“The minister should find a way to convince the union and the public at large of the transparency of these purchases made through direct negotiations,” RUM president Abdul Razak Md Hassan said.

He added that although direct negotiations are overseen by committees, the perception of it is still one that leaves room for doubt.

He told FMT that open tenders would be more transparent and that the selection would take into account factors like quality, reasonable pricing, technical specifications suggested by users, and life span.

This came after Wee slammed RUM yesterday over its claim that Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad’s (KTMB) poor service is due to the train sets the ministry purchased through direct negotiations.

Wee told the union not to make wild allegations and to check their facts before making any accusations. He said procurements made by the ministry underwent a stringent process, and that any direct negotiation would be overseen by a committee.

Today, RUM reiterated that KTM trains are less popular due to infrequent rides and delayed trips, which are attributed to the quality of trains purchased by the ministry and the stalled Phase 2 of the Klang Valley Dual Tracking project (KVDT2).

The union asked if Wee had figured out why these two issues occurred, as it was his responsibility to find solutions.

“With the two issues identified, Wee must now provide solutions instead of treating RUM like a political party and saying we are making ‘wild accusations’,” Razak said, adding that the recent Skypark Link fare reduction did not solve these problems.

He said the minister should act “professionally” and understand the basis of the union’s complaints.

“As transport minister, he should be wise in handling issues like these instead of lashing out and making an enemy out of RUM.”