Tajuddin sacked after outrage over LRT collision gaffe

Tajuddin Abdul Rahman has been sacked as chairman of Prasarana Malaysia Bhd following a press conference he held in the wake of an accident involving two LRT trains which left over 200 passengers injured, many critically.

In a letter to Tajuddin, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz said the sacking would take place with immediate effect.

“I would like to express my highest appreciation and thank you for your service and contributions to Prasarana throughout your appointment as non-executive chairman,” he said.

Tajuddin had sparked outrage over remarks made at a press conference where he had mocked a foreign journalist and joked about “two trains kissing”.

An online petition calling for his resignation had collected over 100,000 signatures in less than 24 hours.

He also became the subject of a police investigation for wearing only a face shield and not the mandatory face mask at the press conference.

The accident on Monday night saw two LRT trains on the Kelana Jaya line colliding in the tunnel area between the Kampung Baru and KLCC stations in Kuala Lumpur.

One had been carrying passengers while the other, which was empty, was being test-driven.

A total of 213 passengers were injured, 47 critically.

The transport ministry has formed a special task force to investigate the incident.