Police explain controversy over emergency vehicles held up by PM Ismail's convoy

KUALA LUMPUR • Malaysian police yesterday issued a statement to explain a controversy over a video showing an ambulance and a Red Crescent vehicle being stopped at a road junction to allow Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's long convoy of vehicles to pass first.

The emergency vehicles, like the Premier and his entourage, were in Hulu Langat, Selangor, one of the worst-hit districts in the country's recent floods.

While traffic police often stop public vehicles to allow vehicles with VVIPs to pass quickly, the incident raised the ire of Malaysians on social media and was seen as yet another example of top officials prioritising their much-photographed visits to flooded areas over actual flood-relief work.

In the widely circulated video, policemen could be seen stopping traffic at an intersection.

Some 20 large vehicles then drove through the junction, including a Proton Perdana - typically the prime minister's vehicle - and several Toyota Vellfires carrying VVIPs.

Police in Selangor on Sunday said the convoy was given priority in order to "reduce the risk of road accident", The Star newspaper reported.

Selangor Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department chief Azman Shari'at said yesterday that the policemen on duty made the decision after determining that there was a collision risk.

The incident took place at around 11.30am on Sunday when PM Ismail's convoy was heading towards Masjid Al-Mustaqqim in Hulu Langat. "During the situation shown in the video, traffic police decided to stop the other vehicles, including a Malaysian Red Crescent Society four-wheel drive and an ambulance, from exiting the intersection in order to prevent the lead vehicle of the convoy from colliding with oncoming traffic," The Star quoted Superintendent Azman as saying.

"The action was in accordance with the provisions under Traffic Rule No. 9 LN 166/1959 of the Road Transport Act 1987," Supt Azman said in the statement.

Much anger has been vented against the government in the past week for its slow response in helping people trapped by floods in seven states and the Kuala Lumpur federal territory, after what has been officially called a once in 100 years flood.

Some netizens have claimed on social media that several top government officials who turned up after the floods were more interested in getting their visits photographed and recorded on video, to show that they were "on the ground", rather than assisting in actual relief work.

Women Affairs Minister Rina Mohd Harun has received much flak for turning up at a relief centre in Salak Tinggi, Selangor, last week and using a water jet on an already clean floor outside the building, surrounded by photographers and cameramen.

She was slammed for not going to any of the thousands of mud-caked homes around the country that needed to be cleaned up.

The Social Welfare Department (JKM) that arranged her visit said: "JKM feels that it is unfair for netizens to make accusations and belittle the efforts and involvement of Datuk Seri Rina in this cleanup operation."