Breeding grounds

Points to Points  (10)

                                      Breeding grounds

          A human being is a human being.  A human being is subjected to our conditions.  Thus we can be conditioned readily to be or not to be. In other words, we can be moulded easily and accordingly.

          Hence, aggressive or friendly parents breed aggressive or friendly children; biased or just parents breed biased or just children; considerate or selfish parents breed considerate or selfish children;  dare-devil or timid parents breed dare-devil or timid children; frugal or wasteful parents breed frugal or wasteful children, honest or dishonest parents breed honest or dishonest children and so on and so forth.  This is usually the regular pattern, of course, we have irregular pattern or odd ones to consider.  This is the cause-and-effect of what our micro-environment could produce.

          Well, regarding macro-environment the same law applies.  It is said that the Sibu people are too selfish as far as car parking is concerned.  It is evidently true.  Nobody can prove it false.  But please study the Sibu town centre road system first to understand and realise the law of cause-and-effect better.  I really find it a must to take our macro-environment into serious consideration before condemning these poor Sibu people.  Frankly speaking, the Sibu town centre does not provide the conducive environment to deter the people not to indulge in that poor and irritating habits:  park the car at one’s will especially at mealtimes without any consideration of other road users.

          Now let’s start the discussion of the situation in the Sibu town centre.  It is a mini-compact town centre.  To me, everything seems to cram to a place.  It is a very  conjected and crammed place.  It is not a well-planned and layout town to feel proud of.  It is a town that the people need high threshold of tolerance to survive without feeling irritated or frustrated over the narrow streets; lack of parking space on the ground adjacent to the shops where they want to do 5-10 minutes purchases, lack of parking bays  right in front of the shops where people can wait for their loved ones to get dismissed from work or let them get out of the cars without obstructing other road users. 

Besides, our Sibu people depend heavily on food business for a living.  Therefore, there are so many coffee shops and eating outlets dotted in every nook and  cranny in the town centre.  Often there are not enough parking space on the ground.  When people cannot find the parking lots nearby, they tend to simply park their cars alongside the coffee shops or eating outlets regardless of the inconvenience they may cause to other road users in order to have  their snacks, drinks or meals at the stalls of their choice.  It is hard to expect them to park their car a few streets away or 1000 or 2000 metres away and walk to their favourite stalls to have their food and drinks that they may need 10 to 15 minutes or so.  Thus, I would like to emphasise that it is natural for people to park alongside the coffee shops or eating outlets.  It is the unique set-up of the town centre that ‘encourage’ people in general to become very ‘selfish’ in that manner.  It has become a distinctive characteristic of our Sibu people.  However,  if there were parking lots near enough for them to park but they did not bother to park at the right place.  In this case, these people should be condemned  and despised for being  very selfish.  Hence, our macro-environment is the cause for the habit.

          To aggravate the situation of our streets, our Sibu Municipal council has taken the fancy to potted plants and trees as well as paved paths outside the five-foot ways  around the town centre and thus has deprived people of even less of the available limited space of the street.  It is really ridiculous and absurd to allow so many potted plants and trees and paved paths outside the five-foot ways. Imagine the space which would otherwise be used as parking bays is so abused for those fancies:  a garden-like town centre at the expense of the real needs of the  people.

          Moreover, the narrow streets are further divided by road divider to create two lanes going the same direction.  How insensible planning and decision. 

          If our leaders were more understanding, they would not allow so many potted plants, trees and paved paths outside the five-foot ways.  They would be more considerate to our stallholders, coffee shopowners and eating outlet businessmen  to do business in such a competitive environment.  They need customers to patronise them to continue their businesses.  To encourage them to come regularly means that convenient and sufficient parking lot in front or at the back of their shops is a must. 

          If our leaders were more understanding, they would not impose such heavy parking fees on car users.  They should do survey more often to check how much money the people in Sibu could spare on food, education and books after paying taxes and fees of different kinds.

          If our leaders were empathetic enough, they would try to feel how hard and difficult the people in Sibu have to struggle to meet their ends.  They would not simply impose fine in any manner they like. 

          Well, the well-being and welfare of the people in Sibu are very much at the mercy of our leaders.  Hence, our leaders wield the ‘magic wand’ to mould the characteristic features of the Sibu people.  To break the bad habit of parking at one’s will  of the Sibu people indeed needs the true wisdom of our leaders to help them. Providing the conducive environment:  first concentrate all the coffee shops or eating outlets at one place and provide enought parking space within the proximity.  Is it viable?  (Remember Sibu people or people in general opt for convenient places to park their cars and to go to places of their choice to enjoy their food and drinks.); second, provide enough parking bays for the people who only want to buy a thing or two and leave immediately.   Would SMC make an effort to correct their mistakes instead of having paved path outside the five-foot way, they provide space for parking bays? 

          To concluse my points of view, i think our leaders should learn to be people-friendly and create a conducive environment for people to cultivate and practise good habits.  Remember two-ways to win.  If you condemn, you will be condemned, too.