Finding answers to the horrific Genting Highlands bus plunge

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WHEN a road accident occurs, something must be wrong somewhere. If the vehicle is in perfect working condition and the driver is alert and responsible, an accident is unlikely to happen.

So there must be reasons and causes for an accident.

This past week, Malaysia mourned the 37 who lost their lives in the Genting Highlands bus plunge — the nation’s worst bus tragedy.

We are all very sad that so many holidaymakers lost their lives in such a meaningless and horrific manner. It does not matter whether we knew them or not. We grieve with their families and share their pain and sorrow. I’m sure all of us are praying for them.

It’s true that accidents and our lives are fated. Nobody knows when an accident will occur. That’s why it is called an accident. It can happen any time, anywhere and when it does, there will only be regret and remorse.

I have to disagree with Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein’s statement requesting the public not to point fingers at anyone in light of the Genting bus tragedy.

Surely, some parties have to shoulder the blame. We have to point fingers at those who were directly or indirectly responsible. It is our duty to do so.

How on earth are we going to prevent road carnage in future if we do not punish the irresponsible parties?

Like many of you, I was also trying to find answers to the horrific bus plunge last Wednesday.

I read through many of the press reports and sought information from people familiar with the parties involved.

I do not have all the answers but I think I can share some of them here.

Let’s take a look first at the immediate principals in play – the driver and the bus.

Was the bus driver speeding? Was he alert behind the wheel? What was his frame of mind at the time?

Survivors told a story of the driver’s road rage after earlier being involved in a heated argument with a motorist. He then drove recklessly down the hill, despite knowing that the brakes were faulty.

As the bus was gaining speed downhill, he swerved to avoid a lorry in front. That was when the bus hit the concrete barrier and took the fatal plunge down the ravine.

An unstable driver and faulty brakes – a recipe for disaster! It is fatal for anyone to drive recklessly at the winding stretch just after the famed Chin Swee Temple where the tragedy took place.

But the driver did well to avoid a collision with the lorry. I dread to think of what would have happened had the bus hit the lorry. Both vehicles could have plunged down the ravine with more loss of life.

Now what was the condition of the bus? Was it roadworthy?

A web portal has reported that a check with the Road Transport Department website showed that the vehicle in question, a Scania L113 single-deck bus, was blacklisted by the police.

If this is true, fingers have to be pointed at the authorities concerned and the bus company.

Was the company aware that the bus was not roadworthy? How did Puspakom allow such a vehicle to run loose on the road? These questions beg for answers.

According to a Genting Malaysia Berhad spokesman, the bus was not theirs. It belongs to public transport company known as Genting Highlands Transport Sdn Bhd.

I find it quite difficult to believe that the parent company is not interested in the lucrative transport business with direct links to its multi-billion ringgit hill resort. You can form your own conclusion here.

Whatever it may be, I have issues with the transport system and allowances given to bus companies serving the route to Genting Highlands.

I recall there was a time when heavy vehicles such as huge, tourist buses were not allowed to go all the way to the top of the resort. Passengers had to alight at the Skyway station in Gohtong Jaya, which is midway and use the cable car to continue their journey.

The rule was made following several bus tragedies that occurred on the upper stretches of the route.

Now, even heavy double-decker buses are permitted to travel all the way up more than 5,000 feet to the top.

Lessons from previous bus tragedies at the hill resort were conveniently forgotten.

What is also way out of line is that a fleet of buses, similar to the ill-fated one, is allowed to pick up passengers at different points along the hilly route on the return journey to Kuala Lumpur.

How could RTD allow the company to operate their buses on the winding, hilly road like those in the city? Conditions of roads on mountainous terrain are very different from city roads. Allowing them to pick up passengers at random will surely encourage overloading and endanger lives.

I have also learnt that the bus fare of RM6 for the Kuala Lumpur-Genting Highlands route offered by the company is the cheapest and hence, its popularity. Staff at the resort also use this service regularly.

It is only fair to also mention that the road to Genting Hghlands has improved tremendously over the years. It is pretty safe and can be quite a pleasure ride with a car in good condition.

I have driven to the resort and back down in the past and found that it is as good as any road. The driver, car and the road must be in sync with each other.

Where there are vehicles and roads, accidents will occur and lives will be lost. But we can always prevent them from happening and minimise fatalities.

Let’s hope that the Transport Ministry and the relevant agencies will leave no stone unturned in uncovering the cause of this horrific accident. Those responsible must be brought to book.

More importantly, let’s not conveniently, after a week or so, forget what caused such carnage on a scale never witnessed before in the country. We have a tendency to do that.

Our brave men and women who took part in the rescue efforts will not be able to forget the horrific scene and the mangled bodies they saw last Wednesday. We salute them for their gallant dedication to duty. This accident was one very daunting task they had to undertake.

We can be sure they wouldn’t want to witness such a horrific scene again. Neither would we.

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