KUALA LUMPUR: Actor and road safety activist Azlan Sani Zawawi, better known as Lando Zawawi, claimed today that corruption and politics have led to poor construction and repairs of some roads.
He said from his experience contesting in the Tanjong Karang parliamentary seat in the last general election, he constantly received calls from contractors trying to "book" him with political contributions if he was elected as a member of parliament.
Lando, who is Ikatan Silaturahim Brotherhood founder, claimed that once an individual wins the seat, the contractors would be asking for contracts to repair roads in exchange for their support.
"During that time (campaigning period), this contractor called, that contractor called, and I was puzzled about why they were calling me. It turns out they all wanted to 'book' me. But the bookings were not just for me, they were 'booking' everyone involved (all the candidates).
"Because what these contractors are doing is taking a chance. Whoever wins, will there be a job? This is the reality; I already know.
"Corruption is the No.1 (factor for road issues). Politics is just an instrument," he said in an episode of Tekan Habis podcast.
Lando added that with all this jockeying, the transparency of road projects would come into question as the tendering process might have not been adhered to.
Contractors who were awarded projects might not even have the qualifications to deliver them and this would eventually result in the poor construction and maintenance of roads.
He said the incidents that he came across had been reported to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and he described the "political contributions" as the highest form of corruption.
The New Straits Times had reached out to the MACC for confirmation.
According to a study by Zutobi, an online driver's education platform, in 2022, Malaysia was ranked 12th in having the worst roads in the world.
Last year, Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said heavy vehicles with excess loads were the main cause of road damage, especially potholes.
Lando claimed that the specifications of the glow-in-the-dark road paint introduced by the Public Works Department (PWD) last year was not suitable.
He claimed that after checking the product's International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) code, he found that the paint was for indoor use only.
"Those are glow-in-the-dark paint for watches and need to be charged regularly. There are two types: indoor glow-in-the-dark and outdoor glow-in-the-dark paint that 'recharge' with sunlight. The latter was what should be used," he said.
The New Straits Times had reached out to Nanta for an explanation of Lando's claims.
It was reported that in a Facebook posting last year, Nanta said a "glow-in-the-dark" road paint pilot project was being implemented in Hulu Langat, Selangor, under the ministry's MYJalan initiative.
He said the initiative found that the markings were suitable in areas without street lighting, with a durability of 10 hours and could still provide a good "glowing" effect even in rainy weather.