The Unique Malaysians - 1

Malaysians are very unique. Not only do we have a wide diversity in culture, religion and lifestyle in a multiracial society, we are also special in other ways such as being ungrateful and hypocrites.

That is why in many top universities, there are faculties dedicated just to study Malaysians.

A good example is the controversial petrol subsidy and price.

When the petrol price went up, we (including APOMM) slammed the Government for not being caring.

Seeing an uproar and public dissent, the Government delivered a caring Budget and soon reduced petrol price by stages.

Not a word of praise from the Opposition or from the people who harshly ridiculed the Malaysian Government.

It is not a culture of Malaysians to GIVE and to say THANK YOU. Malaysians always TAKE and say BYE BYE.

Let me also link the petrol price to the public transportation system. How many of the bloggers, the politicians and the media actually use the public transportation system?

Politicians from Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat have drivers and beautiful Mercedes Benz cars.

Malaysians continue criticising the public transportation system, while sitting in the comfort of their own cars.

Economics is actually a beautiful art that manipulates lifestyle and systems, unknowingly, to a better environment.

Consider the following models:

MODEL A

1. We reduce the petrol subsidies.
2. Public transportation becomes relatively more affordable than commuting via personal vehicles.
3. Commuters of public transport – bus, train and cabs – grow.
4. Experiencing the bad systems, the users begin to pressure the Government and service provider.
5. Not only the users, even the ground staff of the service provider will be unhappy and provide feedbacks to the authorities.
6. The company and Government will then be forced to improve the services and system.
7. If any party fails to do so, this opens up opportunities for new entrants and competitors to enter the market with a better service.
8. Customers will shift to another firm that can provide better services than the current. This will force firms to continuously improve services and systems, in order to stay profitable and not shut down.
9. Malaysia will see better days with improved public transportation system.
10. This of course will be “expensive” as a whole since there will be overlapping of resources and fixed costs when providing public transport. Two companies providing the same service might not be arguably better than a single company providing the service (in terms of efficient allocation of resources, quantity of overlapping resources) although competition is sure to improve efficiency. There will be a trade off case.

MODEL B

1. We continue providing subsidies.
2. Since petrol is relatively cheap (while Government bears the grunt of the never satisfied Malaysians and the massive subsidy bill), most Malaysians will continue driving their own personal vehicle.
3. I am not lying. Please read TheStar – 8.1% decline in automotive sales expected. A line from this article – An estimated 180,000 new graduates will enter the job market in 2009, providing a ready pool of buyers in the years to come as the economy stabilises.
4. It is true. Almost every Malaysian that reaches the age of 21 owns a car – be it from their own pockets, banks, or family.
5. Malaysians continue singing the tune “Our public transportation system is so lousy!”
6. Trust me. Even if it is good, no Malaysian will take the transportation systems although they say they will.
7. Look at the Japanese. Their public transportation system is good. Upper medium class and the rich Japanese drive cars and they do not take the crowded efficient public transport. That is because they can afford the expensive petrol.
8. With cheap petrol in Malaysia, sorry LAH! Malaysians TALK ONLY (that they will use busses and trains)!
9. Without pressure, companies cannot and economically, WILL NOT provide a better transportation system since they cannot sustain an investment for improved systems without sufficient DEMAND.
10. Malaysians go back home and continue laughing at our public transport while driving their BMWs. Bad transporation systems continue.

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