By Amarjeet Singh @ AJ
9 June. Gerik, Perak.
Fifteen young people – future teachers, brothers, daughters, dreamers – died in the early hours of a dark morning.
Their bus crashed. Their lives ended. Their parents cried in disbelief.
A nation went numb. As usual, the blame game began. But let’s pause and ask – who is really to blame?
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This didn’t start with Anthony Loke
It started with decades of silence.
The moment news of the tragedy broke, online users pointed fingers.
But let’s be honest. Was Anthony Loke the minister when the Genting tragedy in 2013 killed 37? Was he in power when buses crashed in Cameron Highlands, Bukit Gantang, Karak or Merapoh?
No, he wasn’t.
In every tragedy, we saw the same pattern. A committee was formed. Press statements were made. Condolences were tweeted. And then… silence.
The only thing that changed was the date of the next tragedy.
Stop blaming the one minister who’s actually trying
Anthony Loke isn’t perfect – no one is. But ask anyone in transport circles, the civil service or enforcement agencies – he has done more in two years than others did in two decades.
He pushed for black boxes. He enforced stricter checks on buses. He increased Road Transport Department operations. He remains open to dialogue with families, stakeholders and industry players.
Still, the tragedy happened. Why? Because he inherited a broken system – a system built on neglect, underfunding, poor enforcement and zero political courage from those who came before him.
This isn’t about politics – it’s about pain
This is not about Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional, Perikatan Nasional or any other party.
This is about the 15 coffins wrapped in white. This is about the screams of survivors. This is about the girl who texted her parents minutes before the crash, saying, “We’ll be back soon.”
Malaysia failed – not one man, but all of us
The system allowed with 18 unpaid summonses (penalty notices) to still drive. It allowed companies to avoid safety checks. There was no GPS, no co-driver, no accountability.
That’s not on Anthony Loke alone. That’s on every minister, director general, enforcement chief and policy writer who let this happen. That’s on every MP who stayed silent, every committee that didn’t report, and every ordinary person who moved on after the last crash.
Change the system – not the scapegoat
If this tragedy turns into another episode of political bashing, we have failed the dead. Instead, support the reforms. Pressure Parliament. Demand policies. Demand enforcement.
Don’t just share condolences. Demand speed limiters, live tracking, licensing reform and mandatory inspections.
Let their deaths mean something
We owe them that. Not just tears. Not just flowers. Not just hashtags. We owe them a safer Malaysia. We owe them a country that doesn’t let this repeat itself – again.
This was not just an accident. It was an avoidable disaster.
The bus was chartered through a travel and tour enterprise, with claims that it was “well maintained” and the driver “experienced”.
But reports now reveal speeding, a heated exchange with passengers, and possibly an unfit emotional state – ending in catastrophic loss.
Don’t blame the university – know the context
Let us be clear: Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris is not at fault.
Any student, parent or alumni will confirm this: during peak seasons like semester breaks or festivals, university-arranged transport is often limited or sold out. Out of desperation, students independently pool resources and book private buses from outside the campus.
These arrangements happen beyond the university gate without university sanction. To shift the blame to the institution is to distract from the real issue: a flawed and weakly regulated transport ecosystem.
So it’s not about who is in charge. It’s about who finally has the courage to fix it. Stop pointing fingers at the one man who showed up to clean the mess we all ignored.
Where the real failure lies
There was a lack of live GPS tracking or speed monitoring. There were no emotional or psychometric checks for drivers. There were minimal fatigue regulations or co-driver mandates. There was weak enforcement despite past fatalities in similar cases.
If this isn’t systemic failure, what is?
What we can learn – from oil and gas
In the oil and gas industry, particularly under Petronas, Shell, Petron and BHP, safety is not just a policy – it’s a way of life.
The sector deals with highly flammable materials. Yet fatal road accidents involving tankers are exceptionally rare. Why?
Lorry tanker protocols under Petronas:
- Speed limiters capped at 80km/h by engine settings (not driver preference)
- Real-time GPS and telemetry monitored by command centres
- Fixed, risk-assessed routes – no shortcuts allowed
- Daily inspection checklists covering brakes, extinguishers, valves and more
- Mandatory co-drivers for long-distance journeys
- Zero tolerance policies – one violation, lifetime ban
If we can protect oil and gas, why can’t we protect human lives?
What the rest of the world is doing right
Sweden’s Vision Zero Policy states: “No loss of life is acceptable.”
Sweden enforces lane-assist technologies, road separation for high-risk areas, driver fatigue monitors, and strict corporate accountability laws.
Australia has strict regulations on driver working hours, in-vehicle speed governance, centralised reporting for all passenger and freight movements.
Singapore’s buses and commercial vehicles use real-time fleet tracking, incentives for safe drivers, driver behaviour analytics, licence points deduction for reckless behaviour
The US Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration mandates electronic logging devices for all long-haul drivers, sleep cycles enforced with heavy penalties, and commercial driver licence testing and background verification.
We have no excuse
Malaysia has the expertise, talent and resources to implement these measures. What we lack is political will, industry discipline, and a culture that prioritises people over profits.
What must be done – now
We demand:
- A nationwide audit of all express and charter bus operators, with transparent publication of safety ratings
- Mandatory GPS, speed limiters, and real-time tracking linked to the Road Transport Department, the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) or the Ministry of Transport
- Psychometric, emotional and Fatigue testing for all long-distance drivers
- Reform of legal accountability – make directors and owners personally liable for negligence
- A national public transport compensation fund – automatic payouts to families of victims
15 faces – one national shame
Look at their smiles. Their youth. Their ambition. These were not just students – they were the future of our classrooms, the backbone of a better Malaysia.
They deserved a system that respected their lives. We failed them.
To the government: don’t delay, don’t spin, just act
No more ‘committee studies’ with no conclusion. No more recycled statements. No more apologetic press releases after every death.
We want policy, enforcement and reform. Not promises. Not PR.
Speak up before it’s your child
This tragedy could’ve happened to any family. It will happen again – unless we rise and demand change.
Let these 15 names be more than memorials. Let them be the final push to transform our transport system into one that protects – not gambles with – lives.
“Safety is not about budget. It’s about mindset.”
“If we can protect oil, we must protect our children.”
Another near miss, another warning – will we listen this time?
Just 24 hours after 15 young lives were tragically lost in the Gerik crash, another bus incident unfolded in Maran, Pahang.
At around 01:00, an express bus carrying 28 passengers, including 13 students from Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah, collided with a trailer along kilometre 161.5 of the East Coast Expressway, heading eastbound.
Miraculously – this time – no lives were lost. But let’s not celebrate luck. Because luck is not a policy. This was not safety. This was another bullet dodged.
Two crashes, one broken system
Back-to-back incidents involving university students in chartered or express buses. Two different highways. Two different states. One single truth: Malaysia’s public transport safety standards are failing.
We mourned Gerik. But what did we do the next day? Did we enforce new checks? Did we ground buses for inspection? Did we ask about the driver’s record? Or did we simply pray not to hear about the next one?
From tragedy to trauma – a nation on edge
The Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah students didn’t die. But imagine the trauma they carry. Imagine the sleepless night of their families who read the news after the Gerik tragedy.
We cannot wait for funerals to feel urgency. We must act on near misses with the same intensity we act on deaths.
Let this be the last alarm bell
In the oil and gas industry, near-misses are documented, dissected and acted upon with rigour. In aviation, a “no casualty” landing incident triggers full investigations.
So why, when a bus of young students crashes, do we call it “just an accident” and move on?
What’s the difference between 15 coffins and 28 survivors? Only seconds. Only fate. Only grace. Not governance.
A pattern, not a coincidence
First: Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris students in Gerik – 15 killed. Then, Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah students in Maran – close call. Next?
This isn’t coincidence. It’s a consequence – of weak enforcement, overworked drivers, unchecked buses, summonses ignored, and lack of accountability for owners or operators.
The time for blame is over – the time for reform is now
We must install mandatory GPS and speed monitoring on all express and charter buses. We must enforce co-driver mandates for all overnight journeys. We must introduce driver rotation and fatigue checks.
That’s not all. Make black boxes and real-time vehicle diagnostics compulsory. Penalise operators who have multiple incidents with licence suspensions. Pass laws that make company directors criminally liable for recurring violations.
This is not about luck – it’s about leadership
To the ministries, to enforcement bodies, to bus companies: don’t let us bury more children before you move. Don’t wait for another Gerik before you remember Maran. And don’t call it “fate” when it’s your failure.
The blame game begins – but the truth always surfaces
In the immediate aftermath of the Gerik tragedy, the bus driver – from his hospital bed — tearfully told the media: “I wish to apologise… what happened was due to sudden brake failure.”
But as days passed, more reports began to contradict his claims.
Dashcam footage showed the bus speeding, overtaking dangerously, and driving erratically. Survivors told investigators they pleaded with the driver to slow down – but were ignored. Police later confirmed the driver had 18 traffic summonses – 13 for speeding.
Even more disturbing were claims that the bus allegedly had pre-existing mechanical issues – but the company allegedly “decided to push their luck”.
Brake failure or accountability failure?
Let’s ask a few honest questions:
If the brakes failed, why were students begging him to slow down before that? If the vehicle passed inspection “recently”, what does that say about our inspection standards?
If the driver was replaced last-minute, why wasn’t a psychometric or emotional fitness check conducted? If 18 summonses don’t disqualify a bus driver, what does?
Standard script: ‘We will form a task force’
Like clockwork, authorities announced the formation of a “special task force”.
But people have heard this before – after Genting, after Cameron Highlands, after Bukit Gantang. How many reports have been tabled? How many reforms have been enforced? How many operators lost their licenses? How many lives did it prevent from being lost?
The answer? Too few. Or none.
A task force without enforcement is just a headline on borrowed time.
Everyone goes defensive – but who defends the victims?
The bus company denied claims that an unqualified lorry driver was behind the wheel, instead calling it “speculation”.
They admitted the second driver was a replacement, from another bus company, but insisted he was “vetted”.
Stop believing excuses – enforce truth
No more blaming the brakes. No more saying “we didn’t know”. No more crying only after the funeral. The students’ voices were ignored in that bus. Don’t let the survivors be ignored again now.
Who is going to be charged in this case? The driver, the road divider, the director of the Public Works Department for wrong road design and directors of the bus company too?
Over 150 lives lost and we are still debating, talking. We need action.
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