KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 2 – Calling it a “technical issue”, Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said today the transport ministry has yet to resolve the legal issue over the Automated Enforcement System (AES) that has caused massive confusion among motorists since December when the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) froze prosecuting speeding motorists.
The transport minister (picture) maintained that offenders must pay the fines even though he said they need not turn up in court while the government and prosecution work out the legal knot that has formed over the privatisation of traffic law enforcement.
“Actually not much issues has not been resolved. The only thing is the process in court,” he told reporters at the MCA headquarters here.
“It’s something that we need to handle,” he said, adding that the Attorney-General (A-G) Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail “is looking into it.”
He was asked what were the issues in relation to the AES that remain unresolved.
When asked if there was any indication when the legal issue would be resolved, Kong said: “I think that’s a technical issue, we are handling it.”
Some 300,000 summonses have been issued since the AES kicked off on September 23 last year and the AGC ordered a freeze following widespread public outcry over the system that will see two companies, Beta Tegap Sdn Bhd and ATES Sdn Bhd that were contracted to install and run the speed-trap camera system, receive a cut of the earnings from the fines.
Both the federal government and the AGC have been under fire for freezing the prosecution of traffic offenders under the AES yet allowing the system to continue operating.
Kong maintained that motorists who receive the summonses must pay up.
“Yes, if summons is issued, it has to be paid,” he said.
But he indicated that those who did not pay need not go to court for the time being, until his ministry and the AGC resolve the prosecution’s woes.
The privatised RM700 million project began on September 23, 2012 with a pilot phase of 14 cameras but the Road Transport Department has pledged to roll out a total of 831 cameras by end-2013 to catch speeding motorists and prevent more road deaths.
The police, who enforce the speeding laws, have said they will continue enforcement and put up mobile speed traps near the AES cameras, raising the prospect of dual fines for errant motorists.
The Pakatan Rakyat (PR) federal opposition has been using the issue as electoral fodder in the run-up to national polls that must be called by April when the ruling Barisan Nasional’s (BN) mandate expires.
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