KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 13 — The Transport Ministry (MOT) is mulling a proposal to establish the Malaysian Transport Safety Board (MTSB) which would investigate road crashes in the country, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the proposal follows recommendations by an MOT task force, which probed into the deadly crash involving members of the Federal Reserve Unit in Teluk Intan, Perak, as well as a tour bus crash carrying Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris students in Gerik, Perak, this year.
“This is under consideration at the ministerial level, but setting up a new body or agency is not easy as it involves a long, complex process,” he said in reply to a question by Khairil Nizam Khirudin (PN-Jerantut) about the government’s commitment to implementing the task force’s recommendations, especially the establishment of the MTSB.
Meanwhile, Loke said the MOT would also launch initiatives to elevate drivers’ status, including with training programmes aimed at producing more competent, professional drivers.
“We want to work together to train more professional drivers. The ministry has several planned actions to uplift the status of this profession… We want drivers to be respected and for their social status to be elevated,” he said.
He highlighted that the ongoing shortage of bus and lorry drivers is due to a lack of interest and low wages, and said the MOT’s efforts to ensure drivers are fairly compensated in line with their working hours, workload, and the risks they face.
“However, we must not assume that just anyone, even those with criminal records or poor driving histories, can be hired as drivers. We are working on a database to identify individuals with past offences, especially dangerous driving, so they can be screened,” Loke added.
