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Fed up with train delays? Minister seeks tougher penalties for cable theft
PARLIAMENT | Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming today proposed an amendment to existing laws to impose heavier penalties for cable theft.
Speaking at the Dewan Rakyat, he said the activities have disrupted public transport, such as the LRT service, and have caught the cabinet's attention, which takes the matter seriously.
PARLIAMENT | Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming today proposed an amendment to existing laws to impose heavier penalties for cable theft.
Speaking at the Dewan Rakyat, he said the activities have disrupted public transport, such as the LRT service, and have caught the cabinet's attention, which takes the matter seriously.
"This question should be directed to the Home Ministry, but the Housing and Local Government Ministry is indeed in communication with the Home Ministry (on this issue).
"...We may also need to amend the law so that heavier punishment can be meted out in cable theft cases.
"Such cases have caused the LRT service near Kelana Jaya to be disrupted several times. The service was halted not because of operational problems but because electrical cables were stolen by syndicates," Nga (above) said during an oral question-and-answer session this morning.
/file/publisher-c1a3f893382d2b2f8a9aa22a654d9c97/2026/03/0c9da1efcf0f2c74332c415a5f756379.jpg "Wangsa Maju LRT Station. Passengers about to board the LRT 130326")
Nga (Harapan-Teluk Intan) was responding to a supplementary question from Mumtaz Md Nawi (Perikatan Nasional-Tumpat), who asked the minister to explain his ministry's enforcement actions to address the problem.
Increasing cable thefts have caused major issues for the public transportation industry, especially rail transit services.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke reportedly said Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) faced hundreds of hours of delay and disruption throughout 2025 due to cable thefts.
Loke (below) said the theft caused 562 hours of delays to the Electric Train Service and 741 hours of disruption to KTM Komuter service, and that the national railway operator had collaborated with enforcement agencies as an immediate action to address the issue.
/file/attachments/886/99566fa213522b5ec8390d9d7bc010b4_631428.jpg "Anthony Loke - 210726")
In October the same year, Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd reported that its Putrajaya MRT line needed extensive repairs due to suspected cable theft.
According to the company, a technical investigation found that a greater number of fibre optic cables had been cut and stolen, requiring extensive repairs to ensure stable and safe operations can resume.
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This is the problem with politicians.. Instead of dealing with the real problem of lack of enforcement of existing law, they talk of amending the law... They dare not remove the deadwood becos they came from one community... and so the problem continues...
It's not just the thieves. The scrap metal dealers who buy the stolen items are just as guilty. They're all in it together. This doesn't only happen on railway tracks. In residential areas, they steal manhole covers and pull out utility cables, cut them up, and sell them as scrap, leaving entire neighbourhoods without essential services and connectivity. The authorities must go after both the thieves and the buyers. Make the penalties harsher, impose mandatory jail terms, and send a clear message. This has to stop.
Anyone caught for theft of cables must be severely punished. Make an example out of them.
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