Ordeal at KLIA ~ Glenn Pereira’s letter to Tourism Minister Dato Seri Dr.Ng Yen Yen

Assalamualaikum.

Dear fellow Malaysians.

I would like to highlight a case where tourists flying in to our country as guests of a fellow Malaysian have been unnecessarily hassled and inconvenienced by either overzealous JPJ officers or those who have some kind of ‘arrangements’ with the KLIA taxi operators in forcing limo passengers to take the airport taxis and by that maybe ‘earn’ some bakshish with the taxi drivers?

I reproduce here a letter from Mr.Glenn Pereira whose guests were victimized by those JPJ Enforcement officers and in doing so tarnished the reputation of this country.

I just spoke to Mr.Glenn Pereira asking for his authentication of this letter and getting his permission to republish this letter here so that others who are concerned about this travesty of justice and fair play get to spread the news so that no one else will have to suffer such gross injustice being perpetrated by wolves in sheepskin so to speak!

Mr.Glenn Pereira asks the following to our Tourism Minister:

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Dear YB Dato Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen / Datuk Victor,

Firstly, let me introduce myself. I am Glenn and I am a resident of our good country Malaysia.

Recently, I had some friends from Arab here in Malaysia where they have told me of some things which went totally wrong throughout their journey to their Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Is it the system or people, I need to know?

Their arrival was much anticipated by us here in Malaysia as we had such a good bonding with them for years.

When they got to KLIA, I had prior arrangements from a Tour Operator to pick them up from the airport since I wanted to give them a first class service in welcoming them after a long tiring journey they had to endure.

For your information, by me hiring a private limo is to give them my personal appreciation towards them but what had happened was when they were on the way back from KLIA to their pre-booked hotel (done by me), they were rudely stopped by JPJ officers and in amazement they were forced to get out from the Limo which was transporting them and the driver and my friends were queried so many questions before they were taken back to the KLIA airport by the JPJ Jeep for them to take your airport “Taxi” from there again.

This time around they even had to pay for their journey to their hotel. This ordeal had wasted a clean good 3 hours before they could get to see me and have a good rest and not forgetting the cash they had to pay when I have done earlier. I wasted my money in a nutshell.

My questions are this:

1) Why are we citizens of Malaysia forced to hire KLIA´s airport “Taxi´s” when I know with me hiring my own choice of transportation would be better and personalized in welcoming my friends here?

2) Aren´t these Tour Operators not licensed to ferry customers in and out of KLIA where most of them are friendly and professional with their work?

3) With my understanding and research I have done, your airport “Taxi´s” drivers and not friendly and most of them speak or not even able to converse in English at all. How are the foreigners able to communicate with them?

4) When a Tour Operator has a valid license, no authorities should stop them from performing their duties. They too have a living to sustain being drivers and with these JPJ and Police personnel´s getting into the picture, how will they able to put food on the table for their family?

5) Your “Taxi” drivers smell bad, car not kept clean and their shirts not tucked in/dirty and some of them even smoke in the car with the guest.

My friends and I are disgusted and saddened by the way your officers have handled this situation which I and my family had no other place to hide my face and dignity.

Speaking on bringing more tourists to Malaysia is a good thing.

Yes ! but I tell you this, by having so many restrictions and laws forbidding independent Operators fulfill their obligation in making Malaysia a Worldwide tourist centre, your aim will never be achievable with Quality Service. Service is important in today’s World.

Many dubious questions arise when you have so many restrictions and laws and the most obvious will be “Who is Making The Extra Cash”?

Please look into this with utmost urgency and study because I know there are many Malaysians out there feel or even gone through this ridiculous ordeal.

I suggest, take a pool vote on what we Malaysians feel on any newspaper available online and with this and I bet you that you will received over whelming response on what is your next step of action and the Do´s and Dont´s making this country a World Class player.

I also understand that there are many touts who over-charge and some of them are frauds but doesn´t that responsibility belong to the Police and JPJ personnel´s to catch them and summon /reprimand if necessary?

If the JPJ and Police are to do this diligently, there would not have any touts in KLIA.

Do not penalize the genuine Operators and let the crooks go! Penalize the crooks and let the genuine Operators do their job responsibly.

I would like to have a written reply on this matter as I am so ashamed with what has happened to me and my family.

A concerned Malaysian,

Glenn Pereira
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