Loke: No Political Appointments in Public Transport

Transport Minister Anthony Loke has reaffirmed the importance of appointing experienced professionals—rather than political figures—to lead public transport agencies.

Speaking at the Malaysia Madani Intellectual Forum Series 6 at Menara Prasarana, Loke emphasised that qualified and professional leadership is crucial for effective and transparent management. “There should be no political appointments in public transport. Professionals should lead,” he said.

Loke pointed to Prasarana Malaysia Berhad as a good example, saying its professional management has led to better performance and improved services.

The forum focused on the theme “Transport for the People: Balancing Affordability, Quality, and Sustainability of Public Transport” and was chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Other speakers included Prasarana CEO Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah and Universiti Putra Malaysia Vice-Chancellor, Datuk Prof Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah.

Loke said recent improvements in public transport are due to continuous upgrades and strong leadership. He also noted that even top systems like Singapore’s face challenges, showing that constant improvement is necessary.

Meanwhile, Mohd Azharuddin shared that Prasarana is seeing strong progress, especially in passenger numbers and station performance.

“Our ridership dropped during the pandemic, but we've bounced back,” he said. “In 2022, we had about 681,000 daily passengers. Now in 2025, it's around 1.31 million a day.”

Source: MalayMail