Make public Suke accident report, govt told

 

The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (Dosh) confirmed that the investigation of the fatal accident involving the Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Expressway (Suke) construction project, which occurred two months ago, has been completed.

However, the authority is reportedly not planning to release it to the public as it could be “misinterpreted”.

Dosh director-general Zailee Dollah told Malaysiakini that the investigation report will be submitted to the Human Resources Ministry.

“For the time being, we can’t share (the result) yet. We will submit it to the ministry, then we will see what actions are to be taken. But alhamdulillah we have completed the report.”

When pressed on whether the report would be released, Zailee said Dosh has to consult the ministry’s legal advisers.

Meanwhile, an aide of Human Resources Minister M Saravanan told Malaysiakini that due to legal concerns, Dosh is unable to make the report public.

The Malaysian Reserve last month reported Deputy Human Resources Minister Awang Hashim as saying that the investigation report will not be publicly released to avoid misinterpretation.

“If we publicise this to the public, sometimes it reaches those who have no knowledge and it is discussed; it can be misleading.

“We do not want those who do not have knowledge in this field to discuss this at all levels of society,” he was quoted as saying.

In response to the concern of “public misinterpretation”, DAP’s Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming proposed that the ministry share the investigation results with lawmakers and other experts.

Ong said that he will request Saravanan for a visit to the ministry along with occupational and health experts.

“I will contact Saravanan, if he agrees, we will visit the ministry and request them to explain the investigation report.

“Only then (the authority) can make a more professional decision, and (we) get to know whether the report was done thoroughly,” he added. 

Secrecy unwarranted

DAP’s Tanah Rata assemblyperson Chiong Yoke Kong urged the government to treat information as a public commodity and reveal the investigation results.

He said public officers often underestimate the people's ability to understand public policy and consider them as lacking knowledge or practical experience, hence incapable of participating in such affairs.

“According to the logic of the Human Resources Ministry, (if they) want to avoid ‘the investigation report being misinterpreted by the public who are without related expertise or knowledge’, what about the citizens who want to avoid ‘investigation report being limited to officers or political forces who have related expertise, but may have personal agendas'?

“If the public knows nothing, how are they going to give oversight and hold the authorities accountable?” he added.

Chiong also said the government does not have the moral ground to stop citizens from participating in public affairs due to its many scandals related to financial management and abuse of power.

Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) founding director Cynthia Gabriel said that it is a fundamental right for the public to know the investigation results.

To suggest that the public will misinterpret the investigation report is an insult to the citizens, she said.

“C4 urges for the report to be made public. Why the secrecy anyway?”

When contacted, she said that the fatal accident is a matter of public interest, not national security, therefore the government cannot be protective of the findings, or worse, appear to be protecting wrongdoers.

“If there were malpractices, serious breaches in the contract or quality of works and/or goods, it must be revealed,” she added. 

Cynthia reminded Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin that one of the central pillars of accountable governance is the right to information.

“The right to information is also the most effective way to rebuff rumours and fake speculative news.

“If the government takes the easy route of secrecy to shield the perpetrators, the public trust and confidence in the administration will further crumble,” she said. 

On March 22, three Chinese nationals were killed while a driver was seriously injured when a component of a gantry crane collapsed at the Suke construction site near Puncak Banyan, Persiaran Alam Damai, Cheras.

Following this, the Malaysian Highway Authority ordered several roads beneath the highway construction to be closed, in order to ensure public safety.

The Projek Lintasan Kota Holdings Sdn Bhd (Prolintas) and Suke then appointed an independent auditor to conduct a comprehensive safety audit on the Suke construction site and to study the cause of the incident on March 22.

The construction of the Suke highway has been marked by a number of accidents. - Mkini

✍ Credit given to the original owner of this post : ☕ Malaysians Must Know the TRUTH

🌐 Hit This Link To Find Out More On Their Articles...🏄🏻‍♀️ Enjoy Surfing!