True Grit

MRT Corp Dato’ Wira Azhar Abdul Hamid

MRT Corp Sdn Bhd CEO Dato’ Wira Azhar Abdul Hamid demonstrated exemplary leadership and courage by taking personal responsibility of the work site mishap in Kota Damansara which saw three Bangladeshi construction worker died and summarily resigned.

Pro-Anwarista newsportal Tong Kooi Ong media story:

MRT boss resigns over fatal accident at worksite

Published: 19 August 2014

Azhar has decided to resign following the incident which occurred in Kota Damansara yesterday. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim, August18, 2014.
Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) chief executive officer Datuk Wira Azhar Abdul Hamid has tendered his resignation over the accident at an MRT worksite near Kota Damansara last night which claimed the lives of three workers.

Azhar said his decision to resign was in line with MRT Corp taking full responsibility for the incident.

“As the head of MRT Corp, I am taking personal responsibility for the incident and this is the correct thing to do. I have informed the Chairman of MRT Corp, Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, of my decision,” he says.

Azhar was appointed CEO of MRT Corp on September 1, 2011 following the Government’s decision to set up the company to take over the ownership and development of the Klang Valley MRT Project from Syarikat Prasarana Malaysia Bhd.
Meanwhile, MRT Corp also informed media in the latest update on the worksite accident that the bodies of the two remaining workers who were trapped beneath the span of the MRT guideway, which had dislodged from its piers and fallen on the ground below at 8.30pm yesterday night, have been recovered.

The bodies of Bangladesh nationals Mohamad Faruk Khan, 38, and Mohammad Alauddin Mollik, 34, were recovered at about 1.35pm after the sixth segmented box girders which form the span were lifted.

The body of the third Bangladeshi, Mohammad Elahi Hossain, was pulled out from under the MRT guideway at 2.34am.

In a statement today, Azhar assured that the relevant authorities will begin an investigation into the incident to identify its cause.

“I hope all weaknesses which are identified will be rectified,” he said, adding that he was “extremely saddened’ by the loss of lives.

Azhar had always stressed the need to improve safety in the construction industry and had personally made some effort to achieve this.

MRT Corp also said that the bodies of two remaining workers, who were trapped under the concrete span, have been recovered.

The bodies of Bangladeshis Mohamad Faruk Khan, 38, and 34-year-old Mohammad Alauddin Mollik were recovered at about 1.35pm, after the sixth segmented box girders which form the span were lifted.

Earlier this morning, the body of Mohammad Elahi Hossain, 27, was found at 2.30 am trapped under the collapsed span.

The workers’ remains were taken to the Sungai Buloh Hospital for post-mortem.

The three construction workers went missing after the 650-tonne span at the MRT worksite near the former Rubber Research Institute land collapsed at 8.30 pm yesterday

The Bangladesh High Commission has been informed, MRT said, to contact the family members of the three workers who had died.

“MRT Corp and SMPP (contractor Syarikat Muhibah Perniagaan dan Pembinaan Sdn Bhd) will make the necessary arrangements for the bodies to be repatriated to Bangladesh once the next of kin have been informed and consent is given by the High Commission,” the statement read.

All work at the site has been called off until further notice, it said, adding that Project Delivery Partner MMC Gamuda KVMRT (PDP) Sdn Bhd has commenced investigations to determine the cause of the incident.

“Initial investigations have revealed that the work method approved for the installation of parapets was not adhered to.

“We will investigate why this happened, and no stone will be left unturned so that we can get to the bottom of this tragic incident. We will also not spare anyone whose actions are found to have caused or contributed to this accident,” Azhar said.

He also assured that the MRT structures have been checked to be safe, allaying public worry over the safety of the span.

“Immediate checks carried out have revealed that there is no reason for the public to worry about the other spans which have been built along the alignment. There is absolutely no issue with structural integrity along our alignment,” he says.

Meanwhile, Subang MP R Sivarasa has urged authorities to suspend the whole MRT project until investigations can be carried out to prove that it was safe, adding that this was the second case of a similar nature in merely two months.

“Road users who frequently pass through MRT work sites should have confidence in their safety. These two incidents, unfortunately, do not inspire any confidence.

“Until this confidence is restored through detailed reports, I urge that the work should be stopped immediately,” he said in a statement. – August 19, 2014.

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The certified-accountant-turned-plantations man Azhar who was a successful Sime Darby CEO for plantations and acting Group President when former CEO Dato’ Seri Ahmad Zubir Murshid resigned, was appointed to head the MRT Corp after Federal Government carved it out of Prasrana three years to give it full control and fcous of developing the third MRT line.

Azhar as a high compliant personality, stressed the requirement to adhere to strict safety standards in all the MRT Corp worksites. Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak handpicked this diehard Chelsea FC fan for the MRT Corp top job.

As a business manager, he introduced an effective and productive joint development program for many of the parcels along the Sungai Buloh-Kajang line (also known as the Blue Line), which saw the savings of RM1.5 billion for the Federal Government in land acquisition. The development and construction of the 60km line which passes through 25 stations is expected to complete by end of 2017.

This is the sort of leadership and accountability the nation is longing to have. Just for size, Khazanah MD Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar was Azhar’s contemporary when they were doing A Levels right through ACCA in the United Kingdom, from 1978 to mid 80s.

MRT Corp BoD is chaired by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Ali Hamsa. Member of the BoD include Chief Secretary to Treasury Tan Sri Mohd Irwan Siregar Abdullah, DG of Economic Planning Unit Dato’ Dr Rahamat Bivi Yusoff and Group MD of Prasarana Dato’ Sri Shahril Mokhtar.