Exempt Sarawak from VEP, Lee urges KL

MIRI: Assistant Minister for Land and Air Transportation and Safety Datuk Lee Kim Shin has called on the federal government to exempt Sarawak from the implementation of vehicle entry permit ( VEP) and road charge of RM20 per vehicle.

Lee, who is also Assistant Minister for Tourism, did not want the charge to be extended to vehicles entering Sarawak from Indonesia and Brunei.

“The situation in Sarawak is different from Peninsular Malaysia with lower traffic volume, the Pan Borneo Highway and tourism collaboration with Brunei.

“I don’t see any reason for it to be extended to Sarawak, and furthermore, Brunei does not impose such charges on Malaysian vehicles,” said the Senadin assemblyman.

Lee said he was pursuing the matter further with Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

He said the government should instead be facilitating travel to promote economic activities and social ties between Brunei and Indonesia, which are also in the Brunei– Indonesia– Malaysia– Philippines East Asean Growth Area ( BIMP-EAGA) region like Sarawak.

“Malaysia and Brunei enjoy good bilateral ties, and the people in Sarawak and Brunei have close social ties as reflected in their frequent visits.”

On Sunday, Minister of Industrial and Entrepreneur Development, Trade and Investment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said the state government disagreed with the VEP implementation, calling it unwise.

He said the tourism dollars far outweighed the RM20 collected from each vehicle, out of which only RM5 would go to the state.

He also said the VEP charge contradicted the objective of the Pan Borneo Highway to facilitate travel.

Miri Mayor Adam Yii, local UPP leaders and business community had also voiced their opposition to the proposed move, saying that it could negatively impact the local economy and burden ordinary Sarawakians in Brunei if authorities there impose similar charges.

Malaysia imposed the VEP charges, effective Nov 1, on Singapore-registered vehicles, which was later enforced on vehicles from Thailand. Singapore retaliated by imposing a similar charge on Malaysian vehicles entering the republic, causing a burden to those who commute daily for work or schooling.

The Minister of Transport has said that this policy would be extended to all foreign vehicles.