PETALING JAYA: It has been eight years since his worst road accident had occurred, but the memory is still fresh in Muhammad Azizi Abdul Manab’s mind as he reads the news of the Public Works Department (JKR) apologising to a minister who was involved in a pothole mishap.
In 2012, Azizi’s left leg was amputated two days after he was hit by a car trying to avoid a pothole at Jalan Pantai Dalam in Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur.
Azizi was riding a motorcycle with a friend seated behind him.
But, unlike Khairy, no one came forward to apologise to him, let alone assist him in rebuilding his life.
“It was only a month later that staff from DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall) came to patch up the hole. Until now, none of those involved in the incident has apologised to me,” he told FMT.
Azizi insisted that he was not against JKR apologising to the science, technology and innovation minister, but expressed disappointment over the apathy shown by the authorities towards the general public.
“By right, they should take responsibility and pay proper attention (to the problems of road users), but, very often, victims like us are left to fend for ourselves,” he said.
Determined to make the most out of the situation, Azizi said his accident spurred him and his friends to voluntarily patch up the potholes around Kuala Lumpur themselves.
He said this was because he did not want other road users to face the same fate as he did.
Unfortunately, Azizi’s experience is not a unique one. A local university study found that 11.25% of road accidents that took the lives of Malaysians were related to poor road conditions. Of the total, 15.4% died from accidents caused by “deadly” potholes.
For Mohamad Hapis Md Rasol, a pothole at Km34 Lebuhraya Pasir Gudang, Johor, had killed his sister, Nurul Ain, just last month.
Nurul riding pillion on a motorcycle with a friend when they hit a pothole on the road.
Hapis said no one apologised to his family. “It is only fair for them (JKR) to apologise, because it is their responsibility to ensure that the roads are safe to use.
“When accidents like this happen, they should be the first one to apologise and extend help to the victims,” he said.
Meanwhile, delivery rider Shafiq Ayie said there is an alarming number of potholes in Kuala Lumpur, which posed a threat to road users, particularly motorcyclists.
“I hope those responsible will take note because they pose a risk to people like us. As it is, proper roads are dangerous enough, what more if the roads are damaged,” he said.