Umno Youth: No to 'saman ekor'

The practice of 'saman ekor' (postal summons) is unfair and should be abolished, said Umno Youth.

The movement's chief, Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar, said that saman ekor, or the practice of issuing summonses to vehicle owners by post, presumes guilt even before the owner has a chance to defend himself or herself.

He said that it is especially inconvenient when the vehicle owners only become aware of the summonses months after the alleged offence had been committed, or when they are renewing their road tax.

The summonses can come from not just the police, but also the Road Transport Department and local councils.

“By then, they are already forced to pay and are punished even before they are found guilty,” he said.

Speaking to reporters after meeting representatives from 14 bus and taxi associations, Khairy (right) said that he shared their antagonism against saman ekor.

“The practice of saman ekor is not just an inconvenience to the public, but also commercial companies who have lost a lot of money from this.

“A lot of times, when the drivers break the law, the company owners will only find out after three or four months when the summonses arrive in the post. By then, the driver may have left the company and is no longer traceable,” he said.

The bus operators also aired their grievances to the Rembau MP, claiming that their entire fleet would be grounded and that they would not be able to obtain subsidised diesel if they are not able to renew the road tax because of outstanding summonses.

Umno Youth not against summonses

However, Khairy picked his words carefully at the press conference in the Umno headquarters this evening, saying that it is not that they are against summonses in totality.

“We don't mind if the police were to issue summonses on-the-spot. In fact, those caught to be breaking traffic laws should be severely punished,” he said.

The president of the Peninsula Malay Bus Operators Association, Tajuddin Yunus, also said that the practice of saman ekor is not a deterrent to errant bus drivers.

“If the summonses are issued months after the have committed the offence, they would have forgotten all about it, or would have left the company,” he said.

Khairy also insisted that the initiative by the Umno Youth is not the same as the Anti-Saman Ekorcampaign (Kase) initiated by Pas vice-president Mahfuz Omar (left), neither will they be joining the campaign.

“I'm with the industry here today, people who actually own businesses. The opposition is free to do what they want.

“And this is what we are doing ourselves,” said Khairy.

The Home Ministry had come under heavy fire over the practice, with its minister recently saying that they are considering givingdiscounts to those who are issued saman ekor.

It was earlier reported that over 10 million traffic summonses had been issued and offenders would be barred from renewing their road tax and driving licences if they did not pay up.

Mahfuz had also previously said the practice is unconstitutional, citing a court ruling in Sarawak which deemed that the practice of blacklisting offenders contravenes Article 13 of the federal constitution, that states that no law may provide for compulsory acquisition or use of property without adequate compensation.