WHILE it is welcome news that a consortium will be providing 200 new buses to serve Ipoh, it is not good news that the new terminal, the so-called Ipoh Sentral Transportation Hub, will be at Meru Raya, as things now stand.

In fact, Bandar Meru Raya is not centrally located in Ipoh — far from it.

Public transport is mainly used by the lower-income groups simply because they have no alternative. What the Perak government has done is to further burden those who can least afford it by siting the terminal so far out of town. Now it will cost commuters twice as much, if not more, to take a bus to KL or Penang.

It is all very well for Nga Kor Ming, (Perak Public Transport Committee chairman), to say that a model of the terminal will be displayed to get public feedback. This is like putting the cart before the horse.

Surely it makes more sense to consult the public on the location first? To present Ipohites with a fait accompli regarding the location of the Ipoh Sentral Transportation Hub and then say that it will listen to the citizens’ views is counter-productive at best and, at worst, devious.

And, to sweeten this sham, public consultation with the offer of three lifetime free bus passes is an insult to the public’s intelligence. It may be good for the three winners but thousands will have to pay through their noses for what should be cheap transport.

Unless the government has a better alternative, it is best that we stick to the status quo. It wasn’t too long ago that the terminal was shifted to Medan Gopeng and commuters are only just getting used to it. And, already, we are thinking of changing that as well.

Already, non-governmental organisations are calling for a rethink of the project. If the Perak government is genuine about wishing to consult Ipohites, there should be a public dialogue on this matter.

If the governing politicians insist on riding roughshod over the people, they can expect retribution at the polls. With a razor-thin majority in the state assembly, I suggest that the Pakatan Rakyat government tread carefully.

YIN EE KIONG, Penang

Source: NST – September 22, 2008