What It Means to be Malaysian to Me

I promise this will be a shorter post compared to the long posts in my blog.

Happy Independence Day, Malaysia! Technically, it is Malaya who is 55 years old, Malaysia as a country is only 49 years old, formed by Sabah and Sarawak in Borneo, Singapore (who then left about two years later) and Malaya (now referred to as Peninsula Malaysia). Malaysia Day is celebrated on 16th September. :-)

I guess I need to write an essay on what it means to be Malaysian in my opinion.

Here goes.

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE MALAYSIAN...

TO MY FAMILY: My late grandpa (who passed away at the age of 95 in 2007 a week before my weddding) always said: "Malaysia is a peaceful place. You can earn a living as long as you are hardworking." He came from China in the 1930s, when times are hard after the 1911 Chinese Revolution. He travelled with valid travel documents and settled down in Kuching, Sarawak, a state in Borneo, where he started his family and became part of the newly formed nation in 1963 through naturalisation - he was official "British" before 1963.

Same goes to my mom's parents, my parents' birth certificates showed "British" as their nationality as both my parents were born before 1963. British or no British, we are all Malaysians now. We are not even that state-centric anymore, we have relocated from Borneo to Peninsular Malaysia, my siblings and I have found non-Sarawakian
partners, we cannot afford to be state-centric anymore anyway!

TO FELLOW MALAYSIANS: Generally we young people (sweeping statement here, pardon me please) does not really bother about National's Day after we left mainstream education, where we had to line up and sing patriotic songs as well as the National anthem on a day before or after the actual public holiday in the spirit of Merdeka - in Bahasa Malaysia, the national language, Merdeka means - Independence (Free from Colonialism).

MY OWN TAKE:
The first time I was part of a National Day countdown was on August 30, 2005. I was still a reporter back then, I sat very close to the grand stand (main stage) where all the VIPs were at. By the time the countdown of 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and MERDEKA! was shouted by everyone at Dataran Merdeka - the place where Malaya's Independence was first declared and shouted by the first Premier, Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj - I tell you, I actually felt a lump threatening to choke my throat, I was moved. The feeling was surreal. Here I was, at the same venue where our forefathers fought for independence and with everyone shouting "Merdeka", and I joined in as well, it beats watching a game at the Stadium or shouting for your idol anytime, the feeling is totally different! I blogged about it on Friendster but sadly, it has died a natural death, so I lost all data and pics of that night.

TO THE WORLD:
The people globally usually refer to Malaysia as only Peninsular Malaysia and shorten our citizens' name to the MALAYS. That is from the olden pre-Independent days where Malaya was called Tanah Melayu, the Land of Malays. Paintings of South East Asia map labelled Peninsular Malaysia as Malay. Even when I went to Hong Kong and mainland China, they referred to us as Malays. Fine.

RACES/SOCIETY IN MALAYSIA
For the record, Malaysia is a multi-racial country with Muslim as the official religion while non-Malays can profess any religion of their choice. Malay is the majority, with about 60% of the population, the rest are the Chinese (Chinese descent, not China-Chinese), Indian (Indian descent from India, but not India-Indian), the indegenious people in Peninsular Malaysia like Sakai, Jakun, and also 26 ethnic groups in the state of Sarawak in Borneo (Iban is the majority) and 27 ethnic groups in the state of Sabah in Borneo (Kadazan is the majority) - the two states in Borneo comprises East Malaysia, separated by South China Sea from Peninsular Malaysia.

Inter-racial marriages, and even inter-religious marriages had turned Malaysians into a colourful potpourri. I promised a short blog post, so for more information, feel free to google up Malaysia.

One thing synonymous with Malaysians are its food.

FOOD, FOOD, oh glorious food.

It doesn't matter what style of cooking it is, the Malays will cook Halal (ALMOST equivalent of 'kosher') food, but in Chinese or Indian style, we will have Malay style Chinese Fried Rice, or Indian style Fried noodles, and even the uniquely 'Mamak' or 'peranakan' cooking which is the result of racial integration of mixed marriages. Oh, don't get me started on the food for rest of the ethnicities in Sabah and Sarawak, my homeland of Borneo.

