Kuching: The Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (LPKP) Sarawak Chairman, Michael Kong Feng Nian, has pushed back against statements by the Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) Chairman, Tan Kai regarding damage to Jalan Kwong Thiong near Lotak Villas in Batu Kawah allegedly caused by heavy lorries.
Michael Kong said MPP now attempts to shift the blame to LPKP Sarawak instead of addressing the failure of the MPP in enforcing its own by-laws and regulations, claiming that the root of the problem lies with the issuance of commercial vehicle licences
“This claim is not only misleading but reflects a disturbing lack of understanding of the respective jurisdictions involved.
“LPKP Sarawak issues commercial vehicle licences for general use based on established policies and thorough vetting procedures. All applicants must meet strict requirements, and no licence is granted arbitrarily,” he said in a statement.
Michael Kong said, to suggest that LPKP Sarawak is at fault for granting licences to compliant operators is akin to blaming Road Transport Department (JPJ) Sarawak for renewing a driver’s licence when there is no legal reason to deny it.
“If the applicant is not blacklisted and has no outstanding compounds, there is no legal basis to reject the application,” he said.
According to Michael Kong, the issue at Lotak Villas does not involve overloading of lorries but rather the use of residential roads by heavy machineries.
“In this regard, the determination which areas or roads are restricted or unsuitable for lorries falls squarely within the jurisdiction of the local councils, such as MPP.
“If lorries are found using roads that they should not be on, MPP would then have the authority to take enforcement action. Likewise, only then can JPJ Sarawak take action by issuing compounds,” he said.
Michael Kong further explained that, more importantly, MPP can and should notify LPKP Sarawak of these violations so that they may take further action, including blacklisting the operator when their licence comes up for annual renewal.
“This has been clearly communicated to MPP as well. On 15 May 2025, LPKP Sarawak and JPJ Sarawak held a joint coordination meeting with all local councils across Sarawak, including MPP.
“During that meeting, we explicitly informed the councils that they must erect appropriate weight limit signages before enforcement action can be taken by JPJ Sarawak,” he said.
He emphasised, over the past year, LPKP Sarawak has been reviewing and strengthening its policies to enable stricter regulation of commercial vehicle operators.
“We have been exploring legal mechanisms to suspend or refuse renewal of licences for those who repeatedly violate the law. However, for us to take action, there must first be enforcement at the ground level.
“This includes the issuance of compounds or stop work orders by the relevant local councils. Without such action, LPKP Sarawak cannot simply revoke a licence without legal basis,” he said.
In addition, he called upon all local councils, including MPP, to play their respective parts such as erecting signages, issuing compounds and/or stop work orders to errant operators.
“Thereafter, notify LPKP Sarawak of such violations. Only through coordinated action can enforcement agencies like JPJ Sarawak and LPKP Sarawak carry out their roles effectively and within the bounds of the law,” he said.
