I.DONT.UNDERSTAND.WHAT.IS.SO.DIFFICULT.ABOUT.GETTING.TAXI.DRIVERS.TO.TURN.ON.THEIR.METERS.

It just goes to show how effective law enforcement is in a country. If they cannot even regulate a regulated industry like the taxi industry, one can only wonder how effective they will be when other issues such as organized crime comes about. Little wonder then that the crime rate is so fucking high in this country. Cases of girls being kidnapped 100m away from their homes before getting raped then killed are so common here, I hardly bat an eyelid when I hear about it.

The situation regarding taxi drivers are so bad that even the hotel staff shyly admit that the ride would cost me RM 4 by meter, which is never turned on. So be prepared to pay RM 7 usually but do NOT pay more than RM 10. Fantastic.

Day 2, we boarded a cab who demanded RM 20 and despite the fact he refused to lower the price he started driving off. Mother fucker. Finally we settled at RM 10 but that’s not the point.

What is the problem with this country. Even often maligned China has managed to control the problem of taxi touting by ensuring that complaints are not just heard but attended to and affirmative action taken. In fact, in all major cities in the middle kingdom, one does not have to even ask the drivers to turn on the meter.

I can only reckon that complaints in this city just provide an opportunity for the regulators to earn some extra pocket money. I mean why bother punishing them when one can make a quick buck out of them. When policemen regularly stop foreign cars asking for “coffee” money what more underpaid regulators.

It’s situations like this that make me smirk to myself when I remember their goal of reaching the status of a developed nation by 2020. I think they confused the positions of 0 and 2.