AN irate Transport Minister Anthony Loke has slammed the poor maintenance culture of public amenities after finding out-of-service ticketing machines and walkalators during a brief spot check at the Kuala Lumpur KTM station today.

A dissatisfied Loke said within 30 minutes, he found several amenities to be out of service.

“In just a half-hour visit I found things that are not working. This is a major station, this is the old KL station. This is embarrassing.

“Out of four (ticketing) machines, three are not working. So this is unacceptable,” he told reporters, adding that this did not put the country in a good light, even as Visit Malaysia 2020 kicks off this year.

Loke visited the historic Kuala Lumpur station, which is connected to the nearby Pasar Seni MRT station. He was there to view the newly opened connecting bridge for pedestrians.

“I decided to carry a sudden spot check without any officers,” the minister said.

He also said one out of the two walkalators at the KL Station, which started operating two months ago, is now not working.

Loke urged the top management of service providers to go down to the ground for regular checks to ensure everything is in order and fully functional.

“It is not just the minister who must come down to check. The CEOs of the respective government-linked companies must be more proactive.”

“This directive is for all CEOs,” he said.

Loke said it was pointless to spend billions on big ticket projects and on upgrading tracks and stations if the service provided is below par.

He said all stakeholders involved in public transport, including Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, KTMB and MRT Corp, have to be proactive in delivering their services to the people. 

Loke told service providers to practise a culture of better maintenance and warned that he would conduct spot checks from time to time.

“I am not satisfied with what I saw today.

“It doesn’t just burden the locals. It does not give a good image to tourists,” he added. – January 6, 2020.