Opposition lawmaker, Liew Chin Tong, has urged the federal government to make driving private cars a luxury instead of a necessity.
This followed after Liew highlighted that driving is a necessity for most of Malaysia’s population as there are very few public transportations with end-to-end networks and services or ‘first and last-mile connections’ and this is true even for the city folks of Kuala Lumpur.
Liew also pointed out that research has shown that each time petrol prices go up in Malaysia, so does the road death toll. This is because most opt for cheaper modes of transportation, by switching to motorcycles.
It was noted that if petrol prices were raised, the government should ensure adequate public transportation for at least 40% to 50% of the population to prevent lower-income earners from switching to motorcycles.
The state opposition leader also said cutting down the number of private cars on the road will also reduce carbon emissions.
