Taxi drivers gathering participants just 'a small group that makes noise' - Syed Hamid

The Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar described the participants of the

peaceful gathering of taxi drivers at Padang Merbok, here today as 'a small group that makes noise'.

He said the illegal gathering, which was organised by some taxi drivers, would not change anything or meet the organiser's demand.

Syed Hamid also insisted that he would not resign under pressure from the participants because he had a great responsibility to the people.

"If everybody listens to the small group, then everybody will have to resign. This has become a new trend in our country," he told reporters after opening the SPAD Symposium 2015 here, today.

The gathering had called for a revamp of the commission and cancellation of the application for operation of Uber and Grabcar which are seen as a threat to the normal taxi service.

Syed Hamid said it was up to the authorities on whether or not to take action against the organiser.

On a proposal by taxi drivers association to review the Taxi Transformation Plan, he said SPAD was now in discussions to solve the issue.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur deputy police chief Datuk Law Hong Soon said the police had identified the organiser involved in today's gathering and would not hesitate to take stern action against them.

"The existing laws clearly state that the organiser has to get approval of the owner of the place to carry out any activities there.

"We will take necessary action in accordance with the existing laws given that so far the organiser still fails to get approval from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall to hold the gathering there," he told reporters after opening the triage

room and counter at Pantai Police Station, here.

Law said a sufficient number of police personnel had been deployed to control the situation at the gathering and they would monitor the situation from time to time.

Asked whether the gathering had affected the smooth running of the 27th ASEAN Summit in the capital, which began today, he said the event did not disrupt the course of the conference because it only focused on Padang Merbok.

The participants had moved from Padang Merbok to the Parliament building to hand over two memoranda, each to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

In Parliament, Wan Azizah received the memorandum from Klang Valley Taxi Drivers Action Committee chairman Zailani Isausuludin.