(Nov 20): Taxi drivers are upset by Land and Public Transport Commission chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar’s apparently dismissive response to their protest on Wednesday.

“Syed Hamid is sabotaging the prime minister’s leadership, because he has made taxi drivers angry at the government. With the concern shown by the Opposition, it will draw us to support them,” said Klang Valley Taxi Drivers Action Committee deputy chairman (PERS1M) Kamarudin Mohd Hussain in a statement.

“He said that our peaceful assembly was not representative of taxi drivers and that a larger number of us supported his hands-off approach, which has jeopardised our rice bowl.”

Kamarudin disputed Syed Hamid’s assertion that only 500 taxi drivers attended the assembly on Wednesday, claiming there were more.

“I’m not sure whether he knows how to count or he is trying to deny the numbers,” he said, adding that no less than 1,000 taxi drivers took part.

Kamarudin said that the assembly was in line with respecting the advice given by Dang Wangi police chief Zainol Samah not to jeopardise harmony and not to interfere with the Asean Summit.

“We feel that a larger assembly should be held to show Syed Hamid that taxi drivers want him to step down,” he said.

The Malaysian Insider previously reported Syed Hamid shrugging off calls from taxi drivers demanding his resignation.

“It is very interesting, if everyone were to listen to people’s demands, everyone in Malaysia would need to resign, including the ones demanding it,” he had said.

The cabbies, who marched to Parliament, handed memoranda to Opposition leader Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Batu MP Chua Tian Chang who came out from the Parliament building to meet them at noon, after the taxi drivers had failed to meet with anyone from government. – The Malaysian Insider