By Charles Santiago
PRASARANA Malaysia Bhd’s chairman Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman is an unmitigated disaster.
Just in case Tajuddin needs context to the train collision, here it goes: 213 passengers were affected, 64 still warded at Hospital Kuala Lumpur and six people are in critical condition. Out of the six, three need ventilation support.
And yet the Prasarana Chairman had the cheek to joke about the collision, smilingly saying one train kissed another.
This man must be sacked immediately for not just lacking empathy but for failing to do his job.
The only thing Tajuddin was ever good at was being a goon: remember when he said the only woman with a “kok” is in Seputeh, referring to lawmaker Theresa Kok? And if that’s not enough he was booted out of Parliament for harassing another lawmaker, Khalid Samad.
Clearly, he was made a deputy minister during former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s leadership because of his sycophantic behaviour. And now, the Prasarana Chief for the same “qualifications”.
It looks like Tajuddin has “friends” who would go the extra mile for him. I am pointing out to the fact that Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, indicating driver negligence as cause for the collision, is suspect. Is he trying to divert responsibility from Prasarana and Tajuddin?
If it’s true that the driver switched directions, why wasn’t the control centre aware of this? Why weren’t any warning given to the passenger train?
And wasn’t the track circuit, which allows railway signalling systems to operate semi-automatically by displaying signals for trains to slow down or stop in the presence of occupied track ahead of them, working?
While it’s easy to blame the driver, the question to ask is who is actually responsible for this accident? We need an independent team of experts to conduct impartial investigations to ensure such collisions do not happen again. This cannot be a farce to let Tajuddin slip through the fingers or to deflect responsibility from Prasarana.
Also, what’s with the RM1,000 compensation, which includes medical treatment? This is an insult.
At the very least, Tajuddin could have quoted a figure which is reflective of the tragedy. But maybe, it’s just too much to ask from an apple polisher. – May 26, 2021
Charles Santiago is the member of Parliament Klang.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Photo credit: Syeda Imran (The Vibes)
