Stalled vehicles must be cleared to prevent accidents, says minister

By THE STAR | 2 May 2016


KUALA LUMPUR: Stalled vehicles by the roadside must be removed as soon as possible to prevent accidents, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

He said highway concessionaires or the relevant government agencies had been directed to remove vehicles, which had broken down or were involved in accidents, from the roads.

“Obstacles on the road must be cleared to ensure road users’ safety,” Liow added.

He said Malaysia recorded some 489,600 accidents with 6,706 lives lost on the road last year, making it among the top 20 countries with the highest traffic accidents.

Liow also said the Government was pushing for a daily ridership of 500,000 on land public transport this year – from the current 470,000.

Efforts such as increasing the frequency of commuter and light rail transit trains were being made to achieve the target.

“We will make sure that stage buses and other transportation modes are well connected and convenient for the people to take them from the train stations to their destinations,” he told reporters at the Labour Day celebration held by the Union Network International-Malaysia Labour Centre here yesterday.

While addressing the cost of living pressure faced by the people, Liow, who is also MCA president, called on the working class to enhance their productivity, which would eventually lead to an increased pay.

“Let’s work together with the employers to raise our productivity,” he added.

Noting that the younger workforce these days was more opinionated, Liow urged employers and employees to talk it out if there were problems between them while urging the workers’ union to act as the mediator.

“I know some employers are having a hard time with their workers, and the union can play a part to arrange for a tripartite discussion to resolve matters,” he added.

At the event, six companies received “Smart Partnership 2016” awards for maintaining a good relationship with their employees. They were Aeon Big Malaysia, Proton Edar, DiGi Telecommunications, Pos Malaysia, DHL Global Forwarding and Rengo Packaging.

Twelve leaders from various workers’ unions were also recognised for their outstanding performance.

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