Pix shows some traditional cooking (meat in bamboo over the fire) by my friend's mom during Gawai Harvest Festival in mid-year in Sarawak.


I will not be telling the whole truth if I say we are truly tolerant with each other. However, let me remind you that even in a close-knit family, there will be squabbles and disagreements, what more to say in such a diverse community like what we have in Malaysia? Whoever we vote for, be it pro-Government or pro-Opposition, we are all just Malaysian voters exercising our rights. At the end of the day, we eat the same food, breathe in the same air, stay in the same country.

We are far from Utopia but generally, Malaysians are peace-loving people and once you get to know us and we overcome our initial 'shyness', we are always ready with a smile and will render any help we can. Just don't provoke us or call us names as we pride ourselves in our rich heritage and languages.

Selamat Hari Merdeka to all Malaysians! *Peace be unto all of us*

You may be interested to read more: http://suesanctuary.blogspot.com/search/label/1Malaysia

Why do I get called Auntie instead of "kakak" by a 20-year-old? 1Malaysia Dapat ke Tak direalisasikan?

I don't know why but a Malay woman my age (early 30s) would be called "kakak", which is the equivalent of "sister" by a young 20-year-old Malay but the moment they see this Chinese-descent-me of the same age as the earlier "sister", 9 out of 10 times, they will address me as "auntie" instead. That would be the equivalent of "makcik" in the Malay language - usually we reserve this for people who are at least 20 or more years older than the person who say it out of respect.

I understand that calling me "Auntie" is like bestowing me the respect that is much better than "Oy" or "eh" but I cannot stand it after some time and yes, I am irked!

BM (Bahasa Malaysia - Malaysian national language) post ahead.

Mengapakah saya dinaikkan 'pangkat' dan sekaligus, ditambahkan 'umur' saya hanya kerana saya seorang Cina dan bukan Melayu?

Memang betul nama saya Cina, ibu bapa dan seluruh keluarga saya Cina, bahasa ibunda saya di rumah Cina dan darah saya memang Cina, tapi darah saya berwarna merah juga, saya dilahirkan di Malaysia, tanah air semua rakyat Malaysia, malah, saya TIDAK PERNAH menghadiri sekolah Cina - ibu saya menghantar saya ke sekolah kebangsaan dan Bahasa Melayu merupakan bahasa formal pertama saya sementara Bahasa Inggeris bahasa kedua saya sejak kecil lagi. 

Saya membesar dengan memori mencuit hati selama ENAM TAHUN di sekolah rendah dengan kawan-kawan bumiputera di Sarawak, termasuk dua orang kawan Melayu dan seorang lagi lelaki Cina di dalam kelas saya. Saya masih ingat lagi, cara kami menyebut sukukata adalah dengan begitu bakunya sekali. Sa - Saaaaa Ya - Yaaaaa. Semua itu berubah dengan asimilasi masyarakat apabila kami masing-masing membawa diri ke sekolah menengah yang berlainan, dan percaya atau tidak, saya hanya mula bertutur Bahasa Melayu Sarawak, dialek unik negeri Kenyalang dalam Tingkatan Satu.

Bahasa Melayu saya adalah lebih 'mantap' berbanding bahasa ibunda saya kerana saya sekadar pandai bertutur Cina tetapi sebenarnya hanya mengenali beberapa patah perkataan setaraf budak Tadika kerana tidak pernah menerima pendidikan formal Bahasa Cina. Cina celuplah saya ni. 

Oleh itu, sila bercakap dengan saya dalam Bahasa Kebangsaan. Saya amat selesa bertutur dalam Bahasa Kebangsaan kita. Janganlah hairan jika anda mendengar pertuturan petahku, memang Bahasa Melayu bahasa pertama saya sejak kecil lagi, teman sepermainan saya semuanya bertutur dalam Bahasa Melayu, sehingga sekarang.

Tidak payahlah anda tergamam apabila ingin memasukkan saya ke dalam 'kategori kaum stereotaip' tetapi anda ragu-ragu sebab saya suka mengenakan pakaian tradisional Melayu seperti baju kurung dan baju kebaya labuh.

