Please allow FinanceTwitter to stop blogging about making money investing stocks and option trading for some minutes as a small way to extend our condolences to the families in the “worst ever” road accident in the history of Malaysia in which 20 people were killed while nine others injured.

As usual, when such thing happened, you can be sure to hear and read about how the head of the government extends his condolences to the affected families. The Transport Minister re-used the same old story of how the “refresher course” be made mandatory to hone the driving skills of commercial vehicle drivers. Surprisingly the same course was first proposed back in 2004 but never implemented or enforced, as expected. The Works Minister responded in lighting fast within minutes of being asked about the condition of the roads – the condition of roads is of first class.

Let’s look at some facts:

1. The driver had 13 traffic summonses – some still outstanding and two warrants of arrest against him. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell you why the accident happened. So why on earth such a person allowed to drives a bus of which more than 20 persons’ life depends on him? Obviously the bus company and the police should be held responsible.
2. The bus was on the road for over 20-years but somehow Puspakom managed to give a clean health-check for it the proceeds. In the accident the roof of the bus was ripped off and you can guess with 100% accuracy the fate of passengers who flew out from their seats (there’re no seat-belts, mind you). The ageing bus practically tore into two when it fell into the ravine. Obviously something is very wrong with the bus inspection process which led to the bus given the clearance.
3. 19 summonses had been issued against the bus since 1991. How could the bus company, Taiping-based Syarikat Kenderaan Bukit Gantang Sdn Bhd, be allowed to operate for such a long period without action taken against them? Of course after 20 lifes are gone now, the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board ordered the suspension of the bus company’s permits. Too late, isn’t it?
4. What happens to the once-famous black-box suggested and implemented by the former Transport Minister and former President of MCA (a component party in the ruling government) on all buses? Government sleeping on the job again huh?
5. Whether you like it or not, the government has done such a lousy job in the economy sector that indirectly contributed to such eerie accident. Imagine drivers are forced to drive for more than 10 hours to rush for 3-trips a day in order to make ends meet. It was said for each trip the driver will only makes a merely RM50, hence it’s a norm in the industry that most of the drivers over-speed to complete the 3-trips to make RM150 per day. Inflation has taken its toll and basically every minor household items including foods sky-rocket to a level never seen before.

It doesn’t make any difference for the government to setup commission of enquiry whenever an accident happened. Innocent lifes are gone and the root problems can be traced back to the government. It doesn’t make any difference for Ministers in making the trip to the hospital with a somber face with journalists flashing photos of him for the newspaper frontpage; lifes are gone.

It doesn’t make any difference for the premier to extend condolences when he has the power and mandate to provide “good and clean” governance at the first place, which he didn’t, before lifes are taken away. It doesn’t make any difference for the police to put the blame solely on the driver when the driver could be stopped from driving and the bus company’s permit revoked at the first place. Lifes are gone because the police had other better things to do.

As a conclusion, like father like son – if good governance is in place from top to bottom, such accident which costs 20 innocent lifes could be avoided. Maybe the top officials will feel the pain of losing someone they love if their own sons, daughters or immediate family members perished in such accident (am I too cruel?), but then I don’t think they will travel on public transport, do they? Nevertheless, the easiest way out is to borrow a statement from a Minister by blaming it on God – it’s the God’s will, you can’t do anything.

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August 14th, 2007 by financetwitter

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