Datuk Seri Shaharuddin Khalid
PONTIAN: The Road Transport Department (JPJ) will be tightening the system and procedure of producing licence to ensure the issuance of driving licence not according to procedures will no recur.
Its director-general Datuk Seri Shaharudin Khalid said the department had set up a special committee to study and monitor the overall mechanism and methodology of obtaining national and International licences.
He said this was a proactive measure taken following the arrest of 12 JPJ officers and employees since September by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for abuse of power and corruption involving 14,000 illegal licence holders.
“We will review the licensing system and procedures as what had taken place was due to manipulation of JPJ system by irresponsible parties causing driving licences to be obtained from the system but not according to the procedures.
“We want to ensure there would be no space to manipulate system. What had happened now is that many invalid licences were based on converted licence or transfer from abroad meaning manipulating our system and we shall see how far we can tighten the system,” he said.
He was speaking at a media conference after visiting a JPJ officer who was paralysed in a road accident in 2016 at Kampung Sawah Dalam here today.
According to him, JPJ will be taking taking follow-up actions by looking at the disciplinary action on all officers and personnel involved in abuse of power in the illegal issuance of licences.
“We will take all matters into consideration, similarly we will taking followed action against such illegal licence holders and they have been given two months to surrender.
“So far, some have come forward to surrender but maybe some holders are confused and are unsure if they were involved in committing the offence.
“But we detailed information on the identity of such illegal licence holders and we will take into consideration all suggestions as well as the decisions of the special committee we have set up,” he said.
Earlier, the Transport Ministry announced suspending 12 JPJ officers and personnel nabbed by MACC for power abuse in Perlis, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Sabah and Sarawak.
Not long later, another JPJ personnel in Johor was also detained last week over the same offence. – Bernama