TRANSPORT Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook’s decision to instruct the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) to immediately suspend the operations of the bus company involved in the Penang electrocution incident which had led to a teenager’s death appears hasty and an overreach of authority.
MCA national youth deputy chairman Mike Chong Yew Chuan said this action was taken before fully understanding the root cause of the incident.
“A bus company’s responsibility is to ensure the safe transport of its passengers, including the overall safety of its vehicles.
“However, in this case, the faulty socket blamed for the incident reportedly originated from the bus manufacturer rather than from any unsafe driving practices,” Chong, who is also the party’s deputy information chief said.
Chong stressed that the Transport Ministry should therefore investigate not only the bus company but also the manufacturer and suppliers, including the charger used by the victim to accurately determine the root cause before taking any action.
“As a minister, Loke should recognise that a bus company operates a fleet with different brands, equipment, and components. Suspending all buses operated by the company due to a single incident may be seen as disproportionate and unfair,” he remarked.
“This type of incident involving a bus socket is highly unusual and should not be generalised as a common traffic accident.
“A thorough investigation is needed to establish the true cause, after which policy or legal adjustments can be more appropriately implemented by the minister.”
Calling Loke’s move to immediately suspend the bus company’s operations “overly autocratic and unprofessional”, Chong said it would have been reasonable if Loke had only halted the operation of the bus involved pending an investigation report.
“Additionally, following the government’s abrupt diesel subsidy removal, public transport operators, especially bus companies recovering from the pandemic, face severe financial pressures,” he remarked.
“The suspension has indirectly harmed innocent drivers, whose incomes have been significantly reduced.
“Due to the negative perception created, the bus company has been punished without a fair investigation, indirectly causing many bus drivers to lose income to support their families.”
On Nov 1, a teenage passenger of an express bus was electrocuted while charging his mobile phone using a power outlet in the bus that he boarded for a journey to KL Sentral from Butterworth.
Seberang Perai Utara police chief Anuar Abd Rahman said a passenger reported that screams were heard from the victim, who was found to be foaming at the mouth. An ambulance was called, but the attending medical officer confirmed the victim had died.
According to a Berita Harian report, examination of the body at the scene found burns on his left finger, believed to be the result of an electric shock while charging his mobile phone, while the end of the cable used by the victim was melted and the charging device involved was also hot.
Anuar said a post-mortem examination confirmed that the teenager had died from an electric shock. – Nov 6, 2024
