There has been quite a bit of uproar over the recent case in which a driver who was arrested for driving in a reckless manner and obstructing a VIP convoy was sentenced to 12 days jail and fined RM10,000 by two separate Magistrates’ Courts. His driving licence was also suspended for not more than five years.

Given how people generally view VIP convoys, it has been no surprise to find that public sentiment towards the judgement has been negative, with many asking why such a harsh punishment was meted out to the driver. Most assumed the driver was in front of the convoy and failed to give way, and was punished for it.

However, it was said that dashcam video footage revealed that the car was speeding as it overtook the convoy through the emergency lane and ignored the police outrider’s signal to get out of the way.

Sometimes, context is important, and so is viewing things in full light. The video of the incident, which happened along the Sultan Iskandar Highway towards the Jalan Tunku Abdul Halim exit last Friday (May 6, 2022), as posted on Twitter, reveals that the driver came charging towards the rear of the convoy, flashed his lights and drove dangerously close to a vehicle in front of him.

He then narrowly avoided a mishap with a convoy vehicle that swerved in to car-check his vehicle, although the two cars did graze each other. Not giving up, he didn’t back off even when a police outrider came up on the left of his vehicle to order him to do so, proceeding instead to overtake the convoy on the inside, using the emergency lane.

Being adamant about your right to being on the road is one thing, being stupid and pig-headed about it is another. In this case, it’s pretty clear cut that the driver, a 36-year-old maintenance worker, went looking for problems on his own accord. Do you think the punishment meted out to him is deserved, given the evidence? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.