Apabila anda memulakan sapaan dengan Bahasa Inggeris, saya menyapa dengan "Apa Khabar?" "terima kasih" dengan tiada pelat langsung, tidak payahlah anda bertanya, "Eh, Cina ke Melayu?"

Selalunya, saya menjawab soalan itu dengan senyuman, sekadar bertanya balik "Mengapa? Penting ke? Saya orang Malaysia," selalunya mereka akan kebingungan.


Entahlah. Rasanya semangat 1Malaysia masih tidak dapat betul-betul dihayati sepenuhnya sekiranya kita masih di takuk lama. 

Malaysia bukan semata-mata hanya ada TIGA kaum utama! Bagaimana dengan kaum-kaum/etnik lain di Malaysia Timur?

Seperti mana kami di Bumi Kenyalang dan Negeri di Bawah Bayu mengenali yang Pulau Pinang dan Melaka pernah menjadi Negeri-Negeri Selat dengan Singapura, serta sangat jelas yang Adat Perpatih diamalkan di Negeri Sembilan, mengetahui yang Rantau Panjang terletak di Kelantan, adalah adil dan TIDAK KETERLALUAN untuk anda mengetahui yang Iban adalah kaum majoriti di Sarawak dan BUKANNYA Sabah, begitu juga satu lagi pengetahuan am yang kaum Kadazan berasal dari Sarawak, BUKANLAH, dari Sabah ba!

Untuk mengatakan Sabah dan Sarawak adalah tempat dan negeri yang sama, dan apabila dibetulkan, anda mengata "TIDAK MENGAPA" kerana anda salah anggap, Tidak Boleh dimaafkan! Adakah Johor dan Perlis negeri yang sama? Kerana itulah perbandingan jarak secara kasarnya di antara Tip of Borneo di Sabah sehingga ke selatan Sarawak.

Cukuplah leteran saya yang panjang ini. Nanti dikatakan saya ingin mencetuskan isu perkauman pula. Ini hanya rintihan hati dan keluhan naluri yang terpendam selama ini. Saya cintakan tanah air ini, kita sebenarnya tidak banyak berbeza, mengapakah perlu terus membezakan sesama sendiri dan mengkategorikan semua insan ke dalam acuan lama?

Majulah Malaysia mengikut peredaran zaman. Semoga doa ikhlas ini untuk mencapai Bangsa Malaysia yang aman dan betul-betul harmoni dan muhibah, termakbul juga suatu hari nanti.

Anda mungkin tertarik untuk membaca hasil nukilan seterusnya: http://suesanctuary.blogspot.com/2012/08/3m-membaca-mengira-dan-menulis-bahasa.html

A note on Sarawak 2011 State Election

In Malaysia, we have State Elections to elect assemblymen and Federal Elections (nationwide) to elect Members of Parliament.

The EC has announced the nomination of the state of Sarawak's State Elections on Apr 6th and the polling day on Apr 16th, 2011.

This is hardly a reflection, more like a personal note on Sarawak 2011 State Election from someone who is a nobody like me.

Anyway, let me give you a brief introduction on my voting experience from 2001 when I was 21 up till today.

When I was 21 (the minimum age of registered voters), and I could vote, the state election was held too near to my birthday in October and I could not make it in time to be in the voters list due to something that is out of my control - the creation of Sue by my parents, hence I missed 2001 state election.
- quote on 2001 State Election from wikipedia - The Eighth Sarawak state election was held on 27 September 2001 with nomination date on 18 September 2001. The state assembly was supposed to be expired on 18 November 2001 but it was dissolved by the governor of Sarawak 2 months earlier on 3 September 2001. - so it's so unfair they had to dissolve it earlier by two months and I would have missed it anyway, as at the tortoise rate they update the list, two months is still too little time for them to include my name in the voters' list, so never mind then, I still would have missed the 2001 election.

Then in 2004, I was already a registered voter (the patriot in me made sure I registered as soon as I turned 21), and just as fate would have it, I had to fly to Kuala Lumpur to take up a new reporting job and had to be uprooted and 'stationed' on polling day as it was the Federal Election (nationwide), with candidates contesting for Parliamentary seats. I couldn't abandon my reporting job in Kuala Lumpur back then to fly back to Kuching, cos I was attached to a beat of another constituency in Kuala Lumpur, so there goes my second chance to vote. So much for patriotism, huh? But the candidate I was rooting for in my constituency won. No prizes for guessing who (for those of you who knows I'm a patriot as much of a hopeless romantic).

