KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 9): The Ministry of Transport (MOT) has clarified that having outstanding traffic summonses does not automatically affect a motorist’s eligibility to receive the Budi95 petrol subsidy.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said media reports suggesting that failure to settle traffic summonses could lead to loss of Budi95 entitlement were inaccurate. 

Outstanding summonses and the petrol subsidy are two separate mechanisms that operate independently, stressed Loke.

“Both are not the same and do not have any direct or automatic linkage,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

The minister said the current criteria for receiving or maintaining the subsidy include being a Malaysian citizen verified through MyKad and holding an active driving licence, which refers to a licence that remains valid or has expired for no more than three years. 

Earlier on Tuesday, news portals highlighted heightened enforcement against motorists with long-overdue fines and reported that millions of unpaid summonses risked resulting in motorists being barred from renewing their driving licence or road tax, or even face court action. 

Data from authorities indicate that close to five million Road Transport Department (JPJ) summonses amounting to about RM1.48 billion remain outstanding, in addition to almost RM6.6 billion in unpaid police-issued fines. 

A penalty reduction campaign, offering discounts of up to 70%, has been running since November and is scheduled to conclude on Dec 31.