No more outsourcing rights to sell car plates to NGOs, assures Loke

Newly minted Transport Minister Anthony Loke said he will stop the controversial practice of outsourcing the right to sell car registration plates to NGOs, causing the latter to gain huge profits at the expense of the government.

On the car plate rights given by the previous administration to 35 NGOs, he said those car plates must be auctioned off in a year starting from the signing of the contract between both parties.

Otherwise, the NGOs will lose the rights after the contracts expire.

“I have ordered (the ministry) to stop such practices. Every car plate bidding must go through the Land Transport Department (JPJ),” Loke said.

He added that some NGOs had previously paid as much as RM 1 million to obtain the right to sell car registration plates, and that the cost was subsequently retrieved by selling as little as one license plate.

“I noticed (the transport) minister can approve car plate outsourcing but I would not permit that. JPJ cannot make any exemption. Any income from (the sale of) car plates must go to government coffers.”

The Seremban MP was speaking at a press conference in the Transport Ministry after meeting with JPJ senior management.

Loke also said the Road Transport Department (RTD) will implement an e-bidding system for the sale of car plates, which is estimated to be introduced by next January.

He noted that the sale of car plates had provided an income of RM280 million for the government last year, and expressed hopes that e-bidding would help boost public coffers.

“This will help people. You can sit in Putrajaya and bid (on) a Penang car plate. No need to go to Penang.”

"Patriot", "Perfect", and "NAAM" are some of the vanity plates in circulation today for which the Road Transport Department has received criticism under the BN administration.

This is because the rights to sell these plates were traded away by the department, through direct negotiations, without the customary open tender process. -Mkini