SHAH ALAM: People in the state today rushed to be able to get the 50 per cent discount for traffic offences and settle their outstanding summonses during the PDRM Selangor Merdeka Ride and Carnival 2023 programme held at the Shah Alam Stadium.
People began queuing up as early as 7am, even though the counters didn’t open until 8 am at the carnival in conjunction with Malaysia's 66th Independence Day, which is only a few days away.
Aisyah Rosli, 26, who is an architect, said she came here because of the 50 per cent discount offered by the PDRM.
"I'm also residing around Shah Alam; I live nearby, so it's easy for me to come here early in the morning, knowing that there’s going to be a lot of people," she added.
Aisyah also said that she personally thinks that this is a good initiative by the police to offer discounts on certain traffic violations.
"I think the turnout of the public is quite good, judging by the crowd here today.
"It is a good initiative by the police force to hold such an event; this way, people can also spend their Saturday exploring the carnival and doing other activities after they’ve finished with their business here," she added.
Soo, 25, who works as an accountant, stated that she lives around here (Shah Alam Stadium) and also didn't want to miss the opportunity to pay off outstanding summonses.
"When I heard that the event was held quite near my house, I did not want to miss the opportunity to get a 50 per cent discount and pay off outstanding summonses." Also, this will clear me of any bad record under my name with the police.
"Yes I do believe this is a great initiative by PDRM. It allows people to pay less money for their traffic violation fines.
"I also feel grateful for this initiative for the 50 per cent discount, so that myself and many others, which I believe would feel the same, can save our money for other purposes.
She also went on to explain that she would encourage other people to come here to the PDRM Selangor Merdeka Ride and Carnival 2023 programme at Shah Alam Stadium.
"I feel it is our responsibility as responsible Malaysians to pay our fines. We should be good citizens of the country, plus it is beneficial to claim the discount," she added.
Similarly, Palaniappan, 38, who is currently working as an IT engineer, said he has accumulated three traffic violation tickets, so he doesn’t want to miss the opportunity to claim the 50 per cent discount.
"I am grateful for this initiative by the PDRM, but I’m not totally pleased with it. I believe the PDRM could have just included this discount on their online system; that way, it can be enjoyed by all of the people. It is much easier that way.
"I think this initiative can and should be more accessible for the people. Plus, I don’t even live around here; I live in Sentul, Kuala Lumpur. It’s not that far away, but I still have to drive quite a distance to come here," he added.
He also encourages other people to come here and claim the 50 per cent discount, despite his feeling it might be a little bit of an inconvenience to do so.
But by doing so, one can avoid any unwanted consequences, such as getting blacklisted or the suspension of one's driving licence, says Palaniappan.
"For example, in my case, it took me one hour to get here and one more to get back home. Actually, I am supposed to go back to my hometown today; I have a train to catch, but I had to rush here because I need to be physically here to be eligible to claim the 50 per cent discount.
"So, I would say a lot of time has been wasted, because it only takes less than 10–15 minutes to actually settle the process. Hence, I believe that this initiative should have been more accessible and convenient for the people," Palaniappan explained.
The police announced that a special 50 per cent discount for selected traffic summonses would be given to the public at the PDRM Selangor Merdeka Ride and Carnival 2023 programme at Shah Alam Stadium.