In high school, spot checks are done with the instruction of the discipline teacher. If you’ve wondered why Anthony Loke has never asked his underlings to conduct spot checks by paying surprise visits to public transport locations, we can tell you it has something to do with understanding what the rakyat feels on a daily basis.
In an interview with BBK Network, Anthony said that his spot checks are not done for only the purpose of surprise visits but also to understand the real issues and flaws that are affecting daily public transport users.
“You have to put yourself in the shoes of the public transport users, then you’ll know what to expect,” Anthony said.
He added that as a daily public transport user, one will expect the public transport to be punctual, fast, convenient and comfortable. This explains the necessity for the transport minister himself to pay surprise visits to monitor the condition of the public transportation system, as well as go undercover as a regular citizen and experience the public transport himself.
When asked to rate the LRT train and other public transportation systems, Anthony said it’s tough to rate, given how much room for improvements they still have.
“I have to understand what are the real issues, because maintenance is only one of them.”
Anthony also said that a minister’s duty is to make decisions, but before he can make one, he has to understand the underlying problems without solely relying on the opinions of the officers.
“If an officer sends me a report and says there is no issue today, how would I know if I don’t personally come down and visit the place?”
People can say whatever they want
Anthony also revealed that he’s aware of the comments that claim his surprise visits are merely an act, and in response to that, he said, “I usually ignore these comments”.
He highlighted that regardless of what you do, some people will always have something to say about it.
“It’s common to have people praising and criticising you at the same time. If you care about what others say about you, how are you going to do your work?”
Anthony and the interviewers had a lot to chat about during the train ride, and you can watch the 29 minutes clip below.
We cannot deny the importance of public transport, especially to those who rely on them on a daily basis. Hopefully, under Anthony Loke’s supervision, the issues will be resolved immediately to ease the public transport users.
