KOTA KINABALU – Sabah police have rubbished allegations that they indiscriminately fined an e-hailing driver for flouting the inter-district travel ban.
State police commissioner Datuk Hazani Ghazali said the RM5,000 compound handed to the driver, who was ferrying a passenger, at the Kinarut roadblock in Papar last Sunday was because the driver did not have a police permit to cross district lines.
In a statement, he said e-hailing drivers are not allowed to undertake inter-district travel even with an approval letter from the International Trade and Industry Ministry.
He said the same applies to the passenger, an essential service worker, who also did not have a permit for inter-district travel.
“All public transport services are not allowed to travel across districts. The enforcement of this comes from the state government.
“We do not indiscriminately fine people without doing thorough checks,” said Hazani last night, adding that police will probe into the allegations.
Earlier, Luyang assemblyman Phoong Jin Zhe claimed an e-hailing driver has been fined RM5,000 for sending home an essential service worker from Penampang to Kinarut last weekend.
The driver was purportedly carrying a company letter and the Transport Ministry’s approval letter, as well as a public service vehicle licence.
Phoong demanded that the Transport Ministry explain in detail the restrictions on e-hailing vehicles during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Meanwhile, Papar district police chief Bartholomew Umpit said the driver failed to provide the relevant permits.
“At the time of the incident, the driver also failed to provide the Transport Ministry approval letter, registered under the industry logistics of the Transport Ministry, to the police officer at the roadblock,” he said, defending the issuance of the fine. – The Vibes, June 20, 2021
