Public Accounts Committee to summon RTD over special number plates bid process

Nur Jazlan leads the Public Accounts Committee which reports to Parliament and is only seeking to know more about the bidding process for the special number plates. - The Malaysian Insider pic, October 7, 2014.The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will summon the Road Transport Department (RTD) to explain the procedures involved in acquiring special vehicle registration plates following controversies which arose from the sought-after "BMW" plates in Selangor.

PAC chairman Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the committee wanted to get more information on the standard operating procedure (SOP) of the tender process so that the public would understand the methods involved in acquiring special number plates.

"The tender in acquiring special vehicle registration plates always becomes an issue among the people that it has given a negative perception to the government and to the successful bidders.

"So it is better if the RTD, through the Transport Ministry, gives the relevant information to the PAC. At least, it can alleviate the people's displeasure," he said in a statement today.

The RTD told The Malaysian Insider today that Cabinet ministers, judges and members of the royalty were the anonymous bidders who won the much sought-after "BMW" number plates.

The department also said it was normal procedure to blank out their names as well as not disclose the actual bid amount to avoid negative public perception.

RTD director-general Datuk Ismail Ahmad denied that the department had given five exclusive car registration number plates to “Anggota Pentadbiran Kerajaan” (government administration personnel) for free.

He told The Malaysian Insider that the successful anonymous bidders did pay for the registration plates BMW 1, BMW 2, BMW 7, BMW 9 and BMW 10 but he could not give the total amount the department collected for these five number plates.

“They made bids for the numbers and they got it. We withheld their names and the sums involved to avoid negative public perception,” Ismail said, adding that the successdul bidders comprised Cabinet ministers, judges and royalty.

“This is what we have practised. It is not about transparency. It is our SOP and we have no bad intention in keeping this information a secret.

"We want to avoid speculation and doubts. As long as one has the money and used the proper channel to get the numbers, they can have it, whoever they are,” Ismail had said.

Nur Jazlan said the PAC had in fact planned to call in the RTD based on the recommendations by the Auditor-General following its 2013 Series 2 report.

However, the A-G's report had not touched on the issues pertaining to the acquisition of special number plates but instead it was about the delay in opening investigation papers and the MySikap portal.

"PAC will take the opportunity to also ask RTD about the process and the procedure in the tender of vehicle registration plates during the proceedings," he added.

The five anonymous bidders came to light recently when anti-crime activist R. Sri Sanjeevan was found to have paid almost RM340,000 for the number plates BMW 8 and BMW 11.

The MyWatch chairman was listed along with other successful bidders for the numbers 1 to 12 with the BMW prefix, for cars registered with the Selangor RTD.

In the same list were the five number plates won by government administration personnel, whose real names, identity card numbers and amount paid were not listed.

This raised speculation on social media, where the list was circulated, that government personnel had obtained the car number plates for free.

- TMI