Malaysia Transport Safety Board Bill To Be Tabled In Parliament In June

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 (Bernama) -- The Malaysia Transport Safety Board (MTSB) Bill is expected to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat this June, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said.

He said the Cabinet has agreed in principle to establish the MTSB, but a dedicated Act must first be drafted to provide its legal basis before the board can be fully implemented.

Loke said preparatory work is now being finalised through discussions with relevant ministries and agencies, including efforts to coordinate the roles of existing bodies.

“At this stage, the Bill is being drafted. One of the main challenges is integrating or restructuring the roles of related agencies such as the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) and the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB),” he said.

He said this while winding up the debate on the motion of thanks for the Royal Address for the Ministry of Transport (MOT) in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Loke said all functions must be reintegrated in line with the government’s position and that of the Public Service Department against a large increase in new posts.

“This is to reduce the financial impact on the government. It is one of the challenges in setting up the new body,” he said.

In a separate development, he stressed that the MOT has never rejected or closed its door to negotiations with any state government on infrastructure development projects, including those involving ports and supporting facilities.

He said claims that the federal government had sidelined or discriminated against certain states were unfounded and stemmed from misunderstandings about the project approval process.

“Do not make accusations that we are not giving due consideration. If there is a genuine need, such as the construction of a breakwater and the consortium is unable to finance it, the matter should be raised so it can be discussed amicably,” he said.

Loke added that any issues related to transport projects should be brought to the attention of the relevant ministry for discussion.

The sitting resumes tomorrow.

-- BERNAMA