YOURSAY | ‘Highly-qualified’ Wee should know better

YOURSAY | ‘If no one is at fault, why bother to come up with a long list of recommendations…’

COMMENT | 11 reasons why minister Wee should resign

Dr Raman Letchumanan: Dear Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong, who has a PhD in Transportation Planning from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and a Masters in Traffic Engineering from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

You are the most qualified person to be the minister of transport.

I think the problem is you and the cabinet have been so out of touch with reality and the basic things in life that most ordinary people go through. I guess you all have not driven a car for a long, long time. It is we, the taxpayers, who have spoilt you all so much with your perks.

I suggest you borrow a Proton or Perodua car, start it and then engage reverse. The alarms will go off screaming even if a cat crosses its path. This shows the safety features available in just a basic car.

Read again this investigation report you commissioned. You will realise how dumb the findings are.

Mind you, millions have probably been spent to make the LRT system absolutely safe - it is not just an ordinary car. Then you will understand why we are so angry with the report.

Imagine how the hundreds of injured would feel reading the findings. At least, have some sympathy and empathy for them. Don't repeat the Tajuddin Abdul Rahman fiasco. I would suggest those from the cabinet who also endorsed the report do the same.

“This report is not for the purpose of apportioning blame nor liability on any party,” Wee said.

What hogwash! Was this the overriding aim of the investigation then? No wonder, true to its form, the investigation committee came up with a wishy-washy report that raises a lot more questions than answers.

Usually, an independent investigation would look at all possible angles of why an accident occurred without any presumptions, certainly not with a mandate not to apportion blame to anybody.

I guess that's why the investigation came up with these nonsensical findings that defy logic and common sense; basically, the means to justify the end.

This is what we call a deliberate cover-up. Intuitively, if no one or nothing is at fault, then why bother to come up with a long list of recommendations, lessons learnt, and take corrective actions? It just boggles our mind.

This is so typical of twisted governance and the lack of accountability in Malaysia. We have custodial deaths but no one is at fault; a plane full of people missing but no one is at fault; heavy cranes and machinery collapse during road construction but no one at fault.

Meanwhile, the hundreds of people missing, died, or suffering from injuries have no recourse because the authorities say no one is at fault. The shenanigans are left to freely carry on as usual knowing no one would be faulted in future accidents or mishaps.

What a shameless and broken country we are living in. The top management should be the first to be held responsible like in any other country, and either they resign or be sacked even before an investigation.

Here, they direct, control and influence the investigations! They are more dangerous than the operators. Otherwise, be prepared for such no-blame-no-liability mishaps to occur over and over again.

Karma: Anyone old enough with a decent education would have asked why the control tower and automation did not manage the movement of the two colliding trains prior to the incident. The answer would probably be they both 'malfunctioned' (human and machine).

And the fact that they did not publish the 23 recommendations goes to show that they have something to hide. Maybe one of the recommendations is to regulate their break and meal times so that someone will still be working while the other takes a break.

OceanMaster: Malaysiakini columnist Mariam Mokhtar, you brought up real technical issues which are usually known to people with lots of knowledge and experience in signalling and safety barrier management for public rail systems. You should lead the Department of Occupational Safety and Health Malaysia (Dosh) and we will second it.

Wee wanted to show he has everything under control after the sacking of Prasarana chairperson Tajuddin. Why can't Wee leave such technical issues for the professionals to address while showing leadership by supporting a transparent investigation and saying that all findings will be addressed without any fear or favour?

Such leaders continue to talk nonsense and get away with things because our society does not set high expectations on public officeholders.

Having lived in several countries under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the expectation is for many heads to have rolled even before the investigation began, or at least some would have been asked to go on garden leave.

And such investigation should be led by experts appointed by a parliamentary committee that will oversee the whole exercise. In Malaysia, we have no Parliament, no accountability, and no shame! We have only Wee!

Flyingeagle: In Japan, the transport minister would have resigned immediately but in Malaysia, the minister can stick around. These ministers couldn’t give two hoots about what the public thinks while enjoying good monthly salary, allowances, and other benefits without having to do much work.

Yes, I agree with you, Mariam. Don’t give these people any face.

Poppy: How do you expect Wee to resign and rock the boat of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin?

With over 3,600 dead and over 639,000 infected with Covid-19, nobody seems to be taking any responsibility. They just behave as if not much has happened. They have taken their positions for granted.

This is just a case of two ‘hamsup’ trains that could not control “their desires”. So “they kissed”.

In this nation, we have seen enough of the cover-up of negligence. Yet, nobody takes the blame. Everything is brushed under the carpet. Those responsible are either transferred out or at times even promoted like in the case of the poor victim falling from the MACC window.

That is why this nation is in this situation, where those who are incompetent or who are willing to compromise are elevated so that politicians can have their way.

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