Transport Minister Anthony Loke has hit back at calls for him to resign following the government’s decision to suspend MyEG Sdn Bhd and Zetrix AI Bhd from collecting payments on behalf of the Road Transport Department (JPJ).
Loke questioned the logic behind demanding his resignation over outstanding government revenue allegedly owed by the companies, stressing that the suspension was based on facts and contractual obligations rather than political considerations.
“Yang tak bayar syarikat, yang diminta diambil tindakan ialah menteri. Apa punya logik ini?” he said at a press conference on Monday.
Loke said the Transport Ministry (MOT) and JPJ had acted based on the existence of outstanding revenue that had not been transferred to the government as required.
“I’m also surprised. They quickly asked me to resign. The ones who didn’t pay are the companies,” he said.
JPJ director-general Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli previously announced that MyEG and Zetrix AI would have their services suspended from October 5 over compliance with the terms and conditions of their agreements, as well as outstanding obligations that had yet to be fulfilled.
Loke also dismissed suggestions that the government’s decision was influenced by the companies’ management or ownership links to political parties.
“Who they are associated with is not relevant to me,” he said.
The government had previously said the total claims against the companies amounted to RM314 million between May 19 and September 30, involving government revenue collected but not transferred to the Transport Ministry’s main revenue account.
Loke said the companies had been given opportunities to settle the outstanding payments, including through 35 reminder notices and four engagement sessions with stakeholders.
However, he said the government had no choice but to suspend the services after a RM231 million cheque submitted by the company was not processed by the bank following instructions from the company when it was deposited on September 30.
“So we had no choice. There is no justification that can be given by the company. This is a responsibility and an obligation,” he said.
Loke stressed that the companies were merely collection agents for JPJ and that the money collected belonged to taxpayers and licence payers, not the companies.
He said the services would only be considered for reinstatement once the entire outstanding amount had been settled.
Loke also confirmed that the government has a termination clause in the contracts and would not be required to pay compensation if the agreements were terminated.
“They owe us more than RM300 million now. So there is no question of compensation to them,” he said.
