Blaming scarecrows for bus accidents
COMMENT | Can the bus tragedy that killed 15 university students near Gerik, Perak, become a racial issue?
Lawyer Siti Kasim claims that Transport Minister Anthony Loke is being attacked by some Malays online for the horrific accident.
The reason it seems was that the victims are Malays, whom a Chinese minister failed to 'take care of'.
'Have you forgotten the driver is Malay?' asked Siti.
This is the typical blame game to divert from real problems towards what are called 'scarecrows' or 'straw men' in American English.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malaysian Reserve
an hour ago
- Malaysian Reserve
Taiwan imposes technology export controls on Huawei, SMIC
TAIWAN has blacklisted Huawei Technologies Co. and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., dealing another major blow to the two companies spearheading China's efforts to develop cutting-edge AI chip technologies. Taiwan's International Trade Administration has included Huawei, SMIC and several of their subsidiaries in an update of its so-called strategic high-tech commodities entity list, according to the latest version that was made available on its website on Saturday. It didn't publicly announce the change. According to Taiwan's existing regulations, local companies will require approval from the island's government before they can ship anything to users on the entity list. In 2023, Bloomberg News reported that several Taiwanese companies were helping Huawei build infrastructure for an under-the-radar network of chip plants across southern China. The new restrictions imposed by Taipei are likely to at least partially cut off Huawei and SMIC's access to Taiwan's plant construction technologies, materials and equipment essential to build AI semiconductors, like those made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. for the likes of Nvidia Corp. In Huawei's case, several of its overseas units including in Japan, Russia and Germany were also captured in the update to Taiwan's entity list. Both Huawei and SMIC — and some of their subsidiaries — are also on the US entity list, which has significantly limited the companies's ability to acquire foreign technology. Huawei and SMIC didn't immediately respond to requests for comment outside of regular office hours. While Taiwan has for years imposed certain blanket bans on the shipments of critical chipmaking equipment including lithography machines to China, it hasn't included leading Chinese tech companies or chipmakers on its entity list previously. TSMC, the go-to chipmaker for Apple Inc. and Nvidia, cut off its supplies to Huawei in 2020 because of US export controls. Huawei, together with SMIC, shocked American politicians in 2023 by releasing an advanced, made-in-China 7-nanometer chip. While the two are struggling to improve their technologies due to various curbs, they are still China's best hope to help fill in the AI chip gap left by a lack of Nvidia's most sophisticated semiconductors. Tensions between Taiwan and China also stepped up a notch earlier this year after Taiwan President Lai Ching-te labeled China a 'foreign hostile force' for the first time and unveiled wide-ranging measures to counter infiltration efforts. China claims the self-governing democracy is its territory and has vowed to unify with Taiwan, using force if necessary. –BLOOMBERG
New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Bus company in Gerik crash closes office, no staff seen
KOTA BARU: The bus company involved in the fatal crash in Gerik last week, which claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students, is believed to have temporarily ceased operations. A check at the company's premises in Batu 6, Jalan Kuala Krai, this morning found the main office closed, with no staff in sight. Only one bus was seen parked near the office, which is located next to the owner's residence. Attempts by members of the media to obtain comments from the owner were unsuccessful. Local media personnel had visited the premises to seek the owner's reaction following a statement by the Transport Ministry that no brake failure was found in the crash. It was reported yesterday that a preliminary investigation into the Gerik crash, which claimed the lives of UPSI students, found no evidence of brake failure or mechanical malfunction. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the initial technical report by Puspakom confirmed that all brake components, including the linings and drums on each axle, were in good condition. The inspection also found no signs of uneven wear or thinning that could have contributed to the crash. Other essential systems, such as the tyres, steering, and suspension, were also inspected and found to comply with safety standards, with no signs of failure. Last Monday, the bus, carrying 42 UPSI students, was travelling from Jertih, Terengganu, to the university's main campus when it collided with a Perodua Alza at Km 53 of the East–West Highway. Thirteen students died at the scene, and two others were pronounced dead in the hospital.
Daily Express
2 hours ago
- Daily Express
Negeri move on strays a bad precedent
Published on: Sunday, June 15, 2025 Published on: Sun, Jun 15, 2025 Text Size: Better solution is to have designated stray zones and sterilisation programmes. IN a span of days, Malaysia bore silent witness to three deeply unsettling episodes – separate in detail but unified in a pattern of human dominance over the voiceless. From the state-sanctioned killing of stray dogs in Negeri Sembilan to a captured monkey drenched in blue paint, and now, to bulldozers flattening green sanctuaries in the heart of Putrajaya – all speak of a society slowly forgetting its moral contract with the creatures that share its space. Advertisement In Negeri Sembilan, all state assembly members have unanimously agreed that stray dogs in predominantly Malay residential areas must be culled to 'address public disturbance and safety concerns'. It is a decision cloaked in administrative justifications, yet stripped of empathy and devoid of public discourse. No attempt was made to explore sterilisation programmes, designated stray zones or community partnerships. The vote was clear: lives that inconvenience shall be erased. This is not governance; it is extermination. These dogs, born into neglect, often rely on human scraps and street kindness to survive. To declare them threats and execute them en masse is not only cruel – it is morally bankrupt. Worse still, it teaches our young that life – when unclaimed or misunderstood – is disposable. As this tragedy unfolded, another one entered our screens. A video surfaced of an elderly man gleefully spraying blue paint onto a monkey trapped in a cage. The paint flooded the animal's eyes and mouth, visibly burning and choking it. The monkey did not resist. It simply cowered, humiliated and helpless. The man laughed. The internet raged. But rage is no substitute for reform. This cruelty, casual and public, is not rare. It is tolerated and tolerance is complicity. What is missing is not enforcement; it is empathy. Not just punishment but prevention. And now, we turn to Putrajaya – our seat of power – where yet another assault on the powerless is quietly underway. Just in front of the ministries, land once rich with green cover has been razed for the construction of a wet market – in the heart of one of the busiest administrative precincts in the nation. Here, civil servants converge, international delegates are hosted at Putrajaya International Convention Centre and the machinery of government turns daily. Yet now, this environment is to be interwoven with the congestion of vendors, delivery trucks and market-goers. And at what cost? The land that was cleared was home to a thriving population of wildlife: long-tailed macaques, dusky leaf monkeys and musang pandan (palm civet). When the clearing began months ago, at least four musang pandan were found dead – struck by vehicles as they fled the destruction of their habitat. Bulldozers did not just remove trees – they erased lives. Once the market is operational, the scent of fresh produce will attract surviving wildlife back to their old territory. They will forage through trash, be seen as pests and inevitably be culled following complaints from the very establishments that displaced them. Who approved the idea of placing a wet market in the middle of Putrajaya's core governmental hub? Did no one pause to consider the optics, the congestion or the ecological consequences? Did no one ask whether the 'development' of one corner may signal the destruction of an entire ecosystem? All of these incidents – culling dogs, torturing monkeys and bulldozing habitats – reflect a singular truth: when human convenience collides with animal survival, we have made it clear who must retreat or perish. But that truth is not unchangeable. We must demand more from our leaders, our neighbours and ourselves. We need urban planning that respects ecological integrity. We need legislation that enforces protection, not just punishment. We need a cultural shift that elevates compassion over conquest. We cannot bring back the dead civets. We cannot unpaint the monkey's face. We cannot revive the strays. But we can choose to no longer look away. Let us remember this not as an aberration but as a turning point – when Malaysians finally say: enough. Suzianah Nhazzla Ismail The views expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the Daily Express. If you have something to share, write to us at: [email protected]
