KINIBIZ The unfortunate deaths of three Bangladeshi workers at the construction site of a Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) construction site in Kota Damansara  highlights the best and worst in Malaysian leadership.

Taking responsibility for three casualties at a construction site, chief executive officer (CEO) of Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) Azhar Abdul Hamid tendered his resignation following the incident in Kota Damansara, effective almost immediately.

The Malaysian public was rather startled by the swiftness of his decision. No deflecting blame or pointing fingers at others.

The buck stopped with Azhar and just like that, of his own volition, he was gone.

Most Malaysians hailed Azhar’s decision as exemplary, one that other leaders not just in corporate world but in politics too should emulate. Accountability and responsibility of top management and political leaders, more often than not mere public relations catchwords, were now seen in real action albeit under tragic circumstances.

Malaysians are perhaps starved of such ethical clarity from public figures these days. Instantly, Azhar’s resignation garnered strong public support. Nobody was cheering the fact that Azhar was losing his job under such grim calamity, but many felt that it was the honourable thing to do.

It is in stark contrast with the tiresome Selangor menteri besar (MB) saga, in which an under siege Abdul Khalid Ibrahim still clings on to his MB post despite an increasingly untenable position.

Compared to Khalid’s twisting and turning in his dying days as Selangor MB, Azhar’s corporate demise was relatively smooth and painless. It is understandable why a disenchanted public was quick to latch on to Azhar’s no-nonsense abdication and the CEO’s selflessness won wide admiration.

Even then, was Azhar’s decision to resign immediately in the aftermath of a fatal incident the correct one?

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This article was written by Khairul Khalid.