Private tertiary education institution Taylor’s University has terminated the contract of its bus operator over the incident of tour buses emblazoned with the university’s official livery being seen transporting red shirt protesters during the “red shirt” Gathering for Malay Dignity on September 16.
In a post to its official Facebook page, Talylor’s University announced that it had decided to terminate its business relationship with Wawasan Sutera Travel and Tours, the owner and operator of the buses involved in the incident.
Taylor’s management maintained that the university’s buses were used to ferry red shirt protesters without its permission, and that in doing so, Wawasan Sutera breached the terms and conditions of its contract.
The university also offered an apology for any offence or confusion caused by its “unintentional association” with the racially-tinged mass protest.
However, due to the terms of the same engagement contract, Wawasan Sutera will still be operating the Taylor’s buses for the next two months, until the contract legally expires.
The Gathering for Malay Dignity was held in Padang Merbok after DBKL gave its permission for organisers to gather there peacefully. About 20,000 Malay protesters were bussed in from all across the country to protest against perceived threats to Malay rights and privileges by “DAP Chinese” elements linked to the Bersih rally, and to show their support for Malay leaders, in particular Prime Minister Najib Razak and UMNO.
Unlike #BERSIH4, the red shirts’ gathering saw several violent altercations with the police, most notably when FRU water cannons were deployed on protesters outside the entrance to Petaling Street’s Chinatown district, and when protesters rammed through police barricades set up along Jalan Bukit Bintang, near Low Yat Plaza.
