INCESSANT calls for Anthony Loke Siew Fook’s head to roll reverberated once again on cyberspace following the latest derailment of the Rapid KL-managed Ampang/Sri Petaling Line LRT near the Chan Sow Lin Station yesterday (May 28) morning.
The DAP secretary-general’s biggest critic Datuk Eric See-To who joined the chorus claimed that almost all major transportation projects under the former face serious problems.
“The KLIA Aerotrain is late to re-commence operation and is constantly breaking down,” the former Barisan Nasional (BN) deputy strategic communications director hit out in a Facebook post.
The ECRL (East Coast Rail Link) is delayed with the cost of compensation (from initial) project cancellation (prior to re-negotiation) and additional interest costs due to project delays having surged to RM5.6 bil.
MRT3 (a.k.a. the Circle Line) faces an unclear prospect while the HSR (the Kuala Lumpur–Singapore High-Speed Rail) failed to resume even though the tender was issued three years ago.
LRT3 (the Shah Alam line) is delayed while the KL-JB ETS (Kuala Lumpur-Johor Bahru Electric Train Service) faces occasional delay with travel times still long (four-and a-half hours).
The Penang LRT is even more astonishing. It was first announced as a project of around RM10 bil to be privately funded by end-2023.
But a few months later, the project’s estimated cost spiralled to RM17 bil to be fully funded by the government.
Are resignation calls politically motivated?
See-To further chided Loke for ordering the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) to impose maximum penalty on Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, the 100% government-linked company (GLC) under the Finance Ministry (MOF) that owns and operates the majority of Malaysia’s urban public transport infrastructure.
“Bravo, Anthony. Do you need to be praised? But don’t forget that APAD is an agency under the Transport Ministry (MOT).,” jibed the deemed loyalist of disgraced former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
“Prasarana is also a 100% government-owned company. So Anthony Loke’s sternness is such that the government fines the government so that the government will pay the maximum fine to the government. Another Made-in-Madani kincin’ (slang to mean “bluff”).”
Aside from See-To, fellow Madani critic Isham Jalil also urged Loke who ironically was dubbed a “top performer” in his maiden stint as transport minister during the short lived Pakatan Harapan (PH) 1.0 reign to step down “rather than to endanger the lives of the rakyat”.
“Incidents like this are very dangerous. Don’t act after something happens. This is a public safety issue. The risk is more serious than a broken aerotrain, KLIA flooding, etc,” rued the former UMNO supreme council member in a FB post.
“Luckily this time all the passengers are safe. Just resign if fyou’re not apt at your job. Don’t put the public in danger.”
Amid all the resignation chants by detractors which are politically motivated, socio-political activist Adrian Lim Chee En stood out in defence of Loke by asking why no “resignation took place” in previous LRT mishaps which resulted in passenger getting injured.
For context, the commentator known for his progressive advocacy was referring to few incidents from 2006 to 2021 when the transport minister portfolio was helmed by MCA ministers during the BN and Perikatan Nasional (PN) administrations.
“No injuries or loss of life but the timing of the latest incident is very, very strange. Various parties also took advantage of it for political capital,” observed the former student activist and founder of the coalition Mahasiswa Ganyang Akta Hasutan (a student movement advocating for the repeal of the Sedition Act 1948).
2006 (BN): Train was literally hanging yet no resignations; 2021 (PN): Train hits train, with hundreds (reportedly 213) injured and several people admitted to ICU (intensive care unit) yet also no resignation.
2026 (PH): Train derailed, no injuries but the opposition calls for resignation. Strange. Strange. – May 29, 2026
Main image credit: RTM WORLD/Facebook
