The sudden announcement of Wee Ka Siong to ban all micro-mobility aids, encompassing personal mobility devices, personal mobility aids, electric scooters and mopeds, with immediate effects took everybody by surprise. There have been widespread uproars and criticisms against the cruel and inconsiderate decision taken by the transport minister who seemed to have done this as a knee jerk reaction in response to the guilty verdict of Sam Ke Ting.
Our Transport Minister appeared to have taken the decision more as a politician keen to win votes for the upcoming general election rather than as an engineer with a PhD degree. He did not seem to keep up to date with world trend in all things going electric to renewable energy. He has regressed to the age of fossil fuel where petrol powered machines rule the world. The ego of any person depended on the cc engine size of the car he drove.
All the electric mobility devices and aids are steadily gaining ground as part of the international efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and help battle the climate change that has wreaked havocs around the world and our country almost daily now. We are not surprised to hear of severe floodings even in the highly developed sophisticated centre of Kuala Lumpur. Most developed countries will phase out petrol and diesel cars by 2040 with electric cars are subsidized by governments to achieve the emission control target.
For those that are disabled, old and weak, or not rich enough to afford chauffer driven cars like our pampered cabinet with all paid for government cars, the electric mopeds and personal mobility aids allow them to venture outside to do a little of grocery shopping or social interactions. Many university students also rely heavily on electric bicycles to get to the university day in day out.
Wee Ka Siong seemed to think it was good enough to have had “a discussion session” with the welfare department, OKU Central and PWD (person with disabilities) association on 23 April 2021 to have their inputs. Obviously the decision was made without input from the industry, the students, the elderly population and the Ministry of Technology and Environment. It makes a mockery of the country’s efforts to promote electric cars and renewable energy.
The president of MCA should pay a visit to the university town of Kampar with thousands and thousands of UTAR students and senior citizens relying on electric bicycles and mopeds for their daily commutes to the university and shops. With a single stroke of cruel inconsiderate regressive move by the unthinking Minister of Transport, many of them have lost their cheap and reliable way of living their lives. Many of their houses are not served by public transport like buses. Grab or taxis are beyond their means.
We all agree motorbikes are the most dangerous form of transport with their high speeds and lack of safety protections. Thousands and thousands have been involved in accidents with permanent disabilities or deaths year after year. Yet there was never any mention of banning motorbikes. Micro mobility vehicles are much slower, thus much safer with very few cases of serious accidents. Wee Ka Siong’s decision to ban them is regressive, illogical, unscientific and harmful to the planet, it also severely penalise the disabled, the old and the poor.