Chairman of M’sia LRT Operator Fired After He Joked That The Trains ‘Kissed’

Everyone knows that step one to being fired from your job as a politician is losing public support.

One of the most effective, sure-fire ways to lose public support?

Make a bad joke about a major train accident that happened in your country.

You would think that a politician would have more tact, but this is exactly what happened to one Malaysian politician yesterday (26 May).

Umno Leader Fired from position as Rail Firm’s Chairman

Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, a key Umno leader, joked during his press conference on Tuesday (25 May) that the two trains involved in the light rail transit crash (LRT) had “kiss[ed]”.

The short clip of his press conference can be seen here:

Following his inappropriate remark that inevitably drew public ire, Tajuddin has since been removed from his position as chairman of the state-owned public transport firm Prasarana Malaysia. 

Prasarana Malaysia is the LRT operator of the two LRTs involved in Malaysia’s first LRT crash.

On Wednesday (26 May), Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz issued a letter to Tajuddin, informing him of the termination of his position as non-executive chairman of the rail firm, with immediate effect. 

Despite the LRT crash—the country’s first—happening on Monday (24 May), Tajuddin only showed up on Tuesday to visit the crash site and address the media. 

During the press conference, Tajuddin tried to downplay his absence at the site of the crash. His remark on the two trains “kissing” each other drew the ire of Malaysians—by Wednesday, a petition with over 100,000 signatures demanding for Tajuddin’s resignation had emerged. 

When asked questions about the calls for his resignation during the press conference, the man had lost composure and snapped at journalists. He warned them not to “provoke” him. 

If that wasn’t already enough, he had also made a racist jibe at a journalist at the press conference. 

Former prime minister, Najib Razak, had apologised on Tajuddin’s behalf on Wednesday. He expressed that Tajuddin “regretted” his conduct. Notably, however, Tajuddin did not directly issue a public apology.

Honestly, this man can’t even do PR 101 and people think making him a politician would be a good idea?

Najib also said that Tajuddin would resign from his post when instructed by Umno. 

Ahem, when one is instructed to resign, they’re really just being fired. 

Tajuddin confirmed on Wednesday night that he had received his letter of termination, but seemed otherwise unbothered by his removal as chairman. According to The Straits Times, Tajuddin had said “There’s nothing to comment now. It’s not a pressing issue or something to worry about”. 

Tajuddin is also being probed by the authorities for failing to wear a face mask at the press conference on Tuesday. This was despite the fact that it is mandatory to wear face masks in public places in Malaysia. 

Currently, Malaysia is encountering its deadliest surge of COVID-19 cases to date. 

Tajuddin’s Tenure as Chairman Shrouded in Controversy 

Tajuddin is a supreme council member of Umno, a former deputy minister and a three-term member of Parliament. He is also the election director for Barisan Nasional (BN) which is headed by Umno. 

For those who didn’t know: Umno is the biggest party in the current government led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, while BN was Malaysia’s former ruling coalition. 

During his term as chairman of Prasarana Malaysia, Tajuddin had incited much controversy. This was the case late last year in 2020 when he suspended the firm’s chief executive officer Muhammad Nizam Alias. 

Under Tajuddin’s leadership, Prasarana had also faced demands for unfulfilled payments for work done by key contractors for the ongoing LRT3 project. 

With Prasarana’s office being raided by Malaysia’s anti-graft authorities earlier in January, abuse of power probe was raised against Tajuddin. The results of the investigation were submitted to prosecutors earlier this month. 

Featured Image: Youtube (Third Eye Jokes)