The Penang government is being "irresponsible" in wanting to defer the implementation of the Automated Enforcement System (AES) for traffic offences, Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha said today.

"If it is something that saves lives, they should cooperate and not say ‘no’ before knowing anything about it.

lim kit siang parliament pc 201008 kong cho ha “It is like the they are not concerned about the road users in their state," the minister told reporters in the Parliament lobby today.

"They have to look at the legal implications... Maybe the attorney-general can advise."

Kong said there was no need to put the AES implementation on hold for further study, as a full and thorough study had already been done.

"This study has been going on for 10 years, way before my time. The government initiated the study in 2003 after being concerned over the high accident and death rates."

The Penang government announced on Tuesday that it would not implement the AES system until a study on it was completed.

The state also invited Transport Ministry secretary-general Long See Wool to explain the installation of 47 cameras in the state to detect speeding and traffic light violations.

The AES has received a lot of flak , especially with the job given to two companies, ATES Sdn Bhd and Beta Tegap Sdn Bhd.

The Road Transport Department declared on Tuesday that the AES system was being implemented to reduce road accidents, not to create profits for the two companies.

Asked about allegations that the companies had marked up the cost of the system to the detriment of taxpayers, Kong said the opposition was plucking figures out of thin air.

‘Government didn't invest a single sen’

He reiterated that the AES system did not cost taxpayers anything to implement as the concessionaires bore the cost of implementing and managing it.

And they would only be given five years to recoup their investment, after which the whole system, the cameras, vehicles and equipment in the control centres would have to be transferred to the government, free of charge.

azlan "So, the government is not going to pay a thing."

Asked about BN parliamentarians joining their voices to the chorus of the anti-AES protests, Kong blamed the backbenchers for their ignorance.

"They don’t understand the whole system. In fact, all our officers had a briefing for the PM's media office today. We found out they don’t understand a lot of things."

Asked about the motion filed by PAS Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar to dock RM10 from his salary over the matter, Kong said that was a normal thing for the opposition to do.

“It's not the first time. I will look at my schedule and when the motion is scheduled, will decide (whether to attend).”

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