Aren't accidents a human right? asks the former premier in mocking the opposition towards the implementation of AES. 

RK Anand, FMT

Dr Mahathir Mohamad is wondering when Malaysians will regain their sanity and stop politicising everything, including the government’s efforts to save lives.

The former premier was commenting on the opposition towards the implementation of the Automated Enforcement System (AES) to nab traffic offenders.

With his trademark sarcasm, Mahathir said since Malaysia was a democratic nation, all undertakings by the ruling administration must be opposed.

“So the efforts by the administration to save lives, reduce road accidents and lower the death rate due to road accidents to below 6,000 a year must be opposed.

“Aren’t accidents a human right? A basic right for all of us? Why is the ruling administration attempting to rob us of this right?

“Democracy has reached such a high point in our beloved nation that even the efforts to save lives becomes a contentious issue,” he added in his blog posting.

Noting the high accident rate in the country, Mahathir, a car aficionado himself, asked if Malaysians would accept the AES only after everyone lost a family member to fatal accidents.

“When would we regain our sanity? Must everything be politicised and opposed just because it is our right to do so?” he asked.

The former premier said when the volume of cars increase on the roads, the police find it difficult to enforce the traffic laws.

“Many new equipment have been invented to help the police. But the volume of cars continue to increase and so do the number of accidents.

“So an electronic device was invented, which not only measures the speed but also identifies the vehicle involved. Nowhere in the world was the implementation of this device opposed,” he added.

The government’s decision to implement the AES became a hotly debated matter, prompting the attorney-general to freeze all court cases related to the summonses issued.