‘Tajuddin fiasco exposes appointments rooted in racism, patronage’

First thing in the morning after the LRT collision which left more than 200 injured, Prasarana Malaysia Bhd chairperson Tajuddin Abdul Rahman visited the site of the accident and addressed the media. The next evening, he lost his job.

For businessperson and think-tank founder Chandran Nair, the Pasir Salak MP's remarks, which if not for the tragic circumstances, would have made excellent viewing as a prime-time spoof on television.

“With hundreds injured and viral videos circulating of bloodied passengers, his description of the incident as 'two cars kissing' while laughing not only repulsed the public, it was a shocking display of the lack of empathy at a time of national distress.

“Citizens were outraged. A frightened nation already dealing with the surge in Covid-19 cases came out of its shell and expressed disgust. How could someone in such a position and in the midst of a tragedy show such low levels of empathy and at the same time display such an inexplicable level of contempt for the office he holds, the organisation and people he represents?

“The big question on everyone's mind was how could someone of such low calibre, apparently devoid of any experience and clearly 'out of it', have been granted such a role?”

“Yet the answer is one we all know: a system of appointments which is part of a corrupt political system that is race-based and which should apparently never be questioned...