Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Wednesday, October 5, 1994
Police refusal to recognize the JPJ smoke test certification is most unfair and Liong Sik should resolve this problem without any more delay
I have received a complaint from a very angry and outraged lorry owner from Negri Sembilan who felt that he was the victim of a ‘day-light robbery’ by the authorities when the police refused to recognize that JPJ smoke test certification only one day earlier, and he had to pay RM50 to avoid being issued with a summons.
This lorry owner sent his lorry for inspection on Monday and renewed his road tax after the computerrised smoke test showed that his lorry emitted less than 30 hsu, when the ceiling is 50 hsu.
However, when he took his lorry on the road the nest day – i.e. yesterday – he was stopped by the police, who checked the smoke of his lorry and informed the owner that his vehicle was emitting excessive smoke.
When the lorry owner protested that his lorry had just passed the JPJ test, the police said that they were not bound by the JPJ test and had their own powers to take ction if they were satisfied that there was excessive smoke – where the police would take photographs and issue summons.
To avoid the hassle, the lorry owner paid RM50 to avoid having a summons – but he nonetheless felt outraged at what he described as ‘daylight robbery’.
I do not countenance the RM50 bribery by the lorry owner to the police to evade the summons, but it is clearly outrageous that the police could refuse to recognize JPJ smoke test certification.
This is most unfair and should never be allowed to happen, and the people must ask what is the Transport minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Ling liong Sik really doing to have so many messes in the various departments under his Ministry. Liong Sik should immediately resolve this problem without any more delay and ensure that the JPJ and the Police do not work at cross-purposes. Liong Sik should ensure that the JPJ smoke certification should be respected by the Police.