LOOK MOM. IT’S THE PRIME MINISTER!

Not bad, not bad. Twice within a month he went out and sees for himself life in Kuala Lumpur. He surprised many with his visit.
Earlier this month he visited 3 predominantly Malay, Chinese and Indian areas namely Pantai Dalam, Petaling Street and Brickfields.
And yesterday he visited 2 areas important to the middle and lower income, Jln Masjid India and Puduraya respectively. Those 2 areas are special to me when I first step into KL.
For many, Puduraya is the first place they step foot in KL. It is the first iconic building that greets them when they disembarked from their bus. It’s the same with me. And the funny thing, the place hasn’t changed much since I first set foot here in KL 10 years ago.
It’s about time someone like the Prime Minister serve a reminder to the relevant party to expedite the completion of Plaza Rakyat. Imagine the feeling being greeted by a gigantic eyesore, Plaza Rakyat. It’s like being treated like a 3rd class citizen. Can’t they at least greet us with something of beauty?
You don’t see tourist being greeted by ‘half complete’ KLIA or KL Sentral? At these places, any sign of possible eyesore will be dealt immediately.
And here we have Plaza Rakyat, an eyesore of mega proportion welcoming us. The building itself is a metaphor of how life is going to be in KL. It’s big but doesn’t mean it’s always beautiful.
So the question now, is he going to continue with this ‘spot check’? If he plan to make this his monthly rendezvous, he should consider visiting the outskirts and other states.
I’m suggesting places like Pasar Borong Selayang,Seri Kembangan & Balakong, Tmn Connaught, Rawang, Kajang, Klang etc. Like I mentioned earlier, do visit some pekan or kampong unannounced whenever he is at any states.
He should also consider making this a real deal. Forget about informing the relevant Ministers or Chief Minister. Take a car together with his bodyguard and drive around like stealth unknown to the general public. Please, surprise us citizens. It might win some votes and I don’t driving him around as long as he’s paying for the toll and petrol.
Leave his outriders and try taking the LRT from Bukit Jalil to PWTC. Or maybe travel along the Federal Highway during peak hour. To be a ‘pemimpin berjiwa rakyat’, he should feel our agonizing pain.
This unassuming act reminds me of Sultan Alauddin Ri’ayat Shah who was famous for going undercover at night checking the well being of his rakyat.
I also hope other Ministers and Chief Ministers would follow suit. They should visit places that are relevant to their ministry. In this case I think the Tourism Minister has an enviable job.