Lifestyles of young Kuala Lumpur (KL) college students like me will change as we know it. Late night supper with friends at fast food restaurants and the occasional joyride in the car through the busy traffic in KL will never be the same again.
The hike in oil price is the main cause of the change in our lifestyle. The hike in food prices is also one of the main reasons why cooking at home seems like a good idea.
Oil price increase up to RM2.70 per liter and it is affecting my time with friends because my instincts are telling me to save money and save oil and only go out in times of emergency. Therefore, quality time with friends doesn’t seem like a good idea at the moment.
Techinically, I would comlpain about the hike in oil price. However, I think public transportation is a much bigger problem now that the oil price has gone up. More people are using public transportation and this means that there will be packed Light Railway Transit (LRT) everyday especially during peak hours and holidays.
The hike in oil price could not be helped but the public transport could use a little help. Meaning that, the improvement of public transportation would really help students like me to arrive at our destination fast. Not only fast, but convenient is also as important as being fast. It is really unpleasent to stand in the bus or being squeezed in the LRT tube like sardines in a tin can.
Public transport should also practice ‘safety first’ measures. Bus drivers should know their limit and not exceed it. Laws should be implemented and followed. What use is there for a law that people do not follow?
Enough about public transportation. Back to the main issue at hand which is ‘change in lifestyle after increase of oil price. Nothing is good when your forced to pay for something that you feel is too expensive. Especially students who do not earn a living yet and do not have any choice but to take the public transport.
Not to mention depending on their parents for financial assistance. It is bad enough that we have to use their money. It is very different than using our own money honestly.
Sacrifices have to be made i guess. The way parents would sacrifice their income in order to send their children to good colleges. The way a brother would give his ice cream to his younger sister when she wants more ice cream. The way people will donate their own blood in order to save another life.
In a way, we have policies and subsidies and hike in oil price and food price because the country needs the people’s money in order to grow. Eventhough I am agreeing to be apart of the ‘give and take’ situation, there needs to be a balance.
If oil price go up, then the public transportation also needs to have a bit of an upgrade in terms of performance. There can never be enough public transport in Kuala Lumpur, where every minute of every second, people are rushing to work, to college, outings with friends and so forth. And also the usual 5 o’clock traffic when people are busy rushing home from office or when the perty goers are just getting ready for their night out.
It is amazing how oblivious some bus drivers are to the fact that people do not want to stay at the bus stop for more than 10 minutes waiting for the bus. A friend once told me that the public transport in Paris are excellent. The buses and trains are all inter-connected and takes you around Paris and especially convenient because the train actually stops at famous landmarks in Paris so you actually know where you are.
Tourist who do not even know most of the places will not get lost. I wish Malaysia would take Paris as an example and follow their lead in providing good transport for the general public.
Usually, there is not much choice in terms of public transport. It is very inconvenient to travel in Malaysia by public transport. Let say, for example, from Ampang, you want to go to KL Sentral which is the main pit stop for all the major public transport in Malaysia which includes the monorai, KTM and Putra LRT. Star LRT does not got through that way and this is where the inconvenient part comes in.
Firstly from Ampang, you have to ride till you reach Masjid Jamek. From Masjid Jamek, take the Putra LRT to KL Sentral.
To conclude my story, I would like to end with a short quote from Senator Barack Obama who said "In order to know the country, we should know the people first," and that piece of quote actually made me realised the big difference between what is going on in Malaysia. I realised that change can come in many ways but in order to create change and make a difference.