KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 — Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman said he has not received an official termination letter as the non-executive chairman of Prasarana Malaysia Berhad (Prasarana) which was signed today by Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.
However, he did not seem to mind the termination when contacted this evening for comment.
“Not yet. Want to terminate, terminate then. What is the issue? What is the matter? Want to terminate, terminate lah. Thank you lah. I can do other work” he said over the phone.
He also had this to say when this reporter identified her organisation.
“Malay Mail? Isn’t Malay Mail dead already?”
Malay Mail sighted an immediate termination letter dated May 26 signed by Tengku Zafrul and confirmed it was official. A media representative from the MOF confirmed it was official.
The letter comes on the heels of a public campaign calling for the sacking of Tajuddin from the government-linked company after his disastrous handling of a press conference yesterday to address the Monday two-train collision on the LRT Kelana Jaya line at KLCC that injured over 200 passengers, including six in critical condition.
“If they want to ask me to resign, if there is an order, even better. No need to wait. Others can handle, not me alone. There are other smart, and hardworking ones,” he added.
National news agency reported yesterday that three passengers involved in the collision had suffered from brain haemorrhages and had undergone surgery. They are currently warded at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. A total of 27 passengers were seriously hurt.
The two LRT trains, one manned, the other autonomous, collided Monday at about 8.45pm in a tunnel between the KLCC and Kampung Baru LRT stations. The impact jolted 213 passengers in the autonomous train out of their seats, crashing into each other before falling.
Pictures and videos of the aftermath with injured people grimacing in pain and covered in blood quickly made their way on social media and were widely shared.
Earlier today, the Malaysian Public Transport Users Association (4PAM) slammed Tajuddin’s conduct during the press conference, after visiting the site of the crash at the KLCC station.
In a statement, its president Ajit Johl urged Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to intervene and swiftly remove Tajuddin as chairman of Prasarana and set up a Public Transport Safety Tribunal.
“Prasarana chairman’s press conference...was nothing short of rude and disgusting.
“He claims he was away in Subang, and could not reach the accident site, and received the information late, this clear disregard of passenger care is unbecoming of a chairman of an organisation that involves transporting human lives daily,” he said.
Besides his cavalier comments and attempts to joke about the crash, Tajuddin also mocked and berated a foreign journalist during the press conference.
He also appeared to wear only a face shield, sans face mask, and in one occasion even removed his mask while talking to journalists, sparking a police probe against him.
Johl then said that the RM1,000 compensation offered to the 213 passengers should not be seen as a settlement amount which would prejudice the passengers in their legal pursuits, adding that the compensation should only be seen as assistance.
He then urged passengers who were involved in the accident to consult a lawyer before taking up any offers or signing any documents offered by Prasarana, adding that 4PAM lawyers will be offering their legal services to all passengers.
