On the road to win-win solution

Johor government will step in to help resolve issues raised by lorry owners and drivers in the state regarding recent enforcement operations carried out by authorities.

State works, transport and infrastructure committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said a series of meetings with the parties involved should be held to obtain the best solution.

“This is a national-level issue, but operators of small and large commercial vehicles have taken the initiative to meet the administration of every state so that their wishes can be expressed and supported by the respective state governments.

“This issue involves the people of Johor, so we will help,” he said, adding that the memorandum document needed to be updated before it was submitted to Transport Ministry and the relevant agencies.

Mohamad Fazli said this when met after receiving the memorandum from Johor Commercial Vehicles Owners and Operators Association, which represents 1,500 operators, in Kota Iskandar.

He said the group raised enforcement issues such as loading capacity as well as summonses that had affected small operators and lorry drivers.

“We need time to refine the proposals in this memorandum and make some improvements before handing it over to the Federal Government,” said Mohamad Fazli.

“Over here, we have the Johor way, which is through discussions and peaceful meetings; there is no need for protests or demonstrations,” the Bukit Pasir assemblyman added.

Earlier, a large group of lorry operators and drivers gathered peacefully in front of Bangunan Dato Abdul Rahman Andak in Kota Iskandar to hand over the memorandum to Mohamad Fazli.

Since October, there have been protests involving thousands of lorry drivers in several states over enforcement operations nationwide which allegedly caused operators and lorry drivers to lose their source of income.

The drivers and lorry operators had held strikes to protest against Road Transport Department (JPJ) and the police for seizing dozens of overloaded lorries in enforcement operations.

They also sent memorandums to the respective state JPJs.