The internet is watching. We’re guessing that’s at least one of several lessons learned by 44-year-old Tan Hock Lai, who was fined RM8,000 (S$2,620) in a Johor courtroom yesterday after pleading guilty to pulling the old switcheroo with his license plates back in May.
The Singaporean’s not-so-sneaky act, caught in broad daylight when he did it at a gas station, saw him switch the plates on his Singaporean-registered BMW at a gas station after crossing into Malaysia.
One can probably safely assume that was done to avoid speeding tickets, given that he was pulled over and cited for doing just that only an hour after the switch. Adding weight to that theory is the fact that the same plates — from a Hyundai* no less — had an outstanding summons for a speeding incident back in 2017.
Tan’s brazen maneuver first came to light on May 18, when an exasperated netizen who caught him in the act uploaded images of the switch to the SG Exotic Plates Facebook page, images that were quickly picked up by newspapers in both Singapore and Malaysia.
After circulating on car sites and citizen action pages, the photo eventually came to the attention of Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA), which launched an investigation that determined the second set of plates belonged to a Hyundai Elantra car owner.
The LTA confirmed to The Straits Times that the switch took place while the BMW 320i was being refueled at a petrol station in Gelang Patah, Johor. The vehicle was found speeding just one hour later, but with the summons of RM150 made out under the Hyundai car’s license plate.
It’s probably worth pointing out here that it is illegal in both Singapore and Malaysia to use a car plate other than the one your car is registered to.
Given that this is Singapore, a guy changing his license plates is obviously worthy of parliamentary attention, which is what we got after the verdict. According to The New Paper , MP Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio GRC) brought up the topic of potential actions that can be taken against Singaporeans who change their license plates in Malaysia during yesterday’s session.
When the paper hit up Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan for his take, he said that whether the switching of license plates outside Singapore is technically an offense back in Singapore would depend on the facts of the case.
“We would be happy to share information, to the extent permitted by our laws, with our foreign counterparts to assist with investigations,” he said in an admittedly dull quote.
In Singapore, the use of an unlawfully switched car plate could result in a maximum fine of S$5,000 and/or a maximum jail term of one year.
While some netizens were happy to see Tan get his just deserts, many called for a heavier penalty for his crime.
