Latest news with #RM56
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Automotive
- New Straits Times
NST Leader: Unpaid traffic summonses
Malaysian vehicle owners particularly resent paying traffic summonses for illegal parking, unless forced by police action. Motorists tend to view summonses in three informal categories. First, local council tickets are often ignored due to their perceived lack of enforcement power. Second, traffic police summonses have more legal weight, as non-payment can lead to arrest warrants. Still, many ignore them, especially for illegal parking. RTD summonses, however, are usually taken seriously, as they block road tax and licence renewals until the summonses are paid. Even then, the most stubborn ignore police and RTD's annual flat rate amnesty offers. RTD said that it collected only RM56 million from 374,024 summonses, far below the potential amount, which could have been double or triple that amount. This suggests that many drivers aren't deterred by blacklisting — they continue driving without insurance, road tax or licences. The police discount, valid until June 30, offers a flat RM150 rate for speeding and traffic light violations — similar to RTD's offer. Here lies the problem. Motorists' blase attitude towards these offers reflects a contempt for traffic laws and penalties. This contempt has translated into more serious traffic offences, and more tragic accidents. Since the discounts don't improve road safety, it's time to scrap them and revive tougher penalties that deter offenders. Sure, that would mean more officers and working hours to round up offenders. Police may have to return to making "house calls" on offenders but it's a necessary price to forcibly change an entrenched mindset. There is a plausible solution: integrate data sharing between the traffic police, RTD, Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) and, while we are at it, the local councils. Under this integration, summonses imposed by traffic police and local councils are automatically recorded by the RTD and SPAD, which immediately blacklist drivers and vehicles with outstanding summonses. Alas, this may not happen in the near future because these agencies and their processes operate independently with little push to exchange data and information. Even when traffic police files a request to the RTD to blacklist certain offenders, the process is tedious and inefficient. Still, this logical and unified system isn't sidelined just yet: there are still efforts to combine the Automated Awareness Safety System, the Automated Enforcement System and the Kejara points demerit system. There's only one problem: this initiative had been lumbering for more than a decade and it is still lumbering.
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- Automotive
- New Straits Times
RTD collects paltry RM56mil despite special offer on traffic summonses
KOTA BARU: The Road Transport Department (RTD) has collected only a paltry RM56 million from 374,024 summonses issued under its special flat rate compound offer. The campaign, which began in January, aimed to encourage settlements by motorists who committed traffic offences. RTD senior enforcement director Muhammad Kifli Ma Hassan said the collection only represented around 20 per cent of the total outstanding summonses. A figure he described as still relatively low. The RM150 flat rate applies to camera-detected offences (like speeding), notices asking you to appear for questioning, and requests to confirm who was driving your vehicle during an offence. "This offer will end on June 30. "As of now, we have collected RM56 million, involving 374,024 summonses," Kifli said. He was speaking at a press conference held during the Special Motorcycle Operation in conjunction with the Aidiladha Road Safety Campaign (HRAA) along Jalan Kuala Krai here late last night. Kifli urged public not to miss the opportunity to settle their outstanding summonses at a reduced rate before the offer ends. "This initiative aims to encourage the public to clear their outstanding summonses at a lower rate. "Once the offer ends, the summonses will return to their original rates," he added.
The Star
19-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Every segment of society will have access to affordable housing, Johor assembly told
ISKANDAR PUTERI: Johor is ramping up its efforts to give every segment of society, particularly those in rural areas and the B40 group, access to quality and affordable housing. Housing and local government committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said the state government has committed to building 100,000 units of Rumah Mampu Milik Johor (RMMJ) by 2030, with 16,845 units already completed as of the first quarter of this year. 'The state government remains committed to achieving our target of 30,000 units by 2026, and the momentum will continue to reach 100,000 units by the end of this decade,' he told the state assembly here on Monday (May 19). He was replying to questions from Muszaide Makmor (BN-Sedili), Mohd Yusla Ismail (BN-Senggarang) and Ng Kor Sim (PH-Jementah). Jafni added that this commitment includes efforts to expand projects under the Rumah Kasih Johor (RKJ) and Rumah Prihatin Johor (RPJ) programmes, to support low-income groups listed under the e-Kasih system as well as those that are not. He said the RKJ programme provides free housing to hardcore poor families on their own land, with 500 units targeted for completion by next year with an allocation of RM67mil. The RPJ programme, launched this year, is tailored for those in the B40 group who own land but are not registered in the e-Kasih database. 'Each RPJ unit costs at RM86,000, of which RM30,000 is subsidised by the state. "Through RPJ, eligible recipients only need to pay RM56,000 for a 660sq ft home with three bedrooms and two bathrooms,' Jafni said, adding that a pilot project involving 20 units in Kulai and Kluang was underway. Jafni also said some 31 RMMJ projects were offered last year, comprising 2,326 units, while the number of eligible applications received via the e-rumah portal stood at 20,276. He said 14 state constituencies currently have fewer than 20 RMMJ units each and this would be prioritised under plans involving government land and strategic partnerships with district offices and local authorities. Among the new strategies being explored are the construction of affordable apartments on waqaf land, the use of land under the South Johor Development Authority (SSI) and Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP), and enhanced policies on bumiputra lot pricing. 'We have also activated a state-level housing task force to identify viable land in all 10 districts for future affordable housing projects,' Jafni said. He added that the state government, under the leadership of Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, remains focused on inclusive development, particularly in ensuring safe shelter for all.
