After years of cycling for transportation, 74-year-old Mili Lita can now breathe a sigh of relief after obtaining a motorcycle licence through the MyLesen Class B2 Motorcycle Assistance Programme organised by the Sarawak Road Transport Department (JPJ) here. Mili, who lives in Kampung Melango, is among 1,771 participants who completed the programme, which also involved collaboration with the Saratok District Office, Kalaka and Krian state constituency service centres, Sarikei Driving Academy, and relevant government agencies. Speaking to Bernama after the closing ceremony of the programme, Mili said he had long wished to get a motorcycle licence but found the cost of training and obtaining the licence beyond his means, especially with the uncertain income from his village work. Under the programme, participants only need to pay RM250 instead of the usual RM655 charged by driving schools here, and Mili considers the program a golden opportunity for him. ''My desire to have a valid driving licence was reig nited when my nephew gave me a motorcycle, and coincidentally, this programme was available. I didn't think twice and agreed immediately, asking my son to help pay the RM250 fee,' he said. Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah officiated the closing ceremony of the programme, which aims to help low-income or B40 groups obtain motorcycle licences. In his speech, he noted that motorcycles are widely used and a common mode of transport, especially in rural areas, but the risk of accidents is very high. He added that according to last year's statistics, 52 percent or 198 cases out of a total of 378 fatal accidents recorded in Sarawak involved motorcyclists. Referring to a study by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), he said that the current trend shows that road traffic fatalities in the country number about 6,000 people per year, or 20 people a day. Source: BERNAMA News Agency