IT has always been a pride for Singaporeans to wield the stronger Sing Dollar (SGD1 to MYR3.33 at the time of writing) in the shopping and food haven that is Malaysia.
Therefore it comes as a surprise that the supposedly 3.33 times richer Singaporeans are notorious for not paying their traffic fines, with a whooping outstanding of RM3.5 mil.
Bukit Aman revealed that since 1990 until June 2024, about 41 million outstanding traffic summonses, with an estimated value of RM4 bil, have remained unpaid.
Perhaps the reason is because they know they could get away with it. Unsurprisingly, the same phenomenon can be observed in Europe.
According to the European Commission, millions of offences committed in 2019 by foreign registered cars went unpunished due to a lack of identification or enforcement.
But will our neighbour get away from this without any consequences? A recap to the announcement made by Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook, all foreign vehicles entering Malaysia from Singapore must have the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) RFID tag starting Oct 1.
The Road Transport Department (JPJ) has the authority to prevent foreign vehicles without VEP from entering or exiting Malaysia if there are unresolved matters under Section 66J of the Road Transport Act 1987, including outstanding traffic summonses.
To keep things concise, dear Singaporeans who amassed a sizable amount of Malaysia traffic summons will soon have to contribute to JPJ’s revenue if they intend to enter or exit the peninsula by vehicle.
They could continue to elude paying Malaysian summons if they remain on the island though. But with the many cheap delights and entertainment awaiting them on the other side, how long could they resist? – Aug 13, 2024
Main image: todayonline.com
