DPM: GOVT TO RESOLVE CABBIES’ WOES
We will not be intimidated by their threats, says Zahid
THE government will not be intimidated by threats from taxi operators, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.
In advising them to stop making threats, Zahid said he would ask the Transport Ministry and Prime Minister’s Department to meet the operators to address complaints that their income had been affected by ride-hailing services.
“I will ask (Transport Minister Datuk Seri) Liow (Tiong Lai) and also (Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri) Nancy (Shukri), who oversees the Land Public Transport Commission, to meet the taxi drivers to resolve their issues,” he said after attending the Home Ministry’s monthly assembly yesterday.
He was responding to calls by taxi operator Datuk Shamsubahrin Ismail, who had threatened to withdraw support for Barisan Nasional if the government proceeded to support Uber and Grab.
Shamsubahrin said taxi drivers would support the opposition if the government failed to address their issues.
He urged the government to stop its preferential treatment for ride-hailing service providers, adding that private cars operating under Uber and Grab did not have to undergo the same regulatory requirement for taxis.
Uber and Grab, he said, posed an unfair competition, and many cab drivers had voiced their discontent. He said the government should stop blaming the taxi industry for its woes, such as expensive fares, poor driver attitude and lousy vehicle condition.
“Just a small percentage of taxi drivers are bad. As for taxi rates, they are set by the government and are on the low side,” he said in a press conference.
Shamsubahrin was responding to a recent comment by Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri James Jemut Masing that the public preferred e-hailing services due to competitive pricing, easy accessibility and security.
At the assembly, Zahid launched the new Malaysian passport.
“The new passport has better and improved features to ensure that the document cannot be forged, even with the latest technology. There will be no extra charge for those who want to make new applications or renew their passports,” he said.
Among the new security features are biometric data, facial recognition capabilities, embedded chip, security stitching thread and the use of ultraviolet light to verify its authenticity.