LAST week, a group of taxi operators from Langkawi walked out of a meeting with Dr Mahathir Mohamad, but not before shouting some insults and rude jeers. While the walkout itself is merely an exercise in peaceful dissent and a very valid democratic right, perhaps Malaysians are less accustomed to shouting down a sitting prime minister.

If this was the previous, yellow balloon-sensitive administration, it would not be surprising to see a few criminal charges filed against those drivers for the drivel that transpired.

Their frustrations, though, makes sense.

For years, taxi licences, much like toll concessions, A and B class contractor licenses, F class contractor contracts, Ministry of Finance licenses and so on have been used as tools for Barisan Nasional, predominantly Umno, to control their four million members.

Profits and pilferage from the system was recycled back as political funds by their warlords, while the system itself became sluggish from the bureaucracy formed to profit from it, and weak from the weight of greed it supported.

But while it’s easy to understand their frustrations, it’s a different thing altogether with their sense of entitlement.

It’s one thing to treat your leaders with disrespect, to insult the intelligence of your fellow Malaysians is quite another.

Rideshare services hit Malaysian shores almost seven years ago, exceeding even most taxi hire purchase agreements of seven years.

At that time, taxis and fare cab services in Malaysia suffered from a serious deficit in public confidence. Arrogant taxi drivers, refusal to pick up fares, especially short ones, refusal to use meters and the laundry list goes on. The allegations of crime and thuggish image of many of the drivers add to its overall lack of appeal.

When ridesharing burst onto the scene and disrupted the taxi with a fraction of the cost, increased timeliness and comfort, and most importantly, oh-so-awaited-for courtesy, the taxi drivers’ happy monopoly was rudely interrupted.

And they lashed out. On the government, their former clients and mostly, on the Uber and Grab drivers, never once looking at themselves for a solution for the horrible image they built for themselves.

Instead of asking why, even via online apps, they appear to be the last option of any commuter, or why they are consistently named a pain point by locals and tourists alike – they question the same system they were happy to exploit when things were going their way. Egged on by the same overlord leaders – taxi bosses and driver associations – the biggest failures of all.

Instead of using a platform granted to them to work harder, and calling on the government of the day to liberalise the sector, simplify the corrupt red-tape driven system, and to push for better deals from banks and finance companies, the stage is used almost like that of a redneck political rally.

The truth is, they have had plenty of time to adopt, adapt and work with the changes to their business space. Running to politicians every time faced with an issue is disempowering and quite juvenile, and makes you vulnerable for future exploitation.

Most governments would play it safe, especially when public sentiment is involved, and only promise studies and to keep looking and re-looking into a problem that won’t go away.

Taxis aren’t the only conventional business being disrupted by technology – online shopping, hotel and apartment bookings, even the way we order household help and matchmaking services, are all changing due to the rapidly pervasive way technology is running our lives.

Yet, you don’t see Malaysian hoteliers, retail outlets or matchmaking aunts going around assaulting or threatening to assault people who use Lazada, Booking.com or Tinder.

So what makes taxi drivers so special, other than their own sense of overestimating themselves?

Of course, there are as many good and sincere cabbies out there, as there are bad ones. Why are they not doing anything about their terrible brethren who are doing their own profession a great disservice by yelling their complaints at an increasingly unsympathetic public?

Kick them out, and reason properly with the government, and earn public trust again.

Don’t declare war with your customers. That is one battle you cannot win. – October 23, 2018.

* Emmanuel Joseph firmly believes that Klang is the best place on Earth, and that motivated people can do far more good than any leader with motive.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.