Kelana Jaya LRT crash a matter for Parliament, says former Dewan Rakyat speaker

KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 — The underground Kelana Jaya LRT collision earlier this week is an example of important issues that need to be discussed in Parliament, Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof said today.

The retired judge and former Dewan Rakyat speaker suggested that MPs could hold virtual meetings and discuss such matters if physical sessions were not conducive due to the current surge of Covid-19 cases in the country.

He said it was important for the government to show transparency and show accountability to Malaysians when the country has been asked to self-lockdown to prevent the disease from spreading.

“Me personally, I want to know from the transport minister: what has happened? What is the reason that the LRT collided?

“These are things we want to know through our MPs,” Ariff said during an online press conference titled “Hak Rakyat dan Darurat” — which translates to “Citizens’ rights and the Emergency”.

Ariff was referring to the collision of two light rail transit trains on the Kelana Jaya line last Monday night that saw 213 passengers hurt, including six with severe injuries.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong has said that the crash was due to the human error of a train driver controlling an empty train that went in the wrong direction and collided with the autonomous passenger-laden train.

Ariff also commended MPs who recently met online to object to the military conflict surrounding Palestine’s Gaza Strip and Israel, as well as urge the government to conduct a special Parliamentary session to pass a resolution on the matter.

“Do you remember YBs, in the past when conflict in Gaza happened, we convened and passed a resolution. But right now, we can’t,” he said.

It is unclear when exactly Ariff was referring to, but there are several reports of resolutions passed by the Malaysian parliament to support the Palestinians, including in 2009, 2010, and 2012.

Parliament has not been convened since December last year, after Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah declared a nationwide state of Emergency in January, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Emergency has also resulted in the suspension of Parliament until the Emergency ends on August 1.