Then in the last State Election that was in 2006, my mum and I flew back just to vote, and I felt I kinda 'jinx'ed it cos the candidate I voted for lost, no prizes for who I voted for. I vomited immediately after I voted, outside the compound of the school which is my polling station, I remember vividly like it was yesterday, I was down with food poisoning -- and call it coincidence if you like, out came all the Kuching laksa and kolo mee I had upon touch-down the day before and that morning -- and down went my candidate of choice.

Okay, so I'm staying in Kuala Lumpur, you may ask me why don't I change my voting constituency? I just don't fancy changing my voting constituency. The last time a friend and his wife did that, their name disappeared from their old constituency and never appeared in the new constituency so they are no longer registered voters as far as anyone is concerned!

So this time around, I'm gonna pass. Not gonna fly back just to vote, cos judging from the responses on fb among my friends who purposely wanna fly back just to vote, I think that will stir things up enough for us to watch the drama unfold through the mass media. Moreover, during that weekend, I'm going to be up to my neck with work and deadlines (this time around, I'm a lecturer, nope, not in political science but in Public Relations), and to give a very politically-correct response to the election this time around, let me gear up my Public Relations skills to give an acceptable answer:

Someone on facebook, a friend from my childhood years in Bau (a former goldmine town in Sarawak) asked about my comments on the impending election based on my past reporting experience - I kinda like what I typed in the comment box and it came from me, so I'm sharing it here:

"We have to remember not all politicians are bad, they are just different by their levels of commitment towards their 'fight' for the people. Once you join politics, you are bound to have some degree of 'taint', cos it's the same dirty pond we're talking about." -- Sue Tiong, 2011

I rest my case. :-)

Going Down Memory Lane - My 'Breakthrough' Feature News Articles

Going down memory lane here as I scrolled back to 2002 as an intern from a public university in Malaysia, with a passion in journalism and keen to learn (plus some strong support of personal ties to pull strings for special interviews).

The English version
KUCHING BUS SERVICE IN SHAMEFUL CONDITION- COMMUTERS

---

Date: 19-04-2002
Author: Tiong Sue Yii / TSY MT AAM
	Kuching-Bus (Special Report)

KUCHING, 19 April (Bernama) - If there is anything that Kuching
commuters would like to complain about in the city they live in, it is the
poor condition of the bus services.
The bus services here are not only unreliable in terms of commuting
schedule but the condition of many buses is in a state of dilapidation.
Perhaps Kuching is the only city in the world that still allows
"antique" or some refer to them as "dinosaur" buses to run on its streets.
All the six bus companies operating here had been the object of
complaints from passengers over punctuality and the condition of their
boneshakers. Some of the buses are so old and rickety that passengers fear
for their lives.
"The buses are so old...I fear they may fall apart at the next hump,"
said Haji Imali Abdullah, 60, from Taman Malihah here.
He said the buses plying between his housing estate and the city always
broke down and when that happened passengers had to wait for hours for the
replacement buses.
Esah Rahmat, 25, from Kota Samarahan, who had only been using the buses
here for a month since she started working in the city, found the buses
lacking punctuality which inconvenienced commuters especially when the
buses arrived as late as an hour from the scheduled time.
She said it was common for her to arrive late at her workplace and to
be reprimanded by her supervisor.
Winnie Encharang, 23, an undergraduate at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
here also complained of buses exceeding their passenger load by almost 20
percent, thus sacrificing their safety and comfort.
She said most of the buses were without air conditioning and on hot
days, the heat in the bus was intolerable.
Winnie also said with people throwing rubbish and chewing gum inside
the buses their condition was not presentable especially to tourists.
All these complaints should serve as a wake up call to the authorities,
the city council and bus operators to take drastic action to upgrade the
bus services in this city.
Chairman of the Sarawak Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (LPKP) Wan
Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar told Bernama that LPKP was working very closely with
the Road Transport Department (JPJ), the Traffic Police Department and
Computerised Vehicle Testing Centre (PUSPAKOM) to improve the current state
of the public service vehicles in this city.
According to LPKP statistics, Kuching had 438 stage buses up to
December 2001. There are six bus companies operating in Kuching including
the Sarawak Transport Company, Chin Lian Long Motor Vehicle Bhd, Kuching
Matang Transport Company and Petra Jaya Transport (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd.
"We are aware that the public buses in Kuching are in very deplorable
condition hence our immediate action is to ask the bus companies to replace
the old buses with new ones," said Wan Junaidi.
Wan Junaidi, who is also Member of Parliament for Batang Lupar, said a
proposal would be submitted to the JPJ to introduce new guidelines which
would limit the age of the stage buses and ensure strict adherence to JPJ
rules for the comfort and safety of commuters.
"The Kuching bus service is in a sorry state if compared to Miri and
Sibu which have beautiful new buses. This is very damaging to the city's
image especially in the eyes of tourists," he said.
Wan Junaidi urged members of the public to submit written feedback to
LPKP instead of just passing remarks in coffeeshops because without a
record, the LPKP could not act.
He also hoped that the bus companies would cooperate and not protest or
resort to political leverage to go against any new directive from the
authorities because they should consider the city's larger interest.
Wan Junaidi said that the bus companies should be willing to initiate
the upgrading of their services before expecting bigger fares.
Meanwhile Kuching Puspakom Manager Jalil Ahmad said all buses in the
city were required to undergo cumpulsory testing every six months to be
eligible for permit renewal.
He suggested that public service vehicles undergo voluntary inspection
once every two or three months for better maintenance.
Jalil said Puspakom also organised dialogue sessions and seminars to
educate vehicle owners regarding their responsibilities especially in
dealing with public safety.
The largest bus company in Sarawak, the STC has 280 buses operating
throughout the state with 25 percent or 150 buses in Kuching.
STC General Manager William Chan said that before the 1997 economic
downturn, the STC was making a profit of RM2 million annually, enabling
them to replace 10 percent of the company's entire fleet with new buses
every year.
"However, the bus fare had not increased with time. Furthermore the bad
economic situation and the increased prices of spare parts and petrol
caused the STC to lose RM8 million and the whole industry in the city
suffered an accumulated loss of over RM60 million last year," he said.
"The price for suspension springs for the bus was RM50 some 10 years
ago.It has increased to RM300 today but the fare has remained at 50 sen for
the first five kilometres and six sen for every subsequent kilometre since
1989."
Chan said the government should stop pirate taxis and illegal hired
vans from operating as they posed a major threat to the bus industry in
Kuching.
"We are a dying breed here and nobody seems to care about us. It's not
that we don't want to improve our services but to do so, we need funding
and we can't afford that at the moment," he told Bernama.
It is obvious that the poor public bus services in Kuching will remain
a problem until the bus companies had sufficient funds to upgrade their
services especially in replacing their old buses with new ones.
The authorities and the bus companies agree that they must work
together to reach mutual understanding in the effort to uplift the city's
image by providing the best possible bus service in the city.
Besides expecting a helping hand from the government, the bus operators
should seriously consider the possibility of merging to improve their
services like in Kuala Lumpur.
--BERNAMA
TSY MT AAM

The Bahasa Melayu (Malay) version

PERKHIDMATAN BAS AWAM DI KUCHING MENYAYATKAN HATI

---

Date: 19-04-2002
Author: Tiong Sue Yii / TSY MT PR
	Kuching-Bas (Laporan Khas)/Bergambar

