KUALA LUMPUR: Transport Minister Anthony Loke said he is not bothered by some remarks and labels given to him regarding the Road Transport Department (RTD) initiative to rollout special vehicle registration number series such as GOLD, FF, M_M, and Madani since he assumed the role in 2022.
According to Malaysiakini, he said some online trolls and cyber troopers had given him the 'Number Plate Minister' nickname, but he was not bothered by it.
Instead, he said, he took pride in how the initiative generated revenues for the government.
"Some people call me the 'Number Plate Minister'...the trolls and cyber-troopers claim Anthony Loke does nothing but sell number plates every day.
"I have a high EQ (emotional quotient) and do not pay attention to such criticism. People can say whatever they want, but I know what I'm doing.
"Yes, I sell a lot of number plates, but the money does not go into my pocket; it increases government revenue," he said.
The DAP secretary-general said the additional revenue generated from the initiative goes into the government's consolidated fund, enabling the ministry to support initiatives and projects not covered in the budget.
He said that, for example, during the festive seasons, the government introduced some initiatives, including capping prices of flight tickets and subsidising the difference for passengers.
"Where does the subsidy money come from? The ministry does not have a special allocation for this initiative.
"So we came up with this method, using the profits from special number plates to support initiatives like subsidies for East Malaysian students," he said, adding that he believed that the revenue from the initiative was crucial for the ministry to implement policies that benefit the public.
In March, Loke highlighted that the total revenue from vehicle registration numbers last year amounted to RM311.8 million, with RM21 million coming from special series.
Later in October, the government launched the "MADANI" series of number plates, with one, "MADANI 8481," selling for RM26,666, however, some have mocked this particular combination as a dig at the government, as "8481" resembles "BABI"—the Malay word for "pig."
Loke acknowledged that it was unusual for such a car plate number to fetch such a high price but dismissed the ridicule and memes surrounding it.
"Every series has this number (8481), so why (should we) take it to heart? If people want to interpret it a certain way, that's on them.
"If you say many people are bidding on that number (8481) just to ridicule the government, you still have to pay for it.
"If you want to spend RM10,000 to buy that plate, I welcome that. You'll need to put your money down to own that number," he said.
He said based on his observation, he believed that car registration numbers with shorter alphabets are generally more popular.
According to reports, revenue from the "MADANI" plate series has reached approximately RM2.62 million, while the "FF" series generated about RM34.29 million.
The "GOLD" series brought in around RM17.24 million, and the "M_M" series earned approximately RM21 million.
Loke said the revenue from the "MADANI" series does not yet include the reservation of the "MADANI 1" plate by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia.
Sultan Ibrahim secured the "GOLD 1" and "FFF 1" plates for RM1.5 million and RM1.75 million, respectively, early this year.
After acquiring the "FFF 1" plate in June, His Majesty expressed his hope that the proceeds would benefit the people.