KUALA LUMPUR, October 25 – Malaysia will not be implementing a policy to end the life of old vehicles since such a measure is deemed impractical. However, the government continues to encourage citizens to own electric vehicles (EVs) or use public transportation. The Minister of Transport, Anthony Loke, stated that such a policy is not feasible due to the socio-economic conditions of the country and the people’s reliance on private vehicles. “We do not have a policy to end the life of vehicles like some other countries. If we create a policy to scrap old cars, it would impose difficulties on the people.
“Vehicle sales data are also on the rise, indicating a healthy economic situation. This is an indicator that we are still heavily reliant on private vehicle use, and there is no policy preventing ownership of old vehicles,” he said. He made this statement during a press conference at the 15th High-Level Regional Forum on Sustainable Environmental Transport here today. To achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) towards a carbon-neutral nation by 2030, Loke stated that the government will continue to develop and invest in public transportation systems to make the service more efficient.
“In terms of the ratio of public transportation to private vehicles, the use of public transportation is still very low, at less than 20 percent. We hope to increase the use of public transportation, but it undoubtedly requires a great deal of effort, time, and government investment,” he said, adding that efforts are being made to promote the EV industry in Malaysia. Anthony said that out of the 30 million vehicles in Malaysia, 15 million are motorcycles, which significantly contribute to carbon emissions. As a start, the government will provide rebates of up to RM2,400 for the purchase of electric motorcycles, as recently announced in the 2024 Budget.
