No 'special treatment' for VIPs on the road, says DAP

There should not be any special treatment accorded for VIPs, such as cabinet ministers and their outriders, who go about their daily business on the road, a DAP leader said.

DAP publicity chief Tony Pua said that all citizens, regardless of rank or status, should be given equal rights to the usage of roads in the country.

According to the Petaling Jaya Utara MP, all road users have the same need to attend to their daily business, and to reach their own destinations on time. Therefore, he said, there was no need for special routes or priority given to any groups.

“We don’t need to give special treatment to ministers and aside from that, this shows that we don’t have a good system of transportation because road users with private vehicles have clogged up the roads,” Pua told Astro AWANI.

Pua added that such special treatment given to dignitaries or VIPs is being abused.

He was commenting on a recent statement by Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Hasan Malek who asked the rakyat to give way to outriders escorting royalty or VIPs.

Hasan said this was because those being escorted had official duties to carry out and needed to get to their destination in time, adding that doing so was also part of Malaysian culture.

"I have received complaints that when our Rulers pass, road users just don't give way. We must put a stop to this, showing respect to our leaders is part of our culture," he reportedly said.

By law, road users only needed to give way to ambulances and fire engines.

Elaborating further, Pua said that a minister such as Hasan should “be concerned about the problems of the people and not just self interests.”

Meanwhile, a police source said that the usage of traffic police outriders are only used to escort royalty such as the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong and Sultan; as well as the Prime Minister and his deputy.

Outriders are usually not extended to cabinet ministers unless its usage is really needed for official duties or field trips that require the minister to reach a specific destination in the quickest time possible.