The main problem regarding the development of public transport in Malaysia, particularly in Kuala Lumpur, can be summarised by one statement: ‘Selfish crony capitalism’. Efficiency is sacrificed to satisfy a few cronies' greed.

A good example are the bus service companies in Kuala Lumpur. They have not integrated into one network but force passengers to pay fares for each individual company. This kind of cut-throat competition has had a reverse effect - pubic transportation has failed to garner public support..

Few people liked the inconvenience (not to mention the extra costs) of switching from bus line to bus line in order to reach a destination

Moreover, the bus lines were not rationally planned to cover the most populated areas. Instead, they were planned haphazardly at the whims of the crony owner. A good example is one bus line that skips the MidValley Megamall - this out of spite, not out of rationality.

It is time for these people to get together and link up all the public transport lines into a seamless system. They should have the intelligence and magnanimity to realise that by doing so, they will create a win-win situation that will benefit them and the public. By doing so, they will make more money, the public will be happier and the environment will be better.

It is their selfish attitude - sad to say - that harms the rakyat and themselves too. If these owners do not have the vision to help themselves and the rakyat , the government should step in and force them to link the lines up and share the profits.

Kuala Lumpur is the only capital city, among the many I have visited, that has multiple inefficient companies running an unintegrated public transportation system.