Long Wait for Settlement of SOCSO Claims

"Long Wait for Settlement of SOCSO Claims to be a thing of the past", says Datuk Dr. Fong Chan Onn.

In the news article on 12th. May 2004, the High Court ruled that R. Rajagopal should be compensated for an accident he sustained in 1997 when he was on his way to work and at the same time, he was also sending his wife to work.

In 1997, Rajagopal who works with Maybank in Kajang filed his claim with Socso but his application was rejected by the Socso Board on the ground that the accident took place when he diverted from his normal work route to drop his wife off at work. However, when the matter went to the Industrial Court, the court held that he was entitled to be compensated, as dropping his wife at work was part of his daily routine. But Socso disagreed and challenged the decision in the High Court. In February 2004, the High Court held that the Industrial Court decision was correct and should be upheld.

After 7 years, Rajagopal can now receive the little amount of compensation. WHAT A MOCKERY!!!!

I do not see the reason why Socso Board had to challenge the Industrial Court decision as Rajagopal had in fact suffered injuries due to the accident and needs the money from the compensation to pay his medical bills and all other expenses arising thereof.

It was acceptable that initially, Socso did not view the compensation as rightful when the claim was submitted to them (for reasons they believe they are right) but the matter was later ruled by the Industrial Court in favor of Rajagopal and Socso should be graceful to give the benefit of doubt (if it ever existed)to Rajagopal as a goodwill to help him tie over that difficult period. Sad to say, we had a bunch of politically appointed NUTs who served in the Socso Board, who is more interested to suck the system for their own benefit and would resist any form of claims from the workers who had contributed their income to Socso and who had in fact suffered injuries.

The question we are asking is "What contributions had these Board members made to Socso such that they be empowered to deny the rights of the workers who suffered from injuries"????

Now, our Minister is saying that Socso should not make the workers wait for their compensation for years. I thought Datuk Fong who had been the Human Resource Minister for many years, should have ensured that Socso is doing their job all those years - why today, why, why, why????

In his speech at the joint meeting of Socso Board directors, senior managers and 45 district managers nationwide at the Concorde Hotel in KL yesterday, the Minister reminded them that their main task as social security managers was to protect, care and ensure that workers who suffered from accidents were compensated and their welfare taken care of.

Why does it take so long for the Minister to tell those Asshole in Socso this message? In Mahathir's era, is this irrelevant???? Or is Pak-Lah more caring and effective????? Looks like the many ministers who are seen to be acting now during this Pak-Lah Era will create embarassment to Mahathir; as though Mahathir's years as Prime Minister does not require his Ministers to act for the benefit of the workers and Rakyat.

I wonder apart from Socso, what about CIDB??? They collect 0.25% from all construction contracts which is worth hundreds of million ringgit a year and they are investing this money in India and Sri Lanka as a contractor, concession holder & JV partners with other contractors for road privatisation projects. Will the profit from these investment be return back to the contractors who had contributed to CIDB or will the Board find a way to siphon the money elsewhere for their own??? Pak-Lah, can you wake-up to all these shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!