LETTER | Tajuddin fiasco may well be turning point

LETTER | Everyone by now knows about the horrible LRT accident on Monday when two trains collided head-on resulting in 47 passengers with serious injuries and numerous others with lighter injuries. A train wreck can happen anywhere in the world even with most modern and automated train services such as our LRT and MRT, although statistically, the probability of such incidences should be rare. 

The non-executive chairperson of Prasarana who had his tenure of service cut short with immediate termination of his service yesterday by the finance minister must be the epitome of how erroneous and misplaced the system of political appointees has become. 

An obviously square peg in a round hole, he single-handedly laid bare all that is wrong with rewarding tired old politicians by placing them in plum positions in government-linked agencies or companies for that matter, presumably for continued political support. The bigger and more powerful the political warlord, the higher the position and the host of fringe benefits given. 

Whether the individual has the intellectual prowess and mental capacity to chair the board of directors, wrap his head around matters at hand presented by the management of the company and to be the public face of the company at press conferences, interviews, media statements and the like is a question mark. 

This episode with the LRT accident has left absolutely no doubt in the minds of all right-thinking persons. The chain of events that led to his summary dismissal reads like a horror story. The train accident happened on the night of May 24 and before the news media could report it, the incident with associated images was already fast sweeping through social media, such is its power in the present time. Citizens reacted in horror at the unexpected and disturbing images, and already questions were being asked about how such an accident could happen. 

Sympathy for the victims was immediate and unequivocal. Ground support to tend to the victims was of course quick and timely, the relevant people did their jobs admirably. It was the following morning on May 25 when the chairperson of Prasarana gave a press conference followed by the disastrous Q&A session where things went awry. 

His flippant and obnoxious answers and remarks laid bare his soul for all to see, and there was not an iota of empathy for the victims or owning up to responsibility as chairperson. Not responsibility for the accident, but responsibility as the public face of Prasarana to apologise for shortcomings leading to the accident and immediate steps to correct them, to be the sympathetic face of Prasarana to placate and adequately compensate victims and their families who may not have the luxury of public funds falling in their laps, to be the principled and capable face of Prasarana in dealing with Q&A’s from the press. 

The news reports are out there for all to read, it was nothing short of an unmitigated disaster, fanning public anger and leading to probably one of the quickest dismissals we have seen for so lofty a position. He may well have said some things right in his defence, but too little too late; just as late as he was in physically being present at the scene of the accident, choosing to only appear the next morning with inexcusable reasons. 

The entire episode very quickly spawned various memes and cartoons driving home the message that arrogance and incompetence are becoming less tolerable by the public, irrespective of the position. The fact that the now ex-chairperson is also an MP has not escaped attention either and evokes bad memories of poor behaviour in previous parliamentary sessions.

Malaysians like others in many parts of the world are already living a nightmare scenario of constant fear of being infected with the Covid-19 virus, and many sacrifices are being asked of us to combat this pandemic. Children, particularly students, have lost a significant part of their school-going experience. College and university students are deprived of campus life and activities. Working adults have the worst of it, many worrying incessantly about how to make ends meet for their families. 

Let’s not even get started on daily wage earners, hawkers, pedlars, small businesses and the like. The hashtags #KerajaanBodoh and #KerajaanGagal have recently been gaining momentum in social media. While some may say it is over the top, many are beginning to understand the frustrations of citizens who have multiple pressures and hardships bearing down upon them with the bulk of it pandemic related. 

Prolonged hardship perceived to be in part due to poor leadership and management by the government to bring to bear the proper skills and acumen, which translates to merit-based appointments for key positions, is wearing patience thin. This Prasarana chairperson fiasco may well be the turning point in the groundswell of public opinion. Be the agent of change or prepare to be changed. 

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.