14/08/2026

FRIDAY | AUG 14, 2026

3 Lukewarm response to RTD health screening initiative

‘Selangor MB pact offer tactical move to curb BN-PN advance‘ PETALING JAYA: Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari’s offer to cooperate with any party ahead of GE16 is a tactical move to counter growing cooperation between Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional, rather than a sign of any imminent political realignment, said an analyst. Ilham Centre executive director Dr Hisommudin Bakar said Pakatan Harapan’s structural weakness, namely the absence of a Malay party capable of making significant inroads into the Malay voter segment, was the driving force behind the overture. “The structural problem facing PH at present is quite clear. It does not have a Malay party that is truly capable of making significant inroads into the Malay voter segment. “PKR still has its limitations, while Amanah has yet to develop a sufficiently broad grassroots base to counter the influence of Umno or PAS,”he told theSun. Hisommudin said the experience of GE14 in 2018 may once again become a reference point, when PH’s cooperation with Bersatu provided an important bridge to the Malay voter segment that had previously been difficult for the Opposition to penetrate. “Bersatu may not have been the biggest party in the coalition, but its presence helped provide Malay legitimacy to PH and opened up room for a significant shift in votes, resulting in BN being defeated for the first time in history.” He said growing cooperation between BN and PN could leave PH with increasingly limited strategic options, particularly if the two blocs were able to avoid three-cornered contests and consolidate their support in Malay majority and mixed seats. He acknowledged that the memory of the Sheraton Move remained a major obstacle in terms of trust between the two sides, but said political necessity could yet override it. “Politics ultimately moves according to necessity and survival. If BN-PN is increasingly close to forming a strong electoral bloc, PH and Bersatu may find their strategic options becoming increasingly limited. “In such circumstances, cooperation need not necessarily arise from compatibility, but from the realisation that moving separately could cause both sides to face a greater defeat in GE16.” When asked whether Amirudin’s offer could also be seen as a precursor to broader PH-Bersatu cooperation, he said the matter would ultimately have to be addressed by the top leadership of both parties. █ BY T.C. KHOR newsdesk@thesundaily.com

█ BY HARITH KAMAL newsdesk@thesundaily.com

o With fewer than 20 sign-ups, Transport Ministry stepping up awareness efforts to boost participation for subsidised programme

from the administration a potentially consequential political move. However, the party has not indicated that it intends to make an immediate decision to leave the government. Its leadership is instead expected to use the congress to assess its position and gauge grassroots sentiment. Loke said any discussion over DAP’s political direction can wait until the congress is over. – by Harith Kamal thorough physical examination had actually been carried out. “We are not saying it was not done, but it simply could not be determined whether a thorough examination had been conducted.” Under the new system, doctors at participating clinics will key in their findings directly into an online system integrated with the Road Transport Department’s (RTD) MySikap platform, allowing health reports to be accessed when drivers renew their licences and reducing reliance on physical forms. The programme, launched in collaboration with the Human Resources Ministry, Socso, RTD and the Malaysian Medical Association, involves 500 participating clinics and is scheduled to run until December. The government has allocated RM12.4 million for the programme, including RM7 million from Socso and RM5.4 million from the Finance Ministry. At the same time, Loke said the ministry was changing the way it communicates road safety messages, particularly to younger Malaysians, with RTD partnering Monsta Studios Sdn Bhd to use animation and short-form digital content. He said conventional channels such as billboards and television advertisements remained relevant but were no longer sufficient as smartphones and social media increasingly shaped how Malaysians consumed information. “Our main target is children, so that awareness of safety can be instilled in them from their school days. When we give children this safety awareness, it can indirectly change the attitudes of their parents.” Loke said children could influence their parents’ driving behaviour by reminding them about road offences and safer practices. He described the RTD-Monsta partnership as an “out of the box” approach that could pave the way for more public-private collaborations in communicating safety and other public-interest messages. Loke said the ultimate goal was to encourage Malaysians to internalise road safety messages and translate them into safer behaviour.

PUTRAJAYA: Fewer than 20 commercial vehicle drivers have taken up a subsidised health screening programme since its launch last month, prompting the Transport Ministry to step up efforts to encourage drivers to take their health and road safety more seriously. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the response to the Pemandu Sihat dan Selamat (PSS) initiative remained low despite drivers paying only RM30 for a comprehensive health examination, with the Social Security Organisation (Socso) subsidising the remaining RM55. “I was informed a few days ago that not even 20 people had participated within the one-month period that we had planned,” he said at the Transport Ministry’s monthly assembly and National Month celebrations here yesterday.

needed among drivers. He urged drivers, particularly older ones, to undergo comprehensive health screenings to detect conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, which could otherwise go undetected. Loke said the initiative was also intended to address shortcomings in the existing health certification process for commercial drivers. While health examinations have long been mandatory, drivers previously only had to submit a medical examination form certified by a doctor or clinic when renewing their vocational licences, making it difficult to determine whether a

Launched on June 30 and implemented from July 1, PSS targets about 30,000 commercial vehicle drivers aged between 40 and 59 in its initial phase. Loke said the programme was aimed at improving drivers’ health and wellbeing, particularly those responsible for carrying passengers and operating commercial vehicles. “When we look after the welfare of drivers, we are actually looking after the safety of road users,” he said. Speaking to reporters later, Loke said the low participation could be because the programme was still new and greater awareness was

Speaking at the ministry’s monthly assembly and National Month celebrations yesterday, Loke said the low participation to the programme could be because it was still new and greater awareness was needed among drivers. – AMIRUL SYAFIQ/THESUN

Loke ‘very relaxed’ ahead of DAP meet PUTRAJAYA: Transport Minister Anthony Loke has moved to quell speculation over his political future, insisting he was “very relaxed” ahead of DAP’s national congress on Sunday, where the party’s position in the Unity government is expected to come under renewed scrutiny. Loke, who is DAP secretary never indicated that he was preparing to leave the Cabinet. “Why did you think it is my last? I have never mentioned that. I don’t know why you ask such a question. I am very relaxed today,” he told reporters after the ministry’s monthly assembly here. The party’s national congress this Sunday at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre is expected to provide a platform for delegates to assess DAP’s position in the administration led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, including concerns raised by its grassroots.

well as concerns over the political cost of remaining in office. The debate has also raised questions over whether DAP should continue shouldering responsibility for decisions made by the broader coalition while facing voters at the next general election. DAP currently has five ministers and seven deputy ministers in the Federal government, giving it a significant presence in the Cabinet and making any decision to withdraw

DAP’s role in the Unity government has come under renewed scrutiny amid frustration among some supporters over the government’s performance and policy direction, as

His remarks come as DAP faces an increasingly pointed debate over whether remaining in government is helping or hurting the party politically ahead of the next general election.

general, dismissed suggestions that yesterday’s monthly assembly at the Transport Ministry could be his last before the congress, saying he had