I refer to Commercial Vehicles Licencing Board Chairman Markiman Kobiran's statement in the media yesterday which said that a consultant firm has been hired to survey the sufficiency and quality of the taxi services in the Klang Valley, Johor and Penang.

Is there really a need to waste more of the taxpayers' money to ascertain what is already obvious? All Markiman has to do is to take a taxi ride in Penang for a couple of days and he will know with amazing clarity that the taxi service here stinks to the highest heavens.

Despite the state government's effort to get taxi drivers to use the meter, the majority of taxi drivers here blatantly charge exorbitant rates. They blatantly break the law and CVLB is only able to take sporadic and sputtering action on a few of them. When questioned about the lack of enforcement, CVLB northern region chairman Shah Headan admitted that CVLB does not have the manpower to conduct sufficient monitoring.

And yet less than two months before the 2007 Visit Malaysia Year, Mobiram continues to promise stringent enforcement of the law with no indication of how he is going to accomplish that. Meanwhile, many tourist (and locals!) are being fleeced everyday. Tourist have complained over and over again and have even written in the press.

I dread to think of the experience of the tourist who comes to Penang in 2007 when they step out of their hotels and try to take a taxi to one of our tourist destinations. The shameful experience would make a mockery of all the wonderful impressions we have advertised to the world about our country.

I have also been made to understand that despite numerous request by Cepat (a civil society group advocating for better public transport in Penang), the CVLB has yet to meet them and hear their well-documented views of the state's taxi and bus service.

I would suggest that Makimam book a flight to Penang, use the deplorable bus and taxi service in Penang and meet the Cepat group. I volunteer to pay the exorbitant taxi fares here just so that Markiram does not end up with an empty wallet! It would be still cheaper and more effective than commissioning yet another study that would only prove the obvious.