PAS is appealing to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to intervene in the federal government's intention to award a traffic regulating system contract even as Parliament was debating an amendment to  the Road Transport Act.

Six of the party's representatives handed over a memorandum on the matter to an Istana Negara official this morning, parts of which was released to the press today, together with a statement.

NONE Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar, who acted as  spokesperson for the group, quoted Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin as having said that Commercial Circle Bhd and Beta Tegap Sdn Bhd had been offered the opportunity to install the Automated Enforcement System (AES), although Parliament was still debating the controversial amendment to the Act.

The others accompanying Mahfuz were Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, Kuala Krai MP Hatta Ramli and Paroi assemblyman Mohd Taufek Abd Gan, together with their counsel Zulhazmi Shariff and party member Wan Johani Wan Jaafar.

Describing the AES as a repressive system, Mahfuz said it would capture pictures of offending vehicles and process them before summonses were issued to the owners.

T suaram forum on police 260910 mahfuz omar he law also allows the pictures to be offered as evidence in court.

However, the government has pledged not to go beyond its budget in introducing the system nationwide, said Mahfuz ( right ).

"This means the AES concessionaires, who will bear the equipments costs, will issue as many summonses as possible to cover their high expenditures.

"High numbers of compounds will not mean that people will drive safely. The system only serves to collect profits from summonses, not to educate road users.

"Hence, we appeal to the King to reject the bill and pass it back to Parliament for further debate," he said.

Parliament adopted the Road Transport (Amendment) Bill 2010 on Dec 16, after a heated exchange which saw 71 lawmakers for and 40 against the legislation. The Senate approved the bill yesterday.

Mahfuz said the amendment had given rise to legal confusion as to whether the pictures captured before the law was amended could be tendered in court.

accidents 260906 mutiple vehicle pileup It also did not solve the core issue of tougher sentences on reckless drivers, as punishments were aimed at only technical offences, he added.

It is ridiculous that those who fail to provide their addresses can be jailed whereas there is no mention of those responsible for fatal accidents, he said.

The anti-postal summons campaign ( saman ekor ) committee member also reiterated the call to the authorities to stop issuing postal summonses.

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