KUCHING, 19 April (Bernama) -- Kuching, sebuah bandar raya yang
tersergam indah dengan pelbagai prasarana moden menjadi kebanggaan
penduduknya, bagaimanapun perkhidmatan bas di bandar raya itu tidak dapat
dibanggakan oleh penduduknya.
Perkhidmatan bas di sini bukan sahaja tidak boleh dipercayai kerana
jadual perjalanannya yang tidak mengikut masa tetapi keadaan buruk bas-bas
di atas jalan mencacatkan pemandangan dan menimbulkan pelbagai gelaran
sinis akan bas-bas itu.
Mungkin Kuching satu-satunya bandar raya di dunia yang masih
membenarkan bas-bas "antik" ataupun yang digelar sebagai "dinosaur" atas
jalan.
Kesemua enam syarikat bas yang beroperasi di sini tidak terlepas
daripada aduan bertali arus mengenai perjalanan yang tidak mengikut masa
dan keadaan bas-bas itu yang dibaratkan sebagai besi buruk yang boleh
membahayakan keselamatan penumpang.
"Bas-bas itu sudah ditelan zaman...Saya khuatir ia mungkin berkecai di
bonggol jalan," kata Haji Imali Abdullah, 60 dari Taman Malihah dekat sini.
Beliau berkata, bas yang beliau sering gunakan selalu rosak dan selepas
itu para penumpang terpaksa menunggu berjam-jam bagi bas pengganti.
Esah Rahmat, 25, dari Kota Samarahan yang menggunakan perkhidmatan bas
di sini sejak mula bekerja sebulan lepas mendapati jadual perjalanan bas
sukar dipercayai dan menyusahkan penumpang kerana ada kalanya bas itu
sampai satu jam lewat daripada sepatutnya.
Beliau berkata, sudah menjadi lazim bagi beliau untuk tiba lewat di
tempat kerja dan dimarahi oleh penyelianya.
Winnie Encharang, 23, seorang penuntut institut pengajian tinggi di
sini juga mengadu bas-bas membawa lebih ramai penumpang daripada sepatutnya
dan biasanya 20 peratus lebih dengan itu membahayakan keselamatan dan
keselesaan para penumpang.
Beliau berkata kebanyakan bas tidak berhawa dingin dan jika cuaca panas
keadaan dalam bas bagikan `ketuhar'.
Winnie juga berkata perbuatan penumpang membuang sampah dan `chewing
gum' mengotorkan ruang dalam bas serta rupabentuknya di luar yang nampak
usang memberi gambaran buruk kepada pelancong.
Walaupun semua keluhan ini, bas-bas ini masih bermaharajalela di atas
jalan-jalan Kuching tetapi penduduknya mahu pihak berkuasa dan pemilik
perkhidmatan bas ini untuk mengambil tindakan drastik memperbetulkan
keadaan demi menjaga imej Kuching sebagai sebuah bandar raya yang disegani.
Pengerusi Lembaga Pelesenan Kenderaan Perdagangan (LPKP) Wan Junaidi
Tuanku Jaafar memberitahu Bernama yang LPKP sedang berusaha gigih bersama
Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan (JPJ), Polis Trafik dan Pusat Pemeriksaan
Kenderaan Berkomputer (PUSPAKOM) dalam mencari penyelesaian bagi
perkhidmatan pengangkutan awam di bandar raya ini.
Menurut statistik daripada LPKP, Kuching mempunyai 438 bas
berhenti-henti sehingga Disember 2001. Antara enam syarikat bas yang
mengadakan perkhidmatan di Kuching ialah Sarawak Transport Company, Chin
Lian Long Motor Vehicle Bhd, Kuching Matang Transport Company and Petra
Jaya Transport (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd.
"Kami sedar bas-bas awam di Kuching berada dalam keadaan buruk dan
tindakan segera kami ialah meminta syarikat-syarikat bas untuk mengantikan
bas-bas usang mereka dengan yang baru," kata Wan Junaidi.
Wan Junaidi yang juga anggota Parlimen bagi Batang Lupar berkata:
"Keadaan di Kuching memilukan jika dibandingkan dengan di Miri dan Sibu
yang mempunyai bas-bas baru dan cantik di atas jalan-jalan mereka. Ini
menjejaskan imej bandar raya itu di mata pelancong," katanya.
Wan Junaidi berkata, syarikat-syarikat bas harus bersedia memulakan
usaha menaikkan taraf perkhidmatan mereka sebelum meminta para penumpang
membayar tambang yang lebih.
Sementara itu Pengurus Puspakom Kuching Tengah Jalil Ahmad berkata,
semua bas di bandar raya diperlukan menjalani ujian mandatori setiap enam
bulan sekali untuk memperbaharui permit.
Beliau mengesyorkan mereka dengan sukarela menjalani pemeriksaan sekali
setiap enam bulan bagi penyenggaraan lebih baik kenderaan-kenderaan mereka.
Syarikat bas terbesar di Sarawak, Sarawak Transport Company (STC)
mempunyai 280 bas yang beroperasi di seluruh negeri dengan 150 bas
beroperasi di Kuching.
Pengurus Besar Sarawak Transport Company (STC) William Chan berkata
sebelum krisis ekonomi 1997, STC mencatatkan keuntungan RM2 juta setiap
tahun, membolehkan mereka memperbaharui 10 peratus daripada bas-bas dalam
perkhidmatan syarikat itu setiap tahun.
"Bagaimanapun, tambang bas tidak dinaikkan dengan peredaran masa. Untuk
mengeruhkan lagi keadaan keadaan ekonomi yang buruk dan kenaikan harga
alat-alat ganti dan petrol menyebabkan STC kerugian RM8 juta dan seluruh
industri itu mengalami kerugian sebanyak RM60 juta tahun lepas," katanya.
Sebagai contoh harga spring sistem penggantung bagi bas ialah RM50
sepuluh tahun lepas. Kini ia telah meningkat ke RM300 tetapi tambang kekal
50 sen bagi lima kilometer pertama dan enam sen bagi setiap kilometer
seterusnya sejak 1989.
Chan berkata, kerajaan juga harus meningkatkan penguatkuasaan
undang-undang dalam menangani perkhidmatan teksi swasta (van sewa) haram
yang menjadi pesaing utama kepada perkhidmatan bas di bandar raya ini.
"Kami tertekan dan tiada siapa yang mahu membela kami. Bukan kami tidak
mahu meningkatkan perkhidmatan kami tetapi untuk berbuat demikian kami
memerlukan pelaburan yang kami tidak mampu buat masa ini," kata beliau
kepada Bernama di sini.
Pihak berkuasa dan syarikat-syarikat bas mesti bekerjasama untuk capai
kata sepakat dalam usaha meningkatkan imej bandar raya ini dengan
menyediakan perkhidmatan bas terbaik mungkin.
Selain daripada mengharapkan bantuan kerajaan, pengendali perkhidmatan
bas mesti menimbangkan dengan serius kemungkinan bergabung sesama mereka
untuk mempertingkatkan perkhidmatan.
-- BERNAMA
TSY MT PR

