By Khairun Nizam Hosen
Having a car in Malaysia today is categorised as a necessity rather than a luxury. Whereas in most developed countries, people are more willing to use public transport, it is rather strange that the trend in Malaysia to have your own car for transport for getting places, is the norm. That being said, is there a need for IIUM students to own their own cars while still studying in campus?
Unarguably, various complaints have been made on the large number of automobiles that exist in IIUM. Supposedly only fourth year students are eligible to apply for stickers that allow them to bring their cars to IIUM but the trend of students of other levels bringing their cars to IIUM has been such amassed that it is causing problems even for the staffs and lecturers to get a parking. Now we look at the rationale behind those who bring their cars illegally to IIUM. We will also look at the liabilities of having a car here at IIUM for students who are staying on campus.
Based on the number of cars that exists in the compound of our university, one might perceive that IIUM students must be really active in all sorts of activities. But the hard truth to swallow is that, most of the cars are just laying dormant in the parking lots which are not even parking lots in their respective Mahallahs, just for use of commuting to their homes and going out of IIUM from time to time only to get some food to eat.
This is the truth for all the majority of the owners of automobiles in this university.
It is quite rational if the owner is someone who is active in participating in clubs or is involved in some work that requires the use of transport, but for those who don’t, they are taking up too much space. While it is comfortable to travel by car when going places, the students who are not eligible to bring it should be aware that by doing so they are losing valuable expenses and experience. Being a graduate should teach you to live within your means to prepare you for the outside world and having an automobile that is given to you by your parents is not going to help you in being independent.
The disadvantages of having a car as a student who is still studying without a stable income, as you might guess, is in terms of maintenance. Having a car requires it to be well maintained and in tip top running condition. Being a student, this will affect your spending a lot.
The use of public transportation is a good way for students to save money, as a student who is living in IIUM there are public transportations available, for example the buses and all the LRT trains and KTM commuters. They will take you basically to anywhere in Kuala Lumpur. Furthermore you would have gained a lot more experience by taking the time to travel with the use of public transportations.
Having a car has its benefits but the liability that comes with it are a lot more erroneous to a student’s lifestyle than what it might seem.***
Photo courtesy of Helmi Abdullah