WHEN the massive columns for the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Sungai Buloh-Kajang (SBK) Line were being erected about three years ago along the Cheras-Kajang Expressway, I remember visualising what the landscape would look like once the project was completed.
I thought I had it all crystal clear, even though the images became a trifle fuzzy by scenes of construction clutter and incomplete work. But I was certain that I would be happy and impressed with the final outcome. What I had not imagined was that I would be enthralled and thrilled when the project was completed and ready.
It has altered the scene altogether. Overnight, and without doubt, it has transformed Kajang into an integral part of the urban Kuala Lumpur sprawl. Kajang is not any more a small satay town just outside KL that I used to tell others when asked where I live. It is now a section of the capital city itself.
The Cheras-Kajang Expressway did not bring this effect, but MRT SBK Line certainly does. What with the elevated and underground line, the technology, smart trains and brand-new stations along the way, it will make many to proudly admit that they are from Kajang like how those living in Damansara or Shah Alam usually do.
The hope is that this new facility and service will be well-maintained and kept spotless by not only the operators but also the commuters who ride on the trains. This calls for efficient and firm enforcement. It should also have a highly secure and safe environment.
This level of safety and security includes preventing threats from terrorists and sabotage, and not only common thievery and misconduct.
I had not figured the numbers in the reduction of vehicular traffic that will use the expressway when motorists opt for the MRT service. It was reported recently that this would be in the thousands.
If this is true, then many who have still got to be on the road and who had patiently endured the traffic congestion getting to KL all these years would surely be thankful. It could even bring back the pleasure of driving, just like in the old days, along trunk roads. But maybe that is too wishful a thought.
Given my penchant to foray and reminisce into the past, I should feel a little sad now that my memories of the old road, Kajang town, the villages, the rubber plots and padi fields
that were once there will begin to fade faster because of this
new development.
Surprisingly, I have not got to feeling such unlike what I do over other places where I had deep attachments to. Maybe it is the way the line is constructed, the benefits it brings to the community or the realisation that it is such a vital piece of our nation-building effort that got me feeling less poignant over such a matter.
That notwithstanding, Kajang, Balakong, Batu 9 and Cheras remain to be older inhabited places unlike other places that were more recently carved out of the jungles, or rubber and oil palm plantations.
These places have a longer history encompassing the colonial period, the Japanese Occupation, the first Emergency of 1948 to 1960 and the pre-Merdeka years. It is a rich mix of events as well as patriots, colonial masters, soldiers, bearded communist terrorist leaders, traders and common kampung folks filling the long and intricate historical tapestry.
Even the old central trunk road passing through these places has its tales. Maybe, then, those who own and operate the MRT line should consider telling these stories to commuters in whatever form they feel best.
It may come as a shock to some, but I must confess that I have yet to ride on our light rail transit trains or monorail in KL. But I will surely take a ride on the MRT SBK Line train to make up for this neglect soon!
The writer, a former army field
commander and recipient of the
Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa, Malaysia’s highest gallantry award, is well known for his role during
the Al-Maunah siege in Sauk,
Perak, in July 2000.