Driving cars in Malaysia should be a luxury instead of necessity, Johor lawmaker tells Putrajaya

• Published date: 28 May 2022
• Publication title: Malay Mail Online

The federal government must find its political will to make driving private cars a luxury instead of a necessity, Opposition lawmaker Liew Chin Tong said today.

The Perling assemblyman claimed that driving has become a necessity for half of Malaysia's population as there are very few first- and last-mile connections on the road, even for those living in the nation's capital Kuala Lumpur.

"Research has shown that each time petrol prices go up in Malaysia, the number of road deaths increases," he said in a statement.

He said that raising petrol pump prices without ensuring there is adequate and reliable public transport for at least 40 to 50 per cent of the population would force many low-income earners to switch to motorcycles as the cheaper alternative to cars.

"There is a direct correlation between petrol hike and the number of people switching to motorcycles, and thus the number of road deaths and accidents," he said, without providing statistics to back his argument.

He urged the government to widen its public transport, especially buses.

"Each time global petrol prices hike to US$100 per barrel, there will be...