IPOH: Transport Minister Anthony Loke will issue an official statement regarding a minister's official vehicle allegedly caught tailgating an ambulance on the North-South Expressway (NSE).
"Later we will give a statement. We have a bigger issue than that, and there is an explanation that will be given," he said.
When asked if the VIP vehicle was allowed to tailgate the ambulance, Loke replied: "It's not the case, I mean an explanation will be given soon."
He said this in a press conference after launching Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad's (KTMB) Open Payment System here today. Present was Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming.
Loke was commenting on MCA deputy youth chief Chong Yew Chuan who urged him, as a cabinet member in-charge of the transport portfolio in the unity government, to take firm action on matters relating to road safety.
Chong said the minister should be highlighting the unity government's commitment to defend the rule of law while preserving the good name of the federal government.
Chong added the act of a minister's official vehicle closely following an ambulance was not only a very wrong example, but also involved dangerous driving and posed a risk to other road users.
On Feb 5, pictures of a luxury multipurpose vehicle bearing an official emblem with the word "Menteri" (Minister) allegedly beating a traffic jam by tailgating an ambulance went viral and triggered the wrath of social media users.
In the screenshot of a Facebook post, which has gone viral on X (formerly Twitter), a social media user claimed that the incident allegedly took place along the North-South Expressway between Simpang Pulai and Tapah.
Meanwhile, on Feb 3, two lorry drivers were killed in a road crash involving seven vehicles at Km288.1 of the North-South North Highway near Gopeng.
The accident caused traffic jams for several kilometres on both highway directions, with the sugar load spilling from one of the lorries involved at the crash.
