Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook has denied that the RM1,000 special financial assistance for taxi, rental car and school bus drivers is a pre-election sweetener for Melaka, saying the aid reaches drivers in every state.
The minister said 283 taxi and rental car drivers received vouchers worth RM1,000 each at a presentation ceremony at the CMI Complex Auditorium in Ayer Keroh, Melaka, on 26 Oct, according to FMT.
He was answering claims that the payment had been confined to Melaka, which holds its state election on 14 Nov. “I want to respond to some people who have asked why assistance is being given only in Melaka. The fact is that this special financial assistance is for all drivers nationwide, not just those in Melaka,” he told reporters after the ceremony.
Loke said he had been in Negeri Sembilan the week before and would travel to Kedah the following week, adding that drivers in every state would receive the money.
Bersama leader Lee Chean Chung had earlier urged the Election Commission and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to look into the announcement, which Loke made at a Pakatan Harapan ceramah in Melaka the previous Saturday. The former Petaling Jaya MP asked why the aid was limited to taxi drivers in Melaka and why it was not made through the transport ministry’s official channels, calling it one of the clearest examples of a pre-election cash handout. He said revenue from vehicle registration number bids belongs to the public and should be channelled into the Consolidated Fund before being spent through allocations approved by Parliament.
The payment is funded by proceeds from the sale of special “H” series vehicle registration numbers, which raised RM91.2 million, The Star reported on 14 Oct. Drivers need not register or fill in forms, because their details are already held by the Road Transport Department, the Land Public Transport Agency and the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board. About 50,000 drivers are eligible for the one-off payment.
The ministry had expected the H series to fetch RM30 million at most. The single plate H1 instead drew RM10 million, the highest sum paid for a registration number in the country.
Loke said about 12,000 taxi, rental car and school bus drivers were expected to receive the assistance this week alone. “Those we were unable to invite to the ceremony will receive the assistance via electronic fund transfer or direct bank transfers,” he said.
From 26 Oct, the ministry also began crediting the money to the bank accounts of more than 12,000 recipients, with the funds expected to arrive within two to three days. Eligibility turns on a valid driver’s card checked by the Land Public Transport Agency, or APAD, with the holder’s name registered in the system.
“This assistance is available nationwide. As long as they hold a valid driver’s card and its validity is verified by the Land Public Transport Agency, their names can be registered in the system and they will receive RM1,000,” Loke said.
Lee said the move might not breach the Election Offences Act 1954, but argued that it raised questions about keeping government resources separate from party interests in the run-up to the 14 Nov vote.
Both sides agree on the practical effect. The drivers receive RM1,000 each either way, whether the voucher reaches them at a stage ceremony or lands in their bank account by transfer. What the dispute turns on is where the money came from and when the announcement was made.
