It’s been a week since the latest installment of the MRT was inaugurated, prompting our mildly hyperbolic Prime Minister Najib Razak to say that somebody told him that it was “better than London, New York, or Hong Kong.”
No word on who that trainspotter was, or whether they had actually been to any of these cities.
Over the course of the week we’ve managed to trash said MRT, break its toilets, and leave a few cleaning supplies around the station for good measure. After decades of mini-buses, and third-world diesel chuggers, we just don’t know how to have nice things, it seems.
The case was further strengthened today when Facebook user Nana Abd Rashid uploaded two photos from her journey on the Kajang to Sungai Buloh route of the MRT. You know, the one that our PM called “the most modern” in the world?
With modernity comes ingenuity, like that of the parents that decided to use the train’s railing to suspend their baby cradle while the carriage puttered along its journey.
“Why not bring along a mattress and a comforter to the MRT?” she added, in her post. This prompted another user to add that maybe a rice cooker was all that the family needed to make the MRT their second home.
In all seriousness, the photos sparked safety concerns, as much as concern over the state of the country’s manners. Had there been an emergency, or a sudden jolt, the baby would certainly have fallen.
Another photo that she took showed parents allowing their children in plain sight to ride the train whilst standing on the seats.
Ahhh, the uncouth soles of shoes that have walked our nasty streets, caressing the seats where others park their bottoms. Shudder.
Let’s just make this as fast and clear as possible for everyone out there: seats are for sitting, not standing. Don’t suspend your baby’s cradle using the train’s railings, this is so obvious I feel like I also need to tell you to drink water and look both ways before crossing the street. Bye!
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