Gerakan In The News

Gerakan wants drunk drivers’ licence revoked for life

Jun 1, 2020

KUALA LUMPUR: Gerakan has urged the government to revoke for life the driving licence of individuals convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs under the proposed amendments to the Road Transport Act 1987.

Its deputy president Oh Tong Keong also urged the government to hasten the amendment to the legislation, which is also known as Act 333, to keep drunk drivers off the roads, subsequently ensuring the safety of other road users.

Oh, who is also the Penang Gerakan chairman said unlike other countries, Malaysia’s legislation and punishment against drunk drivers is not strict and deterrent in nature.

“The government in Thailand recently passed a law, in which, offenders were sentenced to do community service at local morgues to reflect on the consequences of their actions.

“In the United States, a judge in California had sentenced an individual convicted of drink driving by making them work in a morgue, in which, they are also required to clean bodies of the deceased, in an effort to educate them the ramification of their offence,” said Oh in a statement today.

Oh proposed Malaysia adopt a similar measure by sentencing drunk drivers to witness the consequences of their action.

“By doing so, it could help scare the offenders to be responsible when they are behind the wheel,” he said.

Oh also hoped the government could emulate South Korea which had introduced harsher penalties against those found guilty of driving when they are intoxicated risking the lives of other road users.

“Gerakan is hoping that the government could immediately enforce the new punishment after the Bill on the proposed amendment to the Act has been tabled in Parliament during the upcoming sitting scheduled next month.

“This is imperative in order to avoid from more road users becoming victims of drunk drivers,” he said.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin recently called for a more deterrent punishment to be introduced under the proposed amendment to the Act 333.

He said he was concerned with the rising number of accident cases involving drunk drivers which has resulted in eight deaths during the first five months of this year.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong recently had said the Bill on the proposed amendments to Act 333 would be finalised by the mid-June before being presented to the Cabinet.