PUTRAJAYA: Two fatal accidents involving a bus carrying Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students and a Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) truck in Teluk Intan last year continue to weigh heavily on former Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
Loke said both tragedies, which occurred less than three weeks apart, were heartbreaking, claiming numerous lives, including those of young students.
He said the incidents had also left him feeling guilty as he questioned whether more could have been done to prevent the loss of lives.
“Throughout my tenure as transport minister, there was one incident that was particularly heartbreaking and had a profound psychological impact on me, namely the UPSI bus incident, which claimed the lives of more than 10 of our students.
“Following that was the incident in Teluk Intan, which claimed the lives of nine of our FRU personnel. Both accidents occurred within less than three weeks,” he said at the Transport Ministry’s monthly assembly.
Loke said the incidents had prompted him to question why efforts to prevent road accidents had failed to avert such a significant loss of lives.
“I felt extremely guilty. Why were we unable to prevent something like this from happening?
“Accidents happen every day, and every fatal accident affects us. However, when a major accident like this occurs within such a short period, claiming so many lives, including young people and innocent students, it is particularly devastating,” he said.
He said the tragedies prompted the ministry to pursue policy changes, introduce new initiatives and strengthen safety measures to prevent similar incidents.
Loke said road safety should not be viewed as the responsibility of an individual minister or a political issue, but as an ongoing priority for the Transport Ministry.
“This is a matter of human lives. Whoever holds this position, regardless of who they are, must make road safety a top priority,” he said.
He hoped efforts to improve road safety would continue under the ministry’s leadership and relevant agencies, including through strict enforcement against offences that endanger road users.
In May last year, nine FRU personnel were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in was rammed by a lorry carrying a load of stones while heading to Ipoh after completing an assignment in Teluk Intan,
On June 9 last year, 15 UPSI students were killed when a chartered bus carrying them from Jertih to the university’s main campus in Tanjung Malim overturned after colliding with a Perodua Alza.