Old skool, classic car enthusiasts and all car fans take note. Looks like the old vehicle ‘scrapping’ idea or vehicle end-of-life policy may be rearing its ugly head again, if a recent report by the MAA (Malaysian Automotive Association), and a quote from its President, Datuk Aishah Ahmad is anything to go by…
In a recent MAA meeting, Datuk Aishah told Berita Harian (translated from Bahasa by Google Translate, edited by AF) “There should be a scheme to allow the old cars to be disposed of the right way against the policy guidelines set by the government. This is to ensure that only vehicles in good condition and environmentally friendly on the road and thus contribute to a safer traffic environment.”
So my question is, what the hell is Puspakom for then? Isn’t it their JOB to make sure that all cars on the road are ‘roadworthy’? As anyone who actively buys and sells cars would know, there’s no getting around a roadworthiness inspection by said establishment before a sale and purchase can be concluded. It’s the same for a car that’s a year old, and the same for a car that’s 20-years old. The car must be inspected by Puspakom for roadworthiness and ONLY if it passes can the car be legally transferred to its new owner.
Earlier this year during the NAP announcement, a section was reserved for VVI or Voluntary Vehicle Inspection, which led from a precursor statement that ‘all cars above 12-years of age are dangerous and should not be on the road’. In this NAP proposal, it was suggested that all owners if cars above a certain age would be asked to ‘voluntarily’ send their cars for a yearly inspection, to ensure its roadworthiness.
Truth be told, I was all for this idea, as there are indeed some cars on the road that are in less-than-perfect condition, and that’s putting it very mildly. However, we were told then that the proposal was ‘still under study’ and we’d have to wait for the outcome. Nine months have passed though.
In my subsequent article in January this year, I did highlight that a ‘blanket’ statement to say that all cars above 12-years of age were unsafe was grossly unfair, and I still stand by that statement. I raised several valid reasons in said article, why simply ‘scrapping’ older cars was a bad idea, since it affects millions of cars out on our roads.
While I can appreciate that the TIV (total industry volume) of cars this year may hit 680,000 new vehicles registered, a significant increase from 652,000 last year, there has got to be a better way to control the volume of vehicles on the road, than simply ‘killing’ off the older ones. Oh yeah, and let’s not forget the significant number of ‘classic’ cars that still ply our roads shall we.
One idea would be a modification of the aforementioned VVI; make it mandatory, every year. Yes, it sounds like a hassle and an inconvenience, but if it’s a viable alternative to death, then why not? These old vehicles would have to go through a mandatory yearly inspection to ensure their roadworthiness, in order for road tax to be renewed. the service should be free, if the road tax amount being paid is the same. If a fee is levied for this, then perhaps a percentage discount on road tax would be in order.
Doing this would have a two-fold effect. One, it would weed-out those really old jalopies which really should not be on the road – owners would voluntarily scrap those junks because it would cost too much to make them roadworthy – and two, it would mean the survival of classics, as well as older cars that are still in fine working order. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, not all old cars are (s)crap. I really hope the MAA, Datuk Aishah and the others in charge do indeed ‘find the right way’.
[Photo source: AF, Wikipedia & theguardian.com]
