosperous and modern nation, so the taxi fleet branded “the worst in the world” can come as a bit of a shock.

Even the locals are not spared the shabby service of unkempt and hostile drivers behind the wheels of decrepit vehicles who refuse to use the meter, overcharge and pick-and-choose which destinations they will travel to.

At the popular KLCC mall under Kuala Lumpur’s iconic Petronas Twin Towers is a typical scene, as a gang of cabbies negotiate with a young Norwegian couple just metres from a signboard warning against “taxi touts”.

“Flat rate, flat rate, no metre,” one driver insists as the tourists try to find a cab to take them to their hotel, less than two kilometres (1.2 miles) away.

Anxious to escape the baking heat, they agree to pay 25 ringgit (7.22 dollars) for a trip that would have cost less than three ringgit on the meter.

“Is it expensive? We don’t know, we thought it is normal here,” said the woman as they piled in with their shopping bags.

More frequent visitors, however, are vocal in their criticism and say that aggressive and unprofessional drivers are tarnishing the nation’s image as a squeaky clean and hospitable destination.

“I first visited Malaysia in 2006 and I was impressed by everything I saw except for the worst taxi service I have endured,” said Kabir Dali, an Indian tourist waiting in vain for a metered taxi at another mall.

“I paid a whopping 260 ringgit (74 dollars) from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to town and was later told that was twice the proper amount.”

Complaints about taxis are common in many countries, but in Malaysia it has escalated to an outpouring of frustration, on blog sites and in letters to newspapers.

In a survey by the local magazine The Expat, some 200 foreigners from 30 countries rated Malaysia the worst among 23 countries in terms of taxi quality, courtesy, availability and expertise.

The respondents lashed the fleet as “a source of national shame” and “a serious threat to tourists — rude bullies and extortionists”.

Salvation is in sight though, as a number of smaller, up-scale operators enter the market to provide a more expensive but quality taxi service for frustrated visitors and locals.

The uniformed drivers, behind the wheels of smart new multi-purpose vehicles and sedans, switch on the meter as a matter of course and do not refuse destinations — surprising and delighting commuters in the capital.

Abdul Razak, operations manager for Dubai-based Citicab which launched here in January, said that even in poorer nations such as Thailand and Indonesia, taxis are smarter and the drivers far more courteous.

“I would say it is the worst in this region, undoubtedly. I have travelled to all countries in this region and our company operates taxis in many parts of the world. The situation here is the worst I have seen,” he told AFP.

“The vehicles are in shabby condition, the driver will take you if he likes your face — that is, if he agrees with where you want to go for the price he insists on.”

The government has called on taxi firms to lift their standards, but various campaigns have achieved little, and many blame the lack of enforcement on rampant corruption in the police and bureaucracy.

“It is difficult for the roads and traffic department to take stern action,” said a security officer at one city mall as he watched the touts swoop.

“Taxi operators and the company which hold the licences are all linked to some politician or another,” he said. “Drivers here are ruthless because they are unchecked by authorities who are almost non-existent.”

John Koldowski, from the Pacific Asia Travel Association, said that “less than desirable” taxi drivers have an outsize impact on a nation’s image.

“The first contact a tourist gets with locals is often during airport transits to hotels and it creates a very, very strong first impression, either be good or bad,” he said.

“Authorities certainly need to do their jobs and act upon any complaints strongly, quickly and visibly.”

Ah, Malaysian Taxis. What else can I say but this article is so true. As a Malaysian, even I hate our taxis. They are rude, they are usually totally unprofessional. Most refuse to take you where you want to go, unless its near to where they want to go. If your destination is too near, they refuse. If your destination is too jammed, they refuse. They usually refuse to use the meter. I have walked from Bukit Bintang to KLCC many a time because I waited close to 45 minutes and did not find a cab that would either want to take me there, or would use the meter. Its not a far journey, but Malaysia is a hot country and when you have business meetings to attend, and you walk the distance, you reach there soaking in your sweat, especially if you have a heavy laptop bag to carry. Sigh. And now my office is in KL Sentral, you can forget about getting a cab totally. I think we are notorious for the bad cabs we have, and when you have countries like Thailand and Singapore as our neighbors who have cabs that though expensive provide excellent service, we are the shame of Asia.

Teresa Kok, Sin Chew reporter arrested under ISA
[Source]
KUALA LUMPUR: DAP’s Teresa Kok is the latest to be arrested under Section 73 (1) if the ISA Friday.
Seputeh MP Teresa Kok - arrested under ISA.

Kok, who is Seputeh MP and also assemblyman for Kinrara, was arrested at 11.20pm Friday.

Deputy IGP Tan Sri Ismail Omar confirmed Kok’s arrest.

Earlier, Sin Chew Daily News reporter Tan Hoon Cheng was arrested from her home in Taman Permai in Bukit Mertajam at 8.40pm Friday.

Family members said they were told that she would be taken to the Bandar Perda police station in Seberang Jaya.

Ismail Omar said was also arrested under Section 73 (1) of the ISA.

A colleague said Tan called the office to inform them that the police had picked her up when they went to her home at 8.30pm.
Arrested Sin Chew reporter Tan Hoon Cheng.

However, when several colleagues tried to call her back on her handphone some 10 minutes later, the phone had been switched off.

On Friday night more than 100 people, including politicians, members of non-governmental organisations and journalists, gathered at the state police contingent to stage their silence protest on the arrest.

Tan, who is Mass Communications graduate from Universiti Sains Malaysia, has been a journalist for nine years.

She had reported on former Bukit Bendera division Umno chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail’s alleged racist remarks while campaigning for the Permatang Pauh by-election.

The arrest comes on the same day that Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamaruddin was detained, also under the ISA.

Sigh. The reported who reported the racist remarks by an UMNO leader has been placed in ISA together with one of the opposition members of Parliment, while the so mention leader is happily at home given a holiday from his position in UMNO. The world is laughing at Malaysia. Pray for our nation in this time of trouble, that people will remain calm.