One of the major changes introduced by Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook took place during his first term holding the portfolio from 2018 to 2020, which was regarding the sale of vehicle plate registration numbers.
Previously, the government allowed certain non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to sell special plate numbers for exorbitant fees, with the proceeds going to the organisation instead of to the government.
Transport Minister, Anthony Loke Siew Fook
However, since 2019, all special plate numbers can only be purchased by bidding for them through JPJeBid, the e-bidding platform maintained by the Road Transport Department (JPJ).
With that being said, the JPJeBid system has been in operation for a few years now, with announcements of new special plate numbers always catching Malaysians’ attention such as the “ANJ” series announced last month.
For illustration purposes
Well, JPJ also announced a new plate number series yesterday, which is under JPJ Kelantan’s administration: DEY.
Shared on the official JPJ Malaysia Facebook page, the DEY plate number series will be open for bidding for 4 days starting 12 February, with the winning bids announced on 17 February.
The post has since gone viral, garnering over 1,200 reactions and 333 shares in under 24 hours, with many Malaysians amused at the new plate number series as it’s similar to the expression used by Tamil speakers to get someone’s attention, which has also made its way to Malaysians’ daily lexicon.
In fact, many in the comments tagged their friends who might be interested in bidding for the plate number.
Meanwhile, others pointed out special plate numbers beginning with DEY that they are rushing to bid for. These include “DEY 8055”, “DEY4174”, “DEY 8481”, “DEY7777” and more.
Besides that, many in the comments also shared a GIF of S. Kagarajah, the Malaysian uncle who became famous for a video of him saying ‘dey’ while making hilarious gestures to the camera.
So, what do you guys think of the popularity of the new “DEY” plate number series? Would you be making a bid too?
Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
Also read: “ANJ 1176” – M’sians Are Amused Over Perak’s New License Plate Series
