Beyond Delays: Why KTMB’s Point System Scheme and MOT’s Inaction Signal a Broken Transit System



When a state-backed service operator accepts cancellation of your train tickets, taking your money and offering "KidZania or Monopoly point currency" isn't just poor customer service—it’s an illegal rejection of real tender. I paid in actual cash via Boost, I demanded my refund in cash, and the Consumer Claims Tribunal ordered KTMB to pay


22 AUGUST 2026


Tomorrow marks the statutory deadline set by the Tribunal for Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) to comply with the award and return my money in full. 


If KTMB fails to comply by tomorrow, I will escalate this directly to the Chief Enforcement Officer at the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) to press formal criminal charges against the corporate executives responsible. 


I will not accept any other solutions than to seek for proper actions by carried out by the chief or enforcement at KPDN. 


I had in fact been gracious to agree to the extension from two weeks to one month set by the Tribunal who rejected the appeal by KTMB to allow six months to refund the money. 


The Law: Section 117 of the Consumer Protection Act 1999


Let us be completely clear about the legal reality KTMB faces:

 

Section 116(1), CPA 1999: A Tribunal award is final, binding, and deemed an order of a Magistrate’s Court.  

 

Section 117(1), CPA 1999: Failure to comply with a Tribunal award within the stipulated timeframe is a criminal offence. Upon conviction, the offender faces a fine not exceeding RM10,000, imprisonment for up to two years, or both.  


Section 117(2), CPA 1999: In the case of a continuing offence, the law imposes an additional daily fine of up to RM5,000 for every single day the non-compliance persists.  


A government-linked company cannot simply choose which legal orders to follow. 


Corporate leaders and decision-makers are not above the law, and KPDN enforcement officers have the statutory power to initiate criminal proceedings against corporations and their officers who ignore Tribunal awards.


A Broken System Under Minister Anthony Loke


This administrative abuse is not happening in a vacuum. Transport Minister Anthony Loke has been formally aware of these systemic refund abuses, forcing of e-wallet points, and KTMB's operational failures since May. What difference is there with former MCA ministers who only stood by the side to watch and not do anything. 


Minister Loke's performance remains mediocre precisely because he consistently refuses to acknowledge or correct the underlying structural weaknesses in public transit. 


Managing a public transport network isn't just about launching new rail lines or performing publicity spot-checks; it requires enforcing basic operational integrity and consumer rights when services fail. I hope he accepts full responsibility and fix the KTMB system with the next seven months - one month more than the deadline he set for the Prime Minister and opening the door for political instability. Some of his colleagues have turned around but not him as the secretary-general of the party that was large rejected in all three previous state elections.


The Ballot Box Warning


Public transit failures directly erode public trust. The refusal of top leadership to hold public agencies accountable for basic operations is a major reason why voters rejected DAP in Sabah, Johor, and Negeri Sembilan. Citizens remember when government-linked entities treat them with impunity.


I finally received my refund of RM148. I have half expected this would happen. The little Napoleon culture I see in so many organisations. 


That is why I am writing this at the eleventh hour as well. And email was already sent to the chief enforcement of KPDN. I hope both Ministers Amizan and his deputy are aware of any complaints against KTMB made to the Tribunal, as well as the minister of transport Anthony Loke taking cognizance of the structural weaknesses within KTMB which must be fixed. I suggest appointing you younger staff within the ranks and file to run the organisation, and bring it to the next level. At least two of the staff are so much more customer-centric compared to their bosses. 




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