Task force to eliminate ‘weaknesses’
PUTRAJAYA: With the arrest of 46 of its officers in less than a week, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) has set up a task force to study its internal procedures and do away with corrupt practices among its staff.
JPJ director-general Datuk Seri Shaharuddin Khalid said the task force, which is led by the department’s integrity division, would do a “gap analysis” to streamline the department’s work practices and procedures to eliminate weaknesses in the system that could lead to “negative behaviour”.
“Some of the processes and procedures may be old or outdated and could have allowed corruption to happen. We are trying to rectify this.
“The task force will conduct a thorough assessment and make its recommendations in two weeks’ time,” he told a press conference at the department’s headquarters here yesterday.
This move follows the arrest of 24 Penang JPJ officers on Wednesday by the Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission (MACC) in investigations into a protection syndicate.
The suspects allegedly turned a blind eye on lorry drivers who committed road offences in Penang.
Sources said as an inducement, the officers allegedly received payments
Some of the process and procedures may be old or outdated that could have allowed corruption to happen. We are trying to rectify this. The task force will conduct a thorough assessment and make its recommendations in two weeks time. Datuk Seri Shaharuddin Khalid
of between RM10,000 and RM32,000.
Shaharuddin said the JPJ was giving its full cooperation to the MACC.
“In the meantime, we have enlisted officers from the neighbouring states to help fill the gap caused by the numerous arrests. So we are still carrying out our enforcement duties,” he said.
He also said that the JPJ had carried out enforcement on errant lorries from Bukit Tagar to Nilai starting from 8am yesterday.
“Lorries found to be carrying more than their weight limit are the most common offences committed, with 20 cases recorded of lorries transporting goods 35% over their limit.
“Another 18 were stopped for various offences such as drivers who failed to produce the proper licence and parking in the emergency lane,” he added.
He said the crackdown would continue indefinitely as these offences were serious, posing danger to other road users.
“In the first three months of this year alone, there were 13,744 cases of lorries transporting over the weight limit, with around RM1.79mil worth of compounds collected,” he said.