Datuk Wee Hong Seng
KUCHING (May 3): The community and netizens are urged to stop speculating on the alleged hit-and-run incident on Friday that killed a 56-year-old cyclist.
In making this call, Kuching South mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng appealed to eye-witnesses to come forward with information to assist the investigation.
“While we hope that people could stop speculating and pinning blame, we also urge the culprit to come forward and own up,” he said during his Facebook live session ‘Shall WEE Talk’ on Saturday.
Wee noted that several social media comments had focused on who should be blamed. He stressed that this was not the time to point fingers but to show respect for the victim’s family.
“A family has lost a loved one. The community should show compassion rather than leaving comments questioning whether the cyclist used lights or why he went out early morning.
“If you’re the family involved, you would know how anguished these comments are,” he said.
The mayor added that such remarks were unfair to the family and reflected a lack of basic courtesy.
Wee emphasised that it was wrong for the culprit to leave the victim behind after the collision.
He said the culprit should stepped out of the vehicle to check on the victim’s condition and help seek medical attention instead of fleeing the scene.
“This should be our respect for life and our responsibilty for what we have done.”
As of Saturday afternoon, he said no individual had come forward with information. Wee reiterated his call for witnesses to assist the authorities.
“We need the community to join forces and help the police gather more useful information to facilitate the investigation,” he said, expressing hope that the police could expedite the probe to provide a closure for the family and truth to the community.
On Friday morning, the cyclist was killed in a suspected hit-and-run incident in Jalan BDC here.
It was learnt that the victim was on the way to meet with friends for a cycling trip and was heading towards Saradise when a vehicle struck him and immediately fled the scene.
Paramedics who arrived at the scene confirmed that the victim had succumbed to his injuries.
Police have launched an investigation and are appealing to anyone with information on the incident to come forward and assist.
