KUALA LUMPUR: An altercation between a motorist and toll booth operator at the Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway (Duke) has caught the attention of the public.
This came about after the motorist allegedly insulted the Duke employee, labelling the latter as "stupid" upon being informed that the Touch 'n Go lanes were not accepting cash payments for card reloads.
The video was uploaded by Azfa Mierul, the sibling of the toll booth operator, who said the incident occurred when the driver refused to pay via credit or debit card at another lane after realising his Touch 'n Go card had insufficient balance.
The operator also said the standard operating procedure for Touch 'n Go card reload was only through credit or debit cards.
"I asked him whether he had a bank card and he said that his card was not working. I told him to give it a try first at the other lanes.
"He insisted on paying with cash and mentioned that his ID and bank card were not with him. When I wanted to take the cash, he insulted me and asked whether I knew how to do my job properly.
"He also called me stupid, said I was causing trouble for others and only started to slow down (with the insults) when I took my phone out (to record the incident)," said the Duke employee in the video.
The video caught the attention of netizens, and even the police, who encouraged the toll operator to lodge a police report to allow action to be taken.
"The victim is requested to make a police report at any nearby station so further action (on the incident) can be taken," said the police in response to the video.
In the posting, Azfa mentioned that a police report on the matter had been lodged.
Netizens criticised the driver's disrespectful behaviour and advocated for mutual respect across all professions.
User @amxstrive remarked that the incident has demonstrated that money cannot buy "class", regardless of a person's income category.
Another user, Iqbal Samah, meanwhile, praised the Duke employee for not losing his cool over the incident.
"This brother (the employee) is the best... it is difficult to find a young person with a cool attitude like him nowadays."
The video has garnered more than 1.7 million views on social media platform X.
Meanwhile, the police via its X account @PDRMsia have urged the victim to lodge a police report for further action to be taken.
