Sunday, May 11, 2008

Outrage at Cheras Toll

I am referring to the continue saga regarding the barricade in Bandar Mahkota Cheras, as reported in Malaysiakini:

Barricade row: Answers next week

Before getting into the legalities of the issue, let’s investigate why Bandar Mahkota Cheras and surrounding residents are so pissed off by the barricade. It begun when Grand Saga, the Cheras-Kajang highway concessionaire, blocked off an access road two years ago to divert the traffic to the toll. As a result of the barricade the residents have to make a 6km detour – and on top of that they have to join the jam leading to the toll plaza and made to pay the RM 0.9 toll.

Lets do a simple calculation on how much the toll is costing the Bandar Mahkota residents. Assuming the current market rate of RM 0.6 per km for petrol, car maintenance and depreciation cost. Assuming that it takes 15 minutes to travel the 6km, and human resource cost is average RM 10 per hour.

Petrol and car maintenance:
6km X RM 0.60/km = RM 3.60
Human resource cost:
RM 10/hour X 0.25 hour = RM 2.50
Toll amount = RM 0.90

Total cost one way = RM 7.00
Total cost both ways = RM 14.00/day
Total cost/month (22days/month) = RM 308/month

Now you understand why Bandar Mahkota residents are so pissed off. Just because one private company willfully asserting its rights, it barricaded a fully functioning access road and make the residents suffer RM 7.00 direct and indirect cost for every 90 sen it collected. This whole thing is utterly ridiculous no matter from what angle I look at it.

The absurdity doesn’t end here. The legality of the barricade had been in dispute since day one. Refer to the following reports in Malaysiakini: Confirmed - residents can tear down concrete barrier.

The Hulu Langat land office did confirmed a few days ago that Grand Saga indeed had NO right to erect the barricade. So the Cheras residents took matters in their own hands and tore down the barricade. That provoked a violent reaction from Grand Saga. Read the follow up reports:

Grand Saga 'advised' to re-erect concrete barrier
Cheras residents in stand-off to protect toll-free road
Police fire tear gas at Cheras residents

So there was the rebuilding of the barricade, which the residents tore down immediately. Grand Saga responded by getting the Federal Reserve Unit involved. I read in utter disbelief that that over 200 FRU armed with tear gas and water canon were activated to protect the interest of one single private company against the residents of a whole township.

The legality of the barricade was in dispute in the first place. Under such circumstance how could the police take side? How could the police use extreme force - beating up and arresting MPs and residents, and fire tear gas and water cannon at them?

The whole happening was a complete outrage. It was a subversion of justice, not to mention a complete wastage of public resources. How could a private company wields such influence over the police? Who has the authority to order such a massive deployment of the police force?

These are things that got the rakyat so angry at the government that drove us to vote for the opposition. I thought the Barisan Nasional government would have learned something from the setback in recent election. But lo and behold, our Prime Minister was not even aware of this happening when asked about it yestarday!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Who is behind Grand Saga that they can move the authorities to be supportive of them at the public's expense?

Anonymous said...

Inspector General Musa said he didn't like mob rule. I absolutely agree with him. I hope he can start arresting his own men first.

wesuffer said...

Can i ask, when police force and FRU during duty , can they received offer meal from private company grand saga ?
no wonder that night the police force can stand from afternoon till 12.00 midnight.
they provided box of chicken rice and drinking there !
IGP please answer this. public is interested to know this more that you said mob rule !
and the main road was built by developer according one of major requirement of AKTA PEMBANGUNAN from all majlis. so that the houses were built in township able to apply for C'F.The housese in BMC got C'F already too.
Grand saga and police joined the illegal action destroy the main access road of township.
they are against building by law now!

wesuffer said...

PRIVATE COMPANY WAS ABLE TO GET ASSIST FROM FRU FORCE TO SUPERVISE WORKERS PUTTING UP THE ILLEGAL BARRICAGE,THIS IS CANNOT SEE IN OTHER COUNTRY. BUT THE QUESTION IS WHO GIVE INSTRUCTION TO THOSE MEN ??
I THINK THIS PERSON MUST BE VERY POWERFUL..
THE CLEVER OF LADIES AND GENTLEMEN HERE, YOU KNEW, I KNEW OK.

wesuffer said...

I HOPE MAJLIS PERBANDARAYAAN KAJANG
SHOULD MOVE AWAY THE UNUSED CONCRETE BLOCK. AND REPAIR THE ROAD KERB WHICH DAMAGED BY GRAND SAGA. SINCE STATE GOVERMENT ALREADY PROOF THE JALAN CHERAS LAMA IS BELONG TO STATE

Anonymous said...

What is Grand Saga that it could get the police to deploy 200 FRU men to taunt the residents? Well, anyone with the IQ of a mosquito knows that Gand Saga is no small fly, but is an outfit backed to the hilt by some top dogs with special interests in it. Why is there no empathy for the sufferings of the common people? Is this a depraved way adpoted by the BN to punish the Cheras residents for voting for the opposition all this while?

Anonymous said...

Myanmar citizens gathering illegally at their embassy not given the tear gas & water cannons but Malaysian citizens get it everytime (BERSIH, HINDRAF, BMC etc etc).

PDRM opppss sorry PRDM coward & bully!!

Samuel Goh Kim Eng said...

Is there now any more common sense justice
When a few are allowed to have privileged practice
Of doing their own thing without giving out notice
Treating the public as though they are a novice

(C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng - 110508
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Sun. 11th May 2008.