The uproar from politicians over a fatal drink-driving crash that killed Amirul Hafiz Omar last week did not extend to another deadly incident days later, where a lorry driver who tested positive for drugs caused an accident that killed three and injured two.
The three were K Myakrishnan, 71, his wife, S Sevendai, 65, and the latter’s brother S Palamiandy, 75.
Myakrishnan and Sevendai’s grandchildren, aged 22 and 18, were also seriously injured in the accident, with the younger one now reportedly in critical condition due to brain injuries.
The accident - in which the lorry driver rear-ended the van the family were in, causing them to crash into another lorry on the opposite lane - occurred just 200m away from their home.
Malaysiakini found that very few politicians spoke about the second crash, which occurred in Segamat on April 2. They included Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Deputy Unity Minister R Yuneswaran, Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh, and Negeri Sembilan exco member J Arul Kumar.
Loke had ordered the Road Transport Department and the Land Public Transport Agency to immediately conduct an audit and investigation into the trailer company involved in the crash.
He also reportedly said the incident was another deeply tragic accident caused by a lorry driver’s drug abuse.
Yuneswaran - who is also the Segamat MP - said the driver’s selfishness for abusing drugs and driving had destroyed a family, and that he would not keep silent.
As for Akmal, he said the driver must be charged with murder and punished severely.
“Killing because you were high on drugs is a serious offence and must be punished severely. Regardless of race, wrong is wrong,” he said in a Facebook post on Friday.
Arul likewise called for the driver to be charged with murder, adding that the roads must be kept safe from motorists under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Murder charge, racist stereotypes
Meanwhile, checks by Malaysiakini found that PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden and Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal have made no comments on the latest accident.
Both had called for the death sentence to be imposed on the drunk driver in the Klang crash last week.
The victim, warehouse worker Amirul, was on his way to buy a mathematics book for his eldest child when he was killed.
The accused, R Saktygaanapathy, has been charged with murder and has pleaded guilty to a separate charge for using drugs.
The case caught national attention, but discourse quickly became racially charged, with some making racist stereotypes about drunk drivers.
The decision to charge the driver with murder has also been deeply divisive, with many questioning whether the Attorney-General’s Chambers were pandering to those outraged.
There were also questions about double standards and why other incidents where drivers under the influence caused fatal crashes but were not charged with murder.
Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar had defended the charge against Saktygaanapathy, saying: “I must act as a guardian of the public interest and ensure justice for the victim’s family, who are seeking fair and equitable justice.” - Mkini
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