Why wait until after GE13 to jack up car parking rates?
Dr Ching Eu Boon
PAKATAN Rakyat loudly bandies about lowering oil and car prices which attracted mass appeal from the urban crowd. However, Pakatan cleverly omits informing is that once power is retained, they have increased charges at the local authority level. The most recent one as reported by Utusan Malaysia (June 3, 2013) regarding the Shah Alam City Council hiking up car parking charges from 40 sen to 60 sen per hour.
This move is inconsiderate as Shah Alam being the state administrative centre houses many government offices be it federal or state government where Klang Valley residents irrespective of which constituency they belong to – be they from the Federal Territory or Selangor, will make a trip there.
They will have a new financial burden each time they drive to Shah Alam to settle personal or business-related matters involving government departments like MyKad and passport applications or renewals, local council quit rent and assessment payments, shoplot billboard licences, land checks, etc. Civil servants and private sector employees working in Shah Alam will likewise be affected with the higher rates as will guests of patients warded in hospital in Selangor’s capital.
Another issue that arises over the hiked car parking charges is that if the Shah Alam City Council has prepared sufficient car parking lots, and if those weighed down by wear-and-tear have been upgraded.
Pakatan touts itself as a government that cares for the people’s welfare but it has glossed over day-to-day matters which impact ordinary Malaysians. If the Selangor Pakatan government was sincere about retaining people’s votes, why did it not introduce these new charges before May 5, 2013, unless they feared losing votes?
BN sincere in reducing rakyat‘s burden
Barisan Nasional, on the other hand has proven our sincerity in alleviating the rakyat’s burden. Even as early as Feb 17, 2011 (more than 2 years before the 13th general election), Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Najib Abdul Razak had announced New Pantai Expressway toll rate between Petaling Jaya Selatan and Kampung Medan has been cut to RM1 from RM1.60. Before that, on Jan 28, 2011 the premier also announced no increase in toll for the next five years at the Karak and East Coast Phase One highways. Najib had announced toll rates at PLUS expressways would be frozen for five years when tabling the Budget 2011.
Dr Ching Eu Boon
MCA Selangor Youth Deputy Chairman