PUTRAJAYA, Jan 2 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook today said his ministry will work with relevant agencies to close loopholes in vehicle inspections.
Among these were the practise of some commercial vehicle owners who swap out worn parts temporarily to pass mandatory Puspakom inspections.
“We are aware of this issue. There is a gap in the law where, for example, when someone changes their tyres, they go to Puspakom, and it gets approved.
“This is similar to the previous issue with tinted windows. People with dark-tinted windows wouldn’t pass the inspection at Puspakom. So, they would go to an accessories shop, replace the dark tint with a compliant one, pass the Puspakom inspection, and then reinstall the dark tint afterward,” he said in a press conference after an event here.
“We know there used to be a loophole for tinted windows. However, we addressed this by changing the regulations. We stated that such actions were no longer necessary. We allowed tinted windows as long as they complied with the rules. This resolved issues related to tinted windows,” he added.
Loke said his ministry and the Home Affairs Ministry were working on addressing the loopholes.
He added that the ministry will also collaborate with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to identify other issues involving integrity in order to curb it from happening.
On December 30, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) carried out a raid at Wangsa Maju Puspakom where a team of 350 officers inspected 115 vehicles, issued 69 summonses, took action against 29 vehicles, and seized seven vehicles, including two lorries.
JPJ senior enforcement director Muhammad Kifli Ma Hassan revealed that several violations were discovered, including lorries operating with unsafe and worn-out retreaded tyres, posing a serious safety risk, national news agency Bernama reported.
