Another birthday gift

The traffic jam has gone from bad to worse for the past two days, thanks to the closure of roads around KL for the dress rehearsal for the upcoming Merdeka day parade.

This is another 50th birthday gift to Malaysian citizen, especially to those who leave their kampungs to work in KL, as they think they don't get as much as they earn in KL, if they work in their kampungs or not much jobs available or being offered or suitable to Malaysians who has become more and more educated (just look at the number of new universities and private colleges, or even tuition centers which caters students as early as 7 year old, that has been growing like mushrooms).

All point to the imbalance development of towns or cities in Malaysia, e.g. the cancellation of Rawang-Ipoh double tracking and electrification project under this new government sebab available tenders semua dah dapat kat cronies of old government has put stop to the dream or possibility of people working in KL while living in Ipoh, which at the same time could develop Ipoh or nearby towns.

Back to the traffic jam.

We're expected to be in office on time, we're expected to perform and deliver our job as required. Yet, we're presented with this unnecessary stress, having to endure the nightmare of traffic jams, just because the country is preparing to celebrate its 50th year of independence. WTF?! What's the meaning of independence?!

Yes, some people would advise to take the public transport. Ok, noted but there's no public transport serving my area, except for taxi. And I don't want to drive to Subang Jaya komuter station, pay toll and park my car there, then take the Komuter to KL Sentral and then queue up to take the LRT to Kerinchi station and then walk to my office. You think I want to do all that? I'm not paying my car installment to do all that. Neither I pay road tax to RTD* just to keep my car at home. And I want to maximize the usage of my car before it turns 15 when I've to send it to scrap.

Do they really plan and have contingecy plans before they close any road? I don't think so because every year we're facing the same problem. And what's so great about having this Merdeka parade every year that you need to have dress rehearsal that causes road closure and make the citizens (who will stimulate the economy by spending and paying taxes at the end of the year) suffer from this unnecessary stress.

What the meaning or Merdeka folks? Is the celebration really matters? Or the stress that counts?

Anyway, I already know what my 50th Merdeka celebration like. Stay at home and have a good night sleep on Merdeka eve. And on the Merdeka day itself, I'll dress up in my buttoned-up baju melayu, with sarong and my 5-inch tall songkok and go to mosque for Friday prayer. How's that? aku punya suka laa aku nak buat apa pun It's independence day for me.

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When you think back, what does RTD gives to us in return of the road tax and license renewal we pay every year? Besides giving the permission for us to drive and for our vehicles to be on the street and issuing summonses, they don't maintain our roads, they don't do the road signage, they don't repair faulty traffic lights or man the streets/junctions in the event of the traffic lights black-out, they don't provide emergency services if our vehicles breakdown, they don't help ease traffic congestion, bla bla bla...