Lee: Raub bus crash shows lesson not learnt from Genting tragedy

  PETALING JAYA — Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye vented his frustration over the lackadaisical attitude of authorities who have not taken his recommendations seriously while pointing out that double-decker buses were not suitable for long distances.

Lee, who is chairman of the independent advisory panel to the transport minister, said these recommendations were submitted two months after the horrific Genting Highland bus crash last August 21 which claimed the lives of 37 people and injured 16 others.



A total of 51 recommendations were provided by the panel to minimise accidents involving buses travelling long distances.
“We indicated that double-decker buses were not suitable for use in hilly areas and for long distance as their high centre of gravity makes the vehicle unstable,” he said.
“But why are double-decker buses still being used?”
Lee said the authorities have remained silent on the implementation of the recommendations in the report.

“We have no idea about the response to our report. Who will be held responsible and accountable when the lives of innocent people are lost?” he asked.
He was responding to the bus crash in Bentong on Saturday which claimed the lives of three passengers. The double-decker bus struck a lamp-post on the right side of the road before overturning.
“The incident in Bentong was similar to the Genting accident. We spent so much of time and effort to come up with a comprehensive report but to our disappointment, no one took the report seriously,” he said.

Lee urged the parties concerned to study the panel’s recommendations before more lives are lost.
“Bus passengers must be assured of their safety when they make use of public transportation, especially when travelling long distances,” he said.
“Otherwise, they will lose confidence in the system and all parties will suffer.”
Acting transport minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein formed the panel after the Genting Highland bus crash. Lee, who also serves as National Institute Occupational Safety and Health chairman, said the panel was to evaluate and review the investigation reports in connection to the incident which remains the worst fatal road accident in the nation’s history.

The other members of the panel were Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Malaysia president Datuk Abdul Radzak Abdul Malek, Malaysian Consumers Association president Datuk Marimuthu Nadason and three safety and engineering experts.

The findings of the report were presented to the Cabinet and published on the Transport Ministry’s website.