KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 23- Relevant agencies under the Transport ministry would conduct their own investigations on the bus tragedy in Genting Highlands yesterday.
The outcome of the investigations would be sent to the inquiry panel headed by the Public Land Transport Commission (Spad).
Transport acting minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein listed the agencies as the Road Transport department, Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) and Road Safety department, apart from the police.
He also gave the assurance that the investigations would be thorough and transparent in determining the cause of the accident described as the worst in the country, which had claimed 37 lives.
He further assured that the outcome of the investigations would be made public; however he did not give a specific time frame for their completion.
“We need to allow the agencies do the necessary investigations. We need to give a bit of time to let the agencies do thorough investigations to the satisfaction of the public at large, so (such accident) does not occur again,” he told reporters after visiting victims of the tragedy at Kuala Lumpur Hospital here this evening.
Hishammuddin urged the public not to make any speculation or point fingers at any party.
“I am saddened and regret the incident. But speculations and issues that could provoke the emotions must be restrained. We will do our utmost to get to the truth,” he said.
According to him, an independent body would be formed in his office at the Transport ministry, which would be tasked with collecting and coordinating information related to road accidents besides being a platform for the public to channel information.
“This independent group will help me to see and coordinate the information that comes from the various parties, that’s all. It does not have any power,” he said.
Meanwhile, Spad chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar who was also present during the visit said the commission had set up a panel of inquiry into the incident, as directed by the deputy prime minister yesterday.
The panel would collect and study the reports prepared by the relevant parties before submitting the recommendations on road safety improvement to the government, he said.
“These things you can’t rush because there is a lot of details. We don’t want to put blame on anything that we have not looked at thoroughly. We wait for the police and Miros then we can have a better idea, this thing has multi faceted causes,” he said.
Both Hishammuddin and Syed Hamid also denied that the ill-fated bus had been blacklisted or was overloaded.
– BERNAMA
