By C C Pung
Justice of Peace
ACCIDENTS happen never mind our best intentions, planning and prayers.
Otherwise, it is no accident.
The cause of the recent fatal bus crash will not be known for a while.
Nobody would wish such a tragedy on anyone.
Perhaps Dr M’s wishes of a certain Anwar is an exception.
The crash, and the death of the 15 children (if they were indeed God’s will), could only have one positive if Malaysians took a lesson out of it.
The people who ride the buses, the owners of the buses or transport companies, the bus drivers, the transport safety authorities, etc .must begin the put safety as the prioritiy.
Post-crash, I have seen nothing but after-thoughts, posturing and shallow performative politics.
Fifteen innocent lives lost and the Malaysian public is dished a load of trash.
It is revolting.
Malaysia lacks the maintenance culture.
This is an acknowledged fact.
It was revealed years ago that Malaysian car owners habitually ignored the recommended maintenance schedule after their cars have enjoyed the free maintenance services that came with their purchases.
Would bus owners and operators be any different?
I doubt.
Corruption has compromised all manner of mandatory checks by the traffic police, commercial vehicle licensing authority, road transport dept, puspakom, etc.
In short, Malaysian roads are a disaster waiting to happen.
So, to hear the cleverness of the likes of the transport minister after the cash calls for a word of angst Oxford Dictionary has not yet coined.
‘Sickening’ is a mild word.
Here in my City of Kota Kinabalu, buildings are getting taller.
Are they safe in case of fire?
Is our Fire Brigade trained and equipped to fight fires in high rise?
I saw videos of China firefighters using drones.
Are we near there, or have we even begun to think about it?
I remember the movie ‘The Towering Inferno’ when there was hardly any tall buildings where I lived.
We have many towers nowadays. I can only hope we are prepared for any inferno.
Editor: The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect that of talantang.com.
