KUALA LUMPUR – Experts have criticised a proposal to cap vehicle lifespans and dispose of them after 10 years as a policy the country is largely unprepared for, calling it “irrelevant” within the context of infrastructure development.
Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Road Safety Department director Law Teik Hua said the recent proposal to dispose of old cars, put forward by a group of researchers from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia as a measure to alleviate traffic congestion, is not new.
He said such policies have been implemented years ago in countries such as Japan and Singapore, which have seen reduced traffic congestion.
“However, when we speak about the issue in our country, we are still unprepared to implement the proposal. What alternatives are being offered to the owners of old cars?
“If it was in Japan or Singapore, they would have developed an efficient public transport system, but we have yet to achieve this,” he told The Vibes’ Bahasa Malaysia sister portal Getaran.
Law went as far as calling the suggestion “illogical” at this point in time, seeing how the Malaysian public transport system is more developed in urban areas.
He added that the implementation of such a blanket policy would trigger other problems if owners are forced to dispose of their old vehicles.
“So, in this matter, I support the position of the transport minister (Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong) that the proposal is not suitable to be implemented in Malaysia yet.”
Law did agree with the introduction of such a move once the public transport system has significantly improved in efficiency, with the disposal policy implemented in stages.
“It can be implemented once the public transport system has truly become efficient, but must be done in stages, for example starting with the Klang Valley, Johor Baru, and George Town in Penang, as enforcing it nationwide would be quite impossible.”
He then urged the government to maintain its momentum in developing public transport infrastructure to facilitate more policies that will alleviate traffic congestion.
Meanwhile, Malaysia Consumers Movement vice-president Beninder Singh said there was no need to place age limits on vehicles and that such decisions should be left to owners.
He said the 10 years mentioned by researchers is too brief considering most vehicles in that age group are usually in good condition and some can even surpass 20 years of usage if properly maintained.
“Also, to encourage car ownership among the people, the government has allowed loan repayment periods of up to nine years. So, it is illogical to dispose of a vehicle only a year after completing payments.
“If this proposal is accepted, it will definitely burden a large number of people because a vehicle is an important asset to a household and the government cannot force its disposal because those directly affected might not be able to afford a new vehicle.
“As we know, cars are expensive and their prices continue to increase, and even the cost of living is constantly going up.”
Some social media users also expressed their disagreement with the disposal suggestion, with a few claiming researchers disregarded the financial status of many Malaysians today who are already struggling with inflation. – The Vibes, June 22, 2022