It was this first 'big' assignment that sealed my 'fate' and passion to have reporting as my FIRST JOB! It was a big deal for an intern that I was, yup, I wrote this when I was a struggling intern who had her first news torn in front of her by her editor as that was how rookies were 'orientated' by the companies they first 'work' or interned in, as described by my journalism seniors in uni.

I have since written many more news and feature stories, some front page news, but none struck me as much as this special report. Looking back fondly to my journalism career, it was relatively short but meaningful. I'm glad I went in but then again, am I glad I'm out, as our priorities change in different stages of our lives.

Anyway, about the bus industry in my hometown of Kuching in the state of Sarawak, East Malaysia: You know, nine years on, it's still in a deplorable condition, sad, but true. Anyway, one of the bus companies are no more, and some efforts have been made to improve the system but it's slow.

UPDATE ON HOW THE BUSES LOOK LIKE NOW according to sweetsurrender's blog:

http://sweetsurrender.99.com.my/?p=7298

New Bus in Kuching

March 13th, 2010 ·SOURCED FROM sweetsurrender's blog:

For those of you who left Kuching for quite a while, if you do come back, you will not be seeing the usual blue buses from Chin Lian Long anymore. It’s now replaced by green buses called the City Public Link.

When it started? I’m not so sure. I’ve seen quite many of them on the road few months back but I didn’t know those were our new public buses because I don’t take public transport and I don’t know how hahaha… I thought it’s a new express bus company. I only knew about it until my mom mentioned about it.

However, public transport in Kuching isn’t that efficient yet. I doubt it will be soon. At least, nicer looking buses and cleaner looking buses are used now.

- end of quote from sweetsurrender's blog -

The two news above are copyrighted by Bernama - (pertubuhan Berita Nasional Malaysia) the Malaysian National News Agency and have been accredited in this blog post, and should be properly accredited when quoted by anyone.