Updated @ 14/8/2015 : Added a new section on Dato Melvin Loh Kok Man’s hilarious attempt to teach Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah on train etiquette. 😀
Updated @ 13/8/2015 : Added a new section on why the carriage looks like the KTM Komuter, and not the KTM ETS.
After Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah‘s staff posted these photos of her eating a packet of nasi lemak on her Facebook page, they immediately became “controversial“. Pro-Barisan Nasional supporters like Arthur Sim initially mocked her for “pretending” to eat such a common fare, in order to score points on the Barisan Nasional government for implementing the Goods & Services Tax (GST) earlier this year.
Then, his friends “realised” that she was guilty of a “greater crime“, namely – eating on the KTM Komuter. And so the circus began…
You can literally sense them shaking in excitement. Okay, it was obvious from the way they typed in CAPITALS and misspelled Komuter and other “difficult” words. 😀
But did they really catch Wan Azizah eating illegally on the KTM Komuter? Let’s find out… 😀
Was Wan Azizah On The KTM Komuter?
For some reason, they all jumped to the conclusion that she was on the KTM Komuter. If they bothered to check her Facebook page, they would realise immediately that she was really on the KTM Electric Train Service (ETS). The Facebook post preceding the one Arthur shared pointed out clearly that she was on the KTM ETS train to Ipoh, arriving at 3 pm.
There were also many other posts that showed her on the KTM ETS train. Does this picture look familiar? Of course! That’s because it was taken on the same train seat on which she ate her nasi leak before giving this interview. Note the green OPPO paper bag – it was also present in her “nasi lemak pictures“. So we know for sure that she was on the KTM ETS train, not the KTM Komuter.
If you are wondering how people like Eugene Arokiasamy, Ronnie Klassen and Arthur Sim came to the conclusion that she was on the KTM Komuter, best ask them. Maybe they have better information on her “true whereabouts” that her own Facebook posts did not reveal. 😉
Is It Wrong To Eat On The KTM ETS Train?
I’ll have to confess – I haven’t had the opportunity to try the KTM ETS train service, only the KTM Komuter. However, a quick Google search revealed that eating is not only permitted on the KTM ETS train, but the train itself even has a dedicated cafeteria that sells food and drinks to passengers.
Perhaps you may think that eating is only allowed in the cafeteria. That would really be a ridiculous proposition since the cafeteria can only seat 5 while there are about 350 passengers onboard. In fact, to avoid even a hundred people from crowding the cafeteria to grab a snack or drink, KTM has train stewardesses selling food and drinks to passengers at their seats.
But It Looks Like The KTM Komuter!
Many people have pointed out that it looks like a KTM Komuter carriage. They also pointed out the “No Eating” sign that can be seen in one of the pictures. But does that mean she is actually on the KTM Komuter?
First thing first, we know that Wan Azizah was on her way to Ipoh, and we have a nice timeline of pictures that show her on that carriage before and after she ate her nasi lemak. So that rules out the opinion that that picture was taken earlier on the KTM Komuter. ZY Tay has this to say about the discrepancy :
KTM uses Class 91 / Hyundai Rotem trains for KTM ETS service, Class 92 / CSR Zhuzhou for KTM Komuter.
Pictured in those photos are most likely the interior of a Class 92 KTM Komuter.
Assuming she is in Ipoh, the only possible explanation is that KTM is using a Class 92 KTM Komuter train to serve the KTM ETS trains for special schedule or to replace a broken class 91 KTM train.
It has actually been pointed out by other pundits that KTM have and do use the Class 92 carriage on the KTM ETS, either to add capacity to a fully-booked train, or to replace a Class 91 carriage that is not working or under maintenance. When that happens, the carriage serves as an ETS carriage, not a Komuter carriage. The “No Eating” rule on the KTM Komuter would not apply, because the Class 92 carriage is now part of the KTM ETS train service.
Only A Wet Dream
It’s past 1 am now. When they wake up in the morning to continue what they imagined was a great opportunity to mock Wan Azizah, they will be rudely awaken to the fact that it was just a wet dream. It felt real, to be sure, but it was really just a dream. 😀
No matter which side of the political divide you are on, I think we can all agree that the country has far bigger problems than worrying about whether a politician has illegally eaten food on a train. Now that I’ve proven this new claims false, can we get back to 1MDB and the RM 2.6 billion donation to our Prime Minister? I’m sure you will agree with me that that’s A LOT of nasi lemak right there…
Dato Making A Fool Of Himself New!
While others contended to criticise from the comfort of their homes, at least one “enterprising” guy went the extra mile… literally. Dato’ Melvin Loh Kok Man from Damansara actually took the effort to go all the way to… an LRT station to take pictures of the No Eating signboard there and onboard an LRT carriage.
To emphasise his point, he took the effort to print (in colour) a “STOP. No Food Or Drink Allowed” sign and bring a small packet of nasi lemak to pose in his photos.
Yes, Dato Melvin Loh, we know – you will be fined RM 500 if you eat inside an LRT station. But Wan Azizah wasn’t eating in an LRT station, was she?
Yes, Dato Melvin Loh, you cannot eat that nasi lemak in an LRT carriage. But Wan Azizah wasn’t eating in an LRT carriage, was she?
He was left looking like an absolute fool in the morning when everyone started realising that passengers on the KTM ETS trains are allowed to eat onboard!
Like all of those who were ranting loudly about how she was showing a bad example and would be fined, he has stopped responding to the issue.
I hope you are not expecting an apology from them, Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah… That is something that is beyond them. Even Dato Melvin Loh. He will go all the way to the nearest LRT station to teach you a lesson, but apology? That’s just beneath him. 😀
