In a statement, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok said she found it ironic that Wee was now pushing for the government to settle a lawsuit brought by a victim of the collision.
“Has he forgotten that he was the transport minister at the time of the accident? Is Wee himself saying that he is not humane?
“Why did Wee not use his ministerial position, which would have been most effective, in offering to do the ‘most humane thing’, when he had the full authority and opportunity?
“His action now is akin to wanting to lock the stable door after the horses have bolted,” she said.
Wee was still serving as transport minister when the LRT crash occurred in 2021. His tenure ended in October 2022, when Parliament was dissolved to make way for the 15th general election.
In calling yesterday for the government to “do the humane thing” and settle the suit, he had cited its cost and the burden it would place on personnel at the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the courts.
The suit, filed by Florence Lee in December last year, named the LRT system’s owner, Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, and operator, Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd, as defendants.
Lee said the crash was due to the defendants’ negligence and breaches of statutory duty.
Lee, 57, is seeking to recover RM113,524.08 in special damages, including RM84,372.58 in medical, physiotherapy and rehabilitation expenses, as well as general, aggravated and exemplary damages as assessed by the court.
She claims to have been “thrown to the ground” by the impact of the crash, leaving her with a broken left femur, a punctured thigh wound and cuts to her left eyelid.
She said she was subjected to a prolonged recovery process which required multiple surgeries and resulted in a shortening of her left leg, affecting her gait.
She said the collision, which took place along the Kelana Jaya line on May 24, 2021, also caused her “physical and mental injuries” including “nervous shock, mental depression, pain and suffering, and loss of amenities”, from which she has been “unable to fully recover”.
The trial will commence on Jan 10, 2028.