RECENTLY, I went to check and settle any outstanding traffic offenses in view of the generous discounts available.

There were three of them, of which I settled two. The third one was a purported offence of beating traffic lights that took place in 2012.

It meant no discounts, and RM300 for a pensioner can be quite steep in these difficult times. There were also some aspects to this summons that required further clarification.

Normally, I would have always settled my summons within the stipulated time every time I am given one directly or made aware by official notifications.

This nine-year-old old summons only appeared recently as the last time I settled my outstanding summons was in August 2020 upon receiving official notification from Bukit Aman.

At that time upon checking the list of outstanding summonses by the relevant authorities, it did not have that particular 2012 summons on it!

Further, I did another check through the 15,888 SMS in September 2020, of which I received a reply confirming that I had no outstanding summonses. 

I have written officially to the traffic section in Bukit Aman explaining the situation coupled with the relevant printouts of the August and September printouts.

I emphasised the fact that I would have settled this nine-year-old summons at the material time especially after receiving official notification.

It is opined that offenses more than seven years old should be annulled in view of the length of time passed. Most departments require that receipts be kept a maximum of seven only and that is the reason why I do not have the relevant receipts.

As I await the outcome of my appeal on this particular summons, probably a relevant authority can clarify the position of old summons and how long receipts are to be kept.

*G. Selva reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.