KAI directors step down over Brebes train crash

KAI directors step down over Brebes train crash

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The board of directors of state-owned railway company PT Kereta
Api Indonesia (KAI) resigned en masse on Friday, but the
Indonesian Consumers' Foundation (YLKI) slammed the move as an
attempt to evade responsibility for numerous train accidents over
the past few months.

YLKI also plans to launch a class action against PT KAI aimed
at securing compensation for potential losses suffered by the
families of those injured or killed in recent accidents.

"All of us have decided to resign as we accept moral
responsibility for the recent events," KAI President Director
Badar Zaini said after a meeting with Minister of Transportation
Agum Gumelar and State Minister of State-Owned Enterprises
Laksamana Sukardi in Jakarta.

An economy-class train Empu Jaya from Jakarta collided head-on
with the Jakarta-bound Gaya Baru Malam, which was stopped on the
same track at Ketanggungan station in Brebes, Central Java,
killing at least 30 passengers and injuring dozens of others on
Tuesday.

The driver of Empu Jaya, Muhammad To'at, who is being treated
at a hospital in Brebes, has been declared a suspect.

Asked to comment on the resignation of KAI's board of
directors, Laksamana replied: "I am personally touched by their
willingness to open a new door to a better environment. I deeply
appreciate that."

Laksamana said the company would be audited by independent
auditors in relation to operational, financial and safety issues.

Such an audit would be the first conducted by outsiders since
KAI's establishment, as previous audits have been undertaken by
the company's internal auditor and the results have not been made
public.

Laksamana also said a team would be set up to conduct a series
of tests, including a fit-and-proper assessment, for all
prospective employees.

Separately, Vice President Hamzah Haz hailed the resignations,
saying they could serve as a new paradigm and example for those
who failed to live up to expectations.

"Although their resignations do not necessarily prove that
they are guilty, it should serve as a new model of accountability
that other state companies should follow," he said without
elaborating.

YLKI, however, suspected the resignations were merely an
attempt to elude accountability over the numerous recent
accidents.

"The resignations were engineered. If they were a form of
public accountability why didn't they resign straight away after
the crash?," YLKI chairwoman Indah Suksmaningsih asked.

YLKI is also planning to file a class action lawsuit against
PT KAI to demand the inclusion of compensation for the potential
losses suffered by the injured and the families of those killed
in recent accidents.

"Neither the resignations nor the payment of compensation
alters the PT KAI directors' legal accountability in relation to
consumer services and protection," YLKI Executive for Legal
Affairs Sudarjatmo said, as quoted by Antara.

He suspected that sabotage was involved in Tuesday's accident,
given To'at's statement that he had reduced speed and applied the
brakes to prevent a collision. To'at is currently being treated
in intensive care in a Brebes hospital.

"It's funny that he was named a suspect because he has not yet
been questioned by the police," Sumaryoto said, adding that To'at
would be moved to Pertamina Hospital on Saturday so that he could
receive better treatment.

Sumaryoto said Agum and State Minister for State Enterprises
Laksamana Sukardi were responsible for improving PT KAI's
management.

YLKI said that the compensation set by PT KAI and insurance
firm PT Jasa Raharja, which comprises Rp 16 million (about
US$1,500) in compensation for each victim's family and three-year
scholarships for two of the victims' relatives, was not adequate.