Letter to editor
FORTY years ago, the word pau (indicative of bribery or under table money) which was mentioned by Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook recently had already existed in the Road Transport Department’s (JPJ) vocabulary.
Surprisingly, this kind of pau (as opposed to bun or dumpling in the Hokkien dialect) has never been considered haram (prohibited) by JPJ officers or any of the Opposition politicians or even quasi-politicians such as Professor Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah who are still playing up on non-issues such as bak kut teh (herbal pork rib soup).
The Madani government deserves a thumbs-up as this is the first time ever that a cabinet minister is addressing a key issue by implementing electronic driving test (e-testing) beginning with three driving institutes next month (April 2024).
Inevitably, this could pave the way to a reduction in the number of fatal road accidents. The statistics published by the Transport Ministry show approximately 1.35 million deaths in road crashes each year. Although the Road Fatalities Index has improved from 3.4 deaths in every 10,000 vehicles in 2010 and to 1.97 deaths in 2019, the rate is still alarming.
In the JPJ context, the word pau refers to a ‘guarantee of passing’ either the learner’s licence test or the driving test. The outcome are motorists with a lesen kopi-o (driving license obtained by means of bribery). This is somehow a vocabulary used by both driving instructors and JPJ testers.
My first encounter with the word pau was at the age of 17. I paid RM180 thinking that it meant paying for both the L-plate and driving tests. Little did I know that it meant ‘guaranteed passing’ the L-licence test!
It used to be that pau for the L-licence was meant for adults who did not understand the Malay language. But at that age of mine, I was too naïve to understand that it was a bribe! That happened as early as the 1980s but it took so long before a minister finally implemented a reform to the driving test.
It is partly because the technology is now available with less human contact but credit should be given to the minister for the political will to implement such a measure.
Suggestions
For the record, I had chosen not to bribe after learning the meaning of the word. Because of that, I failed to obtain my ‘full’ driving licence until I completed my studies overseas when I decided that it was better to pass my driving test in Melbourne than eventually having to face the notorious JPJ corruption.
Fast forward, I would like to offer three suggestions to Loke:
Firstly, look into JPJ roadblocks where bribery is a major problem. Undercover agents from the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should be on the ground to nabbed the culprits red-handed.
Secondly, ensure that in the event manipulation to the computer system is detected, the culprits should face criminal charges instead of being let off with a slap on the wrist.
Finally, charge a reasonable fee for up to a maximum of three tests. The aim is to produce skilled drivers instead of making extra money from repeated driving tests. – March 7, 2024.
Stephen Ng
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image credit: Bernama
