The New Straits Times on 23 January 2010 carried a news item headlined ‘RM500,000 fine too high for bus, lorry firms’. The government is proposing the increase in the wake of several fatal accidents involving heavy vehicles recently.
It reported that bus and lorry operators are against the proposal.
Pan Malaysian Bus Operators Association president Datuk Dr Mohd Ashraf Ali described the amount as too high and could scare people into leaving the industry.
Pan Malaysian Lorry Owners Association Er Sui See called the proposal ‘ridiculous’. “A compound like that will close any lorry company down”.
So there we have it, peoples safety and lives argued in ringgit and sen.
The government should proceed with the recommendation.
Bus and lorry operators should not worry as they need not pay a single sen in fines if they have not committed any offence. These operators make a mockery of the system if they can get away with offences by just paying a fine. They should be responsible enough to ensure that their employees are well trained and civic-minded to respect the safety and lives of others if not their own. Indeed if they see it fit not to heed this requirement then they should not be in the business.
As it is now, the operators prefer to avoid spending on safety measures and training of their employees. After all they are not likely to get caught. Even if they are caught, they can always pay the fine or compound. And that is cheaper than investing on safety measures or training.
