‘TUMPANG glamour’ in local parlance means riding on someone’s coattails. It alludes to one getting undeserved praise or success because they are associated with someone else who did the actual work.
Those were some of the sentiments hurled at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim upon gracing the long-delayed Shah Alam LRT3 line yesterday (June 28) alongside Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook and other Madani dignitaries.
“This project not only provides transportation facilities but also brings great benefits to millions of residents along the route,” declared PMX proudly on his Facebook platform.
“Better transportation networks also open up wider access to job opportunities, educational institutions, health facilities and various essential services, thus improving the people’s quality of life and ensuring that the benefits of development can be enjoyed more comprehensively and equitably.”
For added public relations (PR) mileage, PMX also unveiled free 30-day commute from June 29 to July 31 as “a form of appreciation from the Madani administration to public transportation users”.
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‘LRT3 is Bossku’s baby’
However, alert anti-Madani keyboard warriors were quick to point out that the Shah Alam LRT line was in fact the brainchild of now disgraced former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
On the post announcing the freebie rides, an obvious pro-Bossku (moniker for Najib) supporter used the Malay idiom – lembu punya susu, sapi dapat nama – which is taken to mean someone else takes the credit for one’s hard work or achievements to highlight what he perceived to be unfair hogging of the limelight.
Given that it was the Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman’s official FB account, the rebuttals were swift and brutal.
It was pointed out that the project was much delayed in no small part due to Najib’s many scandals yet there were those who were foolish enough to continue supporting and celebrating the tenure of a convicted felon whose crimes have severely burdened the rakyat.
One commenter even sarcastically enquired if the LRT line could only be operational upon Najib’s release from Kajang prison.
The pro-Bossku faction were also out in full force on PMX’s FB post launching the LRT3 line, not least the former’s ex- Barisan Nasional (BN) strategic communications deputy director Datuk Eric See-To (also known as by his social media persona Lim Sian See) whose comments were re-produced by a fellow Najib loyalist.
There were many who similarly wanted to praise Bossku for his hand in this mega-transport project designed to alleviate commuter congestion in the relevant areas covered by the Shah Alam LRT3 line.
However, PMX defenders were similarly aplenty and took umbrage at the suggestion that PMX had delayed and downgraded this LRT project.
Instead, they lay the blame at the door of twice former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who was at the helm during Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) first term at Putrajaya. They went on to credit PMX for reviving the project and actually getting it operational.
As can be seen from the comments, political affiliations colour much of the debate with each faction hell bent on taking credit for the successes and blaming the other for perceived failures.
However, one commenter summed it best when it was concluded that what was important is that the project was completed even if it was initiated by different administrations.
Alluding to the Kajang MRT line which took off during the Bossku administration but eventually spanned the Perikatan Nasional (PN) and later the Madani government, his justification is such that at the end of the day, the rakyat are able to benefit from the smooth operation of the line as opposed to who came to “cut the ribbon”.
The pertinent observation here was that if Bossku supporters wanted to take all the credit for their jailed leader, then they should also take ownership for all the weaknesses inherent under that leadership. Fair is fair. – June 29, 2026
