EVERY time I read about the filth that we encounter daily in Kuala Lumpur, it amazes me that it takes such a very long time to get some kind of action from the authorities.

Cleanliness can really make an impact. I was under the impression that when a place was crowded, it was difficult to focus on cleanliness. I was proved so wrong on my recent visit to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is an expensive but clean city. It is crowded, with clothes hanging out of the balconies and lots of people on the streets. Yet when you look at the roads or the pavements, nothing but cleanliness stares back at you. It is amazing that a city so full of people all the time is so clean.

It is not only the streets; the buses, trams and the ferries are all clean too, no matter what time of day one is travelling. Of course, the charge is expensive, but who cares? When it is clean, it is worth paying for it.

Cab rides in Hong Kong was another experience to be marvelled at. Road works were going on outside our hotel, and the driver just passed the hotel and stopped a few yards away and pointed out the hotel to us. It took us a minute’s walk to the hotel. Of course, the fare was expensive, but who cares when one is faced with such integrity and honesty.

In our country, the cab driver will take the opportunity to fleece the tourist and go all over town before bringing the guest to the hotel door, all for a few dollars more. This is exactly what happened to our visitors from overseas.

Our guests came a few weeks back and they took the cab from KL Sentral to our home. They bought coupons for the ride, and gave it to the cab driver.

When they arrived at our home, the cab driver held out his hand for an extra RM45 — apparently that was the charge for finding a house in a housing estate.

I felt so embarrassed and my guests too were embarrassed because they knew that this is what happens in Malaysia.

What is the role of the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board in curbing such practices?

M.S., Kuala Lumpur

Source: NST – June 17, 2009