State govt move to help save bus services lauded

TS,Saturday 4 February 2012 

The rescue effort of the bus service for the state by the Malacca state government ought to be lauded. 

However, steps must be taken to ensure that it will not end up to be a case of old wine in a new bottle, as the same workers and culture are transferred to a consortium. 

Leakages are common in state-run enterprises and consortiums. They are difficult to plug after the rot has set in. 

In the bus industry, leakages mainly occur in procurement, maintenance and fares collection. 

As such, preventive measures must be instituted early to act as a deterrent and bring things under control. 

At the other end of the scale, the recent report of Ken Grenda, 79, who operated a bus service in Melbourne, is inspiring. 

He sold his company, ensured that all 1,800 employees kept their jobs and handed out RM48.69m in “thank you” bonuses to his loyal staff. 

To quote one of the workers “Ken looked after his employees, he treated them like family. Every time he comes past the depot, he shakes everyone’s hands, and says ‘g’day’”. 

State enterprises are no match with business run by passionate entrepreneurs. 

YS Chan 

Kuala Lumpur