I refer to Chai Ming Hock's letter 'Saman ekor': Why exempt villagers?

I have read media reports on the issue, as well as watched the televised press conference by Deputy Internal Affairs Minister Noh Omar. I was also present at the two press conferences held in May, in Lawan Kuda, Perak, called by DAP and an earlier one by Suhakam commissioners N Siva Subramaniam and Loke Yim Pheng.

First of all, Fong had quoted Noh Omar himself when he said that the police should have used Form 170A instead of Form 257. The former applies only to those traffic offenders the police are unable to stop, while the latter is issued on the spot.

In other words, the few hundred "saman ekor" were incorrectly issued because the police should have issued Form 257 to the motorists there and then. Fong was referring to the cancellation of the 170A forms, if they had been incorrectly issued.

The more important objective of the police should be to educate the motorcyclists for their own good. Police presence should be prominent to discourage would-be snatch thieves as well as to ensure that road-users obey the rules. The police should not be there just to issue summonses to fill their quotas or coffers.

If the police and the Transport Ministry feel that the rules should be strictly enforced, I wish to point out that both authorities should ensure that they first have the manpower to enforce the laws throughout the country fairly, justly and without discrimination.