JOHOR BARU: Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi paid a surprise visit to a Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) collection centre at Danga Bay, one of three collection centres in the area.
In a TikTok video, Onn Hafiz questioned why it was late to set up a tent for those waiting in line outside the collection centre.
He made a phone call and told the person on the other line not to delay as it affected Johor’s image.
Visibly upset in the video, Onn Hafiz also asked a person who had sent an email about the VEP registration three months back but received no reply.
“That’s the main issue and there is no response? But what is the excuse where it took three months even if the system crashed or not, in not replying to an email,” he said.
Onn Hafiz also asked a few people inside the centre what time they arrived at the VEP centre. One person said he had been waiting since 7am and had been to the centre four to five times.
Before he left, Onn Hafiz met with those waiting outside and assured them that the government would sort out the matter.
Those struggling to secure the VEP are appealing to the Transport Ministry to defer the implementation date and improve the application process first.
Many have been queuing as early as 7am at the VEP centres in Johor Baru and Singapore.
Two additional locations for the installation of the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags for the VEP were opened on Sunday (Sept 22).
They are located at the Road Transport Department (JPJ) in Taman Daya and the Southern Region Road Transport Academy in Larkin, both in Johor Baru.
On May 28, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that foreign vehicles entering Malaysia from Singapore will be required to have a VEP tag starting Oct 1.
Anyone driving a foreign-registered motor vehicle without a VEP can be fined up to RM2,000 or imprisoned for up to six months upon conviction.
Loke said an estimated 18,000 Singaporean vehicles cross the Causeway into Malaysia daily, making it one of the busiest land border crossings in the world.
Upon implementation of the VEP, Singapore vehicles will be scanned during entry and exit and will continue paying the existing Road Charge of RM20 per entry.
The VEP was first announced in 2017. Its implementation was postponed twice, in 2019 and 2020, due to issues with the VEP-RFID tag’s installation and registration.
