Illegal cross-border M'sian drivers demand legalising their trade & banning S'pore cars that do ride-hailing in M'sia
Singapore drivers rebut that they don't do ride-hailing jobs in Malaysia, instead they go there to spend money.
An association that supposedly provides representation for hundreds, if not,
thousands of Malaysian cross-border drivers, has issued another statement on
Facebook on Oct. 6.
This time, they are calling for Malaysia's transport ministry to legalise cross-border ride-hailing services, as well as the banning of Singapore-registered vehicles that provide ride-hailing services in Malaysia.
Demands crafted after intense discussions
The post by the Southern Private Hire Vehicle Association said Malaysian drivers came to the conclusion for the latest demands after "several rounds of intense discussions over the past few days" by "industry stakeholders and association members".
The post read: "Failure to do so will make it difficult to contain growing discontent within the industry and could potentially trigger even more serious chain reactions."
Among the eight demands were the banning of Singapore-registered private hire vehicles (PHVs) and the prohibition of "Singapore PHVs operating illegally within Malaysia".
However, it is unclear if the post is calling specifically for Singapore PHVs with the official blue decal to be banned, or any vehicle from Singapore that carry out ride-hailing services in Malaysia.
The final three demands were calls for Malaysia's authorities to ensure the survivability of Malaysian drivers by making it legal for them to carry out cross-border transportation jobs and for the liaising with Singapore's authorities on the matter.
Not demanding special privileges, they claimed
Specifically, the sixth demand stated: "Clearly define the ministry’s policy direction and timeline regarding cross-border transportation."
The seventh demand added: "Establish a bilateral consultation mechanism for cross-border transportation matters."
The final demand called for Malaysia to "safeguard" the "survival space of local industry players".
"Our industry is not demanding special privileges — we are merely calling for a fair and level playing field," the statement added.
It also urged the Malaysia authorities "to make a clear and decisive choice in the shortest possible time" to carry out their demands.
The statement ended with another warning: "If there is no tangible progress on either front, the level of frustration and discontent within the industry will inevitably escalate, and the consequences will be unpredictable."
Reactions
The post elicited strong reactions from online commenters, who felt that the demands were targeting Singapore PHVs unfairly.
A number of them responded by explaining that Singapore PHVs with the official blue decal affixed to the front and rear windscreens are vehicles that carry out ride-hailing in Singapore and are also used for private transportation purposes.
The blue decal makes such PHVs easily identifiable in Singapore.
In other words, Singapore-registered vehicles without the PHV blue decal could be the culprits that perform illegal ride-hailing in Malaysia.
Moreover, some commenters argued that it is unlikely that Singaporean drivers carry out illegal ride-hailing in Malaysia due to the unfavourable exchange rate and lower earnings.
They pointed out that Singaporeans who drive to Malaysia, with or without the PHV decals affixed to their vehicles, mostly are there to spend money and relax.
In response, the Southern Private Hire Vehicle Association replied by posting at least one
video allegedly showing a Singapore-registered multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) in the act of carrying out an illegal ride-hailing job.
Sign put up in Malaysia?
The statement by the association came after a photo apparently taken in Malaysia showed a sign calling for Singapore PHVs to be banned there.
Shared on Facebook/ Telegram
But it was unclear where the sign was apparently put up or when the photo of it was taken, or if it had been doctored.
In an earlier
post on Oct. 4, the association claimed that there is "genuine" demand for illegal cross-border services given the continued presence of such illegal rides in Singapore, even when there has been an increased risk of getting caught in recent times
