Ngeh Koo Ham : Call on Dato’ Mah Hang Soon Perak BN government Exco member in charge of local governments to solve the public transport woes in Manjung and other districts.

Call on Dato’ Mah Hang Soon Perak BN government Exco member in charge of local governments to solve the public transport woes in Manjung and other districts. PR is willing to offer its services for the sake of the people to solve the public transport woes though the state power has been taken from them.

One of the top priorities when PR Perak became the state government in March 2008 was to solve the woes of public transportation in Perak. There were no flight services to Perak and bus services were poor or non-existent in many areas.

BN Perak Government had been debating for years whether to extend the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport and whether to build the Ipoh Central Public Transportation Hub in Perak. Meanwhile, the people of Perak were without flight services and public bus transport were poor or non-existent in many areas.

PR Perak Government sprang into action and concluded a deal with Firefly to fly between Ipoh, Singapore and Subang. Firefly is now flying regularly 2 flights a day in and out of Ipoh.

PR Perak government also gathered all the bus operators in Kinta Valley to form a company called The Combined Bus Services Sdn Bhd, which then concluded a deal with the Perak State Government to build the Ipoh Central Public Transportation Hub in Meru Raya. 250 new buses would replace the old buses and they will be plying Kinta Valley and to other parts of Perak and Malaysia within 2 years from the date of the Agreement.

PR Perak government was also finalizing an Agreement with a developer to develop Manjung Central public Transportation Hub in Seri Manjung in the Manjung District but the same was abruptly terminated with the grab of power which occurred on 6th February 2009.

More than 2 years have lapsed but we see very slow progress of Ipoh Central Public Transportation Hub taking shape. Old buses in Ipoh have yet to be replaced.

Last year, the BN Government announced a subsidy of RM70,000.00 per month for a bus company to operate in Manjung District and it was to commence operation the beginning of this year but nothing has materialized. The poor especially those who are sick continue to suffer. They could not go to the hospital with the cheaper mode of public bus transport. Many have to pay as much as RM30 per trip to the Manjung Hospital using taxis.

If BN Government does not know how to solve the public transport problem, the Pakatan Rakyat is willing to offer its services for the sake of the people though the state power has been taken away from us.

31st May 2011
Ngeh Koo Ham
DAP Perak Chairman
Member of Parliament for Beruas
State Assemblyman for Sitiawan