Time for action, not another investigation

 After the deaths of nine FRU personnel, what we need are measures that restore trust, prevent recurrence, and respect the memory of those we’ve lost.

From Wan Agyl Wan Hassan

The recent tragedy in Teluk Intan that claimed the lives of nine Federal Reserve Unit personnel was not just another accident, it is a national failure.

It is a gut-wrenching repeat of what we saw 35 years ago in the Karak tragedy, and it has left families, colleagues, and the country grieving once more.

But we must now admit something painful: we already know what’s wrong.

The facts are clear. A lorry, reportedly driven by someone with multiple criminal records, crashed into a truck carrying 18 FRU men.

Many seated without seatbelts, in a vehicle likely not designed for such a task. And once again, the immediate response has been what we’ve grown used to: condolences, a task force, a few questions, and silence.

It is time to break this cycle.

We know what’s wrong – systematic failures

This tragedy was not a fluke. It was the direct result of a broken system that we’ve tolerated for far too long:

• We have no centralised vetting system for commercial drivers, allowing even those with a record of violence or drug offences to operate heavy vehicles.
• Our inspection system is distrusted by the public and questioned by our leaders. How can a lorry with alleged steering failure pass Puspakom checks?
• There are no binding safety standards for how our security forces are transported. Why were so many officers in a single truck? Why weren’t they properly restrained?
• We still rely on individual driver blame while letting companies with poor safety records escape accountability.
• And critically, our investigations are handled internally, with no independent mechanism to examine the root causes and recommend lasting reform.

We have studied this before. Experts have written reports. Parliament has debated. The ministries are aware. Yet time and again, lives are lost and we return to square one.

Action over excuses

At MY Mobility Vision, we say this not to criticise for the sake of blame, but because this must be the moment where something finally changes.

We call on the government to act immediately on the following:

• Legislate corporate liability for transport companies: if a firm hires unfit drivers or skips maintenance, they should be held criminally liable.
• Create a transport safety scorecard. A public registry of logistics firms with repeat safety violations.
• Reform Puspakom inspections with external audits and transparent reporting of compliance data.
• Audit and upgrade FRU and police vehicles, with strict limits on personnel density, and mandatory safety features.
• Establish an independent crash investigation panel, with the mandate to report to Parliament; not just identify fault, but propose policy reform.

These are not radical demands. They are already in practice elsewhere; from the UK’s Corporate Manslaughter laws to the US National Transportation Safety Board. We know how to do this. We just haven’t done it yet.

This cannot be another forgotten tragedy

The public is not apathetic. In fact, the nation is outraged. Grief turned into fury as the details emerged; about the driver, about the lorry, and about the lack of safety for those in uniform. Social media is filled with calls for real reform. The rakyat are paying attention.

What the public wants now is not another investigation. What we need are measures that restore trust, prevent recurrence, and respect the memory of those we’ve lost.

We’ve buried too many already. The officers in that truck did not die in battle but in transit, while serving the nation. If their deaths don’t move us to act, what will?

This must be the last time we say, “We’ll learn from this.” Because if nothing changes, the next tragedy won’t be a surprise; it’ll be a consequence. - FMT

Wan Agyl Wan Hassan is the founder and CEO of MY Mobility Vision, a transport think tank.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.