PUTRAJAYA: Transport Minister Anthony Loke took a swipe at his predecessor for criticising the government's latest decision on the vehicle tinting regulations.
He said the new rules on tinting would ensure that the government’s coffers were filled, unlike under the past government.
“I want to tell (Datuk Seri) Liow (Tiong Lai) that of course we look at revenue for the government coffers and it is not for DAP coffers,” he told reporters, here, today.
The transport minister said this in response to Liow’s statement that the government’s decision to collect RM5,000 from owners of vehicles who wanted to fully tint their windows appeared to be “looking at the revenue side”.
Loke said the Pakatan Harapan government stressed the importance of integrity.
“No one in my office has the power to approve things and all must go through the proper processes.
“Even I have taken myself out (of the approving process).
“All applications (to tint the front windshield and front side windows) above the permitted level must go through a special committee chaired by the Road Transport Department director-general.
“Those with criminal records will be rejected as we will never compromise on security,” he added.
The transport minister also revealed the existence of middlemen who charged up to RM8,000 approval for darker tints for security reasons during the previous government and alleged that the collected funds did not go into the government’s coffers.
“There is no more hanky-panky in the Transport Ministry because we are in the fight against corruption.”
Loke also told his detractors, including Liow, that the decision was mostly based on a workshop held in 2014 in deciding on the new ruling on tint.
“The only things we changed are allowing the rear windshield and rear windows to be tinted at any level of VLT (visible light transmission),” he said.
Under the new ruling the front windshield and front-side windows remain at 70 per cent and 30 per cent of VLT respectively as had been concluded in the 2014 workshop which also involved the police force, said Loke.
Nonetheless, the transport minister said the RTD director-general would meet the police to deliberate on how best to enforce the new ruling on tinting.
Loke also explained that the tinting regulations came under the purview of the Transport Ministry, specifically RTD.
“Still we respect the concerns of many including the police on the issues of safety and security.”
On the new tinting regulations, Loke said, similar rulings were also done in other countries, including Japan, which allowed the VLT level for rear windshield and rear passenger windows to be at any percentage.
He also cited news reports supporting the new ruling which could deter criminals from smashing car windows to steal things that they could see from outside and there was no data to support that darker tints would increase crime rates.