THE airports of Malaysia serving the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur are far from the city center.
Far, just like Narita is far from Tokyo. Or Suvarnabhumi from Bangkok. Or even Chek Lap Kok from Hongkong.
But all these airports have one thing in common: a fast means of getting to and from the airport for those in the city center.
Fast and relatively inexpensive.
In fact, I am writing this on board the KLIA express train that travels from KL Sentral (the city’s main train station) to KLIA 1 in 28 minutes, compared to the usual one to even two hours by Grab or taxi along Malaysia’s well-built tollways. For MYR 55.00 (or about 650), it’s a fairly inexpensive way to travel.
‘So, what’s my New Year wish? That we (sooner or later) would have the courage to put in office those people who will look at us hoi polloi as the VIPs and concentrate on policies and programs that benefit us appropriately.’
A week ago, I was on board HK’s public transport systems zipping along MTR lines crisscrossing the Special Administrative Region, the old lines built during the time of the British, and the newer lines built after the handover. And in a few hours, I will be using Bangkok’s above-ground and below-ground rapid transit systems that help alleviate its terrible traffic situation.
I’ve always wondered: even though Manila was the third city in this part of the world (after HK and Singapore) to build a mass transit system, why did we never think of connecting first the LRT line on Taft and later on the MRT line on EDSA to our airports?
In part, I guess the answer is we haven’t made up our minds what to do with NAIA. Do we close it when the one being built in Sangley or Bulacan is opened? Or do we keep it partially open maybe, say, for domestic operations? If we are indeed uncertain about the future of NAIA 1, 2 and 3, then building the LRT line to the airport would be an expensive waste of money. But remember that the Taft LRT was built in the early 1980s and that’s 40 years ago — 40 years of uncertainty?
We’ve been uncertain that long? Jeesas.
In the meantime, everyone else but us plans not only for the last years of the current term of office but for decades ahead. Everyone has to wade through the thicket called politics, but why do I get the feeling that politics makes us more than most other countries around us end up jogging in place? So much effort with little to show, especially for the ordinary folks. You see, it’s the ordinary folks, and not our wang-wang escorted VIPs, who would benefit most from a rapid transit system that connects the airport to the city center.
And that explains why the cities I mentioned have trains to the airports and why we don’t.
VIPs don’t need them.
So, what’s my New Year wish? That we (sooner or later) would have the courage to put in office those people who will look at us hoi polloi as the VIPs and concentrate on policies and programs that benefit us appropriately.
I know, I know: New Year’s wishes, like resolutions, are often not worth even the paper they’re written on.
But allow me the privilege of dreaming and making a wish this New Year’s week!
