UMNO Youth has offered to provide free legal representation to the Perodua Aruz driver involved in a viral road rage incident with a Ferrari driver, should the dispute proceed to court.
UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh said the wing was prepared to provide lawyers to the Aruz driver so the matter could be properly determined through the legal process.
Akmal said he initially chose not to comment on the incident, which took place on the North-South Expressway (PLUS) near Seremban on Aug 8, after videos of the confrontation went viral.
Akmal says let the court decide
However, he decided to speak up after seeing a subsequent press conference by the Ferrari driver, who maintained that he was not at fault and reportedly intended to take the Aruz driver to court.
“I heard that the Ferrari driver wants to take the Aruz driver to court. I support that, and UMNO Youth will provide free legal assistance to him. Let the court decide who is at fault and who is not.”
Akmal also urged the Aruz driver, or anyone who knows him, to contact UMNO Youth so that assistance can be arranged.
He stressed that justice should not depend on a person’s financial standing, saying the courts should ultimately determine what happened and who was responsible.
Ferrari driver says he was avoiding a collision
The dispute involved businessman Tiang How Soon, 40, who was driving the Ferrari, and the Aruz driver.
In a press conference, Tiang said he had changed lanes suddenly because he was trying to avoid hitting a vehicle in front of him. He claimed this may have caused the Aruz driver to believe that he had deliberately cut into his lane.
The two drivers later stopped on the right lane of the highway and got into a heated confrontation, which was recorded by passing motorists and widely shared online.
Tiang said there was no collision between the two vehicles and that the situation could have been resolved peacefully without violence.
Both drivers reportedly reached a verbal settlement
The Ferrari driver also said that while both sides had reached an amicable settlement verbally, the Aruz driver had yet to fulfil certain commitments, including issuing a public apology and written clarification.
Police, meanwhile, have confirmed that investigations into the incident are continuing despite reports that the two parties had reached a settlement.
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