YOURSAY | 'Driver and company should be punished, but it is worrying that the government is not.'

15 lives lost: Probe exposes systemic failures - who will be held accountable?

JWKK: While the report here is to be highly commended, what it is saying is hardly surprising.

How many times have we faced the issue that is hardly mentioned, namely, the incompetence of the so-called experts, as well as the ministers in command?

Even if the report clearly states that many are at fault for the tragic loss of 15 young lives, none of the government departments and other agencies will be punished.

Only the driver and the bus company. As much as the latter should be appropriately punished, it is terribly worrisome that the government departments were not.

Why, then, set up a task force to look into the problem in its details with the hope of improving service and saving lives in the future?

How could the rakyat trust the government to protect them when the people of the government departments come across as being protected, no matter what they did or did not do?

HJ Angus: This is what happens when most projects are completed without complying with the technical specifications.

There are a few possibilities:

1. The supervising function was missing or compromised on account of corruption.

2. The contractor was not properly qualified, or the specs were inadequate by accident or design to get the cheapest solution.

3. Even with proper specs, it can be botched if the contractor did not use the proper materials and had to cut corners to pay bribes.

Apanama is back: As usual, the blame falls on external factors, but those in administration will run away with their hands washed.

As usual, no lesson is learned from each similar incident. That is why we see the incident repeated and a task force report repeated.

This case is closed, and they will receive a pay rise and a bonus in the upcoming Budget 2027.

However, we lost 15 students’ lives. Do they care about it?

MS: This statement, “In a situation where there is no accountability, a question lingers: if no one is required to take responsibility for institutional dereliction of duty, what basis do government agencies have to demonstrate a genuine will for reform?” should be enlarged as a billboard and placed in front of Transport Minister Anthony Loke’s office.

To drive the point home, the same should be done in front of the offices of all other cabinet members.

JKT: Malaysian roads are killing fields. They are poorly maintained. There are too many cars and too little road.

Just look at major highways; there is no road discipline and almost zero enforcement.

When told our roads are dangerous, those in charge will start comparing our road benchmark with Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.

Failure to build on a comprehensive rail network after the British left is affecting Malaysia economically.

Harmonious Harmony @JKT: Where is the enforcement? Take, for instance, the Federal Highway.

There are motorcycle lanes built at considerable cost, yet motorists zoom and weave through the main road. No one is accountable.

Human nature is to break rules for personal convenience (not necessarily for safety) if there is no enforcement. This is putting others at risk.

VioletOrca0545: Companies have ISO standards to keep improving the quality, safety, and security of their workplace and products.

ISO demands an internal and external audit annually, and non-compliance might cause your certificate to be revoked. Government agencies have syiok sendiri policies just for display.

Every year, the auditor-general’s report becomes a great decoration on the table to make it seem whoever is in charge is extremely busy with a bunch of paper piled high.

Must something serious happen, and an independent committee submit a report?

Maybe those in charge pretend to be too busy to read or have someone scrutinise it and issue a warning not to make it public. After that, it becomes another decoration.

WhitePony9855: In a nutshell, we have the technical expertise, the correct planning and adequate financing to build, but when it comes to building, construction, implementation, and supervision, corruption creeps in.

This is the perennial problem, and to make matters worse, when there are any investigations, they lead nowhere.

Everybody except the victims and their families is absolved from blame and prosecution.

The system sucks, and our politicians start playing tai chi, and they are the experts in this ancient art.

BrownRabbit3061: Go learn from China how they manage the public transport, including the reduction of accidents by tired drivers with CCTV inside the bus or train and along the highway.

Do a proper study and do not take the opportunity to go on holiday in China. It will cost money to implement, but it will save lives with long-term gains in public transport safety.

So and so: The approving authorities are corrupted or totally incompetent.

To my knowledge, the Public Works Department standards are the best, tested and proven.

When you have contractors as agents and subcontract for profit and lobby, you end up with substandard output.

Stop the rot, and heads must roll.

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