Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today lambasted the local service industry stating that if its standards did not improve, Malaysia would remain a Third World country.

"Unless Malaysians change their mentality to become more aware of the need to serve people better and improve the upkeep of buildings, we will forever be a Third World country with First World infrastructure," he said in a hard-hitting opening speech at the two-day Kuala Lumpur 21 Convention in the capital today.

The convention is a get together of all government authorities and interested parties to discuss ways to make KL a better city.

Abdullah stated even those in the private sectors exhibited training that was below international standards, giving the examples of rude and inefficient workers.

"Why is it that even within the private sector, where workers are paid better and supposedly have higher morale, we still find ourselves attended to by an unsmiling, uncooperative, inefficient worker with zero initiative.

"It is a national shame that, in terms of service in the city, Kuala Lumpur is unable to impress like other cities in the region that possess a more resourceful, friendly and efficient work force," Abdullah said.

Plight of the poor

During his speech, Abdullah highlighted the plight of people from lower income groups stating that the government was committed to providing housing to these groups.

"We cannot merely focus on Kuala Lumpur for the expatriates, the affluent and the middle-class. Kuala Lumpur is also home to recent migrants from rural areas, factory workers and others with lower income.

"Although social ills are also prevalent in the middle-class, it acutely affects groups that are less well-off and underprivileged. If we want to successfully develop this city holistically, we must empower the underprivileged groups by providing them with the necessary infrastructure and amenities to live a quality life," he added.

Abdullah also warned against developers who were more concerned with speed and profit rather than quality.

"Urban development must also be approached with greater care in the future. Whereas Kuala Lumpur welcomed the rush of development and construction, today management of the city should guard against reckless buildup of property assets.

"Furthermore, the authorities will have to be stricter in enforcing rules and laws. Errant developers that fail to deliver must be punished and high quality standards must be set for the construction of homes and offices," he added.

He also called on the public sector to increase transparency and accountability saying that there was a greater demand from the public for such issues.

"The Kuala Lumpur City Hall should know that the public now demand greater transparency and accountability. They want authorities that are honest, efficient and friendly. The City Hall must not be opaque, inefficient and overly bureaucratic," he said.

Historical buildings

In a press conference after the officiating of the convention, Abdullah told reporters that the problem in saving the historical buildings in the city is due to "competing priorities".

He was referring to commercial interests and heritage interests which clash when rehabilitating historical buildings.

Abdullah also said that Malaysians have yet to adopt the culture of using public transport.

"We have the light rail transport (LRT) but the people do not seem to like it very much. There is this preference to use self-owned transport. If possible, the car should bring them right to the doorstep of the shops. Either that, or as near as possible to the shops. I do not know why this preference, wallahu a'lam (Only God knows)," said Abdullah.

He also said that Kuala Lumpur should not be a city for the affluent but also a city for the lower income groups.

"We cannot build a wall to stop rural migration into the city. The problem of housing for these lower income people should be addressed and programmes to build decent homes at affordable prices should be carried out," said Abdullah.

He also said that although the government understands that many housing projects were abandoned during the economic crisis, the government will impose penalties on those who continue to leave their projects abandoned.