Do you still remember the famous tagline from the old ad for the popular American charge card - "Don't leave home without it"?
In a way, that tagline might also remind us of our own road tax and driving licence, right? Hmm... well, maybe not anymore.
That's because by now most vehicle owners would be aware of the announcement by the Minister of Transport Anthony Loke on the digitalization process for both road tax and driving licence in this country.
The newly rolled out electronic versions will hereafter be known as eLKM and eLMM respectively and can be applied through the Road Transport Department's JPJ's website or MyJPJ apps with immediate effect.
Among the primary benefits outlined by the minister was that we will no longer be burdened by having to wait in long queues at JPJ counters if we opt to apply for the digital version. That's a big thumbs up to convenience.
Then, another benefit is that we need not apply for time off or take the day off from work anymore. Now, that would be something positive in terms of productivity. After all, as it is, we already have enough public holidays in this country, don't we?
And of course, we will also no longer be forced to behave like Mr Bean as we try hopelessly to scrape off those stubborn, sticky adhesive marks from the car windshield.
Moreover, come to think of it, at least once in our lifetime we may have had to make a sudden u-turn and head back home for our driving licence because we had left our wallet behind. Hopefully, with the arrival of the digital driving licence, this problem will be a thing of the past. What a relief!
Inevitably though, as is common with the introduction of any new "disruptive" technology, the naysayers were quick to label it as "not a smart move" as was reported in FMT (read here). Maybe they were spooked by the thought of being subjected, all over again, to another app like the much-maligned MySejahtera, which may have evoked memories of the dark old days of Covid-19 lockdowns (MCO). So, perhaps, they can be excused.
To be fair to them, they did raise some valid concerns like what would happen if they get stopped at a police roadblock in a rural area with no internet connection?
Meanwhile, some were worried about longer delays at security checkpoints in case they had to activate their apps to show the digital road tax and driving licence to the police officers.
Of course, another scenario would be, "what if our smartphone's battery goes flat... or if it conks out mysteriously at a roadblock?" Well, technology does tend to let us down - often when we least expect it to, right?
Thankfully our Ministry of Transport was proactive and well-prepared to address their concerns via a FAQ (read here).
But by far the most significant (and the most reassuring) aspect of it was that the onus will actually be on the enforcement (authorities) to provide proof whether the driver has a valid road tax and driving licence or not via a special gadget. So, clearly we shouldn't be unduly worried (read here).
Furthermore the minister had also indicated that those who wish to sit out this option may apply for the physical versions. It's not compulsory at this stage to go digital.
With the answers provided in the FAQ, it would appear that those who were quick to pour cold water on it earlier were now effectively left to eat humble "bubur." But at least, most of their doubts would have been cleared.
Interestingly, when compared to some advanced countries our transition to digitalization here might seem like a breeze (if what the authorities have told us thus far turns out to be true). And this is all the more laudable as there are still some people out there who think that Malaysia is a "third world country" tucked away in an obscure corner somewhere below Singapore!
In fact according to this report even in the US not all the states have implemented the digitization of driving licences with serious concerns still lingering over citizens' personal data stored in smartphones. So it looks like we have managed to steal a march on a world superpower who bizarrely have been more preoccupied lately with shooting down a made-in-China surveillance balloon.
Incidentally, in the US, where apparently they do not have to pay any real federal road tax, the driving licence acts as the de facto ID. So in case drivers there are pulled over by cops they have to show their digital licence displayed in the smartphone. Well, compared to ours, it doesn't seem that smart, does it?
Fortunately also in Malaysia, we have our reliable Identity Card (IC) for that purpose and it's unlikely that the police or JPJ will be asking us for it unless of course we happened to be disguised as an "orang minyak" on the way to our company's Halloween-themed annual dinner!
Meanwhile on a more serious note, as recent as last year in the state of New South Wales in Australia there were some concerns over flaws exposed by security experts in the digital driving licences (DDLs) there which apparently allows false names and photos to be displayed in the app.
By and large, though the implementation of the digital system in this country may seem to be the right move at the right time, it might have come rather too soon to some.
For instance, MyEG's share price crashed to 61 sen from 96 sen within a span of five days with a whopping RM2.31 billion wiped off its market value. Poor thing!
Then, there's also the possibility that the livelihood of certain people in the B40 category like "runners" may be affected by the digitization of road tax.
Furthermore, there are other "caveats" that our government may have to consider especially with enforcement officers having access to the humongous database in their gadgets. Can the system be easily hacked, with our personal data leaked or sold to third parties? Well, it has happened here more than once before, hasn't it?
Also, there has to be a reliable reminder mechanism in place so that people do not forget the expiry date of their road tax. Many Malaysians may tend to be forgetful (especially when having to remember countless passwords) so maybe repeated SMS alerts may do the trick.
Finally, the government needs to ensure that any new legislation or amended laws are well-thought-out and fair before they are gazetted. Fortunately, since this exercise will be done in stages there's still time to iron out any glitches.
One thing is sure though, from now on, when we see a roadblock, we will no longer be shouting "mampus" and start searching the back pocket of our pants to make sure that we had brought along our driving licence!
It looks like finally, we can leave home without it!
JK Joseph is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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