Local council officers'abuse of bestowed powers is nothing new. In fact, asking for an alternative "out of compound" settlement is an attractive offer to escape from the hassle of going to pay the fine or presenting oneself in court.

Let us face the facts: it is in every corner of our government administration wherever you look - from the Custom and Excise officers, to the Road Transport Department, to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, just to name a few. All thanks to our police force, who are the trend-setters.

So, as Malaysians, let us do our bit. If we are caught in this situation, we should entice them to provide us a way out but at the very end, we would just accept the summons instead. Then, we should trot along and bring this to the attention of the public.

I believe that is the best affirmative and proactive approach in addressing this issue. We should not wait for our ministers to take actions based on their fruitless track record.