VIPs who abuse use of police outriders

VIPs who abuse use of police outriders



When people are stopped by police outriders, they want to know two things.

Does the person who is being escorted deserve the use of police outriders?

Why should other road users be inconvenienced, just so this person can arrive at his destination quickly, and not be bothered with congested roads?

Many people would like the authorities to make available the list of those entitled to police outriders. There are allegations that businessmen use police outriders for their personal trips, and others claim that wives and children of ministers have been escorted by police outriders, despite this privilege being granted to the minister only if he is on official business.

On May 6, a clip posted on Instagram showed a man driving along Jalan Bukit Gambir in Penang escorted by two police outriders. In the clip, one police outrider is seen stopping an oncoming car from turning, enabling the escorted driver to beat the red light.

The driver was later identified by a news portal as the son of Baling MP Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim. He is not a minister and neither was he on official government business, yet he was escorted by two police outriders. It was alleged that he was in Penang for his wedding and did not want to be caught in congested roads over the Hari Raya holiday period.

Some Malaysians reacted with outrage over the incident. Why did he not leave his house earlier, they asked, to make sure he did not miss his appointments.

Police said they are investigating and that the driver would assist them, but many netizens are sceptical over whether any action will be taken against him. Police claim the two outriders had acted on their own accord, and no senior officers had given permission for them to escort the driver.

One of the reasons for the frequent traffic congestion and poorly managed roads is because our ministers are not aware that these problems exist. With their police outriders, their cars glide smoothly through traffic even though the roads are congested. There are no delays when travelling from point A to point B. They do not see any traffic build-up. As far as they are concerned, the roads are clear, and they do not feel the stress that others experience when stuck in traffic.

Or, maybe the ministers are aware of these problems, but simply do not care.

Malaysians are forced to wake up early if they want to avoid congested roads during peak hours, and if they are to get to their destinations on time. They not only have to cope with vehicles going from bumper to bumper, but ill-mannered drivers as well. On top of that, polite and courteous police outriders are few and far between.

Deny the ministers of their traffic outriders for some time, so they will experience the same frustrations of the ordinary citizens who have to endure the suffering on a daily basis. Perhaps they might do some something about it after that, though it is doubtful it will ever happen.