Much has been said about the baffling condition of our public transportation system in Malaysia. Issues such as
- Integrated links between the various different providers (e.g. PUTRA, STAR-LRT, KTM) that's not so integrated
- Inexplicable lack of parking spaces at key stations
- No increase in capacity in PUTRA lines even though people are packed like sardines at rush hour (yes, planned, but how come it takes 4 years to add car to the trains - can't we just buy the darn carriages from the manufacturers and install them? Kena ada local company partner ka?)
And much has also been said about why it's this way
- 13 Government Agencies regulating, managing and monitoring the public transport in this country (the more, the merrier?)
- Lack of planning (generic excuse for everything that's not right)
There's actually some relatively simple things that can be done to sort out this mess. Make someone (not an agency, nor a ministry, nor a committee!!) accountable for the outcomes of an effective public transport system for the whole country. It's crucial that this person's rewards (think CEO of an organization) such as bonuses and salaries are directly linked to the success of the public transport system:
- Accessibility (e.g. stations need efficient and easily used feeder systems)
- Quality (clean, on schedule, etc)
- Utilization (people actually use it because it's convenient, and more effective than other alternatives)
These outcomes must be measured independently - perhaps by a regulatory commission that also helps the Government decide on fares, bus routes, etc.
The CEO should also be given the capability and mandate to affect change - have all the 13 agencies report to her (maybe in a PEMUDAH-like construct, with our intrepid CEO as Chairman?) on a regular basis and wide ranging powers of carrots & sticks to persuade, chide and cajole the various little Napoleons into doing what's right for the people.
Fundamentally - everyone up and down an organization needs to be rewarded fairly for their contribution. If the leader lacks the wherewithal to reward the high-performers, everyone will give a mediocre performance since that's the safe thing to do ("why risk it lah, I still get paid my bonus what..."). On top of this, the high-performers are being unfairly treated - and they will leave for organizations that are able to reward them to their abilities.
And that's a topic for another post...
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2 comments:
Well put...
I wonder if organisations can allow their staff to come in at staggered times.
It does take a fair bit of jiggling, but the smaller organisations ought to be able to do it.
There'll be people who prefer to come in later, say, at 10am and leave later, say, at 6pm.
Or those who prefer to clock in right after dropping their kids off at school, so maybe 8am-4pm.
Or go even more radical - if you want to leave half hour earlier, have just a half hour lunch!
But the organisation has to come up with a way to make sure they really do work the agreed times.
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