On The Train (The Joker), April 4, 2006

When I got to the station on the way home there were a lot of commuters waiting on the opposite side. In fact there was already a Rawang train on the platform that was solid packed with commuters. Someone, I think the KTMB staff at the station, came on the air to announce quite harshly that those on the platform to stop pushing trying to get in as there was another train behind. As long as the train cannot move the other train cannot come into the station. Obviously the was something wrong with the line. The commuters on the platform started to make a joke ridiculing KTMB. Cynical remarks like ‘gunakan lah perkhidmatan KTMB untuk kesenangan anda’ are mentioned aloud making most to laugh or at least grinned. At least they were happy and not stressful waiting. A guy sitting next to me started to chat saying that normally this kind of thing only happen on our line – Rawang – Seremban. I concurred and said at least KTMB is fair to everyone. It took three successive Rawang trains to clear the platform. Lessons learned for me, in a situation like that you need a ‘joker’ to cool things off for everyone. Environment, situation or culture in the state of chaos or even static in need to be pushed or pulled into another domain would need a very good change agent. The introduction of ‘jokers’ (person, persons or other form of agents) is one of the best ways.