Rawang Bus Accident

Putting our lives in the hands of road menaces

 

We did it again. As a nation, it takes major accidents and tragedies to wake us up from slumber. We make noises. One authority points finger to another. The blame game starts all over again. But in relatively short period of time, things go quiet. We go back to life as usual, that is until the next accident or tragedy.

 

We have seen this in this country time and time, again. It has become a regular pattern. No prize in guessing what is going to happen after this. Nothing, really.

 

The case in point is the fatal bus accident in Rawang this week.

 

But, wait a minute. Was it not Einstein who said, “Madness is doing the same things over and over again, but expecting different results….”, or something to that effect. Well, to me it is more like Stupidity rather than Madness.

 

Let us put the cynicism aside. The point is, after so many similar road accidents involving express buses, why have the authorities not come up with something concrete. Why do we have to put our lives in the hands of repeat traffic offenders–the road menaces, if you wish–every time we board the public transport?

 

I am a firm believer in and an advocate of pro-action. One simple solution is for the authorities to screen all potential bus drivers against the traffic police or the Road Transport Department database. We can then stop those with multiple traffic violations or even arrest warrants from putting their hands behind the wheel and our lives at higher risks.

 

As it is now, god knows who the bus companies hire as drivers. These drivers jump from one company to another easily if they have problems at their workplace. Heck, we even had druggies, at one point, driving the buses.

 

Driving a bus is just like most other professions such as being an engineer, a doctor, an accountant, or a car salesman. Some are cut out for it, some don’t.

 

To the authorities, it is high time you realize this fact and do something about it. That is what you are paid to do — to put public interests as top priority.

 

My final words to them, change your mentality and your ways of doing things. You no longer live in a time where ‘business as usual’ works. If you refuse to change, the Rakyat will put other people to be in charge. By the way, if you had not noticed, this is already happening.