CVLB backs jail move

The Star Online - 23 August 2007

By SIRA HABIBU

ALOR STAR: Laws should be amended to jail chief executive officers and directors of bus companies that ignore safety rules, Commercial Vehicle Licencing Board (CVLB) chairman Datuk Markiman Kobiran said.

He said yesterday it was high time the bosses in transportation companies were taken to task.

“Revoking the permit alone under the existing law is not good enough. Bus company CEOs and directors who fail to impose safety measures should be liable to jail sentence.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy had said recently that the Cabinet had given the nod to hold CEOs of bus companies accountable for safety standards, hiring and training of drivers and fleet management.

It was reported yesterday that during a recent inquiry into the bus crash that killed 22 people near Taiping last week, a director of the bus company could not produce the drivers’ safety manual that showed drivers’ competence and courses taken.

Markiman said he would propose amendments to the existing CVLB Act to enable prosecution of bus company CEOs and directors.

He also said that there was a need to create a better interactive system among the various agencies for better enforcement.

He said it would be good to have a centralised information system where data is made accessible to all the relevant agencies such as CLVB, the police, Road Transport Department (JPJ) and Puspakom.

Puspakom CEO Datuk Salamat Wahit said all the new policies adopted by the Cabinet relating to bus structure that met the R66 ECE (Economic Commission for Europe) standard, would be implemented immediately.