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PUTRAJAYA: Operations at the Penang Road Transport Department (RTD) will not be affected by the arrest of 24 of its enforcement personnel by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), according to RTD director-general Datuk Seri Shaharuddin Khalid.
He said the Penang RTD would continue to carry out operations as usual with the assistance of the Kedah and Perak RTD.
“I want the northern zone to cooperate and don’t regard it as a burden to RTD. We do not want their arrest to paralyse the department,” he told a media conference, here today.
Shaharuddin said this was to ensure the department’s target of collecting RM4.3 billion in revenue would not be affected, with Penang being the highest contributor, at RM155 million a year.
He said a total of 139 out of 457 staff at the Penang RTD are enforcement personnel who are involved in operations.
On the action against the 24 RTD personnel arrested by the MACC, he said they would be suspended from work for two months after their release from remand.
“This is to ensure they are not at their workplace during the investigation process,” he said, adding that their arrest did not reflect the image of the 8,000 RTD staff nationwide.
“We will not compromise on issues of integrity and corruption. If there is an arrest or investigation by MACC or other enforcement agencies. We will not protect them. We will assist investigation,” he added.
Yesterday, the George Town magistrate’s court ordered 30 suspects, including the 24 RTD enforcement personnel to be remanded for seven days to assist in the probe into their alleged involvement in corruption by protecting lorry drivers who committed various traffic offences around Penang. — Bernama
