KUALA LUMPUR – The Transport Ministry (MoT) and its investigation committee, which conducted a probe into the collision between two Light Rail Transit (LRT) trains on May 24, never stated that no one is to be blamed for causing the incident, said its minister, Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong.
He said there is no “cover-up” regarding the investigation into the incident, as alleged by certain quarters.
“The committee is an investigation committee, not an adjudicating body. Therefore, it has no authority to apportion blame or to pin liability on any party.
“Whatever internal action to be taken against the personnel involved in the incident must be governed strictly by the employment contractual terms signed between the respective personnel and Prasarana,” he said in a statement on Facebook today.
He said that the phrase “Not for the purpose of apportioning blame or liability” does not mean no one is to blame.
On June 10, Wee had said that technical issues and communication failure between the Operations Control Centre (OCC) and the hostler (driver) were among the factors that led to the collision between the two trains on the Kelana Jaya line on May 24.
In the incident, 47 passengers suffered serious injuries while 166 escaped with minor injuries when a train ferrying passengers and a faulty train, which was being test-driven, collided in a tunnel between the Kg Baru and KLCC stations.
Wee said that, in determining the blame and liability, due process of law should take place to ensure that natural justice is equally accorded to those responsible for the collision.
He said the investigation committee was not set up to be the judge and the jury, adding that the MoT has no power to prosecute any case.
“When I ordered the formation of the committee to thoroughly examine the tragic LRT collision, the terms of reference for the committee were to be made clear in its mission. We also want to prevent something like this from happening again,” he said.
Wee said the committee’s role is to determine the factors and causes that led to the incident, which the committee performed and completed on time.
The investigation was done based on facts and analysis of data obtained and/or provided to the committee in a professional manner, he said, with the priority being to ensure the immediate prevention of a similar incident from recurring.
“I have also personally visited and called the affected patients... we take what happened to them extremely gravely and seriously.
“As I have informed in my media conference on June 10, the 23 recommendations approved by the cabinet were all to bring broad changes to Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd’s safety and operative procedures and Prasarana Malaysia Bhd has promised to implement them within the timeline provided,” he said.
On June 10, Wee had said the proposals presented by the committee regarding the collision involved five recommendations that needed to be implemented within three months, 11 proposals between three months and six months and seven improvements within more than six months. – Bernama, June 13, 2021
