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Online petition protesting against 10% NSE toll hike touching 2,000 signatures in less than 48 hours – a measure of the vast reservoir of opposition to unfair and lopsided NSE toll rate structure and an expression of e-democracy
Media Comment by Lim Kit Siang (Penang, Friday): The online petition launched by the Coalition Against Unfair Toll Increase (CAUTI) yesterday is touching 2,000 signatures in less than 48 hours. The response to the online petition, www.petitiononline.com/notohike/petition.html , is a measure of the vast reservoir of public opposition to the unfair and lopsided North South Expressway (NSE) toll rate structure. I have added my signature to the online petition protesting against the unfair 10% NSE toll hike, and I confirm that No. 1992 signatory on the online petition is mine. I call on all MPs, whether Barisan Nasional or Opposition, who have stood united in the Dewan Rakyat last week to make it very clear to the Works Minister, Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu their strong and unqualified objection to the 10% NSE toll hike to come forward to individually and publicly sign the online protest petition to encourage as many responses as possible. A powerful point must be made that PLUS and the government should accede to the most reasonable request for a two-month deferment of the 10% NSE toll hike to allow for a full public study of its far-reaching implications, affecting two to three generations of Malaysians. This will also be an occasion to advance Malaysia one important step towards e-democracy, by making use of the Internet to respond to the pledge by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to listen to the views of the people, however unpleasant or unpalatable. All State Assembly elected representatives in Peninsular Malaysia should also come forward to publicly endorse the online petition. In fact, it would be an useful exercise in e-democracy for all opinion leaders whether officials of political parties, trade unions, consumer organisations, NGOs and all other bodies constituting the Malaysian civil society, to come forward to publicly and individually sign the NSE toll hike protest online petition. |