For those that have read and understand Eighteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, today’s front page of the New Straits Times should remind you of an Orwellian future (tag). This is an adaptation by BBC, taken from page Eighteen Eigthy-Four at Wikipedia:
The New Straits Times presents you the Malaysian Big Brother. He will watch out for us all:
Remember when Winston Smith was in his home, trying to write a diary despite the fact that was an offense? And that there was a camera in this home that transmitted everything the camera caught and send it back to the Big Brother?
It’s a tragedy that the opportunity cost of security is liberty and vice versa. A real tragedy. But does it have to be like that?
p/s – Kuala Lumpur is introducing congestion tax? From New Straits Times:
In planning to introduce an area road pricing scheme as a means to discourage private cars from entering cities, the framers of the National Urbanisation Policy are travelling a path that has been traversed with considerable success by London. But charging drivers a fee to enter the city centre would not exactly be a popular move and the authorities must be prepared to navigate the flak from a hostile public. But with Kuala Lumpur choking in traffic, despite new expressways, street widenings, one-way streets and yellow boxes, there is every reason to follow in London’s footsteps. Motorists need to get used to the idea that there is a price to pay for free-flowing traffic. Congestion pricing can no longer be ruled out as a solution.
This is a progressive policy and usually, I’d support it. But, like what the article later said:
If motorists are to be priced out of their cars, however, they also need to be served by an extensive, speedy and reliable network of rail and bus services every bit as efficient and accessible as the one that London provides – and which the city keeps on improving through funds augmented from the charges collected. Unless there is a viable alternative to the car, there is very little point in pursuing the idea of road pricing. The bottom line is that a broad array of other strategies, a proper transport plan and an integrated approach to urban planning is needed. This would require more thought, discussion, planning and better inter-agency co-ordination and collaboration with the local authorities.
Two days ago, I made a passing mention of Stockholm’s congestion tax trial. Read about it here.
