28/04/2026

TUESDAY | APR 28, 2026

5

Fatal MEX collision haunts driver

o Motorist grappling with loss, guilt and disrupted livelihood

has yet to be determined. Despite the uncertainty, Jailani said he is determined to return to driving. “If I have the opportunity, I will do it again. As long as I recover, I will drive. I have four children, and I am the only one working.” On April 23, Muzahid was killed when the e-hailing vehicle he was in collided with another vehicle at Km1.9 of the MEX. Nafisa was injured and later reportedly discharged from the Kuala Lumpur Hospital. The 31-year-old military officer driving the Ford Fiesta has been remanded until April 28 under a Section 302 murder investigation. Police said the case was initially investigated under Section 44(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987. A breathalyser test later showed the suspect had exceeded the permitted alcohol limit.

him uncertain about when he could return to work. “This is my only source of income. When I saw the condition of the car, I did not want to think too far ahead. “I did not want to dwell on negative thoughts. I told myself to focus on my condition first – getting discharged – then think about how to pick myself back up.” Jailani is the sole breadwinner for his family. His wife is a homemaker, and they have four children aged 14, 13, eight and four months. He said his immediate concern after being discharged would be the loss of income and the cost of follow up treatment. He added that he typically earns more than RM300 a day from e-hailing. He also said Grab had informed him that his hospital expenses could be claimed up to about RM4,000, although he is unsure whether this would be sufficient as the final bill

KLIA Terminal 1 and were en route to the Mercu Summer Suites in Kuala Lumpur. Jailani said they were about 15 minutes from their destination when the crash occurred. He only learnt later, through news reports, that Muzahid was a gaming content creator. “I was shocked. When I found out, I felt so much pity for him. They came here for vacation. They came as two individuals, but only one will return. It is very sad.” Jailani, a former banker who has been driving for Grab since 2018, remains warded but is not in critical condition. He suffered a minor fracture to his left leg and a stitched wound below his right knee, but clarified that he did not sustain any head injuries. However, his vehicle was completely destroyed and is now with the police forensic unit, leaving

Airport (KLIA) journey ended in tragedy on the Maju Expressway (MEX) on April 23. The crash claimed the life of Bangladeshi tourist and YouTuber Muzahid Millad, 22. Recalling the journey, Jailani said he barely had the chance to exchange words with Muzahid and his wife, Nafisa Tabassum Adiba, 23, who were on a phone call shortly after entering his vehicle. “I did not really get to speak with the passengers. I only managed to verify the name and let them get into the car. After that, they were on the phone until the incident happened. “The husband spoke for maybe about a minute on the phone, then he passed it back to his wife. She was seated behind me. I am not sure whether she was sleeping. “They looked tired,” he told theSun in a phone interview. The couple had just arrived at

Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: A routine airport pick-up turned fatal in seconds, leaving one man dead, a wife injured and a driver haunted by the words he wishes he never had to say. “To the victim’s family, please know I tried my best. I did everything I could to avoid the crash but there was only so much I could do.” From his hospital bed, e-hailing driver Jailani, 41, spoke with restraint – a man grappling with loss, shock and the weight of a moment he could not undo after a KL International

Crash underscores need for e-hailing income protection PETALING JAYA: The recent fatal collision on the MEX highway involving an e-hailing vehicle has reignited concerns over the lack of income protection for drivers who survive crashes but lose their livelihood when their cars are taken off the road. months while repairs are carried out. “Who pays their salary? Who ensures income protection?” He said passengers could opt into “Ride Cover” for 30 to 35 sen per trip, while drivers themselves contribute about 35 to 50 sen to cover passenger insurance. Masrizal “There is no platform coverage for income loss. If a driver is injured, Socso helps with hospitalisation and treatment. But if the car is in the workshop, there is nothing.” He urged e-hailing companies to introduce income protection through shared

Najib drops house arrest appeal

KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has withdrawn his appeal against the High Court’s decision dismissing an application for a judicial review regarding an addendum order that allegedly allowed him to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest. Following the withdrawal of the notice of appeal, Najib, 72, remains in prison at Kajang Prison after being convicted of embezzling RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd. The former Pekan MP has been serving his sentence at Kajang Prison since Aug 23, 2022. The High Court originally sentenced him to 12 years in prison and a fine of RM210 million, and the decision was later upheld by the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court. However, Najib’s petition for royal pardon on Sept 2, 2022 saw the Pardon Board shorten his prison sentence to six years and reduce his fine to RM50 million. Through a notice from the law firm of Messrs. Shafee & Co dated April 2, obtained by the media yesterday, it stated that the law firm had discontinued and withdrawn the appeal without liberty to re-file and without any order regarding costs, and no reasons were given. On April 14, Court of Appeal deputy registrar Adilah Mohtar recorded the notice of termination and struck out Najib’s notice of appeal. Najib sought an order that if the addendum order was proven to exist, all or any of the respondents should be compelled to enforce it immediately and transfer him from Kajang Prison to his residence in Kuala Lumpur to serve the remainder of his prison sentence. In the application, Najib named seven respondents, namely the Home minister, the commissioner general of prisons, the attorney general, the Pardon Boards for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform), the director-general of the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department and the government of Malaysia. On Dec 22, 2025, the High Court, which heard the full merits of the case, dismissed Najib’s application after finding that the decree was not discussed or decided during the 61st Pardon Board Meeting on Jan 29, 2024. On Aug 13, 2025, the Federal Court returned the case to the High Court to hear its merits before a new judge after dismissing the attorney-general’s appeal against the Court of Appeal’s decision on Jan 6 2025. The Court of Appeal in a 2-1 majority has returned Najib’s case to the High Court for a hearing on its merits. – Bernama

contributions, since both drivers and platforms benefit from passenger services. He added that existing group insurance offered by platforms is usually limited to basic crash coverage and falls short in serious cases. He emphasised that the MEX crash highlighted drivers’ demand for a proper system, not charity. “The current framework is incomplete. We are already paying a lot, yet gaps remain.” – By Faiz Ruzman

Gabungan e-Hailing Malaysia chief activist Masrizal Mahidin said drivers shoulder significant operating costs, including mandatory commercial insurance to transport paying passengers. “The reality is we are paying for so many things: taxes, insurance and platform fees. But when disaster strikes, who actually looks after the drivers?” he asked theSun . He explained that when a car is damaged, drivers are unable to work for weeks or even

emphasised that although the amounts appear small, they accumulate significantly across thousands of daily trips. He said current social protection schemes do not address vehicle downtime, adding that while Socso’s self-employed protection plan covers medical costs and temporary disability for work-related accidents, it does not compensate drivers when their cars are rendered inoperable.

MURDER MENTION ... Farmer Lim Lian, 71, leaving the Kota Tinggi Magistrate’s Court after he was charged with the murder of three individuals at a restaurant in Taman Kota Jaya, Johor last week. – BERNAMAPIC