PUTRAJAYA, 10 Oct 2008: The Road Transport Department (JPJ) would form a special task force to screen and monitor bribery and criminal breach of trust involving its staff, so as to help improve the integrity and accountability of the department’s delivery system.
JPJ Director-General Datuk Solah Mat Hassan said among the cases to be given priority are the misuse of powers, breaking code of ethics, not adhering to department or government directives, poor time management, poor service and lack of transparency in procedures.
Solah said the eight-member team headed by him would act on information provided through various mediums, including e-mails, newspaper reports, Anti-Corruption Agency, Public Complaints Bureau and through internal and external audit reports.
“Directors of the respective states will be called up when issues raised are related to their states and they will have to conduct investigations and submit a report to the team in three days.
“If the report identified the problem as a result of the JPJ system, we will rectify or improve the system in three months but if it was due to human error, disciplinary action will be taken within a week against those responsible, and the punishment will depend on the severity of the case” he told reporters here today.
He added that through the new initiative, state department directors would have a bigger and more responsible role to play in scrutinising their staff because if they (state department directors) fail or are found to have slacked in their duties, action can also be taken against them.
Meanwhile, Solah added that JPJ was also in the process of streamlining the department’s services through a ‘OneJPJ’ concept to place all 68 JPJ divisions nationwide under one system. The process will cost RM48 million.
“By streamlining the system, the department will have a standard operating process in providing information to staff on matters related to directives or other work procedures,” he said.
Solah also warned car owners to refrain from fixing High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights or xenon lights to their cars as it would endanger other road users due to its extremely glaring properties.
“Initially we will issue them (car owners) a notice to remove such lights by December, after which use of such lights would be an offence,” he said. — Bernama
