JPJ sets up integrity taskforce

The Star

PUTRAJAYA: The Road Transport Department (JPJ) has set up an eight-man integrity taskforce to oversee public complaints of corruption, misdemeanours and abuse of power against its staff.

Its new director-general Solah Mat Hassan said the taskforce, to be chaired by him, would make each state JPJ director more responsible over the conduct of their staff.

The complaints, he added, could range from bad time management, failure to deliver services according to the clients’ charter as well as dealing with decisions that were not transparent.

“For example, a member of public can complain to us via e-mail or letter that he has to wait for such a long time to just renew his driving licence.

“Under a system implemented recently in Perak, counter services are now monitored and each transaction time is now recorded to ensure that public don’t have to wait long for their turn.

“Based on this complaint, the state director must investigate and come up with a report within three days. The taskforce will then convene a meeting to look into the report and call for the state director to explain his case.

“If the complaint is found to be due to an administrative procedure, we will then review the regulation involved and try to improve it. However, if the complaint is found to have involved an individual, disciplinary action will be taken,” he told reporters at his office on Friday.

The taskforce, added Solah, would also probe if the staff involved in the complaint had broken the department’s or the ministry’s code of ethics.

“The complaints can reach us via letters, e-mail, newspaper reports, audits, Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA), the Public Complaints Bureau or other such agencies.

“Therefore, I want to encourage the public to send their complaints to me directly through my e-mail at kp@jpj.gov.my,” he said, adding that all reports handled by the department’s integrity taskforce would later be channelled to the Transport Ministry.

Recently, Transport Minister Datuk Ong Tee Keat had urged the ACA to investigate JPJ after the former moved in on touts in Puspakom centres.

Solah said the department would also spend RM48mil on its the “OneJPJ” concept, whereby all its 68 branches would have similar signages as well as office layout to ensure the public know the location of each service counter the moment they arrive there.

“We want to streamline all our branches so that they all look similar and offer the same counter services. In order to ensure the streamlining of procedures, I have directed headquarters staff to conduct ‘handholding’ training sessions with frontdesk personnel so that our directives are implemented the same way in all our branches,” he said.

On another matter, Solah also warned motorists who had fitted their cars with xenon headlights to remove them by the end of November.

“Many of these xenon lights are retrofitted without following our specifications and their high beams are dangerous to other road users. We will issue them with warning notices for now. But by Dec 1, they can be fined up to RM300 for such offences,” he said.