KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 — The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) today added its voice to those calling for the immediate resignation of Prasarana Malaysia Berhad chairman Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman.
Bersih 2.0 said Tajuddin’s unprofessional and incompent conduct during yesterday’s press conference addressing the recent LRT train crash at the KLCC station showed the ill effects of unqualified political appointments in government-linked companies (GLCs).
The election reform watchdog described Tajuddin as clueless about the assistance to be provided to the crash victims and called him out for his seemingly insouciant attitude during the press conference.
“His unprofessional and unbecoming attitude shows that the appointment of politicians into GLCs will have serious effects especially when the appointees are not qualified to lead important bodies such as Prasarana.
“It also doesn’t make sense for the country to waste tens of millions of ringgit just to keep politicians in the GLC so that some parties can maintain in power?
It is very clear that such political appointments do not benefit the people and this should be changed immediately,” Bersih 2.0 said in a statement.
The group urged the government to provide reasonable compensation to all victims, especially those who sustained serious injuries and for an independent investigation to be conducted to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Prasarana, one of the largest public-transport operators in the country, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MoF Inc).
Besides his cavalier comments and attempt to make jokes about the crash, Tajuddin was also reported to have ridiculed and berated a foreign journalist who asked questions during the press conference.
He was also seen wearing only a face shield sans face mask, and on one occasion even removed his mask while talking to journalists, sparking a police probe against him for violating health standard operating procedures. The government has made it mandatory to wear a face mask in crowded public places.
The Public Transport Users Association (4PAM) also called on Tajuddin to resign following the Pasir Salak MP’s lack of an immediate statement and on-site presence.
In a fiery response, Tajuddin brushed it off and warned critics not to “provoke” him by questioning his sincerity.
“I came down here in the morning and took a look at the tunnel and trains. So, please don’t provoke. It’s not good, provoking. The minister and CEO were here, everyone was here. Do you understand? I don’t like these provocations. What’s the use?” he was quoted as saying during the press conference.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong previously affirmed the underground collision between two LRT trains at KLCC on Monday was caused by human error.
He said the manned carriage that was undergoing a test-drive went the wrong way, which resulted in the head-on collision with the autonomous passenger-laden carriage.
This resulted in 213 passengers sustaining various degrees of injuries, 47 of them seriously.
