ALTHOUGH I am not a frequent traveller, none of the countries I have visited made me pay a higher price than locals for taking public trains or buses.

Public transport all over the world is either free at the point of service or everyone paid the same price, regardless of nationality.

I travelled to Paris recently to attend a conference where the public transport system was not discriminatory. It was equal for all to the best of my knowledge.

Whether I am traveling from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to my hotel in Bagnolet – taking the bus to the bustling République district or changing between the Paris Metro and suburban express railway to various tourist destinations – I have never once had to pay a different charge to Paris folk.

This is after all a country that still holds firmly to the ideals of ‘liberté, égalité, fraternité’ (liberty, equality, fraternity) – values clearly lacking in the Selangor government.

This brings us neatly to the decision of MBPJ and Selangor government to impose a charge on migrants taking the PJ City Bus while Malaysians are exempt.

Before we assess the merits of such a policy, it is better to ponder what if the roles are reversed?

What if the Singapore government suddenly decides to impose two-tier fares for locals and foreigners on its public transport?

Most Malaysians would be rightly infuriated with the policy, especially when so many migrant workers from Malaysia are relying on the ever efficient and reliable public transport system to commute to work.

If a Malaysian working in Singapore believes that public transport is a benefit that should be made available to all members of society, then surely he or she would feel discriminated against by any policy to raise fares for foreigners.

Why are migrant workers from Malaysia not entitled to feel the same way?

I used to travel on the PJ city bus, PJ02, and the service was admittedly inefficient.

Buses could go missing for an hour and some bus stops are not strategically located.

It is only the inconvenience of traffic congestion and pricey parking that outweigh the costs of using the service.

Nevertheless, you immediately notice that the PJ City Bus remains a popular public service and there are foreign workers using it regularly to travel.

The PJ01 line is even more popular among foreign workers as the bus route passes through the industrial zone in the southern part of Petaling Jaya.

The policy, therefore, is a betrayal to many of those foreign workers living in Petaling Jaya who now will have to add another extra layer of expense, while tackling the rising cost of living.

Lest we forget, it is only foreign workers that are willing to take on most of Selangor’s dirty, dangerous and difficult jobs, which contribute to the state’s economy.

It is also outrageous to hear critics talking about how governments are right to charge them for a public service because they are not taxed.

Setting aside all the taxes they need to pay in order for them to work in Malaysia, foreign workers also helped the economy by eating out, buying groceries, travelling around and most importantly being one of the hardest working communities doing the country’s most labour-intensive jobs.

The argument of balancing the cost of a public service might be sound, but it is unacceptable that the cost is imposed only on the foreign workers, while Malaysians continue to enjoy the service free of charge.

In fact, what makes the policy so appalling is it creates a hierarchy where paying a fee or exemption is laid bare within the public good.

It will only further stoke prejudice and xenophobia in a country that already lags behind in labour rights and remains notorious for exploitation of migrant workers. 

I believe many Malaysians would not have too many complaints of paying 90 sen for a public bus service, provided the buses are punctual.

This would also compel the local and state governments to increase funding to improve the service – a reason why the government chose not to charge Malaysians is astonishing as it does not even make economic sense.

What separates Malaysians and migrant workers is not about whether they pay tax, but rather whether they are enfranchised.

Clearly, the state government is not willing to start imposing charges to a popular public service and therefore chose a demagoguing route that will not incur any backlash from voters.

Then, the Selangor government might as well stop calling itself a progressive government, because what it has done is nothing but discriminate against the most vulnerable community in Malaysia. – January 8, 2023

* Kenneth Cheng has always been interested in the interplay between human rights and government but more importantly he is a father of two cats, Tangyuan and Toufu. When he is not attending to his feline matters, he is most likely reading books about politics and human rights or playing video games. He is a firm believer in the dictum “power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will”.

